I absolutely adored this book. The quirky banter throughout the book was light, funny and so enjoyable. The characters were very relatable and I loved how everything developed through the story. I’ve already read another book (The Rebound) by this author and loved it as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars A sweet, funny friends-to-lovers romance that's perfect for the festive season! Expats Andrew and Molly have been travelling from Chicago home to Ireland together for the past 10 years but a major snowstorm threatens to ground them this year. Molly promises to get Christmas-loving Andrew home to his family and finds a madcap route involving planes, trains and boats through Brazil, Paris and London to get them to Dublin by the 24th. The narrative alternates between the present trip and their previous flights as we get to know Molly and Andrew and they realize that perhaps they have caught feelings as well as flights. We also get to meet the two families in Ireland who are just as much fun as the main characters. Holiday Romance has all the necessary elements for a fabulous rom-com - a fun premise, great dialogue, laugh-out-loud funny bits and a charming couple. I loved the first half of the book while the two of them were trying desperately to get to Ireland and would have rated it a 5 star read - the second half was still very good but more of a 4 star read - so a 4.5 overall and I expect will be one of my favourite holiday reads this year!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a beautiful festive romance. Thank you so much for the advance reader copy of this book. This was the first book I read by Catherine Walsh and now I can’t wait to read the rest of her books!

This is a really beautiful holiday romance💕 All of their flight stories were sweet and adorable.
I absolutely love Andrew's family. Moll's family is also really nice, The book really has soooo many adorable characters.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing the review copy in exchange of an honest review *

so cute and wholesome, it felt like a warm hug. i really enjoyed the whole concept of it and especially now during the holidays. molly and andrew were so cute and i really found myself feeling like i was there with them. i personally love when we shift back from the past and the present so i this book really worked for me. it was funny, sweet, and oh so romantic. perfect for the holidays and a book that you can sit with by the fire and a cup of hot chocolate.

4.5 stars rounded up

I absolutely loved this book! We follow Molly and Andrew on their adventure from Chicago to Ireland to spend the holidays with their respective families, with flashbacks of their flights from the 10 years prior. The wild story of their 10th Christmas spent flying home together was a wild and eventful one, and once they make it back, the action didn't stop! I loved their tradition of making sure to fly home together each year with a friendly face to sit next to on their 7 hour journey each year, starting as happenstance and turning into something they look forward to. From their first interaction, I knew I loved the friendship that would come out of it. Both of them are sweet, thoughtful, playful, witty, and their dialogue made for a fabulous story.

My only minor disappointment was knowing that something had to come up eventually that would throw a wrench in their budding romance, I knew something was coming and alas, still found myself sad when it did. The book's good points far outweighed that tiny gripe for me though and the ending made my heart so happy!

If you're looking for a charming holiday love story that will have you smiling, laughing, and give you all the feel-goods, look no further!

I love a good book that I can get lost in the story! Fun read! It really got me into the holiday spirit!

Holiday Romance is best read under your coziest blanket with a big mug of hot chocolate. It was a great first holiday read of the season for me, with so many classic holiday rom-com elements.
Every year, for the last 10 years, friends Molly and Andrew catch the same flight from Chicago to Ireland for the holidays. Told through flash backs to each flight, with the majority of the story being present day, we get to see their relationship grow. The chaos that ensues when their 10th flight is cancelled due to a major storm is fun, magical and full of hope. I loved being along for the ride, but I wish we had a little more depth to the flashbacks and backstory. The flashbacks provided a bit more info about their unfortunate timing in taking their relationship to the next level, but otherwise a lot of their history and previous feelings was told in the present day.
Overall, this was a really heartwarming Holiday Romance - the name is so fitting! I loved their families and would definitely read a spinoff about any of the siblings.
Thank you Bookouture for the digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who doesn't love a friends-to-lovers romance story set during the festive season!
Enjoyable, easy to read and a great book to relax with while enjoyed the holiday season.

Seriously good! This book was a fantastic romantic comedy, made even better with the holiday spin. I loved it!

Ahhh this was such a fun rom-com! I think it will be perfect for anyone who states they have a grinch heart but really watches Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies to get into the holiday spirit.

The story took me a bit to get into because it is told over the course of holiday flights over the past 8 years. The jump in timeline frustrated me at first because I didn't feel like I got enough from each character. This soon changes as the description of past flights get longer and the characters begin to develop.

Fairly predictable turn of events, but adorable nonetheless. This will get you into the holiday spirit!

I really enjoyed this Christmas romance. Molly and Andrew’s friendship is so neat to me. There’s something so warm and glowy about Molly championing the charge to get Andrew home for the holiday. I adored the two of them falling and figuring it out

First, Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness this book as all the holiday romcom moods you are looking for!

What a festive joy this book was to read! Banter between Molly and Andrew was hilarious. They will have you laughing, grinning and your heart skipping a beat.

If you searching for a charming story to cozy up to this holiday (or any) season, this is a perfect choice!

This was literally the perfect holiday read! I instantly fell in love with the main characters and could really picture them which isn’t always easy to do. The overall story was sweet, quirky and cute! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Agh! I devoured this book and I loved it so much!! We will be stocking this and hand selling it in our Independent Bookstore this holiday season! I hugged this book when I was finished! Loved the characters so much!

Oh gosh. What a good Christmas / holiday themed rom-com. I loved this so much! With a little bit of steam, some family drama, and the exact amount of relationship angst, this is the perfect recipe for a winter holiday rom-com. I devoured this book in less than 3 days and highly recommend to anyone looking for a good, fun Christmas read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the sweet, only slightly steamy, holiday romance I needed in my life. It was mostly light and funny and I laughed out loud multiple times.

HOLIDAY ROMANCE is a then-and-now romance (is there an actual term for this?) that is a roommate's boyfriend TO enemies TO friends TO lovers.

I loved Andrew and Molly and the glimpses of their holidays past, mixed with the present. I loved that she was the grumpy to his sunshine. I loved the gift exchanges, both meaningful and funny. And I loved how different their families were, but each great in their own way.

HOLIDAY ROMANCE is cozy and charming and filled with sizzling friends-to-lovers chemistry! This is definitely going on my Holiday Romance faves list!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated PG-13 / Only 1 descriptive sex scene, may have harsh language.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: none
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.

"Honestly, I'm so used to being alone now I don't know if I'll even like it when I find someone I do want to be with. I'm not sure I know how to bend like that anymore."

As long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong. Haven't we all thought that specific thing at least once in our lives while travelling around the holidays, or literally any other time? Airports are breeding grounds for chaos.

Holiday Romance however, was the exact opposite. *This* is the bread and butter of a true rom-com. The banter, the holiday season, the background of friendship but nothing more... give it to me. All of it. I simply couldn't get enough!! Reading this novel was like a Christmas gift bound in paper.

Holiday Romance was published on October 4, 2022. Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for the ARC (Advance Readers Christmas ;))

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Holiday Romance
by Catherine Walsh
Pub Date: 04 Oct 2022

Oh, this book grabbed my heart! The relationship of Molly and Andrew (my new book boyfriend!) progressed so naturally over their ten years of mutual holiday flights. I loved seeing their past as well as their present selves, flaws and all. I enjoy friends to lovers trope when done right and this one was done to perfection! I am smiling just thinking about this book. I will definitely be listening to the audiobook on this as well.

5 Stars!

This story follows Molly, born in Ireland, but lives in Chicago. She went to college and then graduate school in Chicago and then remained there to work. She flies home to Ireland every year to be with her family for Christmas, although they don’t have a lot of Christmas cheer. Andrew is Molly’s friend’s boyfriend and they ended up next to each other on their flight home. Molly finds out the friend is cheating on Andrew and she tries to stop him from finding out which causes a weird interaction and Andrew not liking her much, cue awkward 7-hour flight. The following year they don’t sit together and then every year after they get seats next to each other and have become best friends. The book goes back and forth between present day (flight 10 together) and each previous flight, beginning with flight one. I am somewhat hesitant about stories that have split timelines, but I really enjoyed this one!
 
They were so excited for their flight and Molly had even upgraded their tickets for the flight, but the flight was cancelled to a bad storm that rolled in. Molly, with the help of her friend and coworker, Gabriela, figure out what they need to do to get Andrew home for Christmas. They have to hurry to the other Chicago airport, wait hours at airports between flights, sleep when they can and so much more, but in between all the chaos and crazy stress of it all they are also able to explore the places where they have layovers and overnight waits. It is magical. This trip ends up being the best one of them all and so many wonderful things happen.
 
If you are into holiday romances, this is a must read! I know I will definitely be rereading this one come December!