I love a Christmas read and this one didn't disappoint.

Rose and Charlie who are both seeking solitude over the Christmas holidays end up in a double booked holiday cottage in a small village in Donegal.

The characters are endearing and the vivid descriptions of the setting transport you to Ireland making you crave a snowy festive getaway in a cottage of your own.

The book delves into themes of grief, relationships, and the importance of family. It's a festive feel-good read with plenty of touching moments that will warm your heart.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

This Christmas is a super cute love story set in the magical time of the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Rose is trying to get away from the tragedy that struck her life 3 Christmases before - Charlie's life has been turned upside down when his ex-wife pulls the rug out from under him. They meet unexpectedly when their holiday cottage refuge has been double booked - by each other!
The way their relationship develops over the weeks before the holiday is lovely and although the ending is inevitable, it's not predictable the way Heatherington gets there!
Definitely a read for a cosy evening in with mulled wine and mince pies!
Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review

What a lovely Christmas read. It’s put me so in the mood for a wee Christmas cabin getaway. I enjoyed getting to know Rose and Charlie, both dealing with their own personal grief and issues, then having to deal with the double booking and not having the break away on their own they had intended. While it touches on loss and life’s struggles it still manages to give us romance and a nice Christmassy feel and i really enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy.

This is my first Christmas read of the year and honestly it was such a good one! This was about two people who are both going on their own difficult journeys when they arrive at a secluded cottage in Ireland for Christmas and find out that it’s been double booked. Both Rose and Charlie have their own reasons for running away from Christmas this year, but the magic of Donegal and the cottage, and having to share a cottage with a stranger, might just help them.

I felt for these characters so much. Their stories were so emotional, and I feel like the author really wrote them well. I also really liked that there was a bit of a side story going on with Rose being related to the owners of the cottage and their previous family feuds. I loved that this was dual POV so we got to see part of the story from both of their perspectives.

This was a very heartwarming one and the ending was just the perfect christmassy ending. It was a surprisingly sad book most of the time, but I loved how little bits of Christmas slowly found their way back into the hearts of these two characters and ended up helping them overcome what they needed to. I would definitely recommend this, although be prepared to get teary! The only thing that I think could’ve been added is a bit of backstory with both of their previous partners, and I wish we got to see some more of their relationship getting stronger.

Omg omg i bloody loved it!! Such an easy romantic read! Just what i needed! Im in my Christmas spirit!

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This Christmas
Author: Emma Heatherington
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: Oct. 26, 2023

This Christmas by Emma Heatherington is about Rose, who is facing yet another solitary Christmas without her fiancée, tragically killed in a car accident, and Charlie, facing his first Christmas without his daughter, who has moved to another country with her biological Mom and his ex-wife. They are both at an all-time low when they reserve a remote cabin for the holidays separately, which ends up double-booked. At first, they make it work for one night because of car troubles, but as the week before Christmas progresses, so do their feelings. There is nothing like a charming Ireland cottage by the sea to make magic happen at the happiest time of the year. This is a sweet story for Christmas that everyone will like. #ThisChristmas @EmmaHeatherington @NetGalley @RandomHouseUK #love #loss #sadness #joy #secondChanceRomance #romance #Ireland #Fiction #Christmas #holidays #magic @Penguin #prettycover #slowburn #opendoor
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Penguin Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: October 26, 2023.
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Rose and Charlie both have some emotional issues to deal with during the holidays. All they want is to be left alone to grieve their respective losses. From different parts of Ireland, they converge on a cottage rental that has for, all intents and purposes, been double booked. Throw in a convenient car breakdown, and you have a forced proximity story between two strangers who don't want anyone else around. The magic of the season, some beautiful landscape (I need to go to Donegal now), some great supporting characters, and you get the miracle that is Christmas. It was a great Hallmark holiday movie story that had tears flowing in the end.

Set in Ireland on the Atlantic Coast. Rose Quinn is grieving the death of her partner Michael. Her intention is to spend Christmas with her dog George locked away in a small cottage once owned by her grandmother now called Sea View Cottage.
Charle is also hoping to get away from Christmas and spend time in Sea View cottage with just his dog Max.
Life gets difficult for Rose and Charlie when they discover they have double booked the cottage.
I loved the way Charlie and Rose handled the double booking. This was a feel good romance about grief, family and relationships with two adorable dogs.
Full of touching moments and misunderstandings.
Thank you NtGalley and publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

A lovely warm read, just perfect for the festive season.

Rose and Charlie are complete strangers but both, for reasons best known to them, can't face Christmas at home this year. However, the idea of spending the season in an isolated cottage in the Irish countryside appeals so much to each of them that the both end up in the same, one-bedroom, cottage. As the cottage owners bicker over who is to blame, Rose and Charlie just have to make the best of it . . .

There's a lot more going on between the covers of this one than just Rose and Charlie and it is definitely one to curl up with and savour. There's nothing like a village setting at Christmas and two strangers learning how to live with each other whilst longing to be on their own. Beautifully written, this is a lovely cosy read and one I really enjoyed. 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.d

4 stars

I read this while on holiday in a cabin in the woods in the autumn and all that was missing was the snow that would've made this a near perfect reading scenario.

#ThisChristmas by @emmaheatheringtonwriter is the perfect cosy Christmas read.

The story of two people, Rose and Charlie - plus dogs Max and George - who want solitude at Christmas and to forget it's even happening as they both face the holiday season without something dear to them. Unfortunately they end up double booking the same 1 bedroom cottage and with Rose unable to leave due to car issues they end up having to make it work, while avoiding any contact communicating only by text and whiteboard messages.

But, of course, they start to warm to the season and each other.

I enjoyed this and loved Emily's writing and would definitely read others.

The ending felt a little rushed but didn't change my enjoyment as it was neatly wrapepd inn a bow.

#ThisChristmas by @emmaheatheringtonwriter is out now thank you to them and @Netgalley for the review copy.

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It’s honestly difficult to express how much I loved this book. It was just a warm, soft, beautiful hug of a book, and such a lovely balm for these dark and cold days.

Now, I am someone who loves a festive book. It doesn’t matter how ridiculous and over the top a Christmas book is, I’ll still love it. And I completely fell in love with This Christmas. I couldn’t put it down, I read it in a day and want to read more by the author.

The book has elements of The Holiday and features all of your favourite tropes; enemies (kind of, I guess) to lovers, only one bed and grumpy sunshine (although really, they’re both kind of grumpy). They all blend so well together to create such an enjoyable read.

The thing I possibly enjoyed the most was the setting. It is set in a small village called Fanad Head in Donegal and just completely reignited my desire to visit more parts of Ireland. The descriptions are so so beautiful and wonderful, and makes me want to just jump straight into the book. It’s wintery, cold, lively, musical and just heartwarming.

There is a lot of heart in this book; both Rose and Charlie are dealing with heavy hearts and being alone on Christmas. The way that they find each other and help each other work through their trauma is so lovely and heartwarming. This book is like a cosy cup of tea.

And I really loved Rose and Charlie; they were both such lovely protagonists and had so much chemistry. They didn’t just fall straight for each other right away, they had to work towards it.

While I would still definitely give the book five stars, I would note that the last fifty pages or so did feel ever so slightly rushed, perhaps? However, it didn’t retract from my enjoyment.

It is a really lovely, cosy and heartwarming book that is perfect for a romantic, wintery read!

The best “The Holiday” vibes to get you ready for the literal holidays. Both Rose and Charlie are planning on spending Christmas alone this year. Each is missing someone dearly and can’t stomach the idea of spending the holidays with someone else. Literally anyone else. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for them, life has other plans. The magical cabin by the sea has been double booked and now the two are stuck together.
Luckily, the holidays are for keeping others close and soon the two people who want nothing to do with anyone during the holidays,are drawn to each other, a true Christmas miracle.

I liked the idea of this book, and it dealt with particularly difficult topics which I usually enjoy as an addition to the general romance genre. That being said, it felt like it wrapped up a little to quickly and perfectly at the end. Both people who had some deep seated issues had healed the majority of those over a very short time.

I did love the Holiday spirit throughout the book and the characters themselves were very loveable and I was totally rooting for them.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Emma Heatherington for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This book is absolutely amazing. The descriptions are so touching and vivid. As soon as I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I recommend this book to every other reader out there.

This was a lovely Christmas romance. Leading characters Rose and Charlie both have really strong, emotional background stories that made their longing to escape Christmas wholly convincing. The hurt and loss that contrived to keep them exploring their feelings for each other was also very believable.
It's a real art to take grief as the main theme of a romance and yet make the story sufficiently light to keep the warm glow of a seasonal setting to the forefront for the reader all the way through. This author does it admirably
The setting was as Christmassy as it can get, with snow-covered cottages, cosy pubs, Christmas fayres and carol singing. I loved the two dogs in the story, too! A warm and ultimately joyful festive read.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I’m really glad I requested it from NetGalley.

The feel of the story is not particularly Christmassy considering the title, but it was a winter warmer of a tale. Rose and Charlie were both lovely protagonists and I really enjoyed the alternating chapters between their POV. Both dreading Christmas for different reasons, both forced upon each other by festive fate.

I really enjoyed finding out the reasonings behind their initial Scrooge like behaviour, and finally seeing them both warm to the holiday season.

A great read!

This Christmas is a heartwarming Christmas read. Rose decides to get away for the Christmas break after a tragedy and books to stay at an air bnb cottage. On arriving Rose finds that the cottage is double booked by another guest Charlie who also is running away from his life circumstances. Unfortunately Charlie booked the cottage first so is allowed to stay but when Rose has car trouble she has nowhere else to go . Rose and Charlie determine it’s only one night together in this unconventional arrangement but when the mechanic fails to get the part and snow begins to fall Rose finds herself having to stay. Can Rose and Charlie survive Christmas together and can they help fix each other?

This book is beautiful and gave me vibes of my favourite Christmas film the holiday with snow and festive fun . It also tackles more serious issues like grief and loss in a sensitive way. I really enjoyed this book and if you like good feel Christmassy small town romances with forced proximity with a happy ending give it a go !

A charming Winter tale of love and loss. A double booking at Christmas at a remote cottage with loads of festive charm and great descriptions. Very relatable characters and enough intrigue to keep me engaged. A quick wintery read.

I can see quite clearly why this has been likened to The Holiday. Both of our main characters have suffered like those 4 and while you will need a box of tissues and possibly a little anger management during the read, the ending is just as heart-warming and filled with resolution and joy as that movie.
The writing for this story is so easy to read, it's broken down into chunks by each day and then the story is told from both Rose & Charlie's perspective alternating by chapter.
The development of these main characters is such that you will laugh, cry & get angry for them as the story progresses and their issues with life become revealed. Understanding why these two are trying to escape the festive season is key to this story and seeing them starting to understand each other as well as themselves is beautiful.
The effect they have on the characters around them is interesting to read and keeps the story flowing nicely so that we get to have a really well rounded appreciation for who each of our lead characters are.
I'm sure you can tell I really enjoyed this read and I will be looking out for more by this author in future.

If you want a cosy Christmas story where you hudle up with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate then this is the book for you.
This is an emotional journey about the two main characters in why they find Christmas a difficult time but with friendship and care, the story unfolds and is wonderfully heartwarming.
There are some brilliantly witty lines thrown in that made me laugh.
Overall a great cosy story.

This Christmas by Emma Heatherington is a cute and festive romcom.

Rose is looking for solitude again this Christmas. Charlie's Christmas won't be the same without his daughter so he plans a get away for the festive season. However there is a double booking at the holiday cottage and they end up having to share.

The forced proximity trope usually creates some steamy tension and banter between the characters. While it was there I felt that the pace was too slow and the repetitive thoughts of the characters hindered moving the plot forward. The ending was really sweet and heartwarming though.

I did love the location of this novel. A small town, blanketed in snow definitely added the festive feels and created a cosy Christmas vibe.

Overall this was a pleasant, heartwarming story. Thank you Netgalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for providing me with a review copy.