Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aires Publishing for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
It's always hugely disappointing when a book is advertised "for fans of (fill in the blank author)" when it in no way resembles that. Unless, in this case, you're practically stealing the cover for Emily Henry's awesome Beach Read. But that's where it ends. Unlikeable characters and a ridiculous plot line that made me stop a third of the way through. I didn't even make it to the objectionable part other reviewers mentioned, because I didn't even want to have to read it.

i’m pretty sure i’m not the only one saying this but right when i read the summary, i was wondering if this was gonna be too close to beach read. there’s a writer and it’s like in a vacation settings and there’s kind of a hidden wedding?? but as i kept on reading i kinda found out it was worse than beach read ?? also i understand that alexis is maybe socially awkward, but sometimes he was just plain uncomfortable, mean and icky and just someone you would not want to read about.
also the love triangle (which is almost never done well) was no exception, it had no layers and was boring.
the writing is still great and the plot is a great idea,, i just think the execution could have been a bit better. also the emily henry knockoff wouldn’t have been a problem but you can’t expect readers to not make comparaisons.

I struggled with this book - the main male character was difficult to read, and it was hard to connect and root for them. I did appreciate the friendships and power of relationships-I love and value female friendships above all! Thank you to Taylor Cole, the Aria Team, and netgalley for the ARC!

New to Taylor Cole, I was interested to see what she had to offer – especially with the comparison to a popular writer such as Emily Henry. Settling into the beaches and surrounding areas of Newquay, we take a dip into the small tourist town life full of history, legends, surfers, and a mystery that took a young woman half way across the world.

For Candice, happily ever afters only take place in her romance novels. Real life is messing, disappointing, and heartbreaking. Fleeing to the other side of the world to escape her failing marriage, she is determined to keep her focus simple, rebuild her life and get her surf school on the ground. With the help of her two favorite people in the world: her boss and best friend, the mission seems simple until a gorgeous tourist walks into her life. Dedicated to her plan to stay as far away from love as possible, Candice is dead-set on avoiding Alexis, until she discovers he is her new surf student. One lesson and unfortunate mishap later, Candice finds herself more and more interested in the mysterious stranger until she discovers his intent has more to do with her than she realized.

The book takes some time to settle in so the one piece of advice I will give is stick it out! For the first 39% of the book, you are not sure what you are reading, where it is going, and what the focus should be. In an attempt to build intrigue, the author keeps hinting at some mysterious reason for Candice’s presence in Newquay, but it only creates frustration as she's dangling this carrot but you don’t know what it is relevant to – especially with multiple subplots already presented. When clarity is finally reached and you learn more about Candice’s past and her present day motivations, you are finally able to settle and focus on the story.


I enjoyed that the book recognized its own discombobulation. As it said, it was “everywhere” and there was so much to be said/told that you weren’t sure what you were supposed to invest in/care about at any given point in time. One minute you are enjoying the build up of a romance, then the relationship of her friends, then the reason for her search. The one thing I will say is I felt the solving of the mystery (without giving it away) came too late in the story. While it was a cute twist, the build up was all but forgotten, overshadowed by the fallout with Alexis and Daniel. They also never resolved what happened with Joseph. Was she still married while she was with Daniel, what does that say for her future? 

While I eventually enjoyed the characters, I initially had a hard time trying to connect and understand Candice. Taylor created a character too complex straight out the gate so it was difficult to know how to feel towards her. You wanted to feel sympathy because of what happened with her husband but she was too much of a cynic with huge chip on her shoulder (justifiably so in a way but too far in the opposite direction if we are supposed to believe she is overcoming her past). With those two conflicting feelings, Taylor then threw in this ominous sense of duty that she kept hinting at but wouldn’t reveal, creating even more initial frustration for the reader. As the onlooker, I didn’t know what to focus on - should I care about her starting over and wanting her to find the HEA that she enjoys in the romances that she reads, should I focus on whatever mystery the author is eluding too, or should I not care at all because that seems to be her character's attitude as well and I should emulate that? Again, all of this gets shorted out about a third of the way through the book, when the author drops the cloak of suspense and finally just tells the story. Once she does that, this book shoots from a possible DNF to a 4 star read.

Taylor's idea of finding yourself while still lost in someone else was strong in this book. Being engulfed by Joseph, Candice didn’t know who she was, what she wanted, her likes, her dislikes, her identity. He controlled every aspect of her, inside and out. To be set free of that, move on from that, and then be confronted with it again with a stronger support network and inner work was a beautiful moment. To see him comprehend the loss of the hold he had on her, calling her “mean” because she was no longer his submissive puppet was golden. The evolution of healing from a narcissist in a psychological and emotionally abuse relationship was a message Taylor crafted very well into the story. Candice’s hurt, lessons, experiences played into everything she did, who she trusted, and her intuition. She eventually learned to take the ownership that she wasn’t a victim but at the same time wasn’t naïve - that she needed to learn to trust herself and what she was capable of.

An interestingly crafted tale about the past, present, and prospects of the future, Holiday Read is a warm hearted tale full of sisterhood, new beginnings, love, family, sacrifice, and the renewal understanding that we are capable of anything if we are open to it.

Super sorry to say this was a DNF one for me. I found it hard to connect to any characters, and the storyline a little too bland.

I just tried so hard to enjoy this book and I couldn’t connect with each of the main characters. The familiarities with Beach Read was obvious and it felt like this is unlikable execution of the similar plot line.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I was very excited to read it based on the plot, but there are just too many problems with the way storylines were handled that I decided to not finish this book.

Candice has fled to Cornwall after leaving her husband to try to find her father and start a surf school. She meets Alexis, a writer who is struggling to finish the romance novel he is under contract for. There’s some initial attraction between Candice and Alexis, but she calls things off after realizing Alexis is taking inspiration for his book from her. She begins to help him with his book, initially just with some research, but is soon writing chapters of the book. Will their co-writing reignite their relationship or will Candice fall for someone else?

I hate having to write bad reviews buuuuuuut here we are. I was honestly expecting an Emily Henry knockoff based on the title/description/cover and while there were some similarities, this book had so many subplots that never felt fully resolved and an incredibly misogynistic character. With the love triangle, it felt like the one character was chosen simply because he was less awful than the other love interest and did the bare minimum. Also, one of the main characters is very anti-romance and goes on a long diatribe about how terrible romance is… in a romance book.

What I enjoyed:
-the descriptions of Cornwall/the locals/surfing
-strong friendships
-found family theme
-all the dogs!

Unfortunately, this is just not a book that I can recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled to get through this one, finding it hard to really connect with any of the characters. I was looking for a light holiday beach read that left me with happy vibes up until the last page. Unfortunately, that is not what I found. I was under the impression, given the title, that it would take place during a holiday, but did not find reference to that in the entire book.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a disappointing version of a similar book that has made a name for itself on Booktok.

I couldn’t see the couple being realistically in love, let alone attracted to one another and the story felt unoriginal in

✨Book Review - Holiday Read by Taylor Cole✨

⭐️⭐️ STARS

REVIEW: I thought it was going to be more of a rom-com, it’s marketed as such. The cover & synopsis all lead you to believe it’s going to be more of a love story and it had elements to be one but it didn’t feel like one to me. It felt much more like a drama. I didn’t like any of the characters, except maybe the best friend, and didn’t believe there was any “chemistry” on the page. I wanted more for this one and it didn’t deliver.

SYNOPSIS: Candice is working as a waitress while trying to get her surf school off the ground when she meets Alexis. Alexis is a writer and is in town trying to write a romance novel and Candice loves romance novels. They begin to be talk and Candice feels like it a new beginning until she finds out Alexis is just using her to get inspiration for his novel. Alexis enlists her help to write the book and between him, her and his agent Daniel, they get entangled in a summer of love. Will Candice find her love before the summer is over?

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria & Aries, & Head of Zeus for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review is painful to write for me because I really really wanted to like this book. The summary seemed amazing and I went in with very high hopes.
Unfortunately, I was so disappointed in the read that I ended up DNFing at about 50%.
The plot idea was really interesting! But I did feel like it was taking a bit too long for everything to fall into place.
I also had trouble getting emotionally invested with the characters. I didn't get attached to the FMC. I can't explain it but I just didn't get her. And the inner monologues were a bit too long for my taste, giving a weird pacing to the story.
Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace at the time to really appreciate this book, honestly I don't know. But I've read amazing reviews about it, so if you're considering giving it a shot then please do and I hope you'll enjoy 💕

This one was alright but I’ve read similar and better books. I didn’t warm to the main characters and I found the concept quite bland and predictable.

I started off quite liking this book and the style of writing. It seemed modern and relevant and amusing. I was curious to see where things would go but, unfortunately, less than halfway into the book I got distracted and was never able to get back into it in quite the same way. I found myself skim reading a lot of it, and couldn't connect with any of the characters enough to be invested in what happened to them. Parts of the book felt choppy and unnecessary. I'm disappointed I didn't enjoy it more, as I really thought it started off well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I feel like I am in the minority by saying that I actually enjoyed this book. I did manage to finish and and was pleased with the person our female lead ends up with. We all know Alexis is a total douche canoe and I completely understand why everyone was upset and triggered. It probably wasn’t the best to have them both be at that level of inebriated in order to progress their romantic involvement. However I think she also shouldn’t have gone through his personal writings. Sure, she wasn’t upset that her friends went through her journal, but they were also more well acquainted with one another. Just because it didn’t bother her, doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do. Definitely not defending him because he was pretty awful, but he can write what he pleases in privacy. Also, although the romantic scene was a bit awkward, he was not actively forcing himself on her (again, I get they were both drunk and probably should have waited for a better time to explore their interest in one another).

That being said, it did not deter me from finishing the story. I think the ending paid off. The story progresses past the two horrible men in the story until finally finding the right one for our female lead. I wanted to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. I appreciate the opportunity.

This book was a swing and a miss for me. I think that although the author had a very unique and distinct writing style, the topics of the book and the characters were misrepresented.

There was not only miscommunication but a clear lack of consent in many situations, which just isn't something I like to read about in my romance novels.

I had a lot of trouble reading this one,

DON"T DO IT, it's said to be like Beach Read by Emily Henry, go read that instead. I can't understand why this would be marketed as a romance novel, with the whole 'enemies to lovers' trope, when the MMC mocks the genre, only writes it to make money and makes offensive comments, he doesn't appeal or appear redeemable at all and gets the FMC drunk to take advantage. This is vile.

I'll need honest i DNF. I hate not finishing books, it pains me, but after months of reading a page, shaking my head and moving on to something else it's time to let this go.

The book felt so planned, forced, fake, not genuine.

Thank you to net galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

A truly fun rom-com that offers readers something extra -- it lets readers in on the whole process of actually writing a romance novel, as the main character offers to let her friend use her life and story as inspiration for his next book. I look forward to recommending this book to readers who like contemporary romances with lots of humor and witty back and forth -- Emily Henry comes to mind for sure. Great story! Perfect beach read for anytime of year.

First of all i would like to thank netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I dnf at about 15% because the book wasnt really connecting with me. It just felt like the author was trying too hard to pull from other stories and not really being real or authentic. I can’t say that I loved this but maybe someone else will.