French Holiday

Written by Sarah Ready

Narrated by Kelsey Navarro

One (crumbling) French castle. Two enemies-at-first-sight. The holiday of a lifetime. 

Merry DeLuca has a problem—a big problem. Her sister just married her best friend and the only man she’s ever loved. Her life is rapidly spiraling down the drain and she doesn’t have an escape plan. 

So when Merry is offered a three-month holiday living in a romantic castle in the French countryside she leaps at the chance. Merry knows her French holiday will fix everything—there will be mouthwatering pastries, delicious (meaningless) flirtations, and languid strolls through vineyards at sunset. Her holiday will be perfect. 

At least, Merry believes that until she arrives and finds Noah Wright—the best man at her sister’s wedding and the worst man she’s ever known—staying in her castle. 

Famous travel documentarian by day and arrogant devil by night, Noah refuses to leave the castle. Which means that Merry and Noah are stuck together in France, in a crumbling castle, in a holiday where nothing goes right. Not for Merry and not for Noah. 

So they strike a truce—they’ll live as cohabitating friends for three-months, and then they’ll amicably part ways, never to see each other again. 

But the thing about friendship? Sometimes secrets are uncovered. Mysteries revealed. Hearts laid bare. And friendship can start to feel a lot like caring. A lot like love. It can even make you wish that the holiday never has to end. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC
• Release date: Apr 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781954007512

Reviews for French Holiday

[elle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book really kept me interested the whole way through which is so rare. It had a few different storyline’s going on but it all worked really well together to form an interesting tale. The descriptions of scenery and characters had good depth without being too wordy or boring.

The narrator was fantastic, it really helps to have a narrator who knows how to naturally emote.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book being exactly what it was meant to be; a romance novel without the needless insertion of politics that is otherwise so common these days.

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes I feel like I might be "aging out" of the rom/com genre - but then along comes a book with a premise that's promising enough to pull me back in. This was one of those books. It's an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers read that's mostly set in a crumbling French chateau. Merry's best friend is also her unrequited love - and her sister has just married him. How to mend her broken heart? Her aunt suggests spending a few months at her chateau in France to regroup, and after quitting her job, Merry decides to do just that. She arrives only to find an aging home with no power or running water. Another surprise - the presence of Noah, the best man to her maid of honor, whom she dislikes intensely, a feeling that seems to be mutual. They decide to try to make the best of things, and as they explore the people and countryside around them, and try to improve living conditions in the chateau, a friendship grows. Likeable characters and a bit of a mystery kept me interested; descriptions of food and the countryside made me want to contact a travel agent. A couple of slapstick scenes went on a bit too long for my personal taste, but overall I really enjoyed this charming story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

[suzy taylor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed it. Parts were a little hokey but funny