Very cute and light read. Certainly not the most “enemies” in enemies to lovers but I enjoyed the characters and their story.

"French Holiday" by Sarah Ready is a delightful and heartwarming romantic novel that takes readers on a journey to a crumbling French castle, where two enemies-at-first-sight find themselves entangled in a holiday of unexpected twists and turns.

Merry DeLuca's life is in disarray after her sister marries the man Merry has always loved. In a desperate need for an escape, Merry seizes the opportunity for a three-month holiday in the romantic French countryside, envisioning mouthwatering pastries, flirtations, and idyllic strolls through vineyards. However, her perfect holiday takes an unexpected turn when she discovers Noah Wright—the best man from her sister's wedding and the worst man she's ever known—sharing the castle with her.

Sarah Ready weaves a charming and engaging tale as Merry and Noah navigate their forced cohabitation in the picturesque French setting. The author skillfully balances humor, romance, and a touch of mystery, creating a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. The crumbling castle serves as a fitting backdrop, adding a touch of enchantment to the narrative.

The characters of Merry and Noah are well-developed, each carrying their own baggage and flaws. The journey of their evolving relationship from enemies to friends is portrayed with authenticity and warmth. The truce they strike to live as cohabitating friends for three months sets the stage for unexpected discoveries, revealing secrets and laying bare their hearts.

What sets "French Holiday" apart is its ability to blend friendship, romance, and a hint of love seamlessly. The story explores the nuances of relationships, showing that sometimes friendship can lead to deeper feelings. The novel successfully captures the essence of a holiday romance, making readers wish that the enchanting holiday in the French castle would never end.

In conclusion, "French Holiday" earns four stars for its delightful storytelling, well-crafted characters, and the perfect blend of romance and friendship. Sarah Ready delivers a heartwarming tale that transports readers to the charm of the French countryside and leaves them with a warm and satisfied feeling. "French Holiday" is a recommended read for those who enjoy sweet and engaging romantic novels with a touch of humor and mystery.

This book was something I wanted to badly to like, but unfortunately I could barely get through it. The characters were insufferable and the plot was mediocre, at best.

French Holiday by Sarah Ready

A beautiful chateau in the French Countryside, rolling hills, free-flowing wine, endless plates of pasta, croissants, and desserts. What could be more magical about that?

When Jupiter, Merry's quirky godmother, suggests to Merry that she should go to France for the summer Merry thinks it would be the perfect escape from her current life situation.
Little did she know, that she would have a roommate for the duration of her stay.
Noah, an artist, looking to uncover a mystery about his past and his family is also staying at the chateau. This would have been fine but Noah was Merry's sister's husband's best man and sworn enemy of Merry.

This was a perfect enemies-to-lovers romance. I loved the chemistry between Merry and Noah, from the arguments they had to the connection they shared. All the characters in the book had something to offer and added to the charm of the book. I enjoyed the writing, descriptions, and banter between the characters.
It was a wonderful read if you're also looking for an escape to the French countryside without having to live in a crumbling chateau.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsaustralia for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

French Holiday had a slow start for me. But I think that had more to do with me reading it at the same time as multiple other books which were all high fantasy books and so it therefore took me a few chapters to settle into the rom-com zone. I also think I was a bit intimidated by the number of chapters there were - but that was actually a good thing as it meant that chapters were kept short and sweet, just the way I like it.

To sum up what I felt by the end of this book, it was a funny, cute, fluffy romance story. It had a very predictable plot but that’s okay because it was written well so it didn’t matter that I could already figure out what was going to happen. Honestly sometimes its nice to know how things are going to end - I am not always looking for those shock factor moments that give me heart attacks.

I think what did surprise me about these books were the very interesting sub-plots and the storyline’s of other characters. While I loved the main romance in this story, it was really nice to play out the other stories within theirs as well.

I think if you are looking for an enemies (but kind of not enemies) to lovers story, filled with hilarious accidents and set in Annecy in France that short and sweet, this is the book for you.

Book Rating: 4.5/5
Audiobook Rating: 5/5

I had absolutely NO idea what to expect from French Holiday by Sarah Ready, but I am so happy I read it because it is a winner and so much dang fun. Merry is a great character and I loved being in her head and seeing the spelling of her name like this. My name is Mary, but I had someone spell it Merry once and I guess now I know why? 🤣 Anyway, I loved the chemistry between Merry and Noah, and the hilarity that ensues by having both of them together in a crumbling castle in France. There were tons of laugh-out-loud moments, but it had plenty of heartwarming and insightful moments as well.

Kelsey Navarro narrates the audiobook, and I can't even properly tell you how much I loved her as the voice of Merry. I thought she fit the character perfectly, and her narration was entirely on pace and well suited for the storyline as a whole. I got quite the kick out of listening to the audio and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. I did not realize that Ready has such an extensive backlist, nor did I realize she is also the author of Josh and Gemma Make a Baby which has been on my TBR for quite some time. I am definitely going to dive in soon though since now I know how much I love her writing. There was even a little bit of mystery to French Holiday and it was a deliciously well-rounded romcom. I highly recommend it to all you romcom lovers out there who would like to go on a little French holiday yourselves. 😉

Thank you to the publishers for my complimentary listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Super cute laugh out loud rom com. love Sarh books so much and this one was no different. thank you for the Arc # Netgalley

French Holiday by Sarah Ready is a delightful enemies-to-lovers rom com set in a romantic castle in the French countryside. If your life is a dumpster fire, I can think of worse places to regroup and worse people to spend time with than Noah Wright. This one would be a fun movie.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Merry's heart is broken and her sister marries her best friend, with whom she is secretly in love. To take her mind off things, she rents a castle in France. Once there, she realises that the castle is already occupied by Noah, whom Merry doesn't like at all. But they both decide to stay and become closer.

My opinion:
I really like the cover, even if it doesn't have much to do with the plot.
Sarah Ready's writing style is very pleasant and easy to read.

I really like Merry, she has a strong personality and tries to get her way. This also applies to Noah, who also has an opinion but remains fair.

I like how the relationship between Merry and Noah develops. They go from being enemies to friends to lovers. Not always harmonious, but at a healthy pace. I think that's very nice. Merry also continues to develop and lets go of the old to embrace new things.

Unfortunately, there were a few places where I found the tension lacking, but that's just my personal opinion. Nevertheless, the book is a lot of fun to read.

I really liked the ending because it was Merry and Noah at their best! Really nice and a great ending.

My conclusion:
A great book with opinionated characters, lots of sparks and funny situations, but only minor flaws. Well worth the read!

This was a fun, atmospheric book!
I did enjoy the story about Merry & Noah, how they evolved & grew as characters, as well as the mystery aspect made the book interesting. There were parts that made me laugh out loud (wittle “kitty” & Louis), but also parts that seemed a little repetitive, slow, & longer than necessary. Overall, this was a fun read!

Merry DeLuca’s sister just married Merry’s best friend and long-time crush, and while she wants to be happy for her sister, Merry feels her own life is falling apart. When she is offered the chance to live in a French chateau for there months, she jumps at the chance. When Merry arrives, however, she discovers that the chateau is not only crumbling and in desperate needs of repairs, but it is also occupied by Noah Wright – the best man from her sister’s wedding and the worst man she’s ever known. Both refuse to leave, so they call a tentative truce for the duration of their stay. When they start opening up, though, Merry sees a different side of Noah.

I knew as soon as Merry started imagining the “perfect” vacation at her French chateau that she had never actually been to one before and was going to have a rude awakening. LOL This was a cute story and would make a great beach read for someone looking for a little escapism!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This was a cute, quick read! I have such a hard time with the premise of the sister and the guy she's always had a crush on (maybe because I'm petty and would never be able to get over this) but ended up loving the MMC.

This book was just about guaranteed a 5-star rating from me simply because it was set in France, but it actually earned that rating! I loved that there was an essence of mystery, romance, and some serious fire. The enemies-to-lovers story isn't always believable for me, but this one nailed it and I loved every second of it.

Thought-provoking and fun, French Holiday is a delight! I loved the setting and the characters, along with the well-crafted slow burn love story.

Sometimes, we just need a break! That’s what Merry is granted when a French castle is open for her to visit for 3 months, and she leaps. But, Noah also leaped and is staying in the same castle and well, Merry can’t stand him. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers stories are some of my favorites and that’s what this one becomes. Hilarity ensues, relationships blossom, and fun is had by all, despite the situation at hand. Loved the book and how fun it was to read. It was lengthy, but it hit all the plot points and tied up the strings by the end - loved it! Thanks for the opportunity to read.

After seeing all the incredible reviews I was so excited to start this however it just wasn't for me :( I found the characters really difficult to connect to and the plot was too cliché for my liking.

I had so much fun with this one, it was the perfect escapism with such gorgeous characters. I would highly recommend!

Merry DeLuca’s best friend and long-time crush, Leo, marries her little sister, Angela. So when she gets the opportunity to live in France for a few months, she takes it. But once she gets there, she realizes that the house she’s staying in is already occupied by none other than Noah Wright, Leo’s other friend and the man that she hates. He refuses to leave, and they decide to cohabitate.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, but this was one of those misinterpreted instances where one of them didn’t actually dislike the other (at least not at first). Anyway, I loved getting to explore the French countryside through Merry. There were also some hilarious moments, and at some instances, I could really relate to Merry.

Also, Noah was grumpy, but he was also extremely thoughtful and sweet. I was happy when Merry let go of her past and saw what was right in front of her. She even stood up for herself, and she was always helping others.

This was a cute “enemies to lovers” romance with forced proximity. It was my first book by Sarah Ready, and I enjoyed it

OMG I loved this one. I absolutely knew how it was going to go but I sure loved the journey getting there! I enjoyed reading about Noah's journey and what was going on with him. It was steamy and just right!

French Holiday was my third Sarah Ready read, and I was not disappointed!

This story hooked me right from the start and sucked me. Merry's best friend and love of her life is marrying her little sister, Angela. Merry's job is downright miserable. How do you cope? By running away to France to live in your godmother's castle, find inspiration, and maybe a French man named Pierre.

I loved the backdrop for the story. The descriptions of France made me feel like I was there enjoying the food and wine, and man, did I need that this time of year. It was like living my own escape through Merry, and it was divine.

I loved the characters Sarah created and the situations she put them in. I felt Merry's hurt and pain as she watched her sister marry her best friend. I felt the cringe Merry felt at her HR job. I felt the hope and spark of the possibility of starting over with someone new.

I loved the unpredictable, broody, yet lovable Noah. He was a grand reminder that people are more than they seem and, if given a chance, will be vulnerable and let you be vulnerable with them. I'm not sure he was perfect, but I'm not sure he needed to be. He was just… surprisingly wonderful.

I laughed when Merry fought a lobster.

I'm not sure I could have loved this story anymore. And Sarah Ready is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thank you, Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book!