This is an outstanding friends to lovers, Christmas romcom that will put you in a holiday mood! Molly and Andrew are both from Ireland, but they live in Chicago now.

For the last 10 years, they’ve flown back to Ireland for Christmas on the same plane. This year Molly has used miles to upgrade to 1st class, but a huge storm hits. Molly knows how important Andrews’s family is, so she promises she’ll do whatever it takes to get them back to Ireland.

As their trip unfolds, they get closer and closer and they see each other in new ways. Can they see themselves as much more than friends?

I thought this book was outstanding. The characters are fun and authentic, and the premise is unusual. I couldn’t put it down, 4.5 stars.

Synopsis:

She’s meant to be catching flights, not catching feelings…

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…

A totally gorgeous and escapist friends-to-lovers festive romance with a swoon-worthy hero. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Mhairi Macfarlane, and Christina Lauren

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This book was so frickin perfect okay, I'm gonna go buy the physical copy now so that I can reread it every Christmas 😭

First off, this is the first book EVER in which I've genuinely enjoyed the past-present time switches. Every chapter or half chapter describing a past moment in their friendship added extra depth and wholesomeness to their relationship, rather than distracting the reader from the main romance plot.

The main plot itself was devastatingly sweet and swoony, and I spent every minute thinking about how much I loved the book. It's filled with adventure and banter and small, non-conflict-y romance moments. I so loved the way the miscommunications were resolved so fast (WHICH MAKES SENSE coz they've been good friends for YEARS)

And the third act breakup and makeup? This was the only part I was afraid of, since so many books have let me down on this, but this book didn't 😭 this part of the book was as well done and swoony as the book overall, and now I feel like going and reading it again 😭

I also loved the small band of side characters we meet in the last part of the book!

Also love loved the epilogue ❤️

I'd say just blindly go and read this book, it's the best ❤️

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Don’t let the generic title fool you – Holiday Romance is anything but. It’s exactly the kind of romance you want during cozy season, and I know we’re not exactly there yet. But you’ll want to plan ahead for this one.

Molly and Andrew are Irish ex-pats living in Chicago. They have friends in common, and every year they find themselves on the same flight home for Christmas. Over the years, their friendship blossoms, which we see in flashbacks that actually work really well at driving the present-day plot. I’m not typically a fan of the flashback structure, so trust me when I say, these are totally worth it.

Present day finds Andrew and Molly on their tenth journey home together, until a huge snowstorm in the Eastern US grounds all flights. Molly is somewhat Christmas apathetic, but Andrew is a true believer in the magic, and she’s determined to get him home. It’s not hard for the reader to see that she’s not going to all this trouble because they’re Just Friends, but just as it’s fun to see all the crazy things they have to do to get to Ireland, it’s fun to see how they finally come together as More Than Friends.

Andrew is a swoony, sweet book boyfriend, and Molly is completely relatable and a great narrator to go on this ride with. The main plot is as light as you’d expect from a holiday romance, but Walsh does handle heavier topics like substance abuse, career panic, and minor family issues with a deft hand. And the pacing was really well done – I felt the stress building as Molly and Andrew tried to get home for Christmas.

Overall, I can’t really recommend this enough as a perfect Christmastime read.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Early Christmas vibes are always fun.

Perfect travel, cute rom-com, all set in the UK. Loved every bit of the book. Highly recommended.

MY HEART IS FEELING HAPPY!!!!!!
this was really good. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. I don't typically like contemporary romances, but this was an exception!
fresh plot. good characters. cheerful theme. LOVED THAT!

the only thing i didn’t like was how everyone refused to finish their sentences. it happened so so many times that i was literally irritated. ugh!
otherwise i am glad to have read this!

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the copy!

Holiday Romance gives you the stress of holiday travel in book form. The main characters were sweet but all these travel shenanigans had me a little stressed, distracting me from the story.

I seem to be in the minority on this one though, as many people loved Molly and Andrew's story. Great for fans of friends to lovers and holiday cheer!

Molly and Andrew are friendly, sharing a flight home to Ireland once a year but living mostly separate lives in Chicago. This Christmas their flight gets cancelled and they have to figure out a way to get home. But they get a little more than they bargained for, realizing what's been in front of them all along.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for the an honest review.

Molly and Andrew have taken the same flight back to Ireland at Christmas time for 10 years. 10 years that led to not only a solid friendship but falling in love that neither of them expected. Until their 10th year of flying when all hell breaks loose thanks to a sudden snow storm and they don't expect to be able to get home for Christmas. But Molly is determined to make sure that Andrew gets home to his family and she gets home to hers...

I'm a sucker for the sugary sweet rom-coms and this one was just that. I love how we got to experience not only the present flight in all it's craziness, but we got to see them grow starting from their first flight and up to the 9th flight where you could truly see their love develop for each other.

Catherine Walsh's writing was absolutely lovely and captivating. Once I started reading, it was hard to stop reading. This is a book that I would absolutely recommend for any holiday rom-com lover!

4.5 stars easy - Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC for my honest and unbiased review!

Loved this book! So festive and so much fun.

Completely quirky and original and unlike any other Christmas book I've read before. I couldn't put it down.

I could not put this book down. I absolutely adored it. Catherine Walsh is a phenomenal writer and has done it again. I love a good seasonal romance and this ticked all the boxes for me. A cute relationship, well rounded characters and a bit of snow. I urge you to pick this up as your Christmas read.

Get ready for an adventure and travel, too,
As the decades of flights are shared with you.
This anniversary Molly is determined to succeed
In getting home for Christmas, yes indeed.

For ten years they've travelled home on the same flight
But all the planes are cancelled tonight.
No flights from Chicago to Dublin will fly
But Molly and Andrew will still try!

What a fun read this proved to be
Full of their journeys home to Ireland you'll see.
It is also about their friendship over the years
And about following dreams, overcoming fears.

With adventures, misunderstandings, drama and family, too,
This is a heartwarming romance I highly recommend to you.
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
I throughly enjoyed reading it and this is my honest review.

Holiday Romance, by Catherine Walsh

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0 stars

THIS WAS SO CUTE.

I absolutely flew through this book and loved every minute of it. The then/now timing of the story worked so well. It was great to see their relationship develop over these very intimate flights. Also, the absolute CHAOS of trying to get home in time for Christmas was particularly delightful. It pulled at my heartstrings. It made me laugh out loud.

I saved so many passages, quotes and lines from this book.

"Who's going to mind you?"

"You have me, Moll. You've had me for years."

"He kisses me like I've never been kissed before. Like he's been waiting his whole life to do it. Or maybe just ten years."

LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME.

This book has:
Friends to lovers / "It's always been you"
One bed
A twin sister giving birth on Christmas
Travel and family shenanigans
The BEST reconciliation scene

Andrew and Molly are perfection. This was like reading People We Meet on Vacation, but make it Christmas-y, Irish and better.

This was super cute, it definitely gave me some laughs and I really enjoyed it. It definitely helped me feel chrismas cheer despite it only being October!

Ahh, I loved reading this. So cute, so funny, and a refreshingly undramatic and natural progression to the romance.

What a fun, feel good Romcom.
Molly and Andrew meet every Christmas at the Chicago airport and fly home to Ireland. They have been doing this for 10 years. They stay in touch throughout while they both live in Chicago and support each other but have their own lives and don’t really socialize together.
Totally opposite when it comes to Christmas. Andrew and his family go all out for Christmas with lights, trees, and clothing while Molly’s family doesn’t do anything for the holiday. It’s fun to watch how they banter back & forth about different things.
There is a snowstorm that is threatening Molly & Andrew getting back to Ireland in time for Christmas. Will they make it home in time? Guess you will have to read the book to find out!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

Loved this book!

For 10 years, Andrew and Molly take the same flight from Chicago to Ireland to visit family for the holidays. Over time, their friendship grows, but could it be something more?

This year, due to a snowstorm, they take this convoluted path home. Molly knows that Andrew loves the holidays, especially with his family, so she will do whatever she can to get him home. What follows next is a friends to lovers story that will warm your heart.

You get all the feels with this book. The author writes in a way that has you rooting for the couple and brings you into the festive spirit. Definitely a read for the holidays but can be enjoyed any time of the year!

Holiday romance by Catherine Walsh is the perfect holiday love story we all need. This book had everything I want in a holiday romance. Travel, banter, and a really sweet dynamic between the main characters. I see why everyone is loving this book. Perfect light read for your holiday. 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.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is now available, and I recommend picking it up!

If you enjoy a fun, feel-good story, along the lines of a fun holiday Hallmark movie, then this book is for you. Molly and Andrew, the main characters, were charming and so likeable. They were realistically flawed and handled the conflict of the storyline in a believable way. I appreciate that in a story.

I would certainly reach for more books by Catherine Walsh, based on how much I enjoyed this one.

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.

I requested this book on a whim and, honestly, my last minute whim reads always tend to end up being my favorites. This was an awesome take on a friends to lovers romance that shifts between past and present seamlessly. I started reading this book at 11pm and stayed up super late to finish because I just couldn’t put it down!! This is absolutely on my list of top holiday romances for 2022!!

I recieved an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

This encompasses everything I love in a Christmas romance. I completely bought into Andrew and Molly’s bond and friendship. Meeting the Kinsella and Fitzpatrick families was truly the icing on the cake for me. It was their introductions and traditions that made this a totally perfect read for Christmas