Molly and Andrew have been meeting every year on the plane back home for the Holidays. But on their tenth year, a freak storm forces the airlines to cancel all the flights, and they are both desperate enough to get home to accept a crazy plan...
This is a great friends to lovers, Hallmark Christmas movie worthy romance! I loved the dual timeline, the banter, the characters, the chemistry... A laugh out loud rom-com with a touch of seriousness, I knocked down half a star because I think Molly is a bit whiny. It was predictable, but a real page turner nonetheless, and I loved it!
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

REVIEW: THE PERFECT HOLIDAY ROMANCE

I am in love with this book; it only took the first chapter to convince me of this fact. If family, work and other life events did not require my attention I would have snuggled right into my fleece blanket with a cup of tea and this book. Despite the craziness both Andrew and Molly go through to get their Christmas holiday it does not take much time to fall in love with them and their story. Walsh’s story is light, full of friendship, full of discovery and fear of giving one’s entire self over to another. The characters come to realizations about their relationship they would not have discovered if they never spent 10 years traveling together each holiday season and then finally - very slowly - emotionally opening up to each other. Both the storyline and the characters are easy to relate to and this is simply a feel good book with so much friendship, romance, and love. Walsh provides subtle one liner comments - Andrew, his smirk and comebacks - Swooning! - between the characters that it becomes difficult not to smile and laugh out loud. No spoilers here but the last chapters are the BEST ever for this book. I will absolutely read this book again and recommend to all who love both romance and the holidays!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "Holiday Romance", written by Catherine Walsh. It was released on October 4th, 2022!

Overall, I rated this novel 4/5 stars!

This book tells the story of Molly and Andrew, who are trying to get home to Ireland during a snowstorm. This is a friends-to-lovers romance between the two main characters, who have bonded over holiday flights for the last 10 years. This was a delightful story, and I was especially glad that the characters were not named something cheesy like "Noel" or "Carol" or "Holly" yet it was still festive and fun!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this book. I'm in love with this story! I have this emotional thing with Christmas books and this one is unique.
I've never read anything by Catherine Walsh and now I want to read everything. I loved the sense of humour, Molly and Andrew's story and how the story unfolds. The chapters are not long, which makes the language dynamic and attractive.
It's a great story and it warmed my heart. It definitely brought the Christmas spirit to me.

I really enjoyed this one and was hooked from the start. The main characters were so much fun and I rooted for them from the start. The dynamic between Molly and Andrew as great. I also liked the side characters - especially Molly's sister.

The writing was good and the pacing was spot on. It held my interest throughout. I liked the way the story was told and the different timelines etc. I laughed a lot too while reading this book and thought the humor was great.

Overall this was a warm and cute read - perfect for the festive season!

Having eagerly devoured Catherine Walsh’s first two novels, I was dying to get my hands on Holiday Romance, and it does not disappoint, if anything it exceeded my expectations.

Molly and Andrew are holiday travel buddies, meeting after Molly’s former roommate dated and dumped Andrew. Both Irish, they travel on the same flight from Chicago to Ireland for Christmas. After nearly ten years they’ve formed a really good friendship, even if they don’t see each other much throughout the rest of the year. Of course this year the weather grounds them to a holt, but Molly is determined to get Andrew home.

I loved this book because I love a good quest. Catherine Walsh deftly tackles some serious topics along with the fun and stress of travelling, while also avoiding cliche plot devices to hamper their journey. The story goes back and forth with their previous trips, but what I love is it doesn’t slow down the book, which happens in so many books I read that go back and forth with time. Read this for a delightful Christmas romance with tonnes of banter and spark between two delightful main characters.

🔹 My take: 4.5/5

🔸Molly coincidentally meets Andrew on her trip to Ireland where both are heading for their Christmas holidays. They both part ways after journey only to realise next year the same coincidence happens and they share the flight again. Both start enjoying the camaraderie they share and it becomes a ritual where they plan their Christmas flights together. This goes on for 10 Christmas. They keep in touch with each other on and off over the rest of the year. But this year, there is a terrible storm and all the flights have been cancelled. Molly knows how heartbreaking it is for Andrew to not reach home bcoz he really looks forward to spending time with his family. She is now hell bent to ensure Andrew reaches home safe. And pulls all the ropes to make this happen. What they both don’t realise is destiny is at play and this trip will change their lives forever.

💖 I loveddd this. Story is narrated in alternate timelines with current situation alternating with flights they have shared each year. The dialogues are so natural and easy flowing that you feel you are in good company of Andrew and Molly. And both are so loveable - they have their flaws and weaknesses but both handle and complement each other superbly. The story writing is simple, crisp & hilarious. Sensitive topics like work life balance, siblings bonding, sobriety, drinking are handled very well. The family connections are also brought out in a very warm way.

💔 I really don’t have anything that I did not like while reading this.

💫 You need to read this Christmas romance, friends to lovers romcom. It’s worth it.

Thank you @bookouture @netgalley for sharing the eARC in exchange of honest review.

An excellent Christmas love story! The story was super sweet and the vibes were perfect for the holidays. The friends to lovers trope was done well although the flashbacks that were meant to show their love story were kind of just there and didn't add much to the plot for me. The first half of this book was Molly and Andrew's crazy journey home for the holidays. The second half was them interacting with each other's families. Both halves were equally good and the story remained enjoyable after the main characters got together which I think is difficult to do. Overall this was a quick and cute read and I would be interested in reading the author's other books!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Giving me all of the Christmas love vibes in this adorable book. I loved everything about this one! It was the perfect holiday romance... pun intended.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for this eARC in exchange of my honest review.

Molly and Andrew have spent the last ten years catching the same flight back to Ireland for the holidays. What started off as a coincidence has turned into a planned trip and time to catch up. But when their plane gets grounded on their tenth flight home, and they wind up jumping through all sorts of hoops to get back, will their friendship remain intact? Or will they finally give into those underlying feelings that seem to have been there all along?

This was such a cute holiday read! The chemistry and banter between Molly and Andrew was so well written. Throw in the eccentric supporting characters, and you’ve got a book that’s hard to put down!

This one gets 4⭐️‘s from me!

I started reading Holiday Romance during a high-90s heat wave while visiting Austin. That doesn’t mesh with the December weather I’m used to back home in Boston, but I don’t think you should HOLD OUT (the name of the brewery where I was reading) on reading this book!
I could not put this book down once I started reading it! Holiday Romance is the kind of romcom that you can “see” as a cute holiday movie in your mind while reading.
Molly and Andrew are both from Ireland but living in Chicago. They first met because Andrew was dating Molly’s roommate. 10 years ago they were seated next to each other on the flight back to Ireland for the holidays. Unfortunately, Molly’s roommate had already informed her she would be breaking up with Andrew - and the breakup text (!!) came before leaving O’Hare, making things awkward for the two seatmates.
Year after year, Molly and Andrew find themselves on the same flight back to Ireland and work through the awkwardness to form a friendship, maintained via email and text the rest of the year. On the 10 year anniversary of their first flight, they buy each other anniversary gifts - but then disaster strikes when a huge storm across the Atlantic cancels their flight, and all other flights to Europe from Chicago for days. They debate staying in Chicago but know their respective families will be crushed, as Andrew’s family really loves Christmas and Molly’s sister Zoe is about to have a baby. The clock is ticking to get home, by any means necessary.
The story is told through this present situation, with flashbacks to each of their past holiday flights. It’s not too sweet (my personal pet peeve with holiday books and movies), and I really enjoyed reading it - it even made me look forward to flying to my parents’ for the holidays!
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I’ve gotten the opportunity to read ARCS of all 3 books by Catherine Walsh over the last 14 months (wow!) and this one is my favorite! If you haven’t read her books before, please do yourself a favor and check them out!!

Molly and Andrew both are at university in Chicago and are both from Ireland. Andrew is dating Molly's roomate, but is about to be dumped as he leaves to go to Ireland for Christmas break. Molly is heading back home too and she finds herself sitting next to him on the flight home while he gets the break up text - awkward!

The next 10 years unfold and Molly and Andrew find themselves taking the trip home from Chicago to Ireland together every year. They text, but rarely see each other outside this flight. Still, they have become friends over the years.

This year is different though - a crazy snowstorm grounds their plane. Molly isn't concerned about being home for Christmas, but knows how important it is to Andrew and she vows to get him home in time for Christmas dinner. Planes, taxis, trains, and ferries take them from Chicago to Buenos Aires to Paris and to London. But will they make it to Dublin in time and will they still be just friends by the end of the trip?

While this is a Christmas romance, it is not too sappy. I recommend this comedy of errors adventure romance!

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and author Catherine Walsh for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. It’s now available!

I am a big fan of Catherine Walsh's so I could not have been happier to get my hands on her next book. I am very much a seasonal reader and love this time of year and books like this one. It was a warm, cosy read and I could not put it down.

The characters were so likeable and the subjects which were explored only made the book more interesting.

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

Holiday Romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 10/4/22
Author: Catherine Walsh
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 318
GR: 4.46

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Bookouture and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. This is the PERFECT Holiday Romance. This has to be the top Holiday Romance story I have read thus far. It has everything, a friends to lovers trope between friends who have been flying home together for 10 years. It was hard to put down. Andrew as the perfect hero and matched up well to his heroine, Molly. The author did an amazing job describing all of the locations, especially Ireland, you felt like a hitchhiker on their journey. The characters were so well fleshed out, I felt like I have known them for years, they had amazing witty banter, deep connecting chemistry, and the side characters were adorable. I absolutely loved the sober representation in this story, I can absolutely relate to this. This was a closed-door romance, which I love, now do not get me wrong, I do like a good romance scene, but this was sweet and endearing. There were several times that I was laughing out loud. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, swoon-worthy, intriguing, and kept me hooked the entire book. This was released last week and I HIGHLY recommend picking up, seriously, stop what you are doing and order right now!

This was a top ten holiday read! I finished this book within 24 hours, I could not put it down! A beautiful friends-to-lovers story, with characters it was easy to fall in love with and such a cozy holiday feeling. I will definitely be picking this book back up again for Christmas.

WOW WOW. Adorable from start to finish. This one had me non-stop laughing and I just loved the relationship of these two characters. It was one of those stories where I knew they would end up together. I just couldn’t wait for it to happen so I got to read about them in love. I truly loved the differences of their family dynamics and I thought this was one of the best parts of the story. This story also dealt with a main character who was lost in her life and I loved watching her be able to decide what could truly make her happy. It may be October but this was a perfect holiday read and I highly recommend it whenever you can get your hands on it! I honestly may listen to the audiobook to get me in the Christmas spirit this December!

This review has been posted on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and will be added to my instagram (@busywithmybooks_) today.

Ok guys this was fun, nice and adorable . Adorable story about two friends and their growing friendship and how their feelings grow as the years pass, beautiful concept, i totally recommend this book for the holidays

This is the perfect holiday read!! I loved everything about this book. Molly and Andrew's characters were adorable while also being relatable. Along their journey to get home to Ireland for Christmas they also found what truly made them happy.

This book was everything! The holiday vibes, the banter between the characters, the laughter. I couldn't put this book down. I was so engaged that I had to know what happened. Definitely a book to read around the holidays. Hand me some hot chocolate or eggnog and I am set.

I loved everything about this book, it gave me all those Christmas vibes. It's the perfect book to get you in the Christmas spirit