jnak's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this enemies to lovers/forced proximity romance! I listened to the audiobook and was eager to finish Noah and Merry’s story. This book brought up a whole host of emotions, I laughed and cried and found myself smiling with all the trouble with the chateau. There’s was even some mystery and parallels to old gothic romances. All around good book.
Content- there was one detailed sex scene which could very easily be skipped
Content- there was one detailed sex scene which could very easily be skipped
sikonat's review against another edition
4.0
Sarah Ready has the ability to put me through the ringer (such as her 'Josh and Gemma' books), but then she transports me to a less emotional ringer of a book that still explores the less brighter sides of life.
In 'French Holiday', Merry escapes to Annecy France to live in her bohemian aunt's rundown castle, only to find herself forced to share with documentary filmmaker Noah, a man she doesn't like, who was the best man at her sister's wedding. You see, her impulsive younger sister married Merry's best friend who was the man she was in love with. Along the way there's a mystery and a lobster.
I really felt for Merry, to be in love with a man for whom she thought she had an unspoken spark for, only to find him marrying her sister in a very short space of time made my heart ache for her. Ready manages to walk a very fine line between the pathos and comedy, and I think this is where her strengths as a writer lies. I also loved Noah's character development and his search for answers.
I must say I did find the side plot with the neighbours a bit much and would've much preferred it to be a triangle fake out, instead of the fourth party coming into the scene (being vague here because spoilers). I just found her a less rounded out character and couldn't buy the resolution to that C plot. I also could've done with less lobster hijinx.
This book was a delightful escapist fun, but what made this book even more special for me was that last summer I travelled overseas to Annecy France. All because I'd read a romance novel set in Lake Como Italy, and since that was too far and expensive, I searched 'big lakes, France". To my delight discovered Lac d'Annecy was a short train ride from Lyon, my destination. So I could easily remember just how blue the lake was, along with the canals and the pretty streets. If you cannot travel to Annecy though, read this book instead!
In 'French Holiday', Merry escapes to Annecy France to live in her bohemian aunt's rundown castle, only to find herself forced to share with documentary filmmaker Noah, a man she doesn't like, who was the best man at her sister's wedding. You see, her impulsive younger sister married Merry's best friend who was the man she was in love with. Along the way there's a mystery and a lobster.
I really felt for Merry, to be in love with a man for whom she thought she had an unspoken spark for, only to find him marrying her sister in a very short space of time made my heart ache for her. Ready manages to walk a very fine line between the pathos and comedy, and I think this is where her strengths as a writer lies. I also loved Noah's character development and his search for answers.
I must say I did find the side plot with the neighbours a bit much and would've much preferred it to be a triangle fake out, instead of the fourth party coming into the scene (being vague here because spoilers). I just found her a less rounded out character and couldn't buy the resolution to that C plot. I also could've done with less lobster hijinx.
This book was a delightful escapist fun, but what made this book even more special for me was that last summer I travelled overseas to Annecy France. All because I'd read a romance novel set in Lake Como Italy, and since that was too far and expensive, I searched 'big lakes, France". To my delight discovered Lac d'Annecy was a short train ride from Lyon, my destination. So I could easily remember just how blue the lake was, along with the canals and the pretty streets. If you cannot travel to Annecy though, read this book instead!
bookmarkedbykat's review against another edition
5.0
60 chapters of
☆ "Leap Year" vibes
☆ Noah Wright is *chef's kiss*
☆ Merry fighting for her life with Louis the Lobster
(+ rats and bats and cockroaches and drinking grapes)
☆ Jupiter's fun!
☆ Pierre & Camille >>
☆ Leo & Angela <<
☆ First Sarah Ready 💖
☆ "Leap Year" vibes
☆ Noah Wright is *chef's kiss*
☆ Merry fighting for her life with Louis the Lobster
(+ rats and bats and cockroaches and drinking grapes)
☆ Jupiter's fun!
☆ Pierre & Camille >>
☆ Leo & Angela <<
☆ First Sarah Ready 💖
saloniporwal's review
5.0
I'll admit I was slightly sceptical of this book after loving the Josh and Gemma series, but THIS IS NO LESS.
Sarah Ready is a brilliant writer with some great style. She'll make you laugh till you cry and your heart flutters at some of these amazing dialogues.
Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend. Who just married her sister- To get over life, she flies over to France to live in a château, only to find that she must cohabitate with the dreaded Noah Wright. In the only bedroom on the only bed.
Yup, this is enemies to friends to lover, at the perfect pace with a decent ranking for believability. Ready has another surprising subplot thrown in there which I won't spoil, but it's unexpectedly deep and emotional.
A special shout-out to Louis the Lobster, obviously my favourite character in the book. The twenty sixth and fiftieth chapters are proof that Sarah Ready is one of the best writers. I couldn't stop laughing at Louis, his great personality and his antics. (Is he Louis or did it turn out to be Louise?) But jokes apart, I think this one lobster has more character than MCs from other books
Kelsey Navarro is a supreme narrator with a great interpretation of the story. I sure did enjoy listening to her voice and will be on the look out for her. Trust me, this audiobook really enhances your reading experience.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for making this ALC available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sarah Ready is a brilliant writer with some great style. She'll make you laugh till you cry and your heart flutters at some of these amazing dialogues.
Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend. Who just married her sister- To get over life, she flies over to France to live in a château, only to find that she must cohabitate with the dreaded Noah Wright. In the only bedroom on the only bed.
Yup, this is enemies to friends to lover, at the perfect pace with a decent ranking for believability. Ready has another surprising subplot thrown in there which I won't spoil, but it's unexpectedly deep and emotional.
A special shout-out to Louis the Lobster, obviously my favourite character in the book. The twenty sixth and fiftieth chapters are proof that Sarah Ready is one of the best writers. I couldn't stop laughing at Louis, his great personality and his antics. (Is he Louis or did it turn out to be Louise?) But jokes apart, I think this one lobster has more character than MCs from other books
Kelsey Navarro is a supreme narrator with a great interpretation of the story. I sure did enjoy listening to her voice and will be on the look out for her. Trust me, this audiobook really enhances your reading experience.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for making this ALC available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
saloniporwal's review against another edition
5.0
I'll admit I was slightly sceptical of this book after loving the Josh and Gemma series, but THIS IS NO LESS.
Sarah Ready is a brilliant writer with some great style. She'll make you laugh till you cry and your heart flutters at some of these amazing dialogues.
Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend. Who just married her sister- To get over life, she flies over to France to live in a château, only to find that she must cohabitate with the dreaded Noah Wright. In the only bedroom on the only bed.
Yup, this is enemies to friends to lover, at the perfect pace with a decent ranking for believability. Ready has another surprising subplot thrown in there which I won't spoil, but it's unexpectedly deep and emotional.
A special shout-out to Louis the Lobster, obviously my favourite character in the book. The twenty sixth and fiftieth chapters are proof that Sarah Ready is one of the best writers. I couldn't stop laughing at Louis, his great personality and his antics. (Is he Louis or did it turn out to be Louise?) But jokes apart, I think this one lobster has more character than MCs from other books.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for making this ARC available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sarah Ready is a brilliant writer with some great style. She'll make you laugh till you cry and your heart flutters at some of these amazing dialogues.
Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend. Who just married her sister- To get over life, she flies over to France to live in a château, only to find that she must cohabitate with the dreaded Noah Wright. In the only bedroom on the only bed.
Yup, this is enemies to friends to lover, at the perfect pace with a decent ranking for believability. Ready has another surprising subplot thrown in there which I won't spoil, but it's unexpectedly deep and emotional.
A special shout-out to Louis the Lobster, obviously my favourite character in the book. The twenty sixth and fiftieth chapters are proof that Sarah Ready is one of the best writers. I couldn't stop laughing at Louis, his great personality and his antics. (Is he Louis or did it turn out to be Louise?) But jokes apart, I think this one lobster has more character than MCs from other books.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for making this ARC available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
saloniporwal's review against another edition
5.0
I'll admit I was slightly sceptical of this book after loving the Josh and Gemma series, but THIS IS NO LESS.
Sarah Ready is a brilliant writer with some great style. She'll make you laugh till you cry and your heart flutters at some of these amazing dialogues.
Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend. Who just married her sister- To get over life, she flies over to France to live in a château, only to find that she must cohabitate with the dreaded Noah Wright. In the only bedroom on the only bed.
Yup, this is enemies to friends to lover, at the perfect pace with a decent ranking for believability. Ready has another surprising subplot thrown in there which I won't spoil, but it's unexpectedly deep and emotional.
A special shout-out to Louis the Lobster, obviously my favourite character in the book. The twenty sixth and fiftieth chapters are proof that Sarah Ready is one of the best writers. I couldn't stop laughing at Louis, his great personality and his antics. (Is he Louis or did it turn out to be Louise?) But jokes apart, I think this one lobster has more character than MCs from other books
Kelsey Navarro is a supreme narrator with a great interpretation of the story. I sure did enjoy listening to her voice and will be on the look out for her. Trust me, this audiobook really enhances your reading experience.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for making this ALC available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sarah Ready is a brilliant writer with some great style. She'll make you laugh till you cry and your heart flutters at some of these amazing dialogues.
Merry DeLuca is secretly in love with her best friend. Who just married her sister- To get over life, she flies over to France to live in a château, only to find that she must cohabitate with the dreaded Noah Wright. In the only bedroom on the only bed.
Yup, this is enemies to friends to lover, at the perfect pace with a decent ranking for believability. Ready has another surprising subplot thrown in there which I won't spoil, but it's unexpectedly deep and emotional.
A special shout-out to Louis the Lobster, obviously my favourite character in the book. The twenty sixth and fiftieth chapters are proof that Sarah Ready is one of the best writers. I couldn't stop laughing at Louis, his great personality and his antics. (Is he Louis or did it turn out to be Louise?) But jokes apart, I think this one lobster has more character than MCs from other books
Kelsey Navarro is a supreme narrator with a great interpretation of the story. I sure did enjoy listening to her voice and will be on the look out for her. Trust me, this audiobook really enhances your reading experience.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for making this ALC available to me in exchange for my honest opinion.
teesbookjourney's review
5.0
Merry is in love with her best friend but her best friend is about to marry her sister she needs to get out and away from them so she can find herself again. When she has to quit her job she takes the opportunity to live in her godmother's villa in France for a few months. Little did she know that the best man would be there
Merry doesn't like Noah, they had a bad first meeting
Noah is in France to work alone but now has Merry to deal with.
The house only has one bed and it needs a lot of work but Meery is determined to make the best of it while she gets over her crush and tries to move one
This story was more than meets the eye - Noah has a mystery being solved throughout the book. That's what makes this more than a romance.
I enjoyed Merry and her narration throughout this book - there was a lot of talk about past traumas and how one gets over them. As well as how that trauma affects how we love
A great romance with a lot of moments of overcoming past traumas
The narration was awesome - all the characters were distinct and I could hear the tones and meanings through her voice
Merry doesn't like Noah, they had a bad first meeting
Noah is in France to work alone but now has Merry to deal with.
The house only has one bed and it needs a lot of work but Meery is determined to make the best of it while she gets over her crush and tries to move one
This story was more than meets the eye - Noah has a mystery being solved throughout the book. That's what makes this more than a romance.
I enjoyed Merry and her narration throughout this book - there was a lot of talk about past traumas and how one gets over them. As well as how that trauma affects how we love
A great romance with a lot of moments of overcoming past traumas
The narration was awesome - all the characters were distinct and I could hear the tones and meanings through her voice
teesbookjourney's review against another edition
4.0
Merry is in love with her best friend but her best friend is about to marry her sister she needs to get out and away from them so she can find herself again. When she has to quit her job she takes the opportunity to live in her godmother's villa in France for a few months. Little did she know that the best man would be there
Merry doesn't like Noah, they had a bad first meeting
Noah is in France to work alone but now has Merry to deal with.
The house only has one bed and it needs a lot of work but Meery is determined to make the best of it while she gets over her crush and tries to move one
This story was more than meets the eye - Noah has a mystery being solved throughout the book. That's what makes this more than a romance.
I enjoyed Merry and her narration throughout this book - there was a lot of talk about past traumas and how one gets over them. As well as how that trauma affects how we love
A great romance with a lot of moments of overcoming past traumas
The narration was awesome - all the characters were distinct and I could hear the tones and meanings through her voice
Merry doesn't like Noah, they had a bad first meeting
Noah is in France to work alone but now has Merry to deal with.
The house only has one bed and it needs a lot of work but Meery is determined to make the best of it while she gets over her crush and tries to move one
This story was more than meets the eye - Noah has a mystery being solved throughout the book. That's what makes this more than a romance.
I enjoyed Merry and her narration throughout this book - there was a lot of talk about past traumas and how one gets over them. As well as how that trauma affects how we love
A great romance with a lot of moments of overcoming past traumas
The narration was awesome - all the characters were distinct and I could hear the tones and meanings through her voice
achaperonwrites's review
4.0
I’ll be honest, I 100% downloaded this because it was Listen Now and the cover is freaking gorgeous!
This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last! I absolutely adored the French setting, the “unrequited love” storylines from both Merry and Noah, and watching these two who had previously misunderstood each other come together in a beautiful way. And the one bed trope? SO well done. It’s one of my favorites for a reason, and I loved how Ready handled it here.
I was surprised by the secrets revealed and the mystery Merry and Noah had to unravel. It added an extra layer to the story that I really enjoyed, but I thought it started to drag after a while.
All that said, what held me back from giving this a full 5 star rating was that it was soooooo long. I reached a point about 70% in where I was ready for it to be over, and I still had about a third of the book to listen to. I think a lot of it could’ve been tightened up and shortened, and I would’ve enjoyed it more. But maybe that’s just me.
Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last! I absolutely adored the French setting, the “unrequited love” storylines from both Merry and Noah, and watching these two who had previously misunderstood each other come together in a beautiful way. And the one bed trope? SO well done. It’s one of my favorites for a reason, and I loved how Ready handled it here.
I was surprised by the secrets revealed and the mystery Merry and Noah had to unravel. It added an extra layer to the story that I really enjoyed, but I thought it started to drag after a while.
All that said, what held me back from giving this a full 5 star rating was that it was soooooo long. I reached a point about 70% in where I was ready for it to be over, and I still had about a third of the book to listen to. I think a lot of it could’ve been tightened up and shortened, and I would’ve enjoyed it more. But maybe that’s just me.
Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
maireadingnook's review against another edition
4.0
Giving this 4.5⭐️s.
- Enemies at first sight
- Forced Proximity
- French countryside setting
- Only One Bed
- Romance with a little mystery
- Slow burn
I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I adored Noah and Merry. Watching them go from enemies-at-first-sight to friends to lovers was so sweet. Based on the blurb, I was expecting a funny enemies to lovers romcom–which it was–but I wasn't expecting all the achingly tender, heartwarming moments that went along with it. There were a lot of emotions!
What I loved:
• Noah
- Enemies at first sight
- Forced Proximity
- French countryside setting
- Only One Bed
- Romance with a little mystery
- Slow burn
I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I adored Noah and Merry. Watching them go from enemies-at-first-sight to friends to lovers was so sweet. Based on the blurb, I was expecting a funny enemies to lovers romcom–which it was–but I wasn't expecting all the achingly tender, heartwarming moments that went along with it. There were a lot of emotions!
What I loved:
• Noah