Love Christmas books, especially in the summer! Lovely to read about different parts of the world. Dublin had been described beautiful throughout the book. A great read about love and loss.

This had very Sleepless in Seattle vibes about it, which is perfect for this time of year!

This didn’t feel like a traditional cheesy Christmas romance novel. Sure, there were elements that were a little predictable, but generally speaking all the early chapters devoted to Italy and the Italian Riviera felt almost summery!

I really liked the character of Norah. I could understand her pain whilst grieving for the death of her father, and it made the whole concept of meeting up with an extra-flame from ten years ago a whole lot more believable.

Overall, a highly enjoyable and engaging read for Christmas (even though I read it in July!)

I really wanted to like this, but it just fell flat. I just could not get into the characters, and some of the writing was cringey. It was very okay.

The song that serves as this novel’s title was written in 1944 by Frank Loesser and performed by his wife and himself to conclude their housewarming party in New York. Bell’s protagonist Norah, however, is a twenty-first century London singleton who hopes to rekindle a relationship, rather than conclude a happy event. She hears the first chords of this song performed by a busker as she is fighting her way through the Christmas-shopping crowds in Central London. The music instantly transports Norah back to the promise she and her former flame Andrew made to each other a decade ago: if they are still single on Christmas Eve 2019, they will meet again in Grafton Street, Dublin, right under the Bewley’s Café clock. But will Norah’s romantic sojourn to Dublin be ill-fated? Are her emotional efforts to recapture happiness and her attempts to recreate the past a good idea, or will they result in further heartache for her?
Although I read this novel on a baking hot day, I was captured by the warm, engaging style and the plausible protagonist. I can see this novel become the ultimate Christmas-time read, as it is an enjoyable escapist but believable read for long, snowy or rainy winter afternoons. An enjoyable, escapist and believable novel that should appeal to many readers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC provided in return for his honest review.

I had difficulty accepting that any couple after a short summer romance would agree to meet on a specific date in ten years' time, plus this idea has been used as a plot many times before. The author, Emily Bell, has succeeded where others have failed, she's written a delightfully atmospheric book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Norma, early thirties, constantly single, a wannabe jazz singer, now a school music teacher, longingly remembers meeting and spending a week in Italy with Andrew when she was 18 years old. Planning to live in different countries they part after agreeing to meet in ten years' time in Dublin on Christmas Eve. Receiving last minute news that her mother has made her own arrangements means Norma will be alone for Christmas. All her friends are busy with their own families and Norma decides to fulfil her promise to Andrew and go to Dublin. Andrew is always in the background of her mind, over the years they've made contact by email but, with busy lives, never manage to meet, eventually losing contact.

Written in flashbacks from Norma's last days at school, through to present time with her journey to Dublin, this is an easy and enjoyable read. Though a little predictable in places this certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment.

Quality writing full of believable and likeable characters. It's great.

This is a beautiful atmospheric read that has stolen my heart. I loved this book so much!!! I’d you want a book that will take you away from all your troubles then look no further!! I fell in love instantly

Schoolteacher and aspiring singer Norah Jones (yes, that is her name) is looking for the one that got away. Ten years after Norah and her gap-year romance made a Before Sunset-style pact, she heads off to Dublin with her friend Joe to see if her lover of a decade ago is waiting for her where he said he would...a solid, atmospheric Christmas romance that evokes Dublin so beautifully you can see Grafton Street and Stephen's Green unfolding in front of you!

When her mother renegades on Christmas, Norah travels to Dublin with her friend Joe to meet Andrew. The plan was made 10 yrs ago when she and Andrew met and had a holiday romance in Italy. Will he show up?

This book started of really well, it gripped me and I liked the characterisation. Sadly though it went a little flat in the middle, and I found the twist and ending predictable.

The story moves between the present day trials of Norah's life and relationship with Joe to going back 10 years to her relationship with Andrew.

Overall it was a nice little read, but not something to shout from the rooftops.

A really wonderful 5 star read with deep rich characters and a warm tale about how yearning for the past can sometimes make you miss out on the present and the future. It's ten years since Norah Jones had dreams of being a singer when she was a young graduate and took a trip to Italy with her two girlfriends. It seemed like fate when she meets Andrew, an Irish musician, who connects with her. The two spend a week together and she is convinced it is meant to be, though their differing paths may contradict that conviction. They part agreeing to stay in touch and meet up when his commitments are filled, but if all fails they will meet in Dublin Christmas Eve in ten years' time. Now Norah is single, a music teacher, her singing career a dismal failure, and she's at a loose end for Christmas with no one to spend it with. On impulse she decides to go to Dublin to reconnect with Andrew and see if he is all she remembers and still thinks about. For Norah, Andrew was more than the one who got away. Scared to make the journey on her own, her long time friend Joe offers to go with her and what she discovers surprises her.

Norah met Andrew while she was on a girls holiday and they hit it off straight away... but they live on opposite sides of the world. They agree if they are both single that they'll meet in Dublin on Christmas Eve 2019... Norah decides to take the trip but will Andrew be there when there has been no contact for years??

This is a fairly light, easy read. Its predictable in places but is generally a feel good christmassy story. I liked Norah and her group of friends so wanted things to work out for her. The main problem with this book is that I wanted to know if Andrew was going to be there and we don't get to 6pm on Christmas eve till almost the end of the book. So even though the story up to that point was good - it wasn't what I wanted to read about! I found myself rushing in places because I wanted to get to Christmas eve. Don't make the same mistake as me... enjoy it!

I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley with no promise of a favourable review. This book is due for release October 2021.

This book has a lovely chatty heroine, Norah who has to put her demons from her past away to move forward. Atmospheric and a lovely setting with Ireland. Really enjoyed. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I liked the easy-going style of this book and it was pleasant enough, but totally predictable really. You could probably predict what happens just from reading the blurb! As such, it didn't really hold my interest. Not saying it's a bad book but I do prefer my romances to come with a little more gritty realism.

I really loved this easy, feel good, romantic read! It left me with goosebumps on my arms and a smile on my face! A great story of love, loss and sometimes not seeing what or who is right in front of us! A brilliant, Christmas-y read!

I'm giving a rating of 3.5 stars but rounding up to 4. This is a good read -funny, and heart warming with a bit of festive cheer. I found it very predictable but the characters were really likeable. Being from Ireland I really enjoyed reading about all the parts of Dublin that they visited and I appreciated the Frasier reference. An easy to read story about finding yourself and letting go of the past.

Reading a novel set at Christmas in July is odd, but if I can enjoy it so completely, it is a good novel.

Norah's life seems to be linked to places I know well which has been fun. Her life in London is familiar, I know where she lives! And then she goes to Dublin and visits a bookshop I know by reputation and through a friend of mine launching all her own novels there.

I cried a lot reading this - a very moving novel filled with fun and emotion. Yes, the ending is pretty obvious after a certain point, but it doesn't in any way spoil it. But Christmas is an emotional time of year.

Loved it; glad I read it and I'd have read it faster had I been able to. As it was, I was at the denouement and reading on my phone in KFC waiting for my dinner.

After reading the description of this book I had a feeling this book was right up my street - I mean a book about Irish men, Dublin and a Christmas promise, what’s not to love?

‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ introduces us to Norah Jones (yes she is a singer but she’s not that one!) who had a holiday romance in Italy in 2009. When Andrew and Norah part ways they make a pact to meet up again in Dublin on Christmas Eve 2019, ten years later. Fast forward to December 2019 when Norah suddenly finds herself without any plans for Christmas and the memory of the pact returns. Should she make the trip to Dublin or is that just crazy? And what will she discover when she gets there?

Yes it’s a rom-com, yes there are parts that are predictable but it’s a lovely, Christmassy story that you can’t help but enjoy. And yes, that is even when reading it in July! Having been a regular visitor to Dublin with my Dad when I was younger it brought back many happy memories, I could imagine the streets described as if I was standing there myself, so much so that it has made me very nostalgic for a return trip very soon! I also enjoyed the story content in reference to the relationship with Norah and her father, having also lost my Dad at a young age I completely connected with the character and the beautiful way this relationship was discussed was very touching. The nod to songs as the titles for each chapter was also a nice addition, linking with the musical theme throughout.

If you want a nice cosy read this winter (or indeed Summer!) then look no further, you’ve found it. Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

A lovely friends to lovers romance all about 2nd chances and self-improvement. I can easily see this being made into the new British romcom for Christmas to rival love actually

After Norah finds she has no-one to spend Christmas with, she decides to go to Ireland to meet up with Andrew, whom she dated on a trip to Verona ten years ago and made a pact with. It seems crazy to head off to Dublin to meet him, but she has nothing else to do and is intrigued to discover whether he will be there.
The book is written in a chatty, easy-going style and is entertaining to read, mainly upbeat but does have sadder moments. The story flips between two timeframes, initially when Norah first met Andrew, and ten years later, accompanied by Joe, an old friend, who decides to go along with her.
All characters are relatable and likeable, and the author describes the Irish coastal scenery, and Dublin so well you almost feel you were there. Although the book lacks a little pace, I found it to be an enjoyable read.

I was smiling at the start and finish! The dynamic between Norah and her mother made me laugh at the beginning of the book, and the conclusion was very sweet.

This is a really nice book, but it's not really anything new. I thought the plot was very predictable, and Norah fit the stereotype of the 30 year old woman worried she'll be the last of her friends to settle down. I also found Norah's focus on Andrew a bit over the top, and felt like we missed out on other elements of the story because of this.

There are a lot of flashbacks involved, which I found quite jarring. Some of them do provide important information, but others felt like overkill. Sometimes it took me a minute to even realise it was a flashback. I think it might have been better to include the holiday memories as a prologue at the start of the book. Toward the latter half of the book, I found myself wanting to rush through the flashbacks to get back to the actual story. It felt like they took me out of it.

There are references to pop culture throughout that I think millenials will particularly appreciate. They definitely help set the tone of the time.

Overall, I think this will be an enjoyable Christmas read for plenty of people. It's a book you can put down and come back to, rather than one you feel the need to binge - and it definitely leaves you feeling warm and cheerful.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I loved this! A really easy and enjoyable sweet romance novel which will leave you smiling from ear to ear.