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).

Rating: 4
Laughing Score: 3
Crying Score: 0

I had high expectations going into this book because there is already a buzz around booksta about it, and I have to say it did not disappoint! I’ve only read a few holiday books so far and this one was probably the best one.

I love to travel, so I definitely loved that aspect of this book. I loved the two main characters, they were very sweet. I do feel like they felt young though and I’m not sure if the age fit the way they acted and felt. I think their friends-to-lovers storyline was great, well developed, and cute. I think the story just started to feel a bit long to me towards the end. It left me feeling like I wanted a bit more, which isn’t a bad thing.

This story captures the spirit of Christmas, the craziness of traveling during the holiday season, it’ll make you laugh and it’s an all-around feel-good read.

I requested this book mainly because of the author as I loved her 'One Night Only'. Also, the reviews are fabulous, so it seems like an unpopular opinion. But this book didn't work for me.
Mainly because of the pace. I liked the characters (however Andrew's character seemed a bit dull, and Molly was a little annoying) their conversation as well, but it was too slow for my liking.

It's about Molly and Andrew, just friends, flying together for 10 years, and now when they are celebrating their 10th anniversary of flying together, they're stuck due to a storm. The story oscillates between past and present, but to be honest, I didn't want to know what happened in the past. The prologue was enough, in my opinion. This nine years ago, eight years ago, seven years ago…and so on didn't interest me. I was more interested in the present, but it kept going on and on.

The situations are unexciting and quite mundane. Chapter after chapter, and it seemed to be going nowhere. Sadly, I didn't enjoy reading this book.

Who doesn’t love a good holiday romance novel?!? It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only 93 days away!!!! I can’t believe that 2022 is coming to an end and we will be ringing in 2023 in no time! If the holidays get you a little stressed out, this is a great book to read because it will make you smile, laugh and maybe even shed a tear all the while escaping into the land of Molly and Andrew!!!

If you enjoy a clean, friends-to-lovers story that gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling of a Hallmark Christmas story, you will fall in love with this book.

Over the last ten years, Molly and Andrew become friends as they both fly from Chicago to Dublin each year for Christmas. The story spans the last ten years, with flashbacks of previous flights they shared together. It is entertaining to watch their bond grow over the years.

I really relished the ten-year span of flashback stories and each one made me fall more in love with both Molly and Andrew.

The story is light, fun and filled with witty banter. The chemistry between the two is delightful to watch and the current flight brings many challenges with it which uncovers the love that is felt between the two MCs.

It is a joyful read and will definitely give you all the Christmas vibes!! If it’s not on your list of Christmas books to read, I would highly recommend adding it!!

I haven’t read any other books by this author, but I am looking forward to picking up her debut book, One Night Only and her second book, The Rebound very soon!

Christmas in September? Yes, please! I don’t read tons of Rom-Coms but once in a while I like to mix things up, and <b>Holiday Romance</b> was exactly what I was hoping it would be.

Molly and Andrew are friends who for the past 10 years have both taken the same flight home from Chicago to Ireland for Christmas. At the airport and on the flight they catch up on their lives including jobs and significant others. Being home with his family for Christmas means the world to Andrew. This year, their flight gets canceled due to a storm in the Atlantic and Molly vows to do whatever it takes to get him home for Christmas. It it primary told in present day with a brief glimpse into each flight starting from the first one, but those snapshots of the previous plane trips are just enough.

This book checked so many boxes for me. I love the friends-to-lovers trope when it is done right and Catherine Walsh nailed it. The banter, the evolution of their friendship, their conversations all flowed so well and felt very natural. I can honestly say this book made me laugh, gave me warm fuzzies, addressed some serious topics, and I absolutely loved it. Do yourself a favor and snatch this one up when it becomes available. 5 stars.

I got to read this book via #netgalley and it was honestly such a good festive read. The storyline was absolutely adorable, following two main characters and slowly getting to be introduced to their families and how different they are. One is full of Christmas spirit and the other isn't they don't even put up a Christmas tree!

Oh goodness this book was seriously the cutest thing ever. We meet Molly and Andrew, they knew each other because Andrew was dating one her friends who was also her roommate from college, they were on the same flight heading back home to Ireland for the holidays and the rest is history. This is 10 years of flying together and their little friendship banter and humor had me loving this book more and more. Molly knows how important Christmas with the family is to Andrew that when they got stranded at the airport she wanted to work twice as hard to try. And she did just THAT, but the journey they went through together was the cutest and the funniest, even when it came to meeting the family. This book was just EVERYTHING!!!!! I felt like I was celebrating Christmas in September, and Christmas is my fave holiday so this book is a WIN.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

While I found this book very predictable, I still couldn't put it down! It was such a cute and sweet story and I loved the alternating timeline of "now" vs. all of the previous years. I really loved the holiday angle, and although I was able to read this as an advanced reader copy in September, it makes me look forward to Christmas even more than I normally do. Definitely pick this one up!

4.5 ⭐️
Thank you so much NetGalley & Catherine Walsh for this ARC!
Who doesn’t love a good holiday romance?! If you don’t, then that’s a YOU problem. Andrew & Molly are friends who happen to both be from Ireland and travel home for Christmas every year. What better way to make a long flight go by faster than to have someone to talk to. When a major storm derails them, Molly makes it her mission to get Andrew (who’s obsessed with Christmas) back home to his family. Of course it wouldn’t be a friends to lovers romance without a few obstacles. I won’t spoil too much, but I love how Catherine has them fall in love and come to realization. Neither Molly or Andrew had found their perfect person and deep down knew there might be something between them, but is it worth risking their friendship over?

Super cute story about a couple who meets at the airport and keep meeting every year when they both go home for Christmas in Ireland from Chicago.

The story is told from Molly's POV and I liked her honest voice. As we're told their story from the first time to the last, it's clear to see Andrew feels something more and Molly finally catches up. It's a lovely (not easy) as they go from friends to being in love and admitting it to each other. Loved their respective families and how normal they all are.

As someone who goes home to visit her family from Utah to Portugal semi-regularly, what a nightmare trip Molly and Andrew had!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Although early in the season to be picking up a Christmas book, I was thrilled to get my hands on this one! Meet Molly and Andrew who become friends flying back and forth from Chicago to Dublin. The story follows their friendship over 10 years as we read flashbacks to flights they’ve paired on years prior. We feel the presence of Christmas, but this is a book that can be swooned over any time of year.

The story is light, fun and chaotic as year 10 brings new obstacles to getting back to their home country. Low spice level.

A lovely sweet, funny, adorable Christmas themed romcom.

The story spans 10 years and flits between past and present , meaning the characters develop as the book progresses and I really grew to love them. Andrew in particular is a gorgeous leading man; dare I say he reminds me of my husband , not just because he loves Christmas jumpers 🤣

This book has all the warm and fuzzy vibes of a Hallmark Christmas movie ( actually even better because of the laugh out loud moments throughout) so if you're a fan of them, like I am, you will love this book. Perfect to curl up with in front of a christmas tree 🎄

I will definitely be popping this one in a few friends stockings

Andrew and Molly are best friends both Irish and living in Chicago. Their friendship started in an airplane over the holidays and has been going on ever since.
Now after 10 years, when they are traveling back again to Dublin to see their families over Christmas a storm strikes canceling all flights living them stranded in the airport with no solution. However, Molly refuses to give up, especially since Christmas is important to Andrew and him being together with his family. So, a B plan is activated for a flight to Buenos Aires, Paris, London, then through the ferry to Dublin.
Together they embark on a hilarious adventure full of love, Christmas vibes, exploration, laughter, and most importantly discovering their feelings toward each other.

I can't say enough how much I enjoyed reading this book😍😍. It's funny and romantic with amazing and lovable characters. Andrew and Molly's chemistry was off the roof they were so special and beautiful. Their adventure was amazing to read it's something I wished that happens to me it's tiring but full of surprises. Their romance was written beautifully it felt like a Hallmark movie reading this novel.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I can't recommend it enough, it's the perfect Christmas read, and you don't want to miss it.
Read this book if you like:
Friends to lovers troop
Past and present timelines
Traveling
Christmas vibes.