🎅🏼 Holiday Romance by @catwalshwriter 🤶🏼

Will they, won’t they? But this time it’s with a Christmas twist.

The book is centred around Molly and Andrew who fly home to Ireland for Christmas every year. The book hops back in time and then to the present leaving you try to piece together if Molly and Andrew will get together.

This book is the perfect recipe of romance and Christmas and it is throughly enjoyable. I really liked the character of Molly, a successful lawyer and Andrew the loveable rogue. This has all the Love Actually & The Holiday feels!

Congratulations to @catwalshwriter on a wonderful book and thanks to @bookouture and @netgalley for the ARC. 🎄

This had ALL the things I look for in a holiday romance!!! Super sweet with a dollop of spice! I’m a freakin sucker for anything Irish and both MCs are from Ireland. Perfect, perfect, perfect! I could picture this all playing out beautifully like a perfect hallmark movie. This was just what I needed to get me in the holiday spirit!

I loved this so much I'm so glad I got approved this was such a fun read and now I'm more then ready for the holidays

Thanks netgalley

If you like holiday romances this book is for you . It’s sweet and light. It’s not my favorite but it fills a void

One of my all-time favorite books is "One Night Only", so of course I had to read this one, too.
I really love Catherine Walsh and her style of writing.

And while "Holiday Romance" didn't quite live up to my expectations, it still is a great story.
I had just hoped for more of a swoonish feeling.

It is not your typical friends-to-lovers story - but also includes a complicated journey home and a search for one's innermost dreams.

Recommended to any and all who loves a well-composed rom-com.

Molly and Andrew are like Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham Football club. An unlikely pairing that you just did not see coming. One is full on into Christmas including the silly jumpers and the other, while not a complete Grinch isn’t far off. After learning of her friends decision to dump her boyfriend to date another man Molly is shocked to learn she is seated next to the soon to be ex and on a plane there is nowhere to go.

Fast forward and they have spent the last ten years making their way from Chicago to Ireland to get back home to family in time for the festive period. With it becoming an annual tradition the book goes back and forth to show you those yearly flights and how their friendship has formed over the years.

As a ten year anniversary gift Molly has upgraded them both to first class. But after a snowstorm hits grounding all flights and an impromptu mistletoe kiss leaves her feeling all in a tizzy Molly is determined to get Andrew home to his family and put that charming smile back on his face.

I soon took Molly and Andrew to my heart. Molly is a questioner and is struggling with her career as a lawyer. Andrew was like a little puppy all cute and adorable but with an odd meme habit and this year the adventure is just beginning. With some great side characters of family and friends this book was easy to love.

A delightful friends to lovers romance filled with humour, adventure and a touch of spice. A little bit schmaltzy in places but that’s just how I like it!

This book was a wonderful surprise — I absolutely loved it! I’ve been telling everyone in my family to go buy a copy because it’s just fun. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking it would make a great holiday movie. The story is great and the characters ring true. Now I want to visit Ireland. This would make a great Christmas gift for a new parent. It’s not super plot driven and is a pick me up after a tough day. Thank you so much NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. My opinions are honest.

My third Catherine Walsh ARC and I am so grateful to continue on this journey with her!

Holiday romance was a sweet little Christmas read ready for the festive season. Two friends share a flight back home to Ireland every Christmas to spend time with their families. Over the years they watch each other go through ups and downs, relationship breakups and share a special best friend bond. But as the years go on are they both fighting the inevitable.

This definitely was a sweet little read and I did enjoy it. Although comparing to Catherine's previous books I feel this one did not hit the same mark. I did enjoy the banter and relationship between Molly and Andrew, but it wasn't as juicy as romantic as previous books. The book jumped between stories of the past and present which I feel brought a nice little touch to the book. You were able to gain an insight into the relationship over the Years without being bored by a lengthy description.

A good one to get you in the festive mood. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this. Literally from like the second chapter when I figured out the set up I was so excited to keep reading. Flashbacks to previous years fill in the blanks. You learn more and more with each flashback. Such a cute idea and written so well. Easy to follow and understand.

One spicy-ish scene. Describes the act without any explicit language. Written really well. I wouldn’t feel weird recommending this to my mom.

This gave me all the feels. Happy Christmas vibe. Multiple parts made me smile.
I loved the characters. Good depth. Intriguing storyline.

Complete story with HEA.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this digital ARC.

Such a fun holiday romance! A wonderful slow burn, friends to lovers story. Who would have thought traveling home for Christmas could be the start of a romance? I can see myself rereading this every year for the holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Nothing like starting the holiday reads early....

Holiday Romance is a joyful and cheery Christmas romance with all the feels you'd want over the holiday (think warm blanket and cocoa feeling). Packed with amusement and fun, and many an adventurous obstacle for this pair to make it home, and amp up the romance. I thought Molly and Andrew’s first real encounter on flight one was very unique and memorable - but talk about awkward! I enjoyed the side characters, and am wondering whether this is going to be the first in a series? (which would be great!). Some of the auxiliary characters that stood out for me as needing romance in their lives. And to top it all off there was an open door bedroom scene that was perfect! Id definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to Bookouture & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

A Romance to swoon Over!

Traveling during the holidays can be a nightmare. But having someone to travel with makes things more bearable. In fact, having someone to travel with can be the perfect gift! This was such a feel good, heartwarming, and lovely book. The characters are fantastic! The humor is delightful and put a smile on face many times while reading this.

Molly and Andrew are traveling home to Ireland for the holidays. They are two friends who have taken 10 flights together in the past 10 years. They look forward to their shared flights. Neither ever takes a plus one home. Their travel time is for them. Both are opposites. Molly is not into the holiday season where Andrew can't get enough. This makes for some fun, sarcastic remarks, and witty banter.

This last trip home has been a disaster, but Molly is determined to get Andrew home for the holidays!

What a joy this book was. I loved the witty banter between Molly and Andrew. I enjoyed their families, and I enjoyed how Catherine Walsh told the story through the present and through flashbacks to earlier flights. This allows readers to get to know them both better and how they relate to each other. I always say, romance books are about the journey. This was one a delightful, heartwarming, I'm-rooting-for-them-the-entire-way journey. Will they make it home for the holidays? One must read to find out!

Reading this book was like a present! It put a smile on my face and had me wishing for a White Christmas for the characters in the book.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

So of course as everyone starts to read for spooky season, I read a Christmas romance. We have friends to lovers and opposites attracting, and I rooted for them, HARD, so this was a great romance to me. I’ll remind everyone that my main need in a romance is for me to root for the couple. If you don’t have that, then I don’t think you have a worthy romance.

What starts out as an accident and continues as tradition, Molly and Andrew share a plane ride home from Chicago to Dublin for the holidays. Molly really isn’t into the holidays while Andrew is a Christmas lover.

I love to read about the kindness others show each other. Molly knows how much Andrew wants to see his family so when a storm blows in and wreaks havoc on their plans to fly home, she sets up an ambitious (read nuts) plan to get him home. I can’t put my finger on it, but it reminds me of an old movie the way the book is setup showing all the flights over the years.

I loved Andrew and Molly. I loved the Christmas setting and the storm, and the inclusion of the families to provide depth to the story and characters. There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this one.

When it comes time to pick a holiday read, you cannot go wrong with this one

Molly and Andrew have been taking the same flight every year from Chicago to get home to their families for Christmas in London and Dublin, respectively. This year, a terrible storm threatens to ruin those plans. Molly knows how much Christmas with his family means to Andrew, and with the help of a friend, manages to figure out how to get him home in time with just a couple of slightly out-of-the-way layovers and adventures in between. This stressful adventure brings the two closer, and Molly starts to wonder if there could be more in store for her and Andrew than just an annual flight.
I really enjoyed this one. It was sweet, it was funny, and I loved the setting. Molly and Andrew were so likeable and I felt pretty invested in them. Though this was told from Molly's perspective, I personally would have loved to read this as a dual to learn of Andrew's background and get to know his character a bit more. Overall, I certainly recommend this one for the holiday season!

This was a fun read. I do really enjoy a Christmassy romantic book and wasn’t left disappointed by this.

This book was laugh out loud hysterical! I’ve traveled more than I care to admit and have spent my fair share of time running through terminals, sleeping in terminals, stuck at airports than should be humanly possible. . However, you pair that with a holiday romance and I’m totally there for it!

The banter between Andrew and Molly is next level and snort inducing funny. They spend a decade together as friends and travel companions. One fateful year, their flight gets canceled for the annual holiday trip home to Ireland. Molly won’t stop for anything to help Andrew get home for Christmas.

Romance + travel + the holidays = perfection

🎄Holiday season
❤️ Friends to lovers
💺Forced proximity
✈️ Holiday travel woes
😂 Hilarious banter
☝️Single POV

This book was such a cute and heartfelt Christmas romcom! Every Christmas, Molly and Andrew travel home together to Ireland. Unfortunately, their flights were canceled this year due to a snowstorm, but they are determined to find another way to make it home for the holidays.
This is the first holiday romance that I find myself absolutely loving. It has my favorite trope: friends to lovers. I also love the past/present timelines where we get to see how Molly and Andrew’s friendship develops in the span of ten years together into something more romantic. The characters are so lovable with amazing banter and chemistry. This is the perfect book for Christmas!
4 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulously fun, utterly delightful, sweepingly romantic, cosy, Christmasy, heartwarming, smile inducing, heart uplifting, funny and joyful. Loved it.

Holiday Romance is everything that comes to mind when you think "Hallmark Christmas Movie"... but it's also so much more than that. If you were following my Goodreads updates as I read this one, well, you'd see a lot of "I'M SO OBSESSED WITH THIS", and "my BELOVED". That says a lot on its own, I think. I don't usually post live updates as I read, but this one had me smiling, giggling, and glued to the pages.

Now, let's get into it.

THE GOOD:
- The concept is everything! I love the fact that Andrew and Molly only hung out on those annual airplane trips. Seems a bit odd, but I think we all have those friends we barely see other than one particular activity. Also the fact that they raved about each other to their respective families all the way back to when they first met.
- Friends-to-lovers and the difficulties that can bring (fear of losing a friend, communication issues). This was well-explored and I appreciated that the leads took the time to address these issues as they arose, instead of letting them fester.
- Andrew is simply the sweetest! He was giving me Will Solace from Percy Jackson vibes. The funky Christmas sweaters? He's a farm boy? A loud, loving family? Protective but in a gentle manner? A great gift-giver? Obsessed. I love him.
- Perfect setting for the book.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
- The pacing fell a little flat in the middle. Nothing major.
- Andrew's character seemed to change a bit about halfway through. I still enjoyed his character, obviously, but something shifted and he became a little more negative (although it was understandable given the situation) and reluctant to communicate as effectively.
- This last point is more of a neutral, but I'll stick it here anyway. This really reminded me of People We Meet On Vacation -- both in terms of the layout and the friends-to-lovers aspect -- which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it meant that the book wasn't anything super new or special to me.

OVERALL
3.75 stars! A sweet and cozy romance. Great for the holidays. I might have rounded my rating up to 4 stars if I'd read it closer to Christmas time.

Catherine Walsh's Holiday Romance unfortunately fell flat for me for the most part.

First of all I found dual time lines and switching back and forth between Christmases quite confusing and I think that was the beginning of the end for me.

While I found the characters quite likeable and relatable there were so juvenile and so stereotypically millenial that it was off putting for me. Also I didn't feel any chemistry between them.

I liked reading the texts between the heroine and the hero.

I don't mind stories written in first person it has to be down really well to work.

Overall, the premise was very good but the execution needs some work in my opinion.