This was an enjoyable read overall, but I think if you’re going to make your entire plot revolve around an Erasmus story you have to find a little bit more substance to add to it. Where’s the yearning??? It’s been 10 years but it definitely doesn’t feel like it

Enjoyable read. Felt the final third was a bit drawn out. Really liked the characters and the ending

new author to me. I found this a pleasant and enjoyable read Thank you NetGalley and Niamh for this ARC

A lovely romance in the world of Cannes Film Festival!

I enjoyed the characters recollection and learning about their past. I also felt I learned a lot about the festival itself….

The only thing that niggled me in the epilogue was I didn’t fully get what the characters were now doing - what is Lizzy’s job? Is Ciaran moving in with her or not? I need to know more about their life!

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. This is the first book I have read by this author and I would read another. I loved the first 75% of the book (was set to give it 4 stars) but I feel it lost its way towards the end. Having said that it was an enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review - Twelve Days In May by Niamh Hargan

What better day to post this on than today?

Twelve Days in May was one of my favourite reads by Niamh Hargan back in 2022. I read it in about 2 days and it was an instant 5 star read for me. This second chance, friends to lovers rom-com debut absolutely dominated my top reads last year and with a backdrop as glamourous as Cannes, it absolutely deserved to!

Lizzie and Ciaran used to be best friends a life time ago and they run into each other at the Cannes film festival. Both of them are in a tough spot and the other is the only person they can confide in. I love the characters and the animosity between the main characters and the plot was really interesting and kept me hooked the whole time so I couldn’t put the book down.

The dual-timelines the book followed showed their story, where it all went wrong and if it’s possible to fix it. Hargan incorporated so many of my favourite tropes and narrative devices that it’s no surprise how this book jumped to the top of my most loved titles.

All in all, this is a really heartwarming story about a second chance romance with miscommunication but it all made for a really engaging and addictive novel that is perfect as a summer beach read. It’s so well suited to anyone who’s interested in the film industry and any award show buff!

If you want to read Twelve Days in May and fall in love with Niamh Hargan as an author, you’re just in time because her second novel The Break-Up Clause comes out on June 22nd!

3.5 stars.

I thought it was a bit slow to get going and the story seemed to take a while to make sense. Also there were a few flashback chapters but no indication that they were flashbacks which was slightly confusing at the beginning. However I did like the story between Lizzy and Ciaran APART FROM the 3rd act breakup. In my opinion it’s just my least favourite trope and it got on my nerves a bit.

Despite that, I haven’t read a book with a similar plot line before and I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

Would recommend for people looking for a holiday read

Sometimes in life you just really need a good romance novel and Twelve Days in May should be top of your list.

Set with the glamorous backdrop of the Cannes Film, Twelve Days in May sees university friends Lizzy and Ciaran meet after 12 years, just as Ciaran’s second movie is about to premiere.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s an unusual setting but is perfectly placed and the antics aren’t unbelievable. I loved that Lizzy’s career was successful and serious and that she was able to come to Ciaran’s rescue. The book has memories of the year they met whilst on Erasmus in France which I think many people will relate to whilst retaining a grown up integrity.

This book made me remember how much I enjoyed watching films and I’ve definitely been trying to watch more since.

Really enjoyable summer read which I enjoyed at Champneys but you can enjoy anywhere you fancy 😉

This felt like the perfect summer romance to read, especially in the last dregs of the hot weather. I thought the Cannes Film Festival setting was unique, definitely not one I've come across before, and one I thought I would enjoy, which I did! There were a couple of big things that I wasn't a fan of which ultimately lowered my enjoyment of reading Twelve Days in May overall. One was the extent to which the Bordeaux backstory was told - obviously Ciaran and Lizzy's origin story needed to be told, but as I much preferred the present-day setting of Cannes I couldn't help but feel that too much time was spent telling the story of the past. Despite the book being longer than a lot of other contemporary romances, I did find myself flying through it, but I think that had more to do with Hargan's strong writing than being personally invested in the romance.

As an intro to this author, I found it to be relatively well written with some interesting likable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lizzy and Ciaran, seeing them interact and how things developed between them. It certainly wasn't smooth sailing that's for sure as both of them let their past history/past mistakes constantly get in the way of their potential future. I did find i wanted more at the end of the story though.

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The story of Lizzie and Ciaran told in the past and the present. I really warmed to Ciaran. There were a lot of positives about Lizzie but I just couldn’t understand how she wasn’t aware of how she felt about him. Or that she’d not really kept track of him.
I liked the setting and found it a pleasant, easy read.

Second chance romance and I do not always get along. Sadly this was another instance.

I felt the romance story was rather underdeveloped and could have been much more fleshed out. I never found myself rooting for them to get back together.

I also hated how much Lizzie is called "not beautiful." It was WAY overdone and really wasn't enjoyable.

I thought this book would never end. I didn't really enjoy it at all, which is a shame because the blurb made it sound like it was something I'd really like. I just found the plot lacking, the characters uninteresting and it really annoyed me the way they constantly said the word "like". Unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

American born Lizzie moved to Scotland when she was fifteen with her American mom and Scottish dad. Whilst attending the University of Edinburgh, Lizzie partakes in a study abroad program in Bordeaux where she meets Ciaran. After a drunken night at a fancy dress Halloween party their friendship forms and slowly you discover their insecurities and the subsequent reason why they stop talking.

Fast forward back to the present day in Cannes for the Cannes Film Festival and they are both there for work purposes, they are drawn back together and they begin to discover the friendship (and more) they once had. Although the public scrutiny into Ciaran’s and now Lizzie’s life makes you think about cyberbullying and what those in the limelight are subjected to.

Not for me unfortunately. I struggled to get into it or connect with the characters so never finished it as a result.

Second chance, friends to enemies to lovers, will-they-won't-they novels will always have a special place in my heart.

Twelve Days in May follows Lizzy and Ciaran who bump into each other at Cannes festival after not talking for several years. A book that revolves around characters in the film industry was a huge plus for me, which led me to a bit of a problem - I actually enjoyed reading about Lizzy and Ciaran's careers more than I did about the actual romance, which seemed to take a seat to the side of the scene setting in France.

I enjoyed the dual narratives from past and present which I found really built the characters. Miscommunication has always been an irritating trope for me but it was well written in this novel and propelled the character development without feeling completely out of place.

My biggest criticism of the book is the sheer number of times that Lizzy is referred to as Not Beautiful. It is constantly mentioned in every chapter, whether we are describing her as odd or ugly looking or shame for being a virgin in her twenties. I understood the first few references to her appearance however after a while it just seemed like it was being constantly mentioned and I felt it didn't add to the narrative, instead giving me an "I'm not like other girls" sort of vibe that didn't really gel with me.

While slow at times and with a predictable ending, this book was sweet and perfectly utilised a French setting that (finally!) is not just in Paris. I could easily see this becoming a summer rom-com film one day.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of Lizzy and Ciaran who meet again after parting on poor terms years before. This 'will they, won't they' plot line is set against the back drop of the Cannes Film Festival. The details of the film festival were interesting and something I haven't read before in a novel but the romance aspect could've been developed more. A good debut novel.

Lizzy works in the film industry in Scotland, as in Cannes for the film festival. She meets Ciaran there for the first time in 12 years. Last time they met they didn't part on good terms, but now he needs her help so will she give him a second chance?
A fun read.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC.
This book was pretty enjoyable and relaxing read however it wasn't anything exceptionally good. The story was interesting and I really liked the main characters. I will gladly read this author's next books.