3.6 AVERAGE

karkkles's review

3.0

In The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, we follow two besties who swap honeymoons. Holly and Ivy have been besties for years and look almost exactly alike. Holly’s fiance calls off the wedding the night before they are to be wed and has a nonrefundable, non-transferable honeymoon planned. At the same time, Ivy has planned her annual art honeymoon where she visits a place to focus on making art. It’s important that art is important to Ivy but not that important. Anyways, they swap places and meet love interests. The book follows these two trips with both POVs.

This book sounded sooo much better than it actually was. I saw a tiktok today where the creator says we can tell when books are made to be turned into a movie. That is what this book felt like. I thought it was a really interesting concept to see them find love on their swapped vacations but because of the continuous swapping and shorter length, both storylines fall flat. But that’s the thing, the book is probably standard romance length so idk what the author was doing but it needed to be longer or a duology.

Overall, I felt like this book struggled because there were no stakes. Maybe that’s what you want in a holiday romance. But both main characters are firm in their belief that they prefer New Years Eve to Christmas so the book felt more like a romance that happens to happen during the holiday time and I was expecting a little more. This was fun and it was cute but insta love paired with low stakes is just not my thing.
michellecornish's profile picture

michellecornish's review

5.0

If you’re in the mood for a cozy, feel-good holiday romance with a twist, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay is the perfect choice! This novel brings all the warmth of a snowy cabin Christmas and the sunshine of a tropical Hawaiian escape in one delightful, heartwarming package. Perfect for fans of feel-good romances that leave you smiling long after the last page. Highly recommended!
adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
melissasherwood's profile picture

melissasherwood's review

4.0
hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
crystalclearreads's profile picture

crystalclearreads's review

4.0

3.75⭐️ this was cute. I love anything on the beach. There was definite insta love. I liked the characters a lot. I enjoyed it. It’s a cute holiday read.

brittneylutz's review

2.25
lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
foxieslibrary's profile picture

foxieslibrary's review

4.0

a quick and entertaining novel that is perfect for cozy reading hours! The story combines romantic tension with a touch of chaos, creating a light yet captivating reading experience.

The plot revolves around two protagonists who spontaneously swap lives. What initially seems like a simple solution evolves into a series of turbulent and often hilarious events. As the characters struggle with the challenges of their new roles, they discover unexpected sides of themselves and come to realize that the other's life may not be as perfect as it initially seemed.

i REALLY liked:
Julia McKay's writing style is light and fluid, making the book a pleasant read for a quick escape. The characters are charming, providing both heartfelt and funny moments. I especially liked the message that every perspective has its own challenges and that one often only discovers their own strengths when stepping outside of their comfort zone.

BOTHERING:
At times, some of the decisions and actions of the protagonists were frustrating. There were moments when I wished they would communicate more clearly or act more thoughtfully. However, this didn’t detract too much from the overall story, as the characters' development helped balance these weaknesses.

Conclusion:
its a heartwarming and humorous novel, ideal for a relaxing reading evening. Despite a few frustrating moments with the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It remains a wonderful recommendation for anyone who loves light and charming stories.

jessvreads's review

4.0
emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
fast-paced
funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a sweet romance following two friends. When Holly’s Beyoncé jokes her the night before their wedding, she comes up with a plan to switch vacations with Ivy. Holly goes to Ivy’s off grid mountain cabin to recover, and Ivy goes to Hawaii to use the honeymoon vacation as an artist retreat. When Ivy gets to Hawaii, she discovers that the groom is using the vacation with the other woman. She doesn’t have a place to stay. A good natured bartender named Oliver helps find her lodging. He’s also an artist and they bond. At the cabin, Holly discovers the landlord is an old high school friend named Aiden and they bond.

I listened to the audiobook and it was very well done. I’m not sure I would have liked it as much without the two voices separating the dual POVs. The plot is a bit predictable, but still satisfying. I could see this being made into a Hallmark movie. There’s a bit of spice, but not a lot. I liked how the friends forged their own paths as they found love. 

** Mild Spoilers ** I thought the stronger storyline was Ivy’s in Hawaii. She was finding out what her art means to her while exploring love with Oliver. Their path wasn’t as clear cut insta love. They both have career paths that didn’t necessarily work with them being together. The resolution of their story was also more satisfying with some believable drama. Holly’s story was a lot more instalove. She really didn’t deal with or grieve getting dumped at the alter. She got mad at Ivy for lying about Mark using the honeymoon and not telling her about Oliver, but she was lying to Aiden by not telling him she was dumped at her wedding. Their resolution was too clean and fast and overall not as satisfying. 

If you are looking for a sweet easy read switcheroo romance, this might be for you.