A cute story about Nina, who having received her divorce papers on her 40th birthday, decides to take a house swap in France in order to track down Pierre, her first love.

Nina does find Pierre, but she also finds friendship and a re-evaluation of her life.

Predictable but still enjoyable.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Gillian Harvey and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Gina arranges a house swap with someone in France she hopes to reconnect with her first love she met at 17. loved the setting.

I really enjoyed this book; I love tales about people trying to reinvent themselves later in life. The beautiful French setting makes it even better - it’ would make a great holiday read but was also great in rainy England! Nina is an empathetic character and there is a warm and humorous thread throughout.

When newly-divorced Nina arranges a house swap with Jean-Luc, moving from St Albans to Cagnes-sur_Mer seems like a dream come true. Actually she hopes to track down Pierre, who she met on a school French exchange visit when she was 17 and re-kindle their love. Obviously things don't work out as she hopes (otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story) but Nina does find friendship and ultimately love, and confirms that life isn't over when you're about to hit the menopause. This is a heart-warming holiday read with some lovable characters.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this book.

On Nina’s 40th birthday she received her divorce papers. Stuck in a job she doesn’t like she decides to do a house swap to try and. Reconnect with a high school crush. She soon discovers people are not as they seem and decides to take a chance on what she wants for once.

A fabulous warm-hearted story following recently divorced Nina. She’s always chosen the safe route, stable job, marrying her boring ex and always choosing sensible over excitement. She has fond memories of being a 17 year old exchange student in France and her first love Pierre. Quickly arranging a house swap with Jean-Luc, she leaves her friends and family behind and heads back to France to see if she can rekindle her first love? This is a perfect escapism novel, the plot flows well and I the characters are likeable. A great beach read. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. I really enjoyed the premise of this book, which is that Nina has always played her life safe rather than following her feelings, and now that she is 40 she finds her self getting divorced. She then decides to do a house-swap, and finds herself in France, which makes her want to seek out her first love, Pierre, who she met decades ago, but wouldn't marry. I really loved this story of Nina coming into her own and advocating for herself, and of course I loved the setting of France. I also enjoyed that Nina had a strong network to lean on no matter where she was, and it was refreshing to have a character be so amiable. Plus, a nice bonus were the secondary characters, who also had their own storylines rather than just a presence to prop up Nina.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful read. With most of the story set in France, there are several very likeable characters and they had strong and supportive personalities. A story of what happens when after a divorce, nostalgia leads you away from home but things don’t go the way you expect. A fabulous book.

Struggled a bit to get into this one, but I persevered thankfully. 40 seems a bit young for a mid life crisis- or does it? What if? If only? Perhaps?
Loved the setting, felt as if I was in a sunny French seaside town, with a glass of rose in hand

Gillian Harvey's books have made me want to chuck everything in and disappear to a small village in France numerous times, and The Riviera House Swap was no different!
Nina is off-kilter. Having turned forty, she is amicably divorced and still stuck in a job where she's pootling along. Something in her decides it is time to live life for herself. However, it's hard when you've spent your life being sensible, doing the right thing, and thinking of others before your needs.
Finding a batch of never=quite-forgotten love letters in the back of her cupboard as she sifts through her stuff, spurs her on to make a huge decision to leave her comfortable life and go on an adventure alone, by arranging a house swap with a man whose own home is on the French Riviera, and happens to be where her 'one that got away' was from.
Will she find her second chance?
Well, I'm not going to tell you that. You need to read the book! Nina is a woman on the cusp of that perimenopausal time we women have to deal with. She's not sure if her hormones or something else are making her make certain decisions, and I think there are a few of us who could relate to that!
Nina has some wonderful friends, both in the UK, who cheer her on, and people she meets in France who become close to her, and they make a wonderful addition to the story.
And there is romance from several angles, involving others, as well as our main character, Nina.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, devoured it in a day, and now want to go and swap my home for one in a gorgeous European setting... (But I'll take my Hubby, as he doesn't need swapping!)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This was a slightly different style to some of this authors books that I have read but I still
Enjoyed it and as per usual the author transports us to the beautiful surroundings of France.

This is a story about taking chances and not playing it safe and also of new beginnings and finding new friendships and that yes life can begin at 40.

I would love a sequel to this to see how the characters lives pan out and what is in store for them next.

Can you ever really go back in time to find your first love that you left behind? That is what Nina was debating as she began the second half of her life. Her divorce was final, her house would sell quickly and her boss reluctantly agreed to give her a month off, with the stipulation she return ready to get back to work. Her time in France as a teenager was filled with magical moments of first love, shy kisses and plans for the future. Pierre was the young man she had fallen for but as often happens with young love, they never saw each other again. Nina kept all of his letters and upon reading them again, she wished she could recapture the youthful exuberance she once had. Back then she had the world at her fingertips but now she felt that she hadn’t accomplished anything at all.

Which brings us to Nina’s decision to partake in a house swap so she could open her heart to new beginnings, make her own decisions and perhaps rekindle the flame she once had with Pierre, if she could even find him. Gillian Harvey is a gifted and creative writer who takes us to the beautiful French Riviera where we witness Nina spreading her wings as she becomes the independent woman she always wanted to be. Along the way she made wonderful friends, caught the eye of many handsome Frenchmen and came face to face with a ghost from her past. Nina took hold of her future, looked ahead with excitement and never looked back!! I love all of Ms. Harvey’s books because they allow me to travel to exotic places without leaving my beach chair!!

Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough. Ever since she refused to elope with her first beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange, she's always wondered about the what-ifs.

Deciding to take a chance, she sets up a house swap with a French businessman to stay at his place in France while he goes on holiday at her house in England.

Going back to the place she met Pierre to try and find him was definitely a crazy idea but she went with it and along the way made meaningful friendships. She grew into her new era of life and took all the curveballs in stride.

It was definitely a predictable plot but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey which I loved! A fun adventure is exactly what we all need from time to time and tis book is the perfect reminder.

It was a cute book. Exactly what I expected from this genre. A bit predictable, but also fun, and quick to read.

Nina has always played it safe. But on her fortieth birthday, when her divorce papers arrive, she decides it's time for a change.

Nina has consistently opted for the sensible path, sticking with a stable job and marrying her predictably dull ex-husband. She suddenly realizes that for years she has chosen security over excitement. This pattern started when she refused to elope with her first love, Pierre—a beautiful, poetic, and thoughtful man she met at 17 during a French exchange program. Pierre remains the only man who ever truly made her heart race.

Nina makes a bold decision to escape her mundane routine by taking a month-long sabbatical and exchanging homes with an unfamiliar person in the South of France. She travels back to the city where she had initially encountered Pierre, her teenage crush, questioning if he still holds the key to her heart as her one true love. The story narrates a woman's quest for self-discovery and belief in her intuition; all woven into the fabric of a slowly kindling romantic flame. The book is not meant to be a long read but rather one that easily hooks you from the beginning till the end, keeping you captivated throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing a copy of this book.

This escapist romance, features Nina, a 40 year old recently divorced English woman at a crossroads in her life. She feels that she has been living “safely”, hurriedly checking boxes on her life to do list, not pausing to do what she really wanted. She decides to take a month long sabbatical from work and swap homes with a stranger in the South of France. She had done an exchange program in the same city at 17, and wonders if her first crush could be her one true love. The book is part journey of self discovery and learning to trust your gut, and part slow burn romance. It’s a quick, easy read and a nice palate cleanser. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. 6/11/24

****Publishing June 11, 2024***

I love how Gillian Harvey transports you to France with her books! This time to the French Riviera!

Nina always played it safe throughout her life. After her divorce, she decides to take more risks in order to start living life! The divorce finalization came in the mail on her 40th birthday! Not great timing!

Nina decides to do a house swap to the French Riviera! She thought she would do this solo, but the owner’s sister shows up and insists on staying. Will Nina embrace the visitor, or will it be an annoyance?

When she reconnects with Pierre, a boyfriend she had when she was 17 on a French exchange, is it what it seems? Will this house swap give her adventure and new beginnings she is seeking?

Gillian Harvey’s writing just draws you from the start. Her books give you a good laugh, and they have relatable characters, which makes it so entertaining! A perfect book to take on vacation because you won’t want to put it down!

Thanks to Boldwood Books, I was provided an ARC of The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley . #TheRivieraHouseSwap

I was really absorbed in this book and Nina's journey of going in search of her first love. Her journey is moving, funny and has lots of unexpected revelations and realisations. It is a great book that I'd highly recommended!

Nina is a 40-year-old woman who has recently gotten divorced and she feels like her life has been pasding her by. On a whim she sets off to France to a town where she went as an exchange student with 17 and fell in love with Pierre supposedly the one who got away.
The book was entertaining, it had a believable storyline and characters. The FMC was likable, even though she seemed very naive - it was very obvious what was up with Pierre from the start. It was an enjoyable read and I rate it 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).