Author: Julia McKay
Published by: Penguin Canada on Oct. 8, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Penguin Random House
Book Rating: 8/10
When doppelgänger best friends trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian would’ve-been-honeymoon, both might just find love they weren’t expecting.
Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. So when Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.
But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bedless, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.
Review:
Hopeful, romantic, and cosy!
The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is a fresh, uplifting tale that takes us into the lives of both Holly Beech, a young woman who after recently being left at the alter heads to a cabin in the Hudson Valley to regroup and heal, and Ivy Casey, her talented best friend who, after giving up her planned painting retreat, heads to Kauai on the honeymoon that should have been to rest, relax, and perhaps paint more than just the beautiful scenery.
The prose is light and witty. The characters are sweet, attentive, and sympathetic. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, love, family, introspection, support, drama, merry preparations, taking chances, new beginnings, and the power of friendship.
Overall, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch is an amusing, festive, adorable treat by McKay that is brimming with sweet romance, idyllic locales, relationship drama, and a whole lot of holiday cheer.
This novel is available now.
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Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.