The love interest was mediocre but maybe that's what we deserve. ( )

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.

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. ( )