For five years Merry has been inlove with her best friend Leo, but he is about to marry her sister Angela. A few weeks after the wedding Merry decides to go on a three month holiday to France and spend it in her godmothers Château, but what she doesn't know is that Noah (a man she cannot stand) is also staying at the Château. What could possibly go wrong.

Overall this was a good book, it was humourous, romantic and it had a mysterious élément.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Meh. This was one of those books where all the elements I love were present but... but... but... I just couldn't connect with the characters or care that much about their story. I also found some of the crumbling castle situations kind of gross.

There was one very funny scene with a lobster that had me laughing out loud.

I liked the book enough to read it all the way through but ended up skimming some of the screwball comedy scenes.

No profanity. Yay! Graphic sex.

Ok. Mixed feelings here but I still enjoyed the experience.

The books starts with Merry about to walk down the aisle. Not for her own wedding but the wedding of her sister to her best friend Leo, whom she has been in love with for years. She finds herself later with the best man Noah, whom she wholly dislikes. Through various circumstances they find themselves in France together at a chateau Merry’s aunt purchased. Merry is there to escape her life-loveless and recently jobless. Noah is there to work on his book and travel documentary and you find out for much more as well.

Forced proximity
1 bed trope
Grumpy x sunshine
Quirky moments
French countryside

All ensue from here.

For me there were parts of the book I enjoyed and found lovely. However, some of the dialogue and internal monologues felt clumsy. The MMC was downright confusing at times. Overall this book felt like it was trying to do too many things. There are some fun secrets that unfold but the writing gets a little confusing at times. This book also felt like it could’ve been a little shorter.

I’d give it a high 2.75 stars. I overall still enjoyed myself and was able to make it through the book but things never really got past surface level for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

I devoured this book in three hours. Merry and Noah are super cute enemies to lovers characters with well-rounded personalities, although I could pretty much guess what was going to happen next (except for the rampaging seafood, lol) the author's writing style kept me entertained and I love her descriptions. SPOILER: If I thought I had sex four times in one night it would be because my hooha was sore, not because I found four discarded condoms in the room. Just sayin'. I received this as a Netgalley ARC.

I love a good forced proximity vacation romance!

We meet our heroine, Merry, at the wedding of her sister and her best friend (who she’s secretly in love with). Merry is feeling pretty sorry for herself and down on love. Merry is given a French vacation by her godmother Jupiter and it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up! However, there is one small catch: Her new brother-in-law’s best friend Nick happens to be there too! What ensues is Merry and Nick learning to co-exist and maybe even catching some feelings?!

I really enjoyed this book! Merry and Nick had fun banter. I was rooting for them both the whole time. The French vacation backdrop was also a very nice addition in this book. It made me want to pack my bags and board a place to the French countryside. Bonus points if I can also fall in love along the way. This was my first book by Sarah Ready, and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I love when main characters are a hot mess and woo boy did Sarah Ready deliver.

Merry has just stood up as the Maid of Honor in her sister's wedding to her best friend who she believes herself to be in love with. After getting spectacularly smashed with the standoffish best man, and then quitting her job a few weeks later, she finds her way off to castle-sit(?) for her godmother. This giant transformative moment is foiled when the cranky best man walks out of the castle to ask why she's there.

They end up both staying and splitting the one bed (because of course there's only one) and existing in relative harmony when they both work through a few things. She's looking for a version of herself that she can stand and he thinks he has a lead on who his mysterious father is. They both end up guest starring in field trips for each other's journey and it was nice to see them gradually become friends and then more.

I loved the domestic scenes around the house of these two just snarking at each other and being interrupted by the creepy crawlies of this castle but especially the lobster. What a scene stealer.

Thank you to Netgalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

This book was extremely adorable!
French Holiday is like a fresh air in the romance book section. The story was amazing! It had romance and a little bit of mystery at the same time.
Noah and Merry made such an adorable couple ❤️
Since the beginning I rooted for them to get together. It was obvious that they had feelings for each other but neither of the knew how deep those feelings ran.
If you love romance books with a little bit of mystery and with finding yourself vibe then this is your book.
Spice: 🌶️.5

I really liked this book!
First time reading this author and enjoyed the plot, characters, flow of story. There's nothing I love more than an enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, ONE BED! trope, but even better than that is when the story is actually interesting too. Merry heads to France after her sister marries her best friend (and crush) and after a *maybe* wild one-night wedding party hookup with Noah. Noah heads to France on a mission to find an artist with a connection to his past. And you guessed it - they land in the same place, same time. While they learn more about each other, they also work together to find a missing artist all while uncovering the many faces and feelings love brings to the world. The dialogue is great, the tension, the suspense - it pushes the story along. I did stay up to finish this one! I'm off to check out more of her books now!

Fun little enemies to lovers rom com and I love that it's sets in France such a fun read you get pulled in pretty quick

French Holiday is the perfect light-hearted rom-com. Merry has to watch her best friend and the man she loves marry someone else. Not just any someone else, but her sister. If that wasn’t enough, she has to play nice with the Best Man, Noah, throughout the wedding even though they “hate” each other.

Flash forward a little and Merry can’t handle watching Leo and her sister together. After quitting her job, her godmother sends her to France to stay at her run-down chateau to get over her heartbreak and hopefully fall in love with someone else. What Merry doesn’t see coming is that her godmother also rented out the chateau to Noah. Stuck together for a few months the tension builds, secrets are told, and art and murder mysteries are solved. And Merry finally takes a chance on love.

My only gripe with French Holiday is how the heck did Merry’s sister, Angela, not know that Merry was in love with Leo when they got married? Merry was in love with Leo for years but never told her sister? That was a little hard for me to buy especially because the sisters otherwise seem to have a close relationship.

I loved French Holiday. This sweet book came at a good time for me. I just cancelled yet another vacation and this gave me a little vicarious trip to France. Yes, it was a typical enemies to lovers rom/com, but don’t you just love that? I often enjoy reading light books for their purely escapist entertainment, better still if I can escape to a French chateau with handsome neighbors.

This book was such a fun read, I loved the setting so much, it was an easy faced paced and cheesy book that had me hooked from page 1.

This was such a great book to listen too. I loved Kelsey Navarro who narrated this book. I found it to be a quick listen and had some really good laugh out loud moments. I loved Merry and Noah! If you looking for a really cute and sweet book, I would highly recommend you read this or listen to the eBook. I hope to read or listen to more of Sarah Ready's books.

Thank you NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC for allowing me to listen to this in advanced for my honest opinion.

Reading this book is like taking a bite of a Funfetti cupcake. It’s cute and sweet but there’s not a whole lot of depth.

Meredith “Merry” DeLuca is in unrequited love with her best friend Leo who just so happens to be marrying her beloved sister Angela. After the wedding she journeys to France to live in a chateau for a few months to heal her broken heart. It just so happens that Leo’s best man, Noah, who Merry despises appears to also be living in said chateau. Hijinks ensue.

On the surface this book is very enjoyable. Merry and Noah are clearly infatuated with each other despite their appearance of dislike. The setting is charming and the supporting cast of characters quirky. It reads like a typical romcom full of ridiculous scenarios and mishaps but not without an undercurrent of romance. There’s even a third act mystery to solve.

I just wish this book had more on its mind than falling in love and being silly. The relationship between Merry and her sister was ripe for exploration but didn’t really go anywhere. Merry quit her job and left her old life behind but she never really reckoned with that decision. I wanted to see more growth from her.

Overall, the book is a light and breezy read. It’s perfect if you like your romantic comedies with a generous side of tropes like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and there’s only one bed.

Merry can’t think of a time when she hasn’t loved Leo. One slight problem…. Leo is her best friend and he’s marrying her sister. At the wedding Merry is partnered with the best man Noah, who is as far from that as can be in Merry’s mind. He’s just the worst, and for the life of her she can’t figure out what it is about her that he hates so much.

A chain of events means Merry needs to get away. And were better than a castle in France where she can lock her wounds (and her pride. And hopefully meet a cute Frenchman. But she crosses paths with Noah, who seems destined to cramp her style.

French Holiday is a bit of a turbulent emotional ride. Noah has a significant secret and there’s another couple of characters who fulfil a bit of a bait and switch role within the book. It’s well done and a bit cute.

I have to say Merry is hard work, despite not meaning to be. She’s a bit beaten down (emotionally) and I did struggle with the ease with which she fell out of love with Leo, and became interested in someone else. Her character didn’t scream independent woman, more woman seeks man to complete her so she can follow him to the anywhere….

French Holiday was a very interesting and absorbing novel. They say 'never judge a book by its cover,' and this book really does give more than the cover indicates. A story about finding yourself, containing some very funny episodes, which had me laughing! I also enjoyed the frequent descriptions of France, which were many and varied, and which transported me there, especially of the chateau!
The style of the book could be called a romantic comedy, although this story offers so much more, with genuine insights into the human psyche. The middle sections of the story included an additional mystery, which took us down a different path, leading to a cliffhanger situation. Brilliant!
This book would appeal to anyone who feels the need to escape from the restrictions of life, especially with the lure of France on offer! I would recommend it, and look forward to reading more stories by Sarah Ready. It was a pleasure to review French Holiday for NetGalley.

3.5 Stars French Holiday by Sarah Ready is a vacation rom-com set in a beautiful, but dilapidated French chateau. After Merry DeLuca’s younger sister marries her best friend and unrequited love, Merry is in dire need of a change. Just as Merry quits her depressing HR job and her sister announces her pregnancy, Merry’s godmother asks if Merry will temporarily move to France to look after her chateau. Three months in a beautiful French chateau? Yes please! The chateau is beautiful on the outside, but it’s what’s inside that sends Merry spinning: an old run down estate and Noah Wright. Noah was best man at the wedding and he’s made it clear that he doesn’t like Merry or the fact that she’s been pining over their shared best friend. It seems that Merry’s godmother forgot to mention that she’s renting the chateau to Noah while he spends time researching and writing for the next season of his wildly popular travel series. Merry and Noah agree to make peace for the time being and try to avoid each other while both living in the chateau. Easier said than done when there’s only one bed.

This was a fun and breezy rom com. The word count made it seem like it would be a lot longer, but the action kept the story going. I liked the bit of mystery surrounding the chateau, a disappeared artist, and even Noah himself. I wasn’t expecting that element of the story, but it was a delight. Recommend this one for a fun read with a romantic HEA!

French Holiday by Sarah Ready is a rom-com story with enemies to lovers and the forced proximity trope about Merry and her vacation in France.

Merry is heartbroken because her best friend got married to her sister. To escape her heartbreak, she flew to France to live in her godmother Jupiter’s chateau. There she comes across Noah, the best man at her sister’s wedding and the worst man in her life.

Merry is a funny character. Merry loves her sister and will do anything for her. Merry was described in the book as an ugly duckling who wants to become a swan. I loved Merry and her escape plan to France. Noah, on the other hand, is a mysterious character. Merry bickering with Noah was hilarious. I love the way they talk to each other and solve their differences, leaving no room for miscommunication and trying to help each other, Noah helps Merry find the magic in France, and Merry helps find Noah’s estranged father.

But the star of the book is Louis the Lobster. Louis added so much fun to the book.

I loved the character growth and layers in the story. I liked the chateau setting (excluding the rat and big cockroaches). I loved the plot, it has a combination of romance, mystery, and comedy.

The plot was a bit predictable. It was a fun and quick read. A perfect book for a summer read.

“No. No. But haven’t you noticed? Women are always told, chin up! Don’t complain! Be quiet! Don’t ever ask for more. If your life is hard, too bad, that’s your lot! Stay with the terrible husband, stick with the horrible job, keep trudging along until you die… No one ever tells women that it’s okay to leave. It’s okay to get out!”

French Holiday reminded me of 27 Dresses... but better. Merry has secretly been in love with her best friend Leo for years, but on the night she plans to tell him about her feelings, Leo meets Merry's little sister Angela. The next morning Leo and Angela are engaged, and Merry is left heartbroken. After the wedding and a spur-of-the-moment decision to quit her job, Merry accepts an offer from her godmother to spend three months at a French chateau. She needs an escape—a flight plan—and the chateau is just that.

The only problem: the property’s already been leased to her ‘nemesis’ Noah. Noah is a famous travel documentarian who is in France researching his next project and hoping to get answers about his past. Neither Noah nor Merry is willing to give up the chateau to the other, so they are stuck sharing the chateau and its only bed.

This book does not take itself too seriously and is full of humor and laughter. It is a great choice for anyone who likes tropes such as enemies to lovers or forced proximity romances. While reading this novel, I laughed regularly and shed a few tears. From angry lobsters to falling down castles to family mysteries, it will keep you entertained from beginning to end.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-ARC.

Read if you like
🦞enemies to lovers
🦞forced proximity
🦞vacation romance
🦞family mystery
🦞 light-hearted romance

After watching the man of her dreams marry someone else (her sister), Merry flees to the French countryside to clear her head. She hopes that time away will change her life for the better. When she arrives at the estate she finds Noah, the dislikeable best man from her sister’s wedding. The pair will have to find a way to live peacefully for the next three months.

French Holiday is a delicious, open-door romance with a side of mystery. This book has a little bit of everything - forced proximity, enemies to lovers, a dilapidated castle. These MCs are ready to fall in love with anyone but each other. Like most romance “enemies” all of their issues stem from a long held misunderstanding.

I was intrigued by the addition of a bit of mystery pertaining to the lost/missing artist. It adds something extra to the plot and helps balance out any angst caused by the “will they, won’t they” of the MCs.

Kelsey Navarro is a phenomenal narrator. She really brings all of that sweet and spicy banter to life. I highly suggest getting the audiobook if you can.

I have read numerous books by Sarah Ready and she continues to impress every time. I look forward to reading whatever she has next for her readers.

I voluntarily read, listened to, and reviewed advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC!