Thank you so much to NetGalley and Catherine Walsh for this ARC!
She’s done it again. This woman never misses. She might be one of my fave cute romance authors so far!
The story is so beautifully written, with such relatable language and a great storyline - I’m just a big fan.
The characters aren’t annoying or two dimensional at all which I sometimes find with romances, not even the side characters!
I do regret the fact that I didn’t realise this was a follow up from Holiday Romance, and now I’m gonna have to go and read Andrew and Molly’s story!!

Put this on the top of your holiday TBR immediately. Catherine Walsh delivers a wonderfully festive story that left me smiling from ear to ear... Seriously, my husband walked by while I was reading and said, “you must really like that book.”

While I didn’t realize this was a follow-up to Holiday Romance, it worked as a standalone and I can’t wait to dig into HR for my book club’s December pick (and it sounds like it's now on Kindle Unlimited!!).

I absolutely fell in love with Christian, Megan, and the supporting cast of characters (except for Isaac, of course).The dialogue is so fun and I love how Catherine writes in a way that helps you visualize the story in your mind.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my nonbiased review. You won't have to wait long to grab this one as it will be available on November 1st, 2023.

(3.5★)

“𝐈’𝐦 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩.”

A fake dating romance novel, Snowed In by Catherine Walsh follows knitter Megan O'Sullivan and real estate agent Christian Fitzpatrick.

The smut scenes in this book should have taught me not to judge a book by its cover, as they caught me off guard. Meg and Chris together were hot asf, and their chemistry was even better, as well. The found family, and close bonds in this were so wholesome, as well. 

I really loved Chris's possessiveness and care for Meg. He kept trying so hard to always make her happy, especially during Christmas, when  she had already made arrangements for them but it had all gone to waste because they got snowed in. 

However, there were times when I questioned whether Chris and Meg's feelings for one another were genuine since one second they would express their feelings, and the next they would resume their fake relationship.

All in all, this was a very adorable and enjoyable book filled with festive spirit.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and to the author, Catherine Walsh, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

snowed in is the PERFECT! christmassy, wintery, cozy read that made heart all warm and fuzzy. from the start i was hooked and it stayed that way until the very last page. it was genuinely so much fun but also had a lot of depth which i love so much!!!!!

i am simply obsessed with megan and christian together, and separately!!! their banter was simply amazing and on top of that, fake dating will literally never fail me. megan was such a fun, witty character (there were literally moments i was reading and thinking to myself i want to be more like megan ugh love her maybe i should start knitting) and christian!! tough former bad boy who’s actually super sweet and kind and caring and protective?? literally so swoony.
watching their relationship and the story develop and also watching them encourage each other to grow and work through their past with eachother’s support was so special.

the ending to me felt a little abrupt for some reason i’m not sure if it was my kindle saying i still had like 20% left when the epilogue hit or if something felt like it was actually missing from the story. but, i did love the ending and epilogue sooo much still. no third act breakup let’s celebrate that!!!!!!!

overall was such a fun, cutie cutie, holiday romance book with alllllll the most perfect runaway bride, fake dating, secret pining, christmassy vibes that i loved sooo much!

Fake dating. It’s been done before, right? But this book didn’t follow the usual fake dating script! Megan hasn’t been home since she left her fiancé at the alter. Christian is tired of his family looks after showing up to Christmas single year after year. They are both from the same hometown so showing up together would be easy, right? I couldn’t put this book down. I waited for the other shoe to drop. I won’t spoil if it did or how their story ends, but I was not ready for this book to end! It was the perfect Christmas romance. My only “grumble” was when I finished the book and realized I had missed Andrew and Molly’s previously written story!

This book read like a movie..and I mean this in a positive way. I could see this being a reread every holiday season much like you watch your favorite movies. The banter gets all the high fives and the large family chaos is a big hug. I’ll be honest, this type of trope can be a hard sell for me. There is usually some annoying back and forth of does he love me or love me not that can be infuriating. What I loved most about this story is they were adults communicating when that line was crossed. So that detail and the banter made this read most enjoyable for me. I want to come back next year, and every year, to check in on this family. I’ll bring the pie.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this advanced read! I’m ready for the holidays now!

All the feels for this rom-com! Hilarious and slow burn at its finest! Captivated start to finish as always with this author ! Absolutely loved this book!!

First of all I had no idea this was a series! I need to read Andrew and Molly’s story which is already out.

Snowed In publishes November 1st.

Story opens as Megan is trying to escape her wedding on her wedding day. Then time jumps ahead and she’s moved on living her life with her roommate Frankie.

Second pov is Christian. I love when there is a male pov in a romance book! Getting to know both sides is so much fun.

Christian was there the day Megan was running away and then in the future they both are living in the same town. They bump into each other and long story short they plan to fake date through Christmas back home. Christian needs help with his family and Megan needs a buffer from her ex-fiancé.

There is no bogus fight or disagreement that you want to yell at them through the pages. This is a delightful romance with all the cozy feels. Truly a pleasant feel good story. I love both of their families so much.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc!

My new favourite Christmas activity is reading the latest Catherine Walsh holiday rom-com! Her characters are so relatable. The fake dating in this one is hilarious and a fabulous slow burn. Then when it ignites, look out! Just the right amount of spicy for a holiday read. I absolutely loved everything about this book!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Growing up in the same small Irish village, Megan and Christian knew each other, as small town folks do, but they weren’t terribly close. Having left their village years prior for their own various reasons, they run into each other (literally) in Dublin. Trying to avoid the the gossip, criticism and disappointment of returning home for Christmas they decide to fake-date, hoping that the reasons they left in the first place will be less confrontational.

They go through the motions of “are we pretending or not” while facing their own insecurities and familial relationships.

While the main characters were likeable, I didn’t feel the spark between them. An ember maybe, but I prefer a roaring fire. They did form a friendship and had their happily ever after but their attraction to each other didn’t have me swooning or getting butterflies.

There are a lot of secondary characters in this book, which made the small village vibe feel authentic but it felt like the goal of all of these characters was to open the door to a series of other books. This took away from the main story unfortunately.

Snowed In was a cute, light Christmas read but don’t go in expecting to have the “snowed in” aspect of the story happen right away. If you’re like me, the title matters & 70% into the book seems a tad late for the title reference to finally appear.

Overall the book was enjoyable and got me into the Christmas spirit, albeit very early.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for generously gifting me a copy of this boo for my honest review.

If there’s one holiday book you read this season, let it be this one.

This was incredibly well done, and I didn’t find it cheesy- which is rare for holiday romances!
I absolutely loved how the story progressed and getting to know each character. (Zoe’s my favorite, she’s a friend everyone needs IMO) although Christian came off a bit much in the beginning, he turned out to be amazing!

The hot tub scene was top tier, I loved the spice and the comedic element added 🦊 I may have cackled 🤣

There was just enough (amazing) spice and everyone loves a good slow burn.

I don’t read many fake dating story lines, but I found it extremely enjoyable that they had grew up in the same town, vs just a random person!

Overall, it’s everything you’d want in a Christmas romance and I ate it up like frosted sugar cookies left out for Santa 🧑‍🎄

The last time Megan was in her hometown, she had just left her fiance at the altar. She is positively dreading going home to face the fall out, not to mention maybe coming face to face with her newly engaged ex-fiance. Christian is tired of his family feeling sorry for him for being single. When the two meet they find the answer to their holiday worries- the two decide to bring each other home for the holidays as a fake date. Snowed in has everything you want in a romance- forced proximity, fake dating, feel good vibes not to mention the Irish setting! I fun read for the holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Catherine Walsh for this ARC book!
Snowed In is a fake dating and forced proximity to real feels trope during the Christmas season.
Megan ran away from her ex-fiancé years ago and hasn’t been home since. This Christmas season though her brother is coming home and her mom wants them all home together.
Christian is going home for Christmas but needs some backup with his family.
The proposal? Fake date each other to protect and support each other.
Never did they realize that through a series of events would they be snowed in and forced to face their true feelings.
This is a MUST read for this Christmas season!
I liked that the plot was simple and cute without too much angst. This made sense to me with it being a holiday feel good book. I also liked that Megan ends up standing up for herself and Christian empowers her and gives her the space to do so. This book made me feel warm and fuzzy like I get when I watch Hallmark Christmas movies. Christmas is my favorite time of the year and this book captures the pure essence of the season plus the newness of falling in love. Sometimes you just have to go through the trials to find the one you’re meant to be.

It's been a few days since I finished the book, so I unfortunately don't have a lot to write in my review other than I absolutely adored this book. I thought it was light-hearted, funny, and super easy to read. From the time I started it, I literally could not bring myself to put it down.

Being a sucker for anything Christmas, I'm more often than not disappointed by "Christmas" books...but not this one. You definitely wouldn't go wrong reading it!

4.5 ⭐️ Set in the same world as Holiday Romance (my favorite Christmas read of 2022), Snowed In follows two childhood friends who make a pact to fake date for the holidays.

This was such a fun and festive holiday romcom with its fair share of depth. I loved the emphasis on family dynamics, both with siblings and parents, and the full cast of side characters that added a layer of realism to the plot. While this is a standalone, I highly recommend reading Holiday Romance first as Molly and Andrew make a lot of appearances!

Read if you like:
-Fake dating
-Forced proximity
-Witty banter
-Dual POVs
-No third act breakup
-Grumpy cinnamon roll hero
-Small town Ireland setting

Pub: 11/1/23

Loved it so much! I don't know how, but Catherine Walsh managed to incorporate my favourite tropes in this story - runaway bride, snowed in, fake dating, small town - and they all fit in perfectly!
Loved the humour in the story, strained, but loving family dynamics (sibling relations so on spot!), and there was so much sparks between Megan and Christian - adorable couple (Megan, girl, you made me think about knitting again). I was immensely happy to meet all the Fitzpatricks again and let's not talk about the engagement scene - God, the most funny and touching one, I even shed a tear, and I never cry during such scenes. And now, after reading "Snowed In", I feel like I needs must reread "Holiday Romance".

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy.

Snowed In, Catherine Walsh (ARC)
Rated - 4.5 / 5 ✨

Thank you so much to Catherine Walsh, Bookouture & Negalley for allowing me to read this book before it’s released 🤍

Megan and Christian are both heading back to their hometown in Ireland for Christmas, and they’re both nervous about going. After leaving the golden boy of the town at the alter four years prior, Megan is not looking forward to facing everyone again. Christian loves his family but hates all the sad looks of being alone at Christmas. So after literally bumping into each other, they make a pact to help each other through the holiday season, a contract is written and signed… what could go wrong?

Where do I begin, other than to say I loved this book. Everything about it was so gorgeously written, the story, the location, the characters, it was a magical festive read.

I loved both of the lead characters, they were so well written, and the chemistry between Megan and Christian felt so natural, it was full of witty banter and secret glances, it never felt forced. It wasn’t just them though, even the supporting characters were great, you could really place yourself into the dynamic of the families and friends. Add in the location of a small town in Ireland, during Christmas, with snow, perfection.

If you love fake dating, forced proximity and a dual pov read, then you’ll love this book.

Frothy, festive, fun.

Snowed In is not a work of great literature, but then it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s a lovely Christmassy romantic comedy that I sped through in less than a day. The characters are likeable and believable and the writing is good. I enjoyed the setting and the various family members. I’d recommend to anyone looking for a bit of Christmas coziness.

Snowed In was the perfect cozy, Christmas read. This was my first book by Catherine Walsh and I’m excited to dig into more. Her writing style is fun, the characters are witty and charming, and the romance was top notch. I found myself grinning several times at some of the sweet scenarios and wishing I could be a part of the setting. I loved that it was set in Ireland, with small town vibes along with a cozy winter cabin. I was surprised at how long it took for them to get “Snowed In” at the cabin (this part doesn’t come until almost 75% of the way through the book), as the title and description made it seem like that was a big part of the plot. I also wanted a little more development of the MMC, Christian. I loved him and how sweet and romantic he was, but there were several mentions of his previous relationships and how they never worked out, but no explanation why. He also brought up several times that he wasn’t happy at his job, but there was so resolution about that (even in the epilogue). I wanted there to be a bit more of a conflict or something to give the book more depth. Most of it came from Megan’s previous relationship with her ex. It seemed like it was a little too easy and smooth going for the two main characters, and while I don’t need a third act breakup in every book, I at least like a little push and pull to give it more of a story. That being said, I really enjoyed the banter between all of the characters including the family members, the romance and gestures big and small were adorable, and the book overall was really enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was another cute fake relationship trope so that two long time friends/acquaintances can get through the holidays after not having gone home in a long time. The last time Megan was home she left her then fiancée at the altar with Christian being the first person she sees after her abrupt exit. Several years later the meet in a bar and decide to act like they’re dating to make it home for Christmas. It’s got a lot of the typical things for this trope but it’s a cute story and worth the read.