Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh was such a fun book! These characters made me laugh out loud and gave me all the feelings.

Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for Christmas when a terrible snowstorm hits and their flight gets canceled. They have been flying together for 10 years and Molly does whatever she can to help get them home because she knows how much Christmas with family means to Andrew.

In between this most recent adventure, there are flashbacks to all of the flights they’ve been on together.

Read this book if you like:
-witty banter and flirting
-ugly Christmas sweaters
-acquaintances to friends to lovers
-fun family members
-to laugh out loud
-holiday romances (of course)

Holiday Romance was the perfect festive read.
Catherine Walsh knows how to write dialogue so well, I loved the back and forth banter in this book.
I expect a happy ending when the cover of a book looks like this and that was what I got. I think it was fun and original for a Christmas book.

The magic of a Catherine Walsh novel is something else altogether - I can’t quite explain how much I adore her books and how excited I was to receive an advance copy of this.

I’ve never seen Ireland captured so well as in this book and it always makes me a little homesick for the loveliness of it all, and yet still delighted in equal measure when I read the characters, easily picture the pitch perfect humour and nature of the interactions described and imagine the small towns and locations described. She had yet to put a foot wrong on the romances - I was hooked on seeing where the years would take our main characters and was fully invested in the desperate attempts to make it home for Christmas.

I loved her previous books and I think Holiday Romance was my favourite so far! I cannot wait to read and recommend her to friends and family alike in the future!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy for an honest review.

Did I read this after Christmas? Yes. Am I ashamed of that fact? Not even a little bit. I needed some joy in dreary January and since I ran into a reading slump around the holidays, I had not gotten around to reading this one for Christmas.

I really, really loved this read. Mollie and Andrew are so charming and sweet together and also completely oblivious of the obvious chemistry between them. The book bounces between their flights over the years and their current attempt to get home to Ireland while dealing with constant weather delays. It's hard to imagine that seeing another person just once a year for a ten-hour flight for a decade could result in such a pure friendship, but it does. I loved their relationship and the banter and just how much they cared about each other. This is a fantastic holiday read, even if it did come a little after the holidays.

I totally see why everyone is loving this book. Perfect light read for your holiday needs. Love the quirky and romantic comedy feeling you get from this. It's absolutely adorable and hard not to love the characters. Good climaxes to keep things interesting but lots of good humor along the way.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

This was such a cute book, definitely one of my favourite Christmas books this year so I’m so glad I snuck it in after the holidays!

Molly and Andrew meet every year on their flight home from Chicago to Ireland for Christmas and over the years they become firm friends. It’s a festive rom com so I’m sure it’s no surprise where the story goes but I really enjoyed how it got there.

I adored both of the main characters and loved the banter between them. As an expat myself I really appreciated a lot of the humour related to that and found myself chuckling out loud more than once. A very sweet, fun, entertaining read which left me with a huge smile. One of my book resolutions for this year is to read books that bring me joy and this one certainly did that.

I loved this one…a lot!

I love the forced close proximity trope, especially when it involves travel, planes or airports which this one does. Why aren’t all romance books set in airports? I think they could all benefit from some added airport-ness (is it a word, no)

This is very fun and very fast paced which I loved. If you liked People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry then I think you’d adore this as it has the same-ish sort of vibe but different but the same, if you know what I mean 😂

It’s super Christmassy too which weirdly not all Christmas book are in my experience but this one definitely gives you all the festive feels!

From the blurb -

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…

Advanced copy from NetGalley

“ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪 ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖” ✈️🎄 by Catherine Walsh develops the story of Molly Kinsella and Andrew Fitzpatrick.

Andrew and Molly get to see each other mostly once a year, every Christmas when they travel home to Ireland. But they keep contact all year long through texts, emails and phone calls. Did I mention that their friendship started in the most unconventional way?

After a series of unfortunate events to get home they have to share a long trip, that will finally lead them to true love and Molly to find her Christmas spirit and it’s true meaning.

Andrew is a Christmas lover and a family person, Molly not much.

I love all the things that Molly put up to make Andrew happy and to be home with his family for Christmas.

Andrew is so funny and laidback, he is so sweet, attentive and such a great friend.

I loved to read about their families, and even though both of them were really different in the way they were and celebrated Christmas, they were all supportive and loving towards them in their own way.

Definitely one of my favorite Christmas reads that gives all the cozy feelings.

This is now officially my new favorite Christmas book. It is perfection!! I’ve read two of Catherine Walsh’s previous books and really enjoyed them. So when I saw she wrote a Christmas rom-com, I was over the moon because I am obsessed with Christmas books and I love this author, too! Im so glad I read it because I just loved everything about this book. You can feel Molly and Andrews chemistry and their banter with each other is so funny. It keeps you smiling the whole book. The storyline, the characters, the different settings, the banter, etc., it was all done amazingly well and made this a super enjoyable read. Be sure to pick this one up!! I’ll be recommending this one to all my friends this season.

Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy in return for my honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. It has to be my favorite holiday romance of the year. I love friends to lovers romance and this did not disappoint. Such an adorable book. Sometimes you just need a lighthearted, Christmas story and this hit the spot.

A new favorite holiday read!!! I love how fun, heartfelt & adventurous this was. Holiday Romance will be my holiday romance every year

This was my favorite holiday read of 2022! The plot was kinda similar to People We Meet on Vacation (friends to lovers, a yearly trip together) but I actually thought it was executed better. Bonus points that some of the book is set in Ireland! Festive, adorable, funny — definitely add this to your list for next Christmas.

I read this during the last few days of December and the first few days of January, it was one of those perfect for riding me over between Christmas and New Years.

It was a nice, uplifting and excellent Christmas romance, one that I’ll be returning to next year for my Christmas book recommendations on my Instagram.

It was THAT good.

I absolutely ADORED this book. I loved it so much I’ve read it twice now and went back and bumped up my initial star rating. Both times I read it, I finished it in one sitting because it’s that good.

Holiday Romance was everything I could ever want in, well, a holiday romance. The story was so cute and if it were a movie, it would be one I had on repeat.

I loved Molly so much. Her inner thoughts had me cracking up and I related to her a lot. Her and Andrew together was just so 😍. Not to mention, I just loved the premise of the book. They went on a freaken JOURNEY to get home for the holidays and it was all so exciting.

I did not want this book to end. Hence why I read it twice already. I almost never reread books but I have a feeling I’ll be reading this again next year!

This book was the perfect holiday read! It was more of a romantic comedy, and it made me want to read more books by this author! I loved the dynamic between Molly and Andrew, and I don't think there was much room for improvement with this book! I would recommend this if you want a fun holiday read!

I never fail to enjoy a book written by Catherine Walsh and this was one of my favourite festive reads that I read over the Christmas holidays this year.
Her books always make me feel warm and fuzzy and that was certainly true of this book.
I loved the alternating chapters between the past and the present and the main characters actually felt like a real couple instead of simply an unrealistic book couple, if that makes any sense, even if there were a few cheesy lines/conversations.
It did drag a little in the middle, which was probably my only issue with it.
However, if you like friends to lovers or slow burn romances that aren't particularly steamy, this is a book that you simply need to pick up.
It also reminded me of Emily Henry's brilliant You And Me On Vacation, so if you enjoyed that book but would like it with a festive twist, you should pick Holiday Romance up.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh, Pub Date: October 4, 2022. Rating: 5 stars. A tale of two people who always catch the same flight home to Ireland for the holidays, Molly and Andrew seem to weave in and out of each other's lives. They stay connected periodically throughout the year, but always connect on their flight home. This year, there is a snowstorm that derails their plans. Bound and determined to get home, Molly finds a way to get their travels in order to get both of them home. On their journey, realizations are made and feelings are caught resulting in a feel good story with a dash of humor. I absolutely loved this novel and laughed multiple times while reading. This book is the perfect feel good Christmas story. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #holidayromance #netgalley

This was such a good friends to lovers holiday romance! It totally felt like a hallmark movie in the form of a book! I loved the friendships, dual timeline, traditions, and the romance. If you’re looking for a good holiday romance, you will love this one!

This book was super fun. I love the spontaneity even if it was because of certain circumstances. It was a romance like I had never read before. A friends to lovers over many years and an interesting backdrop. The characters were full of life and love. I did find it to drag on quite a bit though.

Holiday Romance provides a great balance of humor and festive feels while following the "will they or won't they" journey of Molly and Andrew. For ten years, they have taken the same flight from Chicago back home to Ireland during Christmas and for ten years they enjoy catching up and sharing this special time together. We get a glimpse of previous flights home, times they have met up during the year and watch how their friendship has developed. Molly, decidedly not a Christmas person, and Andrew, a total Christmas fanatic, encounter airport and winter weather chaos during this tenth year. When it looks like they won't make it home for Christmas Molly promises to get Andrew home. While nothing romantic has happened over the last ten years there is an undercurrent between them that cannot be denied. Told in alternating timelines this is a fun and warm holiday read that will make even Scrooge laugh.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.