#french holiday

[bookishbethanyerin]

• ARC Review: French Holiday •

You know how sometimes you read a book and are like, “If this were adapted into a movie, it would be terrible but it somehow works as a book”? That’s exactly what I kept thinking while reading this.

In many ways, the characters and plot in this book shouldn’t work – too cliché, too ridiculous (there’s A Whole Thing with a runaway lobster), too wishy-washy, just too much going on in general – but I still found myself really charmed by it.

The story follows Merry, who jets off to her freewheeling godmother’s newly purchased French chateau after the man she’s been in love with for years marries her sister, only to find that Noah, her brother-in-law’s best friend whom she believes 1) hates her, and 2) drunkenly slept with her at the wedding anyway, is *also* at the chateau, doing research for his latest documentary.

Though the story is all from Merry’s POV, it becomes clear that while she is living her travel adventure dreams, despite the state of the chateau (it’s filthy! there’s no electricity! it’s infested!) and looking forward to a whirlwind romance (there’s a hot, motorcycle-riding, art dealer next door!) Noah is in the midst of a Gothic romance as he pensively researches and generally broods around, but somehow always saves the day.

The second half of the book does a lot of emotional heavylifting as Noah reveals more about himself and his interest in the chateau and an artist who used to live there. And from there, the frothy romcom plot takes a bit of a left turn into Gothic territory (there’s a triple-mystery and a ghost story and yes, you can probably guess the outcome, but no, that won’t make you feel bored with the story) – but don’t worry, you haven’t been duped and it doesn’t linger there long. Because at its core, French Holiday *is* a romcom.

Though it is outlandish and over-the-top at times, it’s also cute and sweet and easy to binge and set in France. And honestly, sometimes that’s all you need.

3.75🌟

1🌶️

✈️An enormous thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. French Holiday is available now!🦞

[vintagepromotions]

'In all skies'

Air France travel poster (1935). Artwork by Roger de Valerio.

[arthistoryanimalia]

For a belated #WorldAlbatrossDay:

1. Pl.6, Oceanic birds of South America, V.1, New York, 1936

2. Pl.40, Wild life of the world, London, 1916

3. Pl.XXVI, Le monde de la mer, Paris, 1866

Via BHL

[diogeneswannabe]

This tweet is peak French culture lmao

"We're not even hyped up for the sports we just want to see how catastrophic it's gonna be, it's gonna be peak entertainment lmaoo"

[autumnalmess]

Les mis twitter: *sees that one illustration of Cosette* put that girl in a situation immediately

[miramelindamusings]

The moment there is a bit of cool weather where I live, all I can think about is rumbelle. I've been thinking alot about Lacey too so here are a few of the sketches I've done :)

[worldtalks]

French Polynesia

[inspiredlivingspaces]

IG beckiowens

[nailsandinspo]

[nailsonblackwomen]

#kikinails_ebeauty

[seeyainneverland]

[pugsandfrenchbulldogs]

They both look like trouble to me...

[vintagepromotions]

Air France travel poster for the Middle East (c. 1950). Artwork by Jean Even.

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #WorldLizardDay 🦎:

Maurice Pillard Verneuil (French, 1869 – 1942) “Lézard" Plate 25 in L’animal dans la décoration (Paris, 1897) NYPL collection

[majora-is-lurking]

King of the Nether, Code Destroyer, Smile Maker and Father of the Year 🥒🌟✨

[fuzzbuns]

doodles of me messing around with the human designs (THIS IS NOT A FIX IT THING ITS JUST FOR FUN)

Also HEAVY spoilers for holiday star under the cut. If u have not played the hatoful boyfriend games yet please do so before looking THEY ARE NOT LYINGG WHEN THEY SAY HATOFUL BOYFRIEND IS PEAK STORY TELLING!!

Sometimes i think about how perfect hitori’s mimicry of nanaki is on a visual level and yet when you meet the real nanaki, both in the after life but also in the mirror world he is just. So different that it becomes impossible to ever mistake the two again. The only reason hitori’s cosplay works is because no one knows the real nanaki well enough to call his bluff. Other than hitori obviously.

Also i saw art of the actual nanaki before i played holiday star and went “….? Was nanaki always this moe…?” And then brushed it off as just a more recent art style just being different LOOOLL