A lovely feel good, romantic, winter story. Perfect to curl up on the sofa with, I read this in a couple of sittings and really enjoyed it. I knew how it was going to end but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy it, really likeable characters. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. It is a lovely, Christmassy read without being overly Christmassy.

I struggled to get into this book. I persevered with it but didn’t love it. I thought it took ages to get going.

I really wanted to enjoy this. I was anticipating this to be a great festive read to give me all the feels, unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. It was a slow burner and dragged on for my own personal preferences. I couldn't really warm to Norah as the main character, but maybe I am just not in the mood for festive reads yet?

The positive thing about this was the amazing scene-setting. The author had clearly done her research, or perhaps visited here herself, as her descriptive language was amazing, and even though Norah's story wasn't for me, it has definitely made me what to look into a holiday to Italy in the new year.

Despite the disappointment of this read, I will be not be put off reading anything by this author in the future. I just have to be in the mood for festive reads, and I can not hold it against the author, that I was not quite there this year!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy!
Cute, cosy, romantic books aren't usually my turn to genre, however something about this one drew me in so was delighted to be accepted!
Read for Netgalley November, I immediately fell for Norah's character and how she was determined to keep to the commitment of meeting up with someone years later on Christmas eve!
Her holiday romance with Andrew was complete italian romantic goals!

I loved the descriptions of Italy and Ireland and how the story was slightly predictable in some parts but I also couldn't put it down!
A must have Christmas cosy read!

Norah met Andrew 10 years ago while on a girls trip in Italy. After hitting it off right away, they make a promise to each other to meet Christmas Eve 10 years later in Dublin. It is now 10 years later and Norah is left with no plans and a whole bunch of airmiles from her mother so she impulsively books a trip to Dublin and drags her old friend Joe along with her. Will Andrew remember? Do they have the same spark?

Opinion:
I was really looking forward to reading this especially after the hype it gained during its publication week but honestly I felt it was a huge let down. I literally got so bored for quite a lot of it. There was a side story about her estranged family in Ireland yet nothing came of it in the end. Also the flashbacks to how Norah and Andrew met made me doubt the reasonings behind Norah wanting to go to Dublin especially since it didn’t feel like they had much of a proper romantic connection. I’ll admit I could tell from the start how the story would play out and I’m not sure I just felt really underwhelmed by the ending. The imagery of Dublin was probably the only good thing about it and seeing street names gave me flashbacks to my holiday there. I would have gave this a lower rating if it wasn’t for that.

I hate to be such a negative person when it comes to reviews but this just didn’t quite do it for me which is a surprise cause I think I’m the first negative review about this book. Maybe the final copy is better?

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. It is a lovely, Christmassy read without being overly Christmassy. I loved the idea of meeting 10 years from now and I really enjoyed finding out how the characters lives have developed and progressed between the past and present. I would really recommend it.

Here we have a lovely Christmas book from #emilybell all about Norah, who had a holiday romance with Andrew a decade ago and they agreed whatever life throws in the way in the meantime, they will meet on Christmas Eve at a set place in Dublin in 2019. And so, despite having lost touch with Andrew years ago, Norah heads off to Dublin with her friend Joe. Will Andrew be waiting for her on Christmas Eve? And if so, will Norah get her HEA? This was a lovely festive read, which flipped between Christmas 2019 in Dublin and Norah and Andrew’s relationship that summer in Italy and until they lost touch. I liked the way each chapter was named after a song. And I loved that this romantic novel wasn’t as predictable as some in this genre. I really enjoyed this and recommend it if festive books are your thing!

A heartwarming winter read.

Norah met Andrew 10 years ago while on holiday on Italy & no one has compared to him since. They'd agreed to meet on Grafton Street, Dublin, in 10 years time, but will he remember his promise? Will he be the man she remembers? Does she have the courage to find out?

What follows is a lovely tale jumping from their past encounters to the present Christmas in Dublin. I loved the song title chapters & that Norah's love of music shone throughout the book. Romantic & warm this is a quick, fun read perfect for those cold winter nights.

What a fabulous Christmas Romance! Perfect book to curl up with a glass of mulled wine, hoping it's snowing outside and you have a huge log fire.

Norah Jones and Andrew meet on holiday in Italy and have a brief romance. They agree to keep in touch and meet in 10 years time, in Dublin outside Bowley's Coffee shop on Christmas Eve.

They don't manage to meet up for years and loose touch; Norah turns to her old faithful friend Joe when her mum cancels Christmas Plans with her. She remembers the promise to meet again in Dublin, so why not go and see if he urns up. Her and Joe will make a holiday of it and treat themselves to stay in am upmarket hotel and be spoilt.

Norah is a singer, teaching music in a school in London, Joe a designer and Andrew is a composer.

The story is a delight, you will fall in love with the characters and hope that Norah finds love but who with??

I will definitely read more of Emily Bells books, as I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

The story is told in past and present tense and is easy to follow and make sense of. I enjoyed reading about Nora and her other girlfriends Caroline and Kiran and how they made their way through from young adults to adults. I loved Nora's character, flawed but pushing her way trough life and its trials. I was rooting for her all the way and really wanted her to get her happy ever after.



I enjoyed how the author added a level of banter and humour it to the book and it made it fun to read. It is a beautiful and charming read and I highly recommend you read it.

Full review on my blog

Baby It’s Cold Outside is such a heartwarming festive read, I loved all the characters and the story has definitely got me in the festive spirit.

The majority of Baby It’s Cold Outside is set in Dublin and as I live there I knew all the places that were mentioned throughout the book and I love when that happens as I can picture everything.

I’ll definitely be reading more books by Emily Bell in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to review such a lovely book.

I started reading holiday romances early this year, although there’s no guarantee that’ll mean I read more than I do most years. This was the first one I picked up, and it was a bit of a mixed bag plotwise. Being set mainly in 2019, with a bunch of flashbacks to 2009, the story managed to avoid talking about the pandemic and lockdowns in the main, which is probably what we need for light reading over the coming winter. On the other hand, I found the apparent leading man difficult to warm to in the flashbacks, and his appearance in the present day came rather late in the story, well after we’d learned all about him through Our Heroine’s rather rose-tinted memories.

Secondary school music teacher Norah Jones was expecting to spend Christmas with her mother and younger brother – as she has every year since her father’s death – but a last-minute change of plan is forced upon her by mother’s impulsive decision to do something else. Not wanting to impose on any of her coupled-up friends and relatives, Norah thinks back to a promise she made to her holiday romance partner in the summer of 2009 and books a holiday in Dublin with the aim of meeting up with him on Christmas Eve. Although they have long since lost touch, Norah is certain that Andrew will also have remembered the plan to meet at his favourite cafe for Christmas 2019.

Realising she will have time on her hands before the planned meeting, Norah persuades Joe, the one other singleton amongst her friends, to accompany her to Dublin to show her around the parts he’s visited before. This leads to a bunch of increasingly unlikely adventures for the pair, all of which seem at least as fun as Norah’s memories of Andrew and Italy. Joe is also tied up in Norah’s memories of her Dad, which makes him even more of a sympathetic character for me, and I did find myself half hoping that Andrew would fail to turn up. The actual ending to that ‘will-they-won’t-they?’ plot-line was actually quite satisfying, but the book then rushed through 2020 in a bit of a whistlestop pandemic-tour. I think I’d rather have had the book end with Norah’s conclusions on the meeting and maybe a little ‘after I returned home, we…’ as a final chapter. I’ve stated my aversion to epilogues enough times in the past, of course.

The two intertwined main plots, set in 2009 and 2019, respectively, worked well, especially the more current one, and I also liked the earlier snippets of Norah’s memories that were wound into them. I enjoyed too meeting the friends she had kept up with since sixth form days and the colleagues and pupils at her current school. Overall, this was a fun read, and I hope to read more from the author.

Norah Jones met Andrew years ago, and they made a pact that, if they were still single in ten years time, they'd meet in Dublin, on Christmas Eve.

Fast forward to the present day, and Norah finds herself at a loose end, so she decides to travel to Dublin, in search of Andrew. Along for the ride is her good friend Joe. During their trip, they meet several fun characters. There's a great description of life in Dublin, and a great Christmas feel to this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this, in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book! A great festive read, where the story builds up to the lead up to Christmas in Dublin.

Andrew and Norah meet in an amazing part of the world, Verona, Italy and have an instant connection. After spending a week together, they make a pact to meet on Grafton Street in Dublin on Christmas Eve ten years later, that is if they aren't together anyway. Normal life continues for them both following their travelling, although things don't turn out quite as they originally planned. The reunion meeting looks like it's the only way they're going to meet up again but will they both turn up? And if they do, will they still want to be together?

The story builds and although I did have an inkling of the main surprise that comes along, it was a great ending to the book. If you are looking for a feel good Christmas romcom, look no further. - this was great!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was light and fluffy, easy to read and so much fun! Would definitely recommend!

Norah Jones is single and it’s nearly Christmas, she’s fed up and wondering what to do with her life. Then she remembers the boy she met on holiday a decade earlier and their promise to meet in Dublin in ten years time on Christmas Eve if they were both single. She decides she has nothing to lose and persuades her good friend Joe to go with her. This novel isn’t as Christmassy as I thought it was going to be but it is a gorgeous read and I got completely swept up in Norah’s story. I was rooting for her the whole way through and hoping she would find the happiness she so deserved. It was also nostalgic learning about her holiday romance with Andrew, it made me remember those times in my life and while I’m very happy to leave them in the past it was fun to see what would happen with Norah and her holiday boyfriend. This is a novel set in the run up to Christmas so you do get snow and nods to the festive season; it’s a great book to curl up with on a cold afternoon. I recommend it!

Norah Jones is a music teacher, who is still obsessing about Andrew, a young man she met ten years before when on holiday.

This is the main reason I struggled with this story. Norah is a full grown woman who has put her life on hold, obsessing over Andrew who she spent a week with in her twenties. Having read the story of this meeting on the holiday, I cannot see why her Iife stopped because of this man who she views as the ‘one who got away’.

This story just wasn’t doing it for me. I know, having read other reviews, that I am in the minority, but I found it boring and predictable. Whilst I am used to getting frustrated with the female protagonists in women’s fiction, Norah annoyed me to a new level.. I like a female lead with character and courage and get up and go, but Norah’s oomph and clearly got up and gone ….

I found this story a disappointment.

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE by EMILY BELL.

Ten years ago Norah met Andrew on holiday in Italy. After their intense holiday romance they both returned to their separate lives with the promise that if they are both single in ten years time they will meet on Christmas Eve in Dublin.
As her plans for Christmas have fallen through, Norah ropes in her friend Joe and they head off to Dublin.
Will Norah get the happily ever after she is hoping for? And if she finds love, who will it be with?

Baby It’s Cold Outside, really is one of those books that envelopes you and holds you in its warmth. Such a charming tale, that will capture your heart and ramp the feel-good factor up to 10!

With some likeable characters, you’ll want to see them get their happily ever after.

Emily Bell does a wonderful job of describing the setting of Dublin and very effectively keeps it real with her descriptions of Irish culture and history.

A really well written, all round lovely, festive read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinMichaelJosephUk for an ARC of #BabyIt’sColdOutside by #EmilyBell.

A really lovely read. Very easy reading with well-written characters and a great story line. A really cosy read. Highly recommended.

I loved this book.

Really easy to read. Norah and Andrew have a holiday romance and they arrange to meet in 10 years time....what will happen? will he turn up?

A heart warming book that I just loved