A cute read. Not 'completely hilarious, 'as the subtitle claims, but definitely a holiday, warm-and-fuzzy rom com. Itll make you want your fuzzy socks, hot chocolate and a soft chair. The two characters meet on a plane every year to fly back to Ireland, and of course the ly eventually fall in love. During year 10, all sorts of issues cause grounded flights, delays, ferry rides, etc to get them home in time for Christmas.
The first half of the book moved quickly, but when they actually made it home, everything slowed way down. There was never any doubt about them staying together, and the only real conflict about it lasted about 10 pages. Pure cute fluff, perfect for the holidays.

A fun, light hearted romance. This one is very straight forward… two friends that wait ten years before they admit their feelings to one another (and themselves.)
What’s good: fun banter, interesting side characters
What’s not so good: plot is thin, and all over the place. Structure of the book was not my favorite.
For those looking for spice, there’s one scene of that.
It was good, but nothing special. It would make an interesting hallmark movie though.

I loved how festive the book was and I really enjoyed the flashbacks from years prior. With that said, the book could have been been finished around 50%. I feel like the characters got together way too soon

The title of this book is everything this book offers: a holiday romance. Snow, ugly sweaters, hot drinks, travelling, family, and friends. It’s all here!

Andrew and Molly have flown from Chicago to Dublin each December for 10 years and it is something they look forward to each other, but it is this year where they have the adventure of a lifetime. They are stuck due to a snowstorm, so while they keep changing their plans during their endeavours to make it home to Ireland for Christmas, they also experience some closeness and warm affection toward each other. It’s a sweet story of flashbacks to each of their fights and you get a sense of how genuinely they care for each other.

Catherine Wash magically brings familial characters together; Molly’s family and Andrew’s family are a hoot and a delight. Catherine also portrays her MCs with such details. It’s the little things they say and do that grab your heartstrings. Andrew is an amazing friend and the way he defends Molly or puts her on a pedestal is just…well….it just gets me. When he tells Molly how he felt for her after her break ups, I am simply taken aback at his raw honesty and gentleness: “I wasn’t so much jealous as I was happy when they made you happy…and irrationally angry when they made you sad. I may have a protective streak when it comes to you.” We all need an Andrew in our corner.

“Holiday Romance” is sweet, it’s witty, it’s mushy, and it’s a memorable story that will melt your heart.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow burn but I loved the romance between Andrew and Molly. Andrew’s so patient and such a sweetheart!

This is a book I would love to see made into a movie! Definitely a cute holiday read.

It’s a bit slow to really get into but overall a really good story! I loved the backstory over the past Christmases and how Andrew & Molly got to where they ended up in the present.

Catherine Walsh has done it again! I am continually impressed by her ability to write meaningful, funny, smart, romance books. Holiday Romance is the perfect winter read and encapsulates the unique energy of travelling internationally to get home for Christmas. I loved seeing Molly and Andrew's dynamic develop over the course of their decade-long friendship, and the nuanced shifts that would occur between each flight. More than that, like Walsh's other books, Holiday Romance contains a well-thought-out subplot exploring the complexities of familial relationships. I truly adored this book, and am excited to reread it again when it gets closer to Christmas!

This is officially my favorite holiday romance. I loved every single minute of it, and wished it never had to end. In fact, I found myself reading it in smaller increments as I neared the end, in order to delay the inevitable.

Holiday Romance is such unique story even though it has your typical tropes such as friends to lovers, close proximity, etc. I found the dual timelines and how she presented the countdown, to be fun and easy to follow, while also helping the reader to fully understand the history of our MCs, both together and individually. I developed a very strong connection to each of the characters for different reasons and because very invested in where the story took them.

One of my favorite things about this book, is the inclusion of the two families and how we are able to visit each of them, first meeting Molly’s sister and parents in Dublin and experiencing all of their quirkiness, and then heading to the countryside for a day with Andrew’s slightly more traditional and boisterous family. In every moment, I felt a part of the story.

This will be added to my reread list to be read every December going forward. To me, it is the epitome of the Christmas Romance, with the perfect ration of love story to holiday fun. I cannot recommend this book enough. Pre-order today, and available October 4.

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

Thank you so much to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Holiday Romance.

This book gave me so many so feels and gave me People We Meet on Vacation with a Christmas twist. I 100% think this is a perfect Christmas read for the upcoming holiday season.

Molly and Andrew met 10 years ago on a flight from Chicago to Ireland to visit their families for Christmas. They accidentally see each other the following year and decide to make a tradition out of it. The book goes through the current year and back to a previous flight. Each flight shows how their friendship grows and begins changing each year as their lives and relationship statuses change. The current timeline shows what a disaster this travel path home has become thanks to massive delays to all flights going over the Atlantic. Molly takes it upon herself to get Andrew home to his family for the Holidays beginning a Planes, Trains, and Automobiles path from Chicago to Ireland. This journey gives Molly and Andrew plenty of time to get to know each other more in-depth and may cause a shift in their relationship forever.

Molly reminds me so much of a mixture of me and my sister. She is not a huge fan of the holidays but is extremely passionate about helping the people in her life. She is unhappy with her career path at the moment and is trying to figure out what her next step will be.

Andrew is a little much for me. He is a huge fan of Christmas and all of the traditions that are involved with the Holiday. I do love how much he loves his small village. I come from a small town and can't imagine a life where I grew up anywhere but there.

I love how relatable these characters are. There is always someone in your life who will absolutely love Christmas and someone who isn't that huge a fan of them. I really hope we see a continuation of this book with Zoe or Christian finding love.

5 stars, read in less than 24 hours. Loved it! Super cute without being overly sweet. Enjoyed the story telling style of present day and back to each of the 10 years of previous Christmas flights. Would read more rom coms by this author.

Holiday Romance is a super-cute RomCom that will have you laughing out loud & cheering on these two friends turned lovers, all while enjoying the magic of Christmas. This is my first Catherine Walsh book & definitely will not be the last. Catherine is a very talented writer & her light hearted stories are true gems in the literacy world.

Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh was well, an adorable holiday romance

Andrew and Molly are both Irish, they both live in Chicago, and every year for the last ten years they have flown back home for the holidays together.

This year disaster strikes, and all flights home are cancelled, but Molly is determined to get Andrew home for Christmas because she knows how much spending the holiday with his family means to him. While traveling through three continents, and after a spontaneous kiss under the mistletoe, they start to realize there might be more to their relationship than just friendship.

Andrew and Molly have ten years' worth of friendship so the foundation is there, watching them explore the possibility of more was so fun to read. I also appreciated that they talked through their feelings of doubt and fear and avoided the dreaded miscommunication trope.

Holiday Romance has officially been added to my list of favorite holiday reads and I am already looking forward to a re-read this holiday season.

I absolutely adored Catherine Walsh’s The Rebound, so I jumped at the chance to review her latest book. This is such a cosy, heartwarming read and has definitely put me in the mood for all things Christmassy. Molly and Andrew are just adorable, and I loved going back in time to learn about their flights back home and seeing how the friends to lovers relationship developed. There were also some interesting concepts about sobriety and unhappiness in your career/taking risks to chase your true passions, which I felt Catherine dealt with in sensitively and honestly.

Another five star read from Catherine and I can’t wait for her next one already!

*Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh is a lovely friends-to-lovers romance about two friends trying to get to Ireland for the holidays. It’s light and full of a fun bunch of characters.

Book Recap:
Flying friends, Molly and Andrew are two ex-pats from Ireland, living in Chicago. Every year for the past ten years, they have flown together back to Ireland to visit their respective families for the Christmas holidays. Andrew has a large family and loves visiting for Christmas, whereas Molly goes more out of obligation. Andrew loves Christmas, and Molly doesn’t. But, for ten years, they have flown together to get home.

On their tenth flight, a bad storm in the Atlantic forces the airlines to cancel their flight and all the other flights bound for Ireland. Molly knows how important it is to Andrew that he gets home to see his family, so she finds an alternate route that combines flights, ferries, trains, and cars. Can she get Andrew home in time for Christmas? And will all this extra time together help them to discover feelings for each other?

My Thoughts:
I love a well done friends to lovers trope, and Holiday Romance is very well done. The book flashes back to each of the original 9 flights, and we get to see the friend relationship develop through those flashbacks. In the present timeline, we can watch Andrew and Molly get closer together as they get some time to develop romantic feelings for each other.

The travels were a bit over the top, but that’s what makes the book so much fun. All the different locations, and odd places they found themselves, left me wondering if they would ever get to Ireland. I enjoyed many of the side characters, especially Andrew’s boisterous family, and his very odd cousin Oliver who was a hoot.

Andrew and Molly were obviously meant to be together from the very beginning, but it took them a bit of time to realize this. But in the meantime, we get to enjoy their friendship and banter, as they get to know each other better and are able to bring out the best in each other.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend Holiday Romance for anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I got a free e-copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will also be a spoiler-free review. This book is expected to be published October 4th of this year.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. It is such an incredibly cute read with very adorable and sweet characters. I thought the plot was fun, and the characters only made the book better. If you're a fan of rom-coms and friends-to-lovers, then I suggest you add this book to your TBR.

I really liked that this book goes back and forth between their past flights and the present adventure they're on. I love how witty the characters are and how well they get along. The characters go through hell trying to get to Dublin for Christmas, and along the way, they slowly start to realize their feelings for one another. This isn't a book full of wild plot twists or anything crazy it's a very predictable read which makes it such a fun and cozy read. I personally think it does a good job at being cozy and sweet without being cringy or cheesy. 

I like that the characters in this book actually communicate and are pretty open with each other. I hate when books have a romance that begins to unfold, and then they break up because of a miscommunication. Thankfully the romance in this book is Hallmark-worthy and perfect for anyone looking for a cute read. This book will be perfect for reading in December and only made me more excited for the holidays. 

The spice in this book is pretty mild but not bad, and the author wrote it in a way that's not cringy to read. I think my favorite thing about this book is that the author was able to create such an adorable romance between these two characters, which made my heart melt. I love a smutty book, but this book is just so adorable! I can't get over the love Andrew and Molly have for one another and how much they support each other. It's such a sweet cozy read.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and I'm super grateful to have had the chance to review it. I recommend this book if you're looking for a cozy and sweet read with a little spice this Christmas. It's a quick read and perfect for anyone who's going to be traveling this holiday season! ;)

Once again, I am proven that friends-to-lovers is a superior trope and I will die on this hill.

Molly and Andrew live in Chicago but every Christmas for the last 10 years they catch a flight home to Ireland. However, this year one of the biggest snowstorms ruins their plans and their flight.

We get to see the lengths someone is willing to go to in order to help the person they love. Molly and Andrew learn to trust each other during this journey, learn new things about one another and realize that they might want to be more than friends.

What I really enjoyed is the change of scenery, and the fun & light conversations they had. Both Molly and Andrew are struggling (especially Molly, and her struggle is so relatable to me) but they find a way to move forward.

Overall, this is a fun romcom that will make you love the main characters and the quirky and fun side characters who made this story even more colorful and bright.

4/5

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

This is the perfect holiday romance read. Molly and Andrew had great banter and chemistry. I loved reading their history of Christmas flights, and how that all led them to the moment of their 10th flight and the adventure they go on. This novel had me grinning the entire time I was reading, laughing out loud, and unable to put the book down until I finished it.

ARC REVIEW

Holiday Romance
By Catherine Walsh

Publishing Date: 10/4/2022

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Molly and Andrew have been friends for 10 years and they have traveled home from Chicago to Ireland, every Christmas throughout those 10 years. 

But this year, things don't go as planned- A storm has caused all the flights to be cancelled. Molly would be perfectly content staying in Chicago for the holidays, but she has vowed to get Andrew back to his family.   But thoughout the cancelled flights, thousands of miles in the wrong direct, lost baggage, ferry rides and lack of sleep...Molly starts to see Andrew in a different way. Has she always felt this way?
Does he feel this way to?

And to think....all those feelings were caused by some harmless, holiday mistletoe. 🙂

Ok I LOVED THIS!!!! 🚨ALERT ALERT🚨...NEW HOLIDAY FAVORITE BOOK!!

This is my 5th Christmas Arc this year, and man it was so good! I laughed out loud many times and enjoyed the adventure that Molly and Andrew were on. And it actually FELT like a Christmas book! Which  is hard to find, I feel.

I loved that the author takes us back and fourth throught the 10 year friendship...we get to see Andrew and Mollys relationship  grow as they experience  10 years worth of Holiday travel.   I've learned I am a fan of back and forth time lines.

I adoorrrreeeeed the characters SO MUCH! Andrew is amazing, loved his personality! I definitely connected with them both.

Read this! If you like romance, Christmas, friends to lovers...THIS IS FOR YOU!!

A huge thanks to @netgalley and @bookouture for the Arc and the opportunity to read this baby early!
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I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this story! It reads easily even though it bounces back from past to present. In fact, that detail truly makes the story special. It’s a necessary part that makes it more fun. You will love this and keep guessing how it will turn out. Grab a copy of this one, some hot cocoa and enjoy!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved reading this! It was hilarious and sweet and is in my permanent reread pile.

This was adorable, and I suspect it will quickly be optioned for movie rights because the dialogue is already crackalacking. The story sped along with no real slumps, and there was no dumb parts where if someone had just said something, there would be no story..
The humor and one-liners are hilarious, with Walsh somehow able to write what every woman feels - when she has loads of thoughts and fears and emotions - and make readers laugh and squirm in the process.
Loads of readers have already written out the plot, but imagine yourself spending a few days in close proximity to a single man you love being with in five countries and how that might make you throw off all your defenses, especially when said man is a "bit of a divil" when it comes to pretending he's not interested and you're burning up. Readers who prefer to read clean romances will appreciate the fade-to-black scenes.
Well done, Catherine Walsh. I can't wait to read your other books, and I think you'll be the Irish Sophie Kinsella in no time at all (only even funnier because you're Irish, where one-liners are their own art).