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The Riviera House Swap
Would you swap houses with a stranger? Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
As two lives collide, will love bloom on the French riviera? A gorgeously escapist story for fans of The Holiday, from the bestselling author of A Year at the French Farmhouse.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
As two lives collide, will love bloom on the French riviera? A gorgeously escapist story for fans of The Holiday, from the bestselling author of A Year at the French Farmhouse.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2024
1775 people are currently reading
676 people want to read
About the author
Gillian Harvey
12 books312 followersI'm a British author and freelance writer, currently living in Norfolk, England with my husband and 5 children. I write contemporary, uplifting and emotive fiction, often set in France where I lived for 14 years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
May 26, 2024
Gillian Harvey's books have made me want to chuck everything in and disappear to a small village in France numerous times, and The Riviera House Swap was no different!
Nina is off-kilter. Having turned forty, she is amicably divorced and still stuck in a job where she's pootling along. Something in her decides it is time to live life for herself. However, it's hard when you've spent your life being sensible, doing the right thing, and thinking of others before your needs.
Finding a batch of never=quite-forgotten love letters in the back of her cupboard as she sifts through her stuff, spurs her on to make a huge decision to leave her comfortable life and go on an adventure alone, by arranging a house swap with a man whose own home is on the French Riviera, and happens to be where her 'one that got away' was from.
Will she find her second chance?
Well, I'm not going to tell you that. You need to read the book! Nina is a woman on the cusp of that perimenopausal time we women have to deal with. She's not sure if her hormones or something else are making her make certain decisions, and I think there are a few of us who could relate to that!
Nina has some wonderful friends, both in the UK, who cheer her on, and people she meets in France who become close to her, and they make a wonderful addition to the story.
And there is romance from several angles, involving others, as well as our main character, Nina.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, devoured it in a day, and now want to go and swap my home for one in a gorgeous European setting... (But I'll take my Hubby, as he doesn't need swapping!)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
Nina is off-kilter. Having turned forty, she is amicably divorced and still stuck in a job where she's pootling along. Something in her decides it is time to live life for herself. However, it's hard when you've spent your life being sensible, doing the right thing, and thinking of others before your needs.
Finding a batch of never=quite-forgotten love letters in the back of her cupboard as she sifts through her stuff, spurs her on to make a huge decision to leave her comfortable life and go on an adventure alone, by arranging a house swap with a man whose own home is on the French Riviera, and happens to be where her 'one that got away' was from.
Will she find her second chance?
Well, I'm not going to tell you that. You need to read the book! Nina is a woman on the cusp of that perimenopausal time we women have to deal with. She's not sure if her hormones or something else are making her make certain decisions, and I think there are a few of us who could relate to that!
Nina has some wonderful friends, both in the UK, who cheer her on, and people she meets in France who become close to her, and they make a wonderful addition to the story.
And there is romance from several angles, involving others, as well as our main character, Nina.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, devoured it in a day, and now want to go and swap my home for one in a gorgeous European setting... (But I'll take my Hubby, as he doesn't need swapping!)
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.
June 17, 2024
A divorce, a 40th birthday, a job she has become miserable at have all lead Nina to a crossroads or as she says mid-life crisis. She has lived her life doing the "safe" thing and now feels that it has all blown up in her face. Impulsively she does a house swap with a man from France taking her back to the site of her student exchange town from high school when she last acted impulsively. Will she find the missing love of her life or will it be a flop? Even better, will Nina find her true self?
This book has some truly fantastic characters that show what true friendship and support are supposed to look like. Supportive, funny and at times the dose of reality that you need. While at other times, the "bad influence" to get you out of your rut! The book has wonderful dialogue and slowly shows Nina as she navigates her holiday with her pro and con lists on hand continually. The plot was well thought out, although it did move slowly at times, but it did keep you entertained and engaged in Nina's journey. The underlying theme being that you must love and trust yourself before you can love and trust someone else. I enjoy this author's writing and she definitely gives me wanderlust. Everytime I read her books; I end up wanting to go on an adventure of my own!
This book has some truly fantastic characters that show what true friendship and support are supposed to look like. Supportive, funny and at times the dose of reality that you need. While at other times, the "bad influence" to get you out of your rut! The book has wonderful dialogue and slowly shows Nina as she navigates her holiday with her pro and con lists on hand continually. The plot was well thought out, although it did move slowly at times, but it did keep you entertained and engaged in Nina's journey. The underlying theme being that you must love and trust yourself before you can love and trust someone else. I enjoy this author's writing and she definitely gives me wanderlust. Everytime I read her books; I end up wanting to go on an adventure of my own!
May 18, 2024
This escapist romance, features Nina, a 40 year old recently divorced English woman at a crossroads in her life. She feels that she has been living “safely”, hurriedly checking boxes on her life to do list, not pausing to do what she really wanted. She decides to take a month long sabbatical from work and swap homes with a stranger in the South of France. She had done an exchange program in the same city at 17, and wonders if her first crush could be her one true love. The book is part journey of self discovery and learning to trust your gut, and part slow burn romance. It’s a quick, easy read and a nice palate cleanser. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. 6/11/24
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own. 6/11/24
July 12, 2024
A brilliant synopsis, very promising, but the result was... well... not so brilliant. I mean, it was not bad, it has its moments, but on the whole it felt very simplistic, very predictable, very meh. At the beginning the characters almost killed me with their dialogues, they took PAGES to get through one conversation - the whole book, to be honest, was more on the slow side. The retrospections to Nina's exchange in France read as if they were really written by a 17 - year - old, so not sure if it's good or not so good, but for me they read awfully.
If you're looking for something absolutely undemanding about self - discovery and starting afresh, this might be a book for you - it's easy to read and it's there to entertain you, not to make you think.
If you're looking for something absolutely undemanding about self - discovery and starting afresh, this might be a book for you - it's easy to read and it's there to entertain you, not to make you think.
September 28, 2024
Nina is turning 40, getting divorced, and feeling regret for having made safe choices all her life. She thinks that it’s time to take some risks to have more fun in her life. Why not start by moving to France for a month to track down the boy she fell in love with during her school exchange decades ago. What could go wrong? A lot, it turns out.
What made this story work for me were the friendships that helped Nina on her voyage of self-discovery. The romance elements made me cringe, but the immersion in French culture and the likeable characters made the reading fun.
I’m not a romance reader. But I do love a buddy read, and it turns out I don’t mind reading out of my comfort zone once in a while, especially if I am sharing the reading experience with a friend.
What made this story work for me were the friendships that helped Nina on her voyage of self-discovery. The romance elements made me cringe, but the immersion in French culture and the likeable characters made the reading fun.
I’m not a romance reader. But I do love a buddy read, and it turns out I don’t mind reading out of my comfort zone once in a while, especially if I am sharing the reading experience with a friend.
January 21, 2025
I don't like to write negative reviews, but after reading this book, I felt I had to comment. A decent story, even though the MC was a bit of an airhead. But the editing was terrible, leaving me to wonder why a prolific writer like Harvey would release a book so lacking in final polish. When we first meet Antoine, he has brown eyes. A few pages later, he looks at her with his blue eyes. There are lots of dropped words, a mangled sentence left uncorrected, and for me the unforgivable sin of any writer--not knowing the difference between laying and lying. (Please! If you can't afford a professional, find a bright A-levels student to read the book before you put it out there.)
June 13, 2024
If you’ve seen The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet (my most favourite movie ever btw), then you’ll be familiar with what a house swap entails. It does exactly what it says on the tin - two people swap houses - anywhere in the world - for an agreed amount of time. This is exactly what The Riviera House Swap is.
I read most of this in one day, when it was pouring with rain outside, on the east coast of England, when it’s supposed to be summer. Gillian whisked me away to the south of France and even though it was November there, I still imagined glorious summer days, eating buttery croissants and drinking rich sweet coffee in pavement cafes.
The Riviera House Swap is set across two timelines, the present day and brief interludes when our protagonist, Nina, is seventeen and on a French exchange with her school. Nina is currently fed-up and forty and starts to wonder just what might have been.....
No spoilers here, but I really, really would like to know what happens to Nina next. Any chance of a sequel, Gillian?
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey.
I read most of this in one day, when it was pouring with rain outside, on the east coast of England, when it’s supposed to be summer. Gillian whisked me away to the south of France and even though it was November there, I still imagined glorious summer days, eating buttery croissants and drinking rich sweet coffee in pavement cafes.
The Riviera House Swap is set across two timelines, the present day and brief interludes when our protagonist, Nina, is seventeen and on a French exchange with her school. Nina is currently fed-up and forty and starts to wonder just what might have been.....
No spoilers here, but I really, really would like to know what happens to Nina next. Any chance of a sequel, Gillian?
Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey.
June 14, 2024
Gillian Harvey is a prolific and popular author who writes escapist stories often set in France, where she lived for fourteen years. This is the first novel of hers that I have read and I doubt it will be the last.
The female heroine Nina recently divorced and forty has decided that her life is somewhat dull and predictable. She decides it is time for her to do something spontaneous, which for her is unknown. A decision to do a house swap in France for a month and see if she can reconnect with her first love, leads to a journey of self discovery.
Humour with a touch of romance that I found a quick dose of escapism. Recommended if that is what you are looking for at the moment.
With thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the opportunity to read and review.
https://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogsp...
The female heroine Nina recently divorced and forty has decided that her life is somewhat dull and predictable. She decides it is time for her to do something spontaneous, which for her is unknown. A decision to do a house swap in France for a month and see if she can reconnect with her first love, leads to a journey of self discovery.
Humour with a touch of romance that I found a quick dose of escapism. Recommended if that is what you are looking for at the moment.
With thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the opportunity to read and review.
https://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogsp...
October 5, 2025
A sweet, light read about turning 40, taking risks and escaping to France. No surprises in the plot, but still enjoyable - although perhaps not one of my favourites of Harvey's.
June 14, 2024
The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blurb
Would you swap houses with a stranger? Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
As two lives collide, will love bloom on the French riviera? A gorgeously escapist story for fans of The Holiday, from the bestselling author of A Year at the French Farmhouse.
My Opinion
Nina is on a journey of self-discovery, she has just turned 40 and has just finalised her divorce - why not join her for this journey? This is a delightful tale with a second chance romance when Nina embarks on a journey to find Pierre, her teenage crush. Pretty quickly this book had me hooked as I do enjoy Gillian Harvey's writing style.
Have you got your bags packed for a trip to the French Riviera?
Rating 4/5
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blurb
Would you swap houses with a stranger? Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
As two lives collide, will love bloom on the French riviera? A gorgeously escapist story for fans of The Holiday, from the bestselling author of A Year at the French Farmhouse.
My Opinion
Nina is on a journey of self-discovery, she has just turned 40 and has just finalised her divorce - why not join her for this journey? This is a delightful tale with a second chance romance when Nina embarks on a journey to find Pierre, her teenage crush. Pretty quickly this book had me hooked as I do enjoy Gillian Harvey's writing style.
Have you got your bags packed for a trip to the French Riviera?
Rating 4/5
June 16, 2024
The Blurb :
Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first love: beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
My Thoughts :
We meet Nina, she has been in a job for years which she hates and an unhappy marriage for even longer.
When she receives her divorce papers on her 40th birthday, she decides thats it, no more playing it safe, she wants to start living her life and the time is now.
Going online, Nina decides on a house swap, she will go to live in France whille which the other person, businessman Jean-Luc comes to live in her house in England. She thinks this is the perfect answer as her first love Pierre, who she met in her teens on an exchange programe came from there and she has always wondered and toyed with the what ifs!.
As Nina settles into life in France, meets some new friends and builds her confidence, will she get the chance to re live her youth or is there much more out there for her to explore?!.
This story is pure escapism at its best. Gillian Harvey fully delivers the sights, sounds and tastes of France and will leave the reader wanting more.
Nina has always played it safe. But when her divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday she decides enough is enough.
She’s always chosen the sensible route, staying in her stable job and marrying her rather boring ex. In fact – she realises – she’s chosen security over excitement for years. Ever since she refused to elope with her first love: beautiful, poetic, thoughtful Pierre, the man she met aged 17, on her French exchange. The only man who ever made her heart race.
Maybe it’s time to take a few risks?
Impulsively she goes online and finds another kind of French exchange… a house-swap. She can’t imagine what French businessman Jean-Luc wants with her terraced home in rural England, but she can’t wait to stay in his beautiful, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French riviera.
She’s not just there for the house though. She’s decided to find the love she missed all those years ago. But will Pierre still be the man of her dreams after all this time?
My Thoughts :
We meet Nina, she has been in a job for years which she hates and an unhappy marriage for even longer.
When she receives her divorce papers on her 40th birthday, she decides thats it, no more playing it safe, she wants to start living her life and the time is now.
Going online, Nina decides on a house swap, she will go to live in France whille which the other person, businessman Jean-Luc comes to live in her house in England. She thinks this is the perfect answer as her first love Pierre, who she met in her teens on an exchange programe came from there and she has always wondered and toyed with the what ifs!.
As Nina settles into life in France, meets some new friends and builds her confidence, will she get the chance to re live her youth or is there much more out there for her to explore?!.
This story is pure escapism at its best. Gillian Harvey fully delivers the sights, sounds and tastes of France and will leave the reader wanting more.
September 28, 2024
Nina just turned 40, is newly divorced and having a little bit of a mid-life crisis. She believes she hasn’t achieved much - she isn’t a mother and she’s held the same job for 15 years but doesn’t love it. Wanting to shake things up, she books a trip to France and a house-swap. With the romantic idea that she will go looking for her high school exchange fling and that they could rekindle their love, Nina sets off on this adventure that will push her outside of her comfort zone.
This was a fun read! The inicial pace is quite slow, due to Nina’s indecisive nature, but once the story picked up, I didn’t want to put the book down!
Nina was a hot mess to be honest. She was very uptight and fearful of not meeting everyone’s expectations, so she ends up not living the life she wanted (or at least thought she wanted). I liked seeing Nina blossom and put herself first. Nina was able to step outside her comfort zone and test her limits and wants.
The rekindling with her teenage love was awkward but very necessary for Nina. Let’s just say that 20 years later, Nina and Pierre weren’t the same people, but maybe Pierre never was quite what Nina had thought.
I loved the new friends she made in Antoine and his sister Sabine. Sabine was everything Nina wasn’t, showing Nina what she could be.
This book makes for a good holiday read!
This was a fun read! The inicial pace is quite slow, due to Nina’s indecisive nature, but once the story picked up, I didn’t want to put the book down!
Nina was a hot mess to be honest. She was very uptight and fearful of not meeting everyone’s expectations, so she ends up not living the life she wanted (or at least thought she wanted). I liked seeing Nina blossom and put herself first. Nina was able to step outside her comfort zone and test her limits and wants.
The rekindling with her teenage love was awkward but very necessary for Nina. Let’s just say that 20 years later, Nina and Pierre weren’t the same people, but maybe Pierre never was quite what Nina had thought.
I loved the new friends she made in Antoine and his sister Sabine. Sabine was everything Nina wasn’t, showing Nina what she could be.
This book makes for a good holiday read!
May 12, 2025
I loved the concept of this book. A woman attempting to break out of her shell after a divorce and a boring job. However, the main character annoyed me for the first 1/3 of the book. She eventually got better. The supporting characters are all great. In the end, a cute story.
March 3, 2025
weird asf woman, midlife crisis, get on meds u psycho, ending was cute, follow ur dreams, xoxo gossip girl
October 9, 2024
"As two lives collide, will love bloom on the French Riviera?"
…
Nina's divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday and her ex-husband makes it clear that he expects the family home to be sold. Nina decides that enough is enough and she is fed up with playing it safe and being sensible. It's time to take a few risks and choose excitement over security for a change, before it's too late.
Even after all this time, Nina is still hung up over her first love, Frenchman Pierre, whom she met aged 17, when she was part of an exchange trip with her school. She remembers how beautiful, thoughtful and poetic he had seemed, making her heart race, especially when he had begged her not to return to England when the exchange was over, but to run away with him. She goes online and with relative ease, manages to track him down to the same small town, where he is now the owner/manger of a chain of Patisseries.
Silly as it may sound, she decides that the only way to find out if their relationship could ever have a second chance, is by heading to France for an extended break, in the hope of 'accidentally' bumping into the enigmatic Pierre. Acting completely out of character, Nina hands in her notice at work and searches for a short-term house swap, with someone who wants to spend some time in England, whilst the sale of her home goes through. She can't believe her luck, when almost immediately French businessman Jean-Luc agrees to swap his idyllic, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French Riviera, for her rather mundane estate house.
The place is dreamlike, the town exactly as Nina remembers it and a convenient café across the road from Pierre's office means that she has already managed to catch a glimpse of him. Then, Nina's peace is shattered by the unexpected arrival of Jean-Luc's sister Sabine, who knows nothing of the house swap arrangement. Sabine moves into the house and Nina, despite not wanting to, begins to like the vivacious woman and her carefree lifestyle.
Jean-Luc also has a younger brother Antoine, a widower and father, who runs the local repair garage and who takes an instant shine to Nina. When Sabine decides to move things along for Nina and Pierre asks her out, everyone assumes that this is going to be the start of a beautiful romance. However, Pierre's actions are not those of a man smitten and wanting to rekindle an old flame, in fact anything but. They do say that love is blind, but it takes Nina a seemingly inordinate amount of time and almost one of the most fatal mistakes she has ever made in her life, before she opens her eyes to the reality of the situation and her own rather naïve stupidity.
Can she salvage any of her dreams of a new beginning?
...
Contemporary romance is not usually one of my preferred genres and simply by reading the premise, I knew that I might have to suspend belief in reality just a little to read this story. So, whilst being fully aware of exactly what I was letting myself in for, I was prepared to go along for what turned into a very bumpy ride for Nina.
Well written in short punchy chapters, this entertaining story moved along at quite a pace, in a dual timeline format - the present day and flashbacks back to when Nina was a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl - both told in her own words and replete with her own unique and individual style of delivery.
Whilst as an outsider, the storyline was a little predictable and I could probably have worked out very early on, how this inspirational, escapist adventure and leap of blind faith was going to end for Nina, I was quite happy to enjoy the journey and let it to play out at its own pace, even though I knew it wasn't going to look pretty when Nina finally removed the blinkers!
As well as being a definite page-turner, as I found myself literally shouting at Nina not to be so stupid and to wake up and smell the roses, author Gillian Harvey also filled the storyline with some well placed descriptive snippets featuring the sights and ambience of this particular region of France. Not enough to overwhelm the senses, but sufficient to make me wish I was there and able to offer Nina some much needed advice in person. That tantalising cover art really does help set the scene for this particular novel.
There was a relatively small cast of principle characters and whilst I may not have connected with all of them, I was quite happy to be in their company, with the exception of the nauseating and duplicitous Pierre who got off far too lightly as far as I'm concerned. Sabine added a touch of spontaneity, levity and French joie de vivre to the occasion, whilst the erstwhile Antoine was the perfect gentleman to the end. Nina had some pretty quirky ideas about relationships and what she expected from them, so I am just keeping my fingers crossed that she reaches the right decision in the end.
So, whilst there was no real Wow! factor for me, the story nonetheless ended in such a way that the possibilities are there for a sequel.. maybe?
…
Nina's divorce papers come through on her fortieth birthday and her ex-husband makes it clear that he expects the family home to be sold. Nina decides that enough is enough and she is fed up with playing it safe and being sensible. It's time to take a few risks and choose excitement over security for a change, before it's too late.
Even after all this time, Nina is still hung up over her first love, Frenchman Pierre, whom she met aged 17, when she was part of an exchange trip with her school. She remembers how beautiful, thoughtful and poetic he had seemed, making her heart race, especially when he had begged her not to return to England when the exchange was over, but to run away with him. She goes online and with relative ease, manages to track him down to the same small town, where he is now the owner/manger of a chain of Patisseries.
Silly as it may sound, she decides that the only way to find out if their relationship could ever have a second chance, is by heading to France for an extended break, in the hope of 'accidentally' bumping into the enigmatic Pierre. Acting completely out of character, Nina hands in her notice at work and searches for a short-term house swap, with someone who wants to spend some time in England, whilst the sale of her home goes through. She can't believe her luck, when almost immediately French businessman Jean-Luc agrees to swap his idyllic, spacious, bougainvillea-strewn villa on the French Riviera, for her rather mundane estate house.
The place is dreamlike, the town exactly as Nina remembers it and a convenient café across the road from Pierre's office means that she has already managed to catch a glimpse of him. Then, Nina's peace is shattered by the unexpected arrival of Jean-Luc's sister Sabine, who knows nothing of the house swap arrangement. Sabine moves into the house and Nina, despite not wanting to, begins to like the vivacious woman and her carefree lifestyle.
Jean-Luc also has a younger brother Antoine, a widower and father, who runs the local repair garage and who takes an instant shine to Nina. When Sabine decides to move things along for Nina and Pierre asks her out, everyone assumes that this is going to be the start of a beautiful romance. However, Pierre's actions are not those of a man smitten and wanting to rekindle an old flame, in fact anything but. They do say that love is blind, but it takes Nina a seemingly inordinate amount of time and almost one of the most fatal mistakes she has ever made in her life, before she opens her eyes to the reality of the situation and her own rather naïve stupidity.
Can she salvage any of her dreams of a new beginning?
...
Contemporary romance is not usually one of my preferred genres and simply by reading the premise, I knew that I might have to suspend belief in reality just a little to read this story. So, whilst being fully aware of exactly what I was letting myself in for, I was prepared to go along for what turned into a very bumpy ride for Nina.
Well written in short punchy chapters, this entertaining story moved along at quite a pace, in a dual timeline format - the present day and flashbacks back to when Nina was a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl - both told in her own words and replete with her own unique and individual style of delivery.
Whilst as an outsider, the storyline was a little predictable and I could probably have worked out very early on, how this inspirational, escapist adventure and leap of blind faith was going to end for Nina, I was quite happy to enjoy the journey and let it to play out at its own pace, even though I knew it wasn't going to look pretty when Nina finally removed the blinkers!
As well as being a definite page-turner, as I found myself literally shouting at Nina not to be so stupid and to wake up and smell the roses, author Gillian Harvey also filled the storyline with some well placed descriptive snippets featuring the sights and ambience of this particular region of France. Not enough to overwhelm the senses, but sufficient to make me wish I was there and able to offer Nina some much needed advice in person. That tantalising cover art really does help set the scene for this particular novel.
There was a relatively small cast of principle characters and whilst I may not have connected with all of them, I was quite happy to be in their company, with the exception of the nauseating and duplicitous Pierre who got off far too lightly as far as I'm concerned. Sabine added a touch of spontaneity, levity and French joie de vivre to the occasion, whilst the erstwhile Antoine was the perfect gentleman to the end. Nina had some pretty quirky ideas about relationships and what she expected from them, so I am just keeping my fingers crossed that she reaches the right decision in the end.
So, whilst there was no real Wow! factor for me, the story nonetheless ended in such a way that the possibilities are there for a sequel.. maybe?
June 17, 2024
3 Stars
One Liner: Good concept and themes but…
Nina has played it safe for years but when she receives the divorce papers on her fortieth birthday, she decides to make the most of her remaining life. Nina plans a trip to France to track down the only man she ever loved, Pierre.
A house-swapping chance makes it easier for her to take the next step. It is a good opportunity for a fresh start. But will it be with Pierre or will Nina find something else?
The story comes in Nina’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
I enjoy lighthearted reads with some important themes. This book promises fun with a touch of romance and some introspection. While the premise is attractive, the results are sadly mixed.
What I Like:
The side characters are cool (except for one person). Nina’s best friends are the right mix of support and caution. They know when to let her rant, when to tease her, when to encourage her decisions, and when to remind her to be careful.
Sabine is proper sunshine. She can be overwhelming but gives exactly what Nina needs. Moreover, the humor in scenes with her feels more realistic and natural.
Nina’s pros and cons lists are great. As a list maker, I see the rationality of this approach even if her actions and decisions aren’t great.
Some scenes with Nina’s fears and vulnerabilities are well done. Her confidence has taken a hit, which makes her do some stupid things but she does realize in time.
The hubby is not the bad guy (this is not a spoiler). Given how most ex-husbands are supposed to be jerks, I like that he is a decent human.
What Could Have Been Better:
For a light read, the pacing is a bit on the slower side. While the plot doesn’t drag, it doesn’t sustain the tempo, either. I was easily distracted during the first half.
This is not a romance. It is women’s fiction with barely a touch of romance. While I enjoy both genres, I wish the ‘love’ track was better handled. I couldn’t feel any chemistry despite liking the character.
The track with Pierre was easy to smell from a mile away. While predictability is a thing of the genre, I think the whole part could have had a little more depth. It is not fun when the reader thinks the FMC is not using her brain cells even when we are 70% into the book.
The initial humor feels forced. It doesn’t become seamless until Sabine enters. That makes the FMC a weaker character. In fact, I never laughed or chuckled when she tried to be funny. It was the others who made me smile.
To summarize, The Riviera House Swap is an easy read with some decent themes. I’d say your enjoyment will depend on how well you connect with the main character.
Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheRivieraHouseSwap
One Liner: Good concept and themes but…
Nina has played it safe for years but when she receives the divorce papers on her fortieth birthday, she decides to make the most of her remaining life. Nina plans a trip to France to track down the only man she ever loved, Pierre.
A house-swapping chance makes it easier for her to take the next step. It is a good opportunity for a fresh start. But will it be with Pierre or will Nina find something else?
The story comes in Nina’s third-person POV.
My Thoughts:
I enjoy lighthearted reads with some important themes. This book promises fun with a touch of romance and some introspection. While the premise is attractive, the results are sadly mixed.
What I Like:
The side characters are cool (except for one person). Nina’s best friends are the right mix of support and caution. They know when to let her rant, when to tease her, when to encourage her decisions, and when to remind her to be careful.
Sabine is proper sunshine. She can be overwhelming but gives exactly what Nina needs. Moreover, the humor in scenes with her feels more realistic and natural.
Nina’s pros and cons lists are great. As a list maker, I see the rationality of this approach even if her actions and decisions aren’t great.
Some scenes with Nina’s fears and vulnerabilities are well done. Her confidence has taken a hit, which makes her do some stupid things but she does realize in time.
The hubby is not the bad guy (this is not a spoiler). Given how most ex-husbands are supposed to be jerks, I like that he is a decent human.
What Could Have Been Better:
For a light read, the pacing is a bit on the slower side. While the plot doesn’t drag, it doesn’t sustain the tempo, either. I was easily distracted during the first half.
This is not a romance. It is women’s fiction with barely a touch of romance. While I enjoy both genres, I wish the ‘love’ track was better handled. I couldn’t feel any chemistry despite liking the character.
The track with Pierre was easy to smell from a mile away. While predictability is a thing of the genre, I think the whole part could have had a little more depth. It is not fun when the reader thinks the FMC is not using her brain cells even when we are 70% into the book.
The initial humor feels forced. It doesn’t become seamless until Sabine enters. That makes the FMC a weaker character. In fact, I never laughed or chuckled when she tried to be funny. It was the others who made me smile.
To summarize, The Riviera House Swap is an easy read with some decent themes. I’d say your enjoyment will depend on how well you connect with the main character.
Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheRivieraHouseSwap
June 11, 2024
This novel is a delightful exploration of second chances, self-discovery, and the courage to take risks. The novel follows Nina, a newly divorced woman in her forties, as she embarks on a journey to rediscover herself and rekindle an old flame from her teenage years.
Nina's life has been all about routine and safety. She's been trapped in a boring routine with her ex-husband and stable job. She doesn't seem to have that spark anymore. The story begins with Nina reflecting on her life choices, realizing she has consistently chosen safety over excitement ever since she turned down a chance to elope with her first love, Pierre, during a French exchange program when she was just 17. This epiphany sets the stage for the adventure that follows.
In an impulsive move to shake up her life, Nina decides to participate in a house swap. She exchanges her quaint terraced home in rural England for a luxurious villa on the French Riviera, owned by a French businessman named Jean-Luc. The allure of the swap isn't just the beautiful villa but also the chance to track down Pierre, the poetic and thoughtful boy who once made her heart race.
Upon her arrival, Nina quickly befriends Jean-Luc's siblings, who add depth and warmth to the narrative. Their easy camaraderie and supportive presence provide a contrast to Nina's initial uncertainty and loneliness. Harvey skillfully develops these relationships, highlighting the importance of friendship and support in personal growth and new beginnings.
The core of the story, however, lies in Nina's quest to find Pierre. The anticipation builds as Nina traces her teenage love, leading to a series of heartfelt and sometimes humorous encounters. Harvey handles Nina's emotional journey with sensitivity and realism, capturing the mixture of hope, fear, and nostalgia that comes with rekindling a past romance.
As Nina reconnects with Pierre, she faces a series of decisions. Harvey keeps readers guessing about whether Nina's teenage love will live up to her dreams or lead to disappointment and heartbreak. This uncertainty propels the narrative forward, making it a page-turner filled with emotional depth and genuine moments of introspection.
This is a story about taking risks, embracing change, and the power of stepping out of one's comfort zone. Gillian Harvey's tale is a real feel-good story that reminds us it's never too late to follow our dreams and find what makes us happy.
Nina's life has been all about routine and safety. She's been trapped in a boring routine with her ex-husband and stable job. She doesn't seem to have that spark anymore. The story begins with Nina reflecting on her life choices, realizing she has consistently chosen safety over excitement ever since she turned down a chance to elope with her first love, Pierre, during a French exchange program when she was just 17. This epiphany sets the stage for the adventure that follows.
In an impulsive move to shake up her life, Nina decides to participate in a house swap. She exchanges her quaint terraced home in rural England for a luxurious villa on the French Riviera, owned by a French businessman named Jean-Luc. The allure of the swap isn't just the beautiful villa but also the chance to track down Pierre, the poetic and thoughtful boy who once made her heart race.
Upon her arrival, Nina quickly befriends Jean-Luc's siblings, who add depth and warmth to the narrative. Their easy camaraderie and supportive presence provide a contrast to Nina's initial uncertainty and loneliness. Harvey skillfully develops these relationships, highlighting the importance of friendship and support in personal growth and new beginnings.
The core of the story, however, lies in Nina's quest to find Pierre. The anticipation builds as Nina traces her teenage love, leading to a series of heartfelt and sometimes humorous encounters. Harvey handles Nina's emotional journey with sensitivity and realism, capturing the mixture of hope, fear, and nostalgia that comes with rekindling a past romance.
As Nina reconnects with Pierre, she faces a series of decisions. Harvey keeps readers guessing about whether Nina's teenage love will live up to her dreams or lead to disappointment and heartbreak. This uncertainty propels the narrative forward, making it a page-turner filled with emotional depth and genuine moments of introspection.
This is a story about taking risks, embracing change, and the power of stepping out of one's comfort zone. Gillian Harvey's tale is a real feel-good story that reminds us it's never too late to follow our dreams and find what makes us happy.
June 15, 2024
Nina has spent her life staying firmly within her comfort zone. Her 40th birthday has now arrived, and none of her 'safe' choices has turned out quite how she expected - something made very clear when the anticipated birthday card she opens turns out to be her final divorce papers. It is time to shake up her life a bit and tick off some of those things that have been waiting on her bucket list for far too long.
Reflecting on the past reminds Nina of handsome Pierre, who she met on a French student exchange holiday when she was seventeen, and in a burst of adventurous spirit she decides that a trip to the town where she fell in love might be just the thing to set her on a new path. The ideal opportunity just happens to present itself on a house swap website, so she sets off for a month at a beautiful villa near Nice, while its owner, Jean-Luc, comes to stay in her Victorian terrace in St Albans. Will Pierre still be there? And, if so, could that passionate flame be rekindled?
Gillian Harvey's latest gorgeous, French escapade is a delightful play on The Holiday, which finds forty-year-old Nina picking up the threads of the life her seventeen-year-old self might have had. The story unfurls in two timelines, following Nina's French adventure in the present and the events of the exchange trip in the past that have always stayed with her, which combine to make this something of a coming of age journey for both her forty-year-old and seventeen-year-old-selves.
Harvey floods this book with her trademark themes of friendship, family, and second chances in picturesque France, and the way she explores teenage notions of love is poignantly relatable. There are lovely (and not so lovely) characters to get to know, with storylines that weave romantic suspense and luscious humour throughout - the text and email conversations Nina has with her friends and parents in St Albans, and her lists of Pros and Cons around pivotal decisions are especially comedy gold. But what really makes the story is the relationship Nina develops with tender-heared Antoine and his sister, free-spirited Sabine, in France, who help her on the way to a new destiny.
This book sums up everything I have come to love in Harvey's enchanting stories, carrying you away on an escapist tide to a warm and ahh-filled ending full of hope. Perfect for snuggling up with on the sofa while the unseasonable rain falls outside.
Reflecting on the past reminds Nina of handsome Pierre, who she met on a French student exchange holiday when she was seventeen, and in a burst of adventurous spirit she decides that a trip to the town where she fell in love might be just the thing to set her on a new path. The ideal opportunity just happens to present itself on a house swap website, so she sets off for a month at a beautiful villa near Nice, while its owner, Jean-Luc, comes to stay in her Victorian terrace in St Albans. Will Pierre still be there? And, if so, could that passionate flame be rekindled?
Gillian Harvey's latest gorgeous, French escapade is a delightful play on The Holiday, which finds forty-year-old Nina picking up the threads of the life her seventeen-year-old self might have had. The story unfurls in two timelines, following Nina's French adventure in the present and the events of the exchange trip in the past that have always stayed with her, which combine to make this something of a coming of age journey for both her forty-year-old and seventeen-year-old-selves.
Harvey floods this book with her trademark themes of friendship, family, and second chances in picturesque France, and the way she explores teenage notions of love is poignantly relatable. There are lovely (and not so lovely) characters to get to know, with storylines that weave romantic suspense and luscious humour throughout - the text and email conversations Nina has with her friends and parents in St Albans, and her lists of Pros and Cons around pivotal decisions are especially comedy gold. But what really makes the story is the relationship Nina develops with tender-heared Antoine and his sister, free-spirited Sabine, in France, who help her on the way to a new destiny.
This book sums up everything I have come to love in Harvey's enchanting stories, carrying you away on an escapist tide to a warm and ahh-filled ending full of hope. Perfect for snuggling up with on the sofa while the unseasonable rain falls outside.
July 2, 2024
On the day of her fortieth birthday, Nina's divorce is finalised. Feeling that she's always taken the safe option in life she sets off for the French Riviera to see if the boy she fell in love with on an exchange trip twenty-three years ago remembers her.
I won a copy of The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey in a competition by The Bookload on Facebook. This is not my usual type of read but I was surprised at how quickly I got into the story and finished the book within two days. I also need to comment on how beautiful the cover is, the terracotta colour is stunning.
Nina is risk-averse, she always opts for the safe and steady option in life. When her divorce is finalised on the day of her fortieth birthday she realises that there may have been times when she should have said yes, rather than no, and had a little bit more excitement in her life. One of her big regrets is that she didn't run away to France at the age of seventeen to be with Pierre, the boy she fell in love with on an exchange visit.
Divorce means that the house Nina shared with her husband has to be sold. With only a couple of months left until completion, she decides to take part in a house swap and ends up back in the area of France she visited twenty-three years ago. With some internet sleuthing she manages to track down Pierre and "accidentally" bumps into him. It would seem that he does remember her and feels the same way.
Nina is helped along the way by the sister and brother of the man she has swapped homes with. Sabine is a wanderer with a lust for adventure, she helps Nina try new experiences and tries to convince her that she's not too old to travel. Antoine is kind and dependable, seemingly always on hand to rescue Nina when things don't go to plan.
The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey is a light and easy read. The ending is predictable but the setting and the people are wonderful.
If you enjoyed my review please check out my book blog, Reading For Leisure
https://readingforleisure.blogspot.com/
or follow me on Twitter
@Debbie_Hart_UK
or on Threads
@debbiehartuk
I won a copy of The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey in a competition by The Bookload on Facebook. This is not my usual type of read but I was surprised at how quickly I got into the story and finished the book within two days. I also need to comment on how beautiful the cover is, the terracotta colour is stunning.
Nina is risk-averse, she always opts for the safe and steady option in life. When her divorce is finalised on the day of her fortieth birthday she realises that there may have been times when she should have said yes, rather than no, and had a little bit more excitement in her life. One of her big regrets is that she didn't run away to France at the age of seventeen to be with Pierre, the boy she fell in love with on an exchange visit.
Divorce means that the house Nina shared with her husband has to be sold. With only a couple of months left until completion, she decides to take part in a house swap and ends up back in the area of France she visited twenty-three years ago. With some internet sleuthing she manages to track down Pierre and "accidentally" bumps into him. It would seem that he does remember her and feels the same way.
Nina is helped along the way by the sister and brother of the man she has swapped homes with. Sabine is a wanderer with a lust for adventure, she helps Nina try new experiences and tries to convince her that she's not too old to travel. Antoine is kind and dependable, seemingly always on hand to rescue Nina when things don't go to plan.
The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey is a light and easy read. The ending is predictable but the setting and the people are wonderful.
If you enjoyed my review please check out my book blog, Reading For Leisure
https://readingforleisure.blogspot.com/
or follow me on Twitter
@Debbie_Hart_UK
or on Threads
@debbiehartuk
December 23, 2025
"The Riviera House Swap" (Kindle Edition) by Gillian Harvey
Reason for DNF (Did Not Finish): A "beach read" that lacked any actual sunshine. The characters were profoundly unlikable, the "mystery" elements were nonsensical, and the domestic drama felt like being trapped in a room with people who refuse to stop arguing over nothing.
The premise follows two women—one in a dull English village and one in the glamorous French Riviera—who swap homes to escape their respective ruts. It’s a classic trope designed for escapism, but in this case, the escape felt more like a prison sentence.
Why the Lowest Rating? ❌
Deeply Unpleasant Protagonists: To enjoy a house-swap story, you usually need to care about the people swapping. Here, both main characters felt entitled, whiny, and remarkably judgmental. Their internal monologues were a constant stream of complaints, making it impossible to root for their "self-discovery."
Cringe-Inducing Dialogue: The interactions between characters felt forced and unnatural. The humor often fell flat, relying on "clumsy" tropes or "misunderstandings" that could have been solved with a five-second conversation. Instead of being funny, it was exhausting.
The "Mystery" That Wasn't: The book tries to inject tension through secrets and hidden agendas, but the clues were dropped with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. By the time I reached the middle, the "twists" were so obvious and the characters so slow to catch on that it became insulting to the reader's intelligence.
False Advertising on Escapism: For a book set in the Riviera, there was surprisingly little atmosphere. The setting felt like a generic backdrop rather than a living part of the story. I wanted to feel the Mediterranean breeze; instead, I just felt the frustration of the characters' poor life choices.
Conclusion:
I DNF'd The Riviera House Swap because it failed the most basic requirement of a summer read: it wasn't fun. The combination of irritating characters and a predictable, thin plot made it a chore to pick up my Kindle. It is a cynical take on the "fresh start" genre that left me feeling more stressed than when I started.
Reason for DNF (Did Not Finish): A "beach read" that lacked any actual sunshine. The characters were profoundly unlikable, the "mystery" elements were nonsensical, and the domestic drama felt like being trapped in a room with people who refuse to stop arguing over nothing.
The premise follows two women—one in a dull English village and one in the glamorous French Riviera—who swap homes to escape their respective ruts. It’s a classic trope designed for escapism, but in this case, the escape felt more like a prison sentence.
Why the Lowest Rating? ❌
Deeply Unpleasant Protagonists: To enjoy a house-swap story, you usually need to care about the people swapping. Here, both main characters felt entitled, whiny, and remarkably judgmental. Their internal monologues were a constant stream of complaints, making it impossible to root for their "self-discovery."
Cringe-Inducing Dialogue: The interactions between characters felt forced and unnatural. The humor often fell flat, relying on "clumsy" tropes or "misunderstandings" that could have been solved with a five-second conversation. Instead of being funny, it was exhausting.
The "Mystery" That Wasn't: The book tries to inject tension through secrets and hidden agendas, but the clues were dropped with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. By the time I reached the middle, the "twists" were so obvious and the characters so slow to catch on that it became insulting to the reader's intelligence.
False Advertising on Escapism: For a book set in the Riviera, there was surprisingly little atmosphere. The setting felt like a generic backdrop rather than a living part of the story. I wanted to feel the Mediterranean breeze; instead, I just felt the frustration of the characters' poor life choices.
Conclusion:
I DNF'd The Riviera House Swap because it failed the most basic requirement of a summer read: it wasn't fun. The combination of irritating characters and a predictable, thin plot made it a chore to pick up my Kindle. It is a cynical take on the "fresh start" genre that left me feeling more stressed than when I started.
July 15, 2024
Gillian Harvey’s The Riviera House Swap is a gloriously escapist tale drenched in sunshine, romance and heart perfect for Jo Thomas fans!
Nina has spent most of her life playing it safe and taking the sensible option – and it’s got her nowhere. With the divorce papers having come through on her fortieth birthday, all Nina has to show for her life is a boring job and ex husband who was the human equivalent of dry paint. At seventeen years of age, Nina had her chance at excitement having met a gorgeous French boy called Pierre. But having refused to elope with him she has spent the intervening decades stuck in a boring rut -but not any more. The time has come for Nina to unshackle herself from her daily routine and take a few risks.
Booking a house-swap in France seems like an excellent starting point – although what businessman Jean-Luc is going to make of her cottage in rural England is anyone’s guess! But Nina just wants to leave her staid life behind and indulge herself by staying in a beautiful villa on the French Riviera. Being in France will also enable Nina to try and find Pierre and recapture all the hope and passion of their youth. But is Pierre still the man of her dreams? Or should Nina look elsewhere for her happiness?
Gillian Harvey writes with such verve, style and élan that reading one of her books is the next best thing to a luxurious French holiday. The Riviera House Swap is a lovely read about letting go of the past, love lost and found and taking a chance on yourself that is so hopeful, inspirational and entertaining, I found myself completely immersed and engrossed in Nina’s story.
Witty, charming and enjoyable, The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey is a fabulous page-turner that makes for the perfect holiday companion this summer.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Nina has spent most of her life playing it safe and taking the sensible option – and it’s got her nowhere. With the divorce papers having come through on her fortieth birthday, all Nina has to show for her life is a boring job and ex husband who was the human equivalent of dry paint. At seventeen years of age, Nina had her chance at excitement having met a gorgeous French boy called Pierre. But having refused to elope with him she has spent the intervening decades stuck in a boring rut -but not any more. The time has come for Nina to unshackle herself from her daily routine and take a few risks.
Booking a house-swap in France seems like an excellent starting point – although what businessman Jean-Luc is going to make of her cottage in rural England is anyone’s guess! But Nina just wants to leave her staid life behind and indulge herself by staying in a beautiful villa on the French Riviera. Being in France will also enable Nina to try and find Pierre and recapture all the hope and passion of their youth. But is Pierre still the man of her dreams? Or should Nina look elsewhere for her happiness?
Gillian Harvey writes with such verve, style and élan that reading one of her books is the next best thing to a luxurious French holiday. The Riviera House Swap is a lovely read about letting go of the past, love lost and found and taking a chance on yourself that is so hopeful, inspirational and entertaining, I found myself completely immersed and engrossed in Nina’s story.
Witty, charming and enjoyable, The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey is a fabulous page-turner that makes for the perfect holiday companion this summer.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 24, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.
Nina is still reeling from her divorce, turning 40 and not being where or who she wants to be. Nina plays it safe, she didn't go for the career she wanted, she took a safe job with security, she didnt' run off and marry the man of her dreams, she chose the stable, easygoing man, her now ex-husband. Nina makes lists before every choice she makes, weighing the pros and cons. Turning 40 throws her for a loop, she is now divorced and realizes she has never taken a chance at anything. She thinks about Pierre, the one that got away, a boy she met on a french exchange program, who asked her to marry him.
Nina casually decides to google him and when she sees he still lives in the same area, she decides that she is going to quit her dead end job and run off to France to accidentily on purpose bump into Pierre to see if that spark from many years ago is still there. She finds an ad for a house swap and as she goes to Jean Luc's house in the French Riviera, he goes to her house in England. Jean Luc's sister, Sabine shows up on her doorstep and ends up inviting herself to stay for a few weeks, while Nina at first is reluctant, she quickly finds herself enjoying Sabine's company. Sabine and her brother antione end up trying to assist Nina with her plan to bump into Pierre. When she finally meets up wioth Pierre will it be all she expected it to be or will her future lie somewhere else.
I really enjoy this author's books, they are a delight to read. Her characters are easily likeable and relatable. This book had some giggles and the scenery was gorgeous. I look forward to more books by this author.
Nina is still reeling from her divorce, turning 40 and not being where or who she wants to be. Nina plays it safe, she didn't go for the career she wanted, she took a safe job with security, she didnt' run off and marry the man of her dreams, she chose the stable, easygoing man, her now ex-husband. Nina makes lists before every choice she makes, weighing the pros and cons. Turning 40 throws her for a loop, she is now divorced and realizes she has never taken a chance at anything. She thinks about Pierre, the one that got away, a boy she met on a french exchange program, who asked her to marry him.
Nina casually decides to google him and when she sees he still lives in the same area, she decides that she is going to quit her dead end job and run off to France to accidentily on purpose bump into Pierre to see if that spark from many years ago is still there. She finds an ad for a house swap and as she goes to Jean Luc's house in the French Riviera, he goes to her house in England. Jean Luc's sister, Sabine shows up on her doorstep and ends up inviting herself to stay for a few weeks, while Nina at first is reluctant, she quickly finds herself enjoying Sabine's company. Sabine and her brother antione end up trying to assist Nina with her plan to bump into Pierre. When she finally meets up wioth Pierre will it be all she expected it to be or will her future lie somewhere else.
I really enjoy this author's books, they are a delight to read. Her characters are easily likeable and relatable. This book had some giggles and the scenery was gorgeous. I look forward to more books by this author.
July 5, 2024
When I saw this book I was so drawn by the synopsis and I simply had to read it.
If you're familiar with "The Holiday" starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet (which is my all-time favorite movie, by the way), then you'll understand the concept of a house swap.
It's quite straightforward: two individuals exchange homes anywhere in the world for a set period. This is precisely the premise of "The Riviera House Swap."
I devoured most of the book in a single day, finding delight in every page.
Gillian transported me to the south of France, and although the story unfolds in November, I envisioned splendid summer days, savoring buttery croissants and sipping rich, sweet coffee at street-side cafes.
"The Riviera House Swap" unfolds over two time periods: the present and flashbacks to when our main character, Nina, was seventeen and participating in a French exchange program. Now at forty and feeling discontent, Nina begins to ponder the paths not taken...
Stumbling upon a collection of old but unforgettable love letters while clearing out her cupboard, Nina is inspired to make a significant change. She decides to embark on a solo adventure, arranging a house swap with a man whose residence is on the French Riviera—the very place her long-lost love hailed from.
Will she seize her opportunity for a second chance?
I won't spoil that for you. You'll have to read the book yourself!
My gratitude goes to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an advance reader copy.
If you're familiar with "The Holiday" starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet (which is my all-time favorite movie, by the way), then you'll understand the concept of a house swap.
It's quite straightforward: two individuals exchange homes anywhere in the world for a set period. This is precisely the premise of "The Riviera House Swap."
I devoured most of the book in a single day, finding delight in every page.
Gillian transported me to the south of France, and although the story unfolds in November, I envisioned splendid summer days, savoring buttery croissants and sipping rich, sweet coffee at street-side cafes.
"The Riviera House Swap" unfolds over two time periods: the present and flashbacks to when our main character, Nina, was seventeen and participating in a French exchange program. Now at forty and feeling discontent, Nina begins to ponder the paths not taken...
Stumbling upon a collection of old but unforgettable love letters while clearing out her cupboard, Nina is inspired to make a significant change. She decides to embark on a solo adventure, arranging a house swap with a man whose residence is on the French Riviera—the very place her long-lost love hailed from.
Will she seize her opportunity for a second chance?
I won't spoil that for you. You'll have to read the book yourself!
My gratitude goes to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an advance reader copy.
July 16, 2024
In this fun and cozy modern novel, readers follow Nina, who has a chance at a new start on her fortieth birthday when her divorce papers come through. Realizing that choosing security over excitement her entire life has made her life dull and sensible, she decides to take some risks -- leaving her steady job and seeking out her high school exchange boyfriend and first love Pierre. Recreating that experience through a house-swap with French businessman Jean-Luc, Nina wants to find some excitement, happiness, and love as she starts her forties on her terms. A fun, enjoyable read full of heart and emotion, Nina is a fantastic, realistic, and relatable heroine whose struggles are all too common and relatable for modern readers. Her relationships with her new and old friends in this novel are supportive and kind, and the novel flashes between her present day life and her time on exchange when she was seventeen and in love with Pierre. The setting of France is whimsical, romantic, and beautiful, very different from Nina’s prosaic life in England, and it helps create the shift in choices and life for Nina’s character arc. The characters are the star of this fun and easy summer read that fans of cozy reads and holiday reads are sure to enjoy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advance copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advance copy.
May 19, 2024
Nina has always played it safe. But on her fortieth birthday, when her divorce papers arrive, she decides it's time for a change.
Nina has consistently opted for the sensible path, sticking with a stable job and marrying her predictably dull ex-husband. She suddenly realizes that for years she has chosen security over excitement. This pattern started when she refused to elope with her first love, Pierre—a beautiful, poetic, and thoughtful man she met at 17 during a French exchange program. Pierre remains the only man who ever truly made her heart race.
Nina makes a bold decision to escape her mundane routine by taking a month-long sabbatical and exchanging homes with an unfamiliar person in the South of France. She travels back to the city where she had initially encountered Pierre, her teenage crush, questioning if he still holds the key to her heart as her one true love. The story narrates a woman's quest for self-discovery and belief in her intuition; all woven into the fabric of a slowly kindling romantic flame. The book is not meant to be a long read but rather one that easily hooks you from the beginning till the end, keeping you captivated throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing a copy of this book.
Nina has consistently opted for the sensible path, sticking with a stable job and marrying her predictably dull ex-husband. She suddenly realizes that for years she has chosen security over excitement. This pattern started when she refused to elope with her first love, Pierre—a beautiful, poetic, and thoughtful man she met at 17 during a French exchange program. Pierre remains the only man who ever truly made her heart race.
Nina makes a bold decision to escape her mundane routine by taking a month-long sabbatical and exchanging homes with an unfamiliar person in the South of France. She travels back to the city where she had initially encountered Pierre, her teenage crush, questioning if he still holds the key to her heart as her one true love. The story narrates a woman's quest for self-discovery and belief in her intuition; all woven into the fabric of a slowly kindling romantic flame. The book is not meant to be a long read but rather one that easily hooks you from the beginning till the end, keeping you captivated throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing a copy of this book.
June 10, 2024
This delightful tale is the first book I’ve read from the author and I instantly added other novels by Gillian Harvey to my TBR list!
Nina is newly divorced after turning 40 and reflects on her life. She’s been at the same job for the past 15 years and feels it’s time for a change. Deciding to quit to her job, Nina feels it’s time to find herself and start an adventure in France.
After arranging a house swap online, Nina is traveling to France in hopes of tracking down the young man she met there during a student exchange program when she was 17. She remembers the passion they shared and the letters they wrote when she returned home to England. Believing she’s found on him online, she’s excited to see where life took him.
While in France, she meets the sister and brother of the person she swapped houses with and a fast and easy friendship is developed with both of them.
Nina ends up finding her teenage love and has some big decisions to make about her future. Will she find happiness with the teenage crush and love she fell out of contact all those years ago? Or is Nina setting herself up for disappointment and heartbreak?
This was a quick and fun 4 star read for me! It releases Tuesday June 11th so make sure to get a copy for yourself!
Nina is newly divorced after turning 40 and reflects on her life. She’s been at the same job for the past 15 years and feels it’s time for a change. Deciding to quit to her job, Nina feels it’s time to find herself and start an adventure in France.
After arranging a house swap online, Nina is traveling to France in hopes of tracking down the young man she met there during a student exchange program when she was 17. She remembers the passion they shared and the letters they wrote when she returned home to England. Believing she’s found on him online, she’s excited to see where life took him.
While in France, she meets the sister and brother of the person she swapped houses with and a fast and easy friendship is developed with both of them.
Nina ends up finding her teenage love and has some big decisions to make about her future. Will she find happiness with the teenage crush and love she fell out of contact all those years ago? Or is Nina setting herself up for disappointment and heartbreak?
This was a quick and fun 4 star read for me! It releases Tuesday June 11th so make sure to get a copy for yourself!
May 15, 2024
I love how Gillian Harvey transports you to France with her books! This time to the French Riviera!
Nina always played it safe throughout her life. After her divorce, she decides to take more risks in order to start living life! The divorce finalization came in the mail on her 40th birthday! Not great timing!
Nina decides to do a house swap to the French Riviera! She thought she would do this solo, but the owner’s sister shows up and insists on staying. Will Nina embrace the visitor, or will it be an annoyance?
When she reconnects with Pierre, a boyfriend she had when she was 17 on a French exchange, is it what it seems? Will this house swap give her adventure and new beginnings she is seeking?
Gillian Harvey’s writing just draws you from the start. Her books give you a good laugh, and they have relatable characters, which makes it so entertaining! A perfect book to take on vacation because you won’t want to put it down!
Thanks to Boldwood Books, I was provided an ARC of The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley . #TheRivieraHouseSwap
Nina always played it safe throughout her life. After her divorce, she decides to take more risks in order to start living life! The divorce finalization came in the mail on her 40th birthday! Not great timing!
Nina decides to do a house swap to the French Riviera! She thought she would do this solo, but the owner’s sister shows up and insists on staying. Will Nina embrace the visitor, or will it be an annoyance?
When she reconnects with Pierre, a boyfriend she had when she was 17 on a French exchange, is it what it seems? Will this house swap give her adventure and new beginnings she is seeking?
Gillian Harvey’s writing just draws you from the start. Her books give you a good laugh, and they have relatable characters, which makes it so entertaining! A perfect book to take on vacation because you won’t want to put it down!
Thanks to Boldwood Books, I was provided an ARC of The Riviera House Swap by Gillian Harvey via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley . #TheRivieraHouseSwap
May 24, 2024
Can you ever really go back in time to find your first love that you left behind? That is what Nina was debating as she began the second half of her life. Her divorce was final, her house would sell quickly and her boss reluctantly agreed to give her a month off, with the stipulation she return ready to get back to work. Her time in France as a teenager was filled with magical moments of first love, shy kisses and plans for the future. Pierre was the young man she had fallen for but as often happens with young love, they never saw each other again. Nina kept all of his letters and upon reading them again, she wished she could recapture the youthful exuberance she once had. Back then she had the world at her fingertips but now she felt that she hadn’t accomplished anything at all.
Which brings us to Nina’s decision to partake in a house swap so she could open her heart to new beginnings, make her own decisions and perhaps rekindle the flame she once had with Pierre, if she could even find him. Gillian Harvey is a gifted and creative writer who takes us to the beautiful French Riviera where we witness Nina spreading her wings as she becomes the independent woman she always wanted to be. Along the way she made wonderful friends, caught the eye of many handsome Frenchmen and came face to face with a ghost from her past. Nina took hold of her future, looked ahead with excitement and never looked back!! I love all of Ms. Harvey’s books because they allow me to travel to exotic places without leaving my beach chair!!
Which brings us to Nina’s decision to partake in a house swap so she could open her heart to new beginnings, make her own decisions and perhaps rekindle the flame she once had with Pierre, if she could even find him. Gillian Harvey is a gifted and creative writer who takes us to the beautiful French Riviera where we witness Nina spreading her wings as she becomes the independent woman she always wanted to be. Along the way she made wonderful friends, caught the eye of many handsome Frenchmen and came face to face with a ghost from her past. Nina took hold of her future, looked ahead with excitement and never looked back!! I love all of Ms. Harvey’s books because they allow me to travel to exotic places without leaving my beach chair!!
June 11, 2024
After turning forty, Nina recently got divorced and thought back on her life. After fifteen years at the same work, she believes it's time for a change. Nina decided to leave her work because she felt it was time to travel to France and embark on an adventure. Nina is heading to France to try to find the young man she met there when she was a 17-year-old student exchange participant, after setting up an online house swap. She recalls their correspondence and their common interest from her time back in England. She's eager to follow him wherever life leads him because she thinks she's discovered him online. She meets the brother and sister of the person she switched places. She meets the brother and sister of the guy she exchanged residences with while in France, and she quickly becomes friendly with them both. After discovering her youthful love, Nina must make some important choices regarding her future. Will she ever find contentment with the love and teenage crush she lost touch with so many years ago? Is Nina putting herself in a position where she will be let down and hurt?
June 13, 2024
When Nina receives divorce papers on her 40th birthday she knows it is time for a change. She has been quite conservative, staying in a job she didn't love for 15 years, in a marriage where she wasn't happy. It's time to do something new.
When she thinks back, the moment where she was happiest was when she met a handsome French boy named Pierre while she was on a school exchange programme when she was 15 years old. What if he was really The One. I mean, Pierre and Nina had intended to elope and live happily ever after but it didn't end up happening...obviously.
With the divorce going through and her house for sale, Nina knows that her immediate fate is to move into her parents house. And so, in a moment of madness, Nina finds a house exchange with a man named Jean-Luc. She will travel to his house on the French Riviera and he will come to England to live in the house that she is about to sell.
To read more head to
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024...
When she thinks back, the moment where she was happiest was when she met a handsome French boy named Pierre while she was on a school exchange programme when she was 15 years old. What if he was really The One. I mean, Pierre and Nina had intended to elope and live happily ever after but it didn't end up happening...obviously.
With the divorce going through and her house for sale, Nina knows that her immediate fate is to move into her parents house. And so, in a moment of madness, Nina finds a house exchange with a man named Jean-Luc. She will travel to his house on the French Riviera and he will come to England to live in the house that she is about to sell.
To read more head to
http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2024...
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