What a wonderful book with such a sweet and unique love story.

Molly and Andrew met 10 years ago while traveling back to Dublin from Chicago. Every year since then, it has become their tradition to flight back home together for the holiday season. Andrew loves Christmas and his family, and traveling back home for the season is the highlight of his year. Molly can't wait to get back home so she can be there for the birth of her first niece. Except, this year it seems that their plans are in danger as a huge snowstorm has cancelled every flight to Dublin. As Andrew gives up hope that he will see his family and be there for their annual Christmas celebration , Molly decides she will get him back home no matter what. And after pulling on some favors, they are on their way home with a stop in Argentina and another one in London. As their journey begins, they relive their 10 years of friendship and what they really mean for each other.

I adored this book and found the story sweet and lovely. Lovers-to-Friends is definitely one of my favorite romance tropes, and this story truly reflects the type of love that comes from a long-lasting friendship like the one Andrew and Molly had.

The book switches from the present to flashbacks of each flight the friends took together for the past ten years. The author does a great job giving details of how Molly and Andrew became best friends, and why their yearly flight back home is so important for both of them. As they continue their journey to Dublin in the present, they both have to face the attraction and feelings they have for each other. At the same time, they struggle with the possibility that acting on their emotions could potentially damage their friendship. Overall, the story is told beautifully and the characters, even the secondary ones, are likable and lovable.

Truly loved this book and found it a perfect read for the Holiday season.

I really loved this book! Such a lovely, easy read which made me giggle. Thank you to Catherine Walsh and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"Sounds like you're thinking a lot about what could go wrong and not about what could go right"

'Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh follows two friends, Molly and Andrew. These two unlikely friends met 10 years ago– they also met in the most unfortunate situations– but have continued a tradition where they will meet up at the same airport, to catch the same flight from Chicago, to fly to the same Dublin. It's a tradition that they have stuck with for years, but this year was different– aka. a snowstorm happened. Not wanting this year to be the one where they break their tradition, Molly vows to bring Andrew home to Dublin. This story follows them along as they do everything they can to try and make it home to their families in time for Christmas.

First of all, the concept is sooo good. It was through this book that I discovered that maybe I do, in fact, like the friends-to-lovers trope. I love that this tradition that Molly and Andrew was started because of their first meeting and they just continued it ever since. It just so happens that when they needed each other, the universe pushed them together. I really liked the fact that these characters genuinely started out as friends, and we got to see that friendship blossom into something more as the flashbacks occur and the story progresses.

Let's talk a little bit more about the characterisation. I really loved all the characters in this book– primary and secondary characters. I think the author did such a good job distinguishing each of the characters as individuals and made them interesting enough for readers to care about them. With Molly and Andrew, I love how they are almost the complete opposite of each other when it comes to their personalities. For example, Andrew loves the festive season; meanwhile, Molly could not care less about the Christmas lights and Jolly old St. Nicholas. However, they still share some similarities. They both seem like family-orientated people, and will do anything to make their loved ones happy even if they have different ways of showing it. It's the little details like that that make the opposites-attract trope work. I love the fact that we got to see flashbacks of their earlier, previous years of travelling together and the different points of their lives that shape them into the characters they are in the present.

I also have to applaud the author for her ability to incorporate a more heavier topic like Andrew's journey with sobriety in a way that becomes a part of the character, and not just something that was mentioned for shock value or conflict and then never addressed again. I think she weaved that topic in the storyline and dealt with it really well.

The romance is perfect. It's sometimes hard to be invested in a romance story because of how common and predictable the formula to writing a love story has become– Person A meets Person B, they end up liking each other, they date, conflict happens, and then they resolve it. The end. However, this book is different. In my reading experience so far, I have not encountered any book like this one. Sure, it plays with familiar elements and tropes that are common in other romance books (friends to lovers, forced proximity etc.) but it does so in a way that adapts to the characters and the plot that has been set out. It did not at all feel like the author, Catherine Walsh, added these tropes just to say that these tropes exist in this book, but because they sever a purpose for the development of the plot (and the romance). I also love that the steamy moment happens behind closed doors and we didn't actually have to read about. It's a nice change.

The pacing of this book was also really well done. There was no point in this book where I was not completely drawn into the story. The dialogue, the banter– all of it was fantastic. Not to mention the humour was absolutely top-tier that I often caught myself giggling and laughing as I was reading along. Even after waiting a couple of days for my thoughts to formulate in order to write this book review, I can not find one fault. This book has everything I could ask for (and more!). I now have Catherine Walsh's other works on my tbr, and I cannot wait to read more of her work.

All that being said, I guess it's safe to say that I will be recommending this book to everyone and their dog. This book is a gem amongst the treasure trove of romance novels. If you are ever in the mood for a perfectly written, swoon-worthy holiday romance then this book is for you. This is probably the best Christmas romance I have ever read.

5 stars.

The cutest book! The story follows Molly and Andrew. Both of them are from Ireland and currently living in Chicago but they are going back to Ireland for the holidays.

This friends to lovers story was lovely and beautiful.

Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for the holidays, when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight.

Nothing romantic has ever happened between them: they’re friends and that’s all. But once a year, for the last ten years, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, drinking terrible airplane wine and catching up on each other’s lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it’s the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.

Molly isn’t that bothered by Christmas, but—in yet another way they’re total opposites—Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the festive season and she knows how much getting back to Ireland means to him. So, instead of doing the sane thing and just celebrating the holidays together in America, she does the stupid thing. The irrational thing. She vows to get him home. And in time for his mam’s famous Christmas dinner.

The clock is ticking. But Molly always has a plan. And—as long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong.

What she doesn’t know is that, as the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own…


This book was a great romance book, full of so much laughter and so much fun and had me up laughing until the early hours of the morning!

i do love a book where friends become lovers and that is set during the holidays! truly the perfect book to sit by a cozy fireplace and read while hoping it hapened to you.

If you are looking for a book with all the holiday feels, this is definitely the one! The characters have great chemistry and it was so fun to read!

So cute! Loved these two, I kept rooting for them the whole time. I feel in love with them. A sweet cute story.

Loved it. So sweet. So funny. So charming. I was into it straight away and was rooting for romance to blossom. A super fun read. And I like the way it flits back and forth in timelines. I'll read this again next Christmas, a fab festive read!

I am not always a fan of books where long-time friends suddenly become a couple. It makes it seem as if friendship between a man and a woman is never possible! That said, if it is handled well, like in this one, I did enjoy it (surprising myself).
As the only two Irish people in their university, Molly and Andrew knew about each other. They happened to meet on a flight home for Christmas, which did not end very well. Over the years, after a few such meetings, they decided to talk and become friends. They have very different lives, and this short flight duration and sporadic texts through the rest of the year tether them together.
One December, bad weather derails their usual plans as the flight they are meant to be on does not take off. Suddenly Molly finds it extremely important to get Andrew home for his treasured family Christmas time. What follows will make anyone who has ever had to make multiple trips feel tired. Into the mix come the feelings that have been dormant, and this is what the rest of the book is all about.
There are some fun characters who are introduced as we meet more of the extended family and friends. It was written well, and although it is not a unique storyline, the people felt fleshed out, and this made me enjoy my read.
I would recommend it to readers of this genre and would read another by this author if I had the chance.
I received this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I loved the dual timelines, interestingness of the plot yet still has typical tropes, and the setting! Everyone needs to read this book around Christmas time! We love and need a happily ever after!!

Perfect holiday quick read! I have been in a slump for a long time and this book pulled me out of it. Holiday reads have quickly become my year round go to book genre.

The perfect winter read! I loved this book so much. I adored the characters, I loved the love, I was obsessed with the story. 5 stars, highly recommend!

I love a good holiday romance, and this one quite literally has 'holiday romance' in the title, so it was no surprise that I loved this book.
The book had so many elements that I loved including the best friends to lovers trope, a grinch x Christmas lover, 'it's always been you' and opposite dynamics from the main characters that made them just perfect for each other. Not to mention, the banter between the main characters for this one really made the whole book so much more perfect.
This is an absolute must read for the holiday season.

This is a perfect feel-good romance that I’ve been waiting for! There might be things that are off-putting but I would definitely recommend this to everyone who needs some light romance for the holiday!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Catherine Walsh will melt your heart and have you roaring with laughter with her latest romantic comedy, Holiday Romance.

Molly and Andrew have spent the last decade sitting side by side on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin swapping stories, catching up and drinking terrible airplane wine before touching down in Ireland. It’s a holiday tradition that means a lot to the two friends who are as different as chalk and cheese. While Andrew goes completely crazy for the holidays, Molly isn’t that fussed, so she’s not too concerned when a freak snowstorm grounds their flights – until she sees how distraught Andrew is at not making it home for Christmas.

Molly will do anything to see her friend smiling again, so rather than celebrating the holidays in the United States, she vows to move heaven and earth to get Andrew to his mam’s famous Christmas dinner. But just how is she going to get him to Ireland when there are no flights? Molly is nothing if not determined and as long as the taxis, boats and trains she arranged all run on time, there shouldn’t be a problem. Only, what she hadn’t factored in was finding herself falling head over heels in love with her friend.

Will Molly and Andrew be kissing under the mistletoe this Christmas? Or are they better off as friends?

Catherine Walsh’s Holiday Romance is an uplifting romantic comedy that is a joy from start to finish. Sweet, poignant and absolutely hilarious, Holiday Romance is a feel-good romantic comedy that is so enjoyable I found myself unable to put it down.

Perfect for Sophie Kinsella fans, Catherine Walsh’s Holiday Romance should be at the very top of your Christmas reading list this year.

This story was so sweet. I'm such a sucker for a friends-to-lovers story, and after TEN years of friendship and ten flights to Ireland together, this one made me so happy. This book gave me all the holiday feels, and gave me everything I wanted and so much more. This book may have been relatively predictable, but it was the journey that made it worth it. Despite feeling like I was being more told about the characters than truly knowing and learning who they were, I really enjoyed reading about Molly and Andrew. All in all, definitely one I would recommend as a holiday read - gets you into the spirit and makes your heart happy.

I received this in exchange for an honest review. I loved the characters and the story. The banter, the comedy, everything I would want in a holiday romance. Just really good vibes and a perfect read for the winter season. Definitely would recommend!

I’ve always been wanting to read a Catherine Walsh novel and this one really didn’t disappoint so I dare say I will be hunting down more of her work in the future.

The perfect Christmas read, one I will recommend.

One of my favorite holiday rom coms I’ve read in the last 5 years! Great banter and just the perfect amount of holiday cheer without being cheesy. Loved the traveling and the setting in Ireland. Highly recommend!