Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC, however all thoughts in this review are my own.
dnf @ 32%. I prefer my love interests to not have consent issues and deep, DEEP, rooted misogyny.
You know when you're reading a book and you consistently
CRINGE every four lines or so? That's what it felt like reading this book.
Alexis, our love interest, cannot seem to grasp WHY using someone without their consent would be a problem!! And, mind you, this is only about a third into the book. Candice is an overly cynical character, who acts like she's S000 much better that everyone because she surfs.
I'm going to be completely honest. This book reminded me of beach read (very loosely) in its plot synopsis, and that is why I requested the ARC. However, I CANNOT stand how it evolved from cute concept to "oh no let's have a weird conversation about sexuality in Jane Austen books, and how Mr Darcy was definitely having an affair in London."
This book felt disjointed and I could not believe the blatant misogyny in this book. Alexis is a very, VERY toxic character, and I had to stop reading because of him.
1 (very very lenient) ⭐️

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Holiday Read releases May 11, 2023

I feel like we all collectively got baited into thinking this was going to be something like Emily Henry’s Beach Read.

The plot (if you can even call it that) was not cohesive. There was simultaneously nothing happening, yet also way too much going on.
I found the writing to be very wordy and unnecessarily full of filler. This easily could have been condensed further.

I had a hard time finding the characters likeable — especially Alexis.
What was the point of having him as a male romance author when clearly he has no passion for it whatsoever and is only doing it out of desperation and monetary gain? It’s so disingenuous and really cheapens the whole romantic aspect. Focusing on writing a novel within the book could have been an easy vessel for needed chemistry and tension, but there was a missed opportunity. It would be a stretch to call this a romance when it leans more towards lit/women’s fic.

The long lost father subplot was really rushed in my opinion, and was treated like an afterthought.

This book relied heavily on repeated mentions of Bridgerton, the regency era, and the works of Austen and other classics with misogynistic undertones.

I have a dry sense of humour but I did not find this “romcom” funny at all… I would gladly pay to never read “tit limpet” again.

I also can’t get over how contradicting the synopsis is — “they hit it off straight away” — ?? The main character Candice literally tells us how she had a bad feeling about this creep from the get go?! I mean… what the hell. She was standoffish during all of their interactions.
This is not the “ultimate sexy and escapist romcom for book and beach lovers” like they are marketing it as.


“What makes a good romance? I don’t think I even know. In its essence, I mean.”
“I know what it is for me.”
“Then could you share? Because I have no idea.”
“I guess for me it boils down to the trope that we so often see in Austen novels.”
“Which is?”
“Two people longing for each other, not able to have each other, suffering in silence. They share this huge intense thing that they can’t talk about. And nobody knows, except them.”

This book was not good. It just drags and drags, and it really bothered me a lot of the stuff the characters said or did. No spoiler as it happens quite soon in the book, but one of the characters literally is so pervy and creepy towards a man, then one of the characters is seen casually smoking a joint - no thanks, don't want to read about that in my romances. DNF.

I was a little concerned based on the title and cover that it was going to try and claim to be like Emily Henry's 'Beach Read' without actually following through on what makes her stories great. My fears were realised.

Really tried to push through with this one but I was honestly quite disgusted. There is a certain threshold for misogyny and the propagation of problematic ideals that I can take before I just can't any longer. The majority of people who would pick up this book are likely to be fans of romance, so it's a good idea to not alienate your romance genre-loving audience by debasing it and bastardising it.

There is also a right way to do 'grumpy'/'cold' male leads. Making them a misogynistic pig is NOT the right way.
Not to mention the VERY dubious consent that was an extreme ick. I'm not sure if the author thought it was supposed to be sexy but it was NOT.

There is also such a hodge-podge of random plot threads that seem very disjointed and just like they were shoved in there for more drama and ticking off a trope checklist. I'm sad because I was initially hopeful we really WOULD be getting at least some caliber of the story it was advertising itself to be, but my hopes were dashed quite quickly. Wouldn't recommend this.

The cover of this one is just so cute and I was really excited about it. But then the run-on sentences, misogynistic male main character and the overall sense of an author trying too hard was just super off-putting.

Candice is an American surfer who moves to Newquay, UK, trying to find herself after her marriage falls apart and is looking for her biological father.
Candice meets two women who become like family and help her through challenging times.
Candice meets Alexis, a handsome but loathsome writer who is trying to write a romance novel but doesn't have the emotionality to do so. Daniel, Alexis' literary agent, arrives and advises Candice and Alexis to work together to complete the novel. From here, different relationships form, and many other interactions follow to bring everything together for closure for a romance novel.
This was slow and mournful at times. The writing was good, and I enjoyed the history of Newquay. I didn't love this book as it seemed, at times, maybe too real, and romance novels are a bit more cozy. The ending, however, is very much in tune with romance novels; happy.
A final thought is the title doesn't seem to fit with the story. I kind of see a link, but overall, the title doesn't seem to fit.
I give it 3 stars
I want to thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the arc.
#HolidayRead #NetGalley #aria

I DNFed this at around 40%.

This was poorly written and there were major consent issues.

Also, the book is misleading and doesn't a tually take place during the holidays. It kind of feels like it's trying to lure in people who enjoyed the Beach Read.

Also the MMC is a misogynistic piece of work and once you are down that path there is really no coming back.

A wonderful read. When Candace comes to the UK, she is escaping her cheating husband and best friend. She is also on a mission to find her father, who was from the Cornwall area. Meeting Alexis and Daniel, she is confronted with two possible love interests. Good read, and was hard to put down. Highly recommend.

Okidokie so- I almost DNFed this one. It took me sooo long to get through. It's too long. Edit again to tighten the story would be my advice. I liked a lot of parts and disliked a lot of parts. The good; Candice's character development and female friendships/found family she finds in Cornwall- loved it. Demi and Makayla- gold. The bad; what the heck is up with Alexis!!! The book starts by making him the main love interest but he is sooo unlikeable from the get go. Then when the actual love interest shows up he's not really portrayed in a way that makes me feel like Candice actually likes him??! Idk, the marketing for this book feels off; it wasn't sexy or overly romantic. I think I went in with really wrong expectations because of the synopsis. It has a great premise but definitely needs another bout of editing. I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Normally I start my reviews with a summary...but I can't.

I'm so confused????

With the promise of a Beach Read comp, I was stoked. Could Candice be the quirky, independent heroine I needed?

No.

There were just SO MANY subplots. None of them were well-developed, and I can't say what the real plot was. First it was the surf shop, then it was co-writing, then it was the divorce, then it was searching for her dad. None of these connected well.

Then there was the romance. I couldn't even figure out who the love interest was until 60% into the book. And there was very little build up to "moments". One moment, Candice and Daniel would be doing something totally platonic and next thing you know, they're almost kissing.

This story needs some serious polishing to make it enjoyable to the reader.

I struggled with the writing style of Holiday Read, long run on sentences peppered the story and made it hard to follow. The dialogue between characters felt a bit forced and awkward. The hero of the story wasn't very likeable and there seemed to be some dubious consent issues. I went into it thinking it would be comparable to Emily Henry's Beach Read but it wasn't at all. The title and book cover are a bit misleading

2.5 stars. Oh boy, this book took me forever to pass the 20% mark. Not only the premise is unoriginal but also the pacing is slow and all over the place. After the 40% mark it started to pick up, or maybe I was just too fustrated and skimmed all the uninteresting sections. It's good that the writer tried to put the focus on female friendship and a female lead trying to find herself after a bad break-up, but it's awful that the book uses the trope of the love triangle introducing two hunky male leads. How is she supposed to grow as an independent woman if she's forced (by the author) to choose between two guys in order to save her from an unfulfilling womanhood. Similar to other debut romance books I read that were just meh ("Float Plan" or "Lizzie & Dante"), the marketing aims to target readers of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. But these titles are just lower quality copy paste ideas that fail to bring anything new to the contemporary romance genre. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I’m a sucker for a beach read and British setting, so this title, cover, and synopsis were very inviting. In practice though I struggled with the pace and writing style, and didn’t find myself hooked. I did not finish this book. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting a lighthearted holiday romance but that’s not what this is. I read the whole book hoping it would improve but it didn’t. I felt the middle of the book went on for ages then the ending felt rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

I DNFed at 40% and I tried to push through but it simply wasn’t for me.

this book wasn’t the way the description made it seem to me and the plot wasn’t interesting enough for me to want to read further.
Also, I feel like If you’re using the “Emily Henry fans will love it” as a way to promote your books you’re setting the expectations too high.

This was a winsome story about a woman taking charge of her life after things went completely off the rails.
Candice moves to Cornwall from Hawaii after her mothers dies and her husband admits to cheating on her with her best friend.
She finds a job in a cafe and the owner, Demi, lets her keep her camper van (the only accommodation she can afford) on the property. She also tries to start up a surfing lessons business.
She becomes attracted to an author,Alexis, trying to write his next book, but this quickly fizzles out when she finds he was just using her for his story.
Her friends and found family Makayla and Demi are great characters and all about empowering each other and being true to themselves. They are there for her when she finds out about Alexis, and also when her ex Joseph comes looking for her.
Alexis, the would be romance author, is truly an unlikable character in this book. He is sexist and selfish and an elitist. But in the end, his agent convinces Candice to work with Daniel as coauthor on the book.
This is not an especially fast paced book but I adored following Candice on her journey of self discovering and with her friendships with Makayla and Demi. And she also just might find a new love with someone unexpected. This book will be released July 2023.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. That having been said, it took me a full 8 days to read. It was the most painful book I've ever read but I'm not a quitter so I saw it through.

I was mislead by the title thinking it was a beach read. Alexis, the main character was. self-absorbed and misogynistic. Candice, his co-writer had so many issues of her own that she almost allowed herself to be taken in by him. Enter Daniel, the literary agent, and you have the perfect, creepy love triangle. The only redeeming part of this book was the development of the female characters friendships. There was so many sub-plots, it was hard to keep track.

I am glad that I persevered to the end as all resolved nicely and there was a happily ever after. How the author got there, I'll never know..

A fun read with some interesting characters. I loved the backdrop of the story and the character development.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I received a copy of Holiday Read via NetGalley to read and review.

When I requested an ARC of Holiday Read it was because the cover caught my attention. The reason being Emily Henry has a book called Beach Read and the covers are VERY similar. I have not read Beach Read (yet! But it is on my TBR) so I can’t say how similar the two books are.

I’ll admit I’m a little unsure how the book got titled Holiday Read. The characters work on a book- often on a beach but no one is truly on vacation and there’s no major holiday celebration in the book so the title makes no sense to me.

The cast of characters are….interesting. I think the author tried really hard to make the characters seem like your average people who have many flaws but somehow missed the mark. Jeremy and Alexis are extreme on the “bad” side while Daniel is the complete opposite. And Candice took the whole book to grow a backbone. The author is close to having a decent cast of characters but they need a bit fine tuning.

I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with me on this but I think the overall arc of the story felt organic. The timing felt right but with the characters written as they are it can be hard to focus on major points in the story.

I, unfortunately, had to dnf this book (which I hate doing with ARCs) because it sent me into a two-week reading slump. It is not very attention-grabbing, at least not at the start, and it failed to suck me in.