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

The tag line on Catherine Walsh's Holiday Romance caught my attention and this story did not disappoint! This adorable tale takes readers through the span of 10 years of flights as Molly and Andrew head home to their own corners of Ireland year after year for Christmas. Andrew is Mr. All About Christmas Festivities while Molly tends to be Little Miss Just Doing This to See Family. What started as a happen-chance meeting on the airplane turns into a holiday tradition. Somewhere along the way Andrew and Molly develop a friendship and they start giving gifts to each other when they meet at the airport for their annual trip homeward.

This year however a storm has blown in and threatens to derail their flight preventing Andrew from getting home to celebrate all the things with his family. Molly makes it her mission to ensure he gets there in time for Christmas Day. Through their round about travels and the flash backs over previous years, Molly and Andrew come face to face with their true feelings about each other.

This book will get you into the holiday spirit, make you giggle, and root for these two precious characters!

Over All Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heat Rating: Some spice in this Christmas Treat

Emotional Rating: 😍

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Catherine Walsh for the advanced reader copy!

A cute romance book, would definitely recommend to my friends who love a good romcom novel. The book was unexpectedly quite funny too which I enjoyed and made finishing the book a lot quicker. Very well-written and engaging.

I can't say no to a Christmas story and Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh was an adorable read! Molly and Andrew captured my heart immediately and I could not stop turning the page to dive deeper into their story. This friends to lovers trope had me rooting for them over the ten years of their friendship.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Holiday Romance' by Catherine Walsh.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Catherine Walsh, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 4th October 2022.

This is the third book I have read by this author. I have previously read her debut novel 'One Night Only and' The Rebound'' and would highly recommend them both!!

I was originally drawn to this book by its colourful cover and intriguing, hilarious sounding synopsis and title. I am also a huge fan of Catherine Walsh after falling in love with her book 'One Night Only' and 'The Rebound' so if this book is half as good as that one was it is bound to be an amazing read!!! The synopsis stated that this book is 'A totally gorgeous and escapist friends-to-lovers festive romance with a swoon-worthy hero. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Mhairi McFarlane, and Christina Lauren'.I am a huge fan of Sophie so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 28 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Chicago, USA 🇺🇸 and Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪 ,UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Ireland on many occasions so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.

This book is written in first person perspective and the protagonist is Molly. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.


LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOOVVVEEE , LOVED IT!!!A HUGE WELL DONE CATHERINE ON YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC BOOK ♥!!!

This is a fantastically written book that has vivid descriptions which will make you feel that you are breathing the Irish air, feeling the snow and will get you in the festive spirit!! It takes you on a journey from Chicago to Paris to Ireland and more and I was devastated when I had to pack my case to come back home and leave Christmas behind 😭 The title, synopsis and cover suit the storyline perfectly.

The storyline itself is romantically charged and filled with love, friendship, Christmas, family, comedy, romance, fun and absolutely everything you could want in an absolutely stunning rom com!!! It definitely reminded me of Bridget Jones during some parts!! I absolutely loved watching Molly and Andrew go from their first flight to their last. Watching their friendship develop and then turn into romance was so sweet and I absolutely fell in love with this book!! I was so absorbed in the storyline that when I looked up I was wondering where on earth the Mistletoe and Christmas decorations were!! This is the first festive book I have read this year and it has already got me in the festive mood!! The atmosphere was gorgeous and I was completely swept away!! This book had me in stitches on several occasions and at other times left me sitting there going awww and getting some very strange looks!! There was plenty going on and I absolutely loved every moment of it. The storyline is unique and I think it is such a fantastic plot I really would love to see this turned into a movie!! I would be the first barging their way in front to get tickets!!

It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

There were so many large and unique personalities in this book!! I love how Molly and Andrew had such different feelings about Christmas, they genuinely couldn't have been more different. Andrew was desperate to get home in time, loved all things Christmasy and is obsessed with Christmas jumpers. His family just had to be together for Christmas or it would be ruined. Molly did not see what all the fuss was about, refused to wear anything that resembled Christmas and is quite happy to stay in Chicago to spend Christmas away from her family. Watching these two people who I became completely invested in grow closer and closer was beautiful. I was completely swept away and it felt like I was next to them as they travelled on planes, taxis, cars and ferry's. I would stress along with Molly and smile along with Andrew. Andrew's family were also a massive hit for me and I absolutely adored them, I also think his Mum was very sweet and I really did enjoy watching all the seperate relationships develop and change. This book was filled with a lovely range of characters and I would absolutely love to meet them all again!! Hint hint Catherine 😉

DO NOT START THIS UNTIL YOU CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!!

Yet another stunning read by Catherine!! If you are looking for that perfect read to lift your spirits, get you in the Christmas spirit make you laugh then what are you waiting for?? I

Well done Catherine on yet another stunning page turner and for making me laugh, swoon and smile!!! I'm looking forward to your next success!!! This is exactly why you are on my top 3 rom com authors list ♥

Overall an absolutely gorgeous, festive, feel good, page turning novel filled with friendships, Christmas, love, friendship and family that will keep you up late at night.


Genres covered in this book include Humour, Romance Novel, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Humorous Fiction, Romantic Comedy, General Humorous Fiction, General Fiction and Contemporary Romance amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Bridget Jones diaries, Kristen Bailey, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Mhari McFarlane, Christina Lauren and anyone who is looking for a lift me up page turner that is perfect to get you in the festive spirit!!


354 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

#HolidayRomance #Bookouture #CatherineWalsh #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@CatherineWalsh @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86

https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhitlock86/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34299953-kirsty-bookworm86

My Thoughts: I finished this book a couple of hours ago and I STILL have a smile on my face.. it’s just so cute!

We’re following Andrew and Molly as they fly home for Christmas, they live in Chicago but both are from Ireland..

That first year, sitting next to Andrew was Mollys worst nightmare, he was going out with her best friend.. the best friend who has just told her that she’s cheating on him with someone else, she wants the ground to swallow her up or at least for him not to recognise her, fortunately for her neither happens.

The main bulk of the story is now, the 10th year they’ve flown home together & the one that could change both of their lives forever when their plane is grounded by a snow storm, but we also get to see the past too, their experiences from every other flight.

I love a dual (or multiple?) timeline story because you get the whole picture and you get little hints to where the now story line will head, you can see the moment Andrew falls in love with molly and all the little things he does for her to show it even if she doesn’t realise it at the time..

I know I’m jumping around in my review here but meh, once you’ll read the book it’ll all make sense 🤣

Molly doesn’t seem to bothered when the flight home is grounded, Christmas isn’t a big thing in her family, but when she sees how broken Andrew is she decides to do everything in her power to get them home for Christmas.. a journey that seems to be blocked in all directions, a journey that will take them all over and then further still, we see Paris and london amongst other places. But will they make it home?

The friendship between Andrew and Molly was everything, they knew how to have a laugh and a joke together, the sarcasm, banter and wit had me laughing out loud, but then on the next page they could be adorable and lovely and have me swooning and wanting them to just get together 🤣

Full of unforgettable characters like Ollie, Zoé, Hannah and Christian, this is the ultimate will they won’t they friends to lovers romance that will leave you unable to put it down and have you on the edge of your seat.

I cannot recommend it enough ❤️

🐧❤️

This was the perfect holiday romance! The banter between Molly and Andrew was fantastic, so electric. It gave me butterflies and the warm and fuzzies.

While I'm not usually a fan of 'closed door' romances, this is the exception! Overall a hilarious, well-written novel that I will recommend to everyone who dares to make eye contact with me. Congrats Catherine Walsh on the perfect Christmas romcom!

I’d like to first say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh. I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cute Christmas Rom-Com (which happens to be one of my favorite genres).
This second chance (or third or fourth depending on how you look at it) trope worked so well for this story. At first I was a little thrown off by the non-sequential timeline writing… the story flashes back and forth between present time and the different flights the two main characters have taken together over the years to get home for Christmas. Once I got used to it, I couldn’t put it down and was totally enthralled in the book.
My favorite part of this story was how the main characters have different relationships with their families, but are able to help each other see the importance of what’s going on on their lives (all while realizing how much they mean to each other). I am a sucker for a storyline where everyone else but the two people involved know they’re perfect for one another. I love the realization moment! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an endearing Holiday story! Thanks again for the opportunity to read the ARC.

What a sweet holiday romantic comedy! This one was a fun play on a reverse grump + sunshine (who doesn’t love a sunshine MMC?!) while still making our grumpy FMC likable and someone to root for. Her anxiety was relatable, the doomsday mentality something I totally connected with. Our MMC was one that soothed her rough edges, got her out of her spiral in silky and fun ways. I loved the flashbacks to get to see how their friendship progressed and the little moments that hinted at more. This was a believable friends to lovers story and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season!

Holiday Romance - Reseña (Colaboración Netgalley)

ENGLISH
Besties, such a wonderful book! I read it in September, with the leftover heat of summer, and in a few hours I had finished it. I laughed, got frustrated and even cried a little bit.

In this book we follow Molly, who lives in Chicago, on her trip to Dublin to see her family for Christmas. What's interesting is that for the past ten years she has shared those hours with a "friend" (come on, girl. We know you like each other, now kiss), Andrew. The beginning of this relationship? Hilarious (to me, because for these two characters it was a super awkward moment but what a laugh). But I'm not going to tell you about it because I got a kick out of the drama.

What you will find here is: sexual tension and drama, lots of drama. If you liked The Love Hypothesis, I assure you that you will like this book. Besides being funny, the author's penmanship hooks you, but in a way that it seems as if the pages are glued to your fingers and it is impossible to escape (although, believe me, you won't want to escape).

If none of this convinces you, I'll tell you that I was going to upload the review last week but since I was going to buy the book in paper no matter what, I decided to wait until I got it so I could take a proper picture. You have to read it, really. I need to discuss this with someone. PLEASE READ THIS.

I don't know what else to say except that I want to read it again and that it has left me wanting to read more books from the author, which I assure you will be falling in my hands because there is one that is about a one-night stand that may take longer than expected... Can you tell that I like that kind of situations where it is a little bit awkward? Yes.


SPANISH
Mira, mira, mira. ¡Qué maravilla! Lo he leído en septiembre, con el calor sobrante del verano y en unas horas lo había terminado. Me he reído, me he frustrado y hasta he llorado un poquito.

En este libro seguimos a Molly, que vive en Chicago, en su viaje a Dublín para ver a su familia por Navidad. Lo interesante es que durante los últimos diez años ha compartido esas horas con un amigo, Andrew. ¿El inicio de esta relación? Divertidísimo (para mí, porque para estos dos personajes fue un momento súper incómodo pero ¡qué risa!). Pero no os lo voy a decir porque me hizo mucha gracia el drama y no me lo vi venir.

Lo que encontraréis aquí es: tensión sexual y drama, mucho drama. Si os gustó The Love Hypothesis, os aseguro que este libro os va a gustar. Además de que es muy divertido, la forma de escribir de la autora te engancha, pero de esa forma que parece que se te han pegado las páginas a los dedos y te es imposible escapas (aunque, creedme, no vais a querer escapar).

Si nada de esto os convence, os diré que iba a subir la reseña la semana pasada pero que como me iba a comprar el libro en papel sí o sí, decidí esperar a que me llegara para poder hacer una foto en condiciones. Tenéis que leerlo, de verdad. Yo necesito comentar esto con alguien.

Es que no sé qué más decir que me lo quiero volver a leer y que me ha dejado con ganas de leer más de la autora, que os aseguro que irán cayendo porque hay uno que va de un rollo de una noche que igual se alarga más de lo esperado… ¿Se nota que me gustan ese tipo de situaciones? Sí.

Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This has been one of the most heartfelt, wholesome, fun and quirky friends-to-lovers book I've ever read! It has a unique premise and set-up that I rarely see: an unexpected flight buddy for 10 years for winter/Christmas break and a messy trip on their 10 flights anniversary! It's well-written, the then and now narratives was executed beautifully. Showing how they feelings grow and naturally developed. The characters are adorable! Their banters and chemistry are so great and enjoyable. I love how the festive spirit is so strong here, even though I'm not celebrating xmas, but i do feel the joy portrayed in the story!

Overall, this is a funny, laugh-out-loud, slow-burn romcom that's perfect for holiday season!

Charming, funny and magical. I absolutely adored it. The main characters are very likable and you really root for them. The perfect (Christmas) romcom read.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

THIS WAS SUCH A CUTE HOLIDAY ROMANCE.

I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone looking for a book with holiday spirit.

I think that the friends to lovers trope is becoming one of my favorites. Molly and Andrew were chefs kiss! I loved the back and forth between the past and present, which gave us a journey to get their HEA.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the eARC!

This was easily one of the most effortlessly charming rom-coms I’ve ever read. I genuinely liked both Molly and Andrew right off the bat, and their traveling shenanigans were so much fun to follow along! I’m usually not the biggest fan of friends to lovers, but it was done so organically and beautifully in Holiday Romance that I just might have to reconsider my stance on the trope. I swooned, I laughed, I got emotional — I loved the space the author created for talk about the fear of making difficult choices for the life you want to build for yourself rather than the life that will make the most money.
Bonus points for Andrew’s family who was absolutely amazing.
This book put me in a Christmas mood and I don’t care if it’s early (it’s never early for Christmas cheer)!
Holiday Romance releases on October 4th, and I promise you won’t regret picking it up! 🎄✨

What a great holiday romance book!

I just loved the characters and I enjoyed the journey they took me on. The pain of the flight delays was very relatable and I appreciated the holiday spirit. I couldn't put this book down.

The only way it could have been better for me was if I'd read it in December.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book. My feedback is honest.

Molly and Andrew have been friends for ten years. Every year at Christmas, they spend several hours together on the last flight out from Chicago to Dublin. They drink terrible airline wine and catch on what has been happening in their lives. However, this time, a freak snowstorm grounds their flight. Molly could do without Christmas, but Andrew loves every minute of it, so she realises what missing this time with his family will mean to him. So she does the impossible and vows to get him home in time for Christmas dinner. What follows, is a series of taxi rides, plane trips, boats and train journeys, that might have rethought what they mean to each other.
Andrew is such a great guy, that it would be difficult not to fall in love with him and Molly is a scream. Their dialogue was entertaining and the chemistry just right. This was a great lead up to Christmas and with some great secondary characters, I found myself get ready for the festive season.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For ten years Molly and Andrew have spent the last flight before Christmas between Chicago and Dublin together. Here they catch up on each other's lives.

This year when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight Molly decides she will do anything to get Andrew home to his family.

Along the way will she tell him how she feels?

I loved this book. Such a cute christmasy read.

My sincere thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my opinion of it in the following mini review.

Molly and Andrew are both from Ireland and living in Chicago. They take the same flight home for Christmas every year for 10 years. They develop a friendship that finally becomes more when they are forced to spend even more time together when their flight is cancelled, and they attempt to find a way to get back to Ireland by Christmas. This book reminded me of The People You Meet on Vacation in some ways. We are taken back in time to each of their previous Christmas flights and see what happens to draw them closer or apart. I really did enjoy this book. I don't know that I would agree with the caption that this was "totally hilarious", but there were some cute moments. Readers looking for a low stress Christmas read should definitely check out this book.

Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh

This book was simply delightful. Definitely one of my favourites, if not favourite, romcom of the year.

Andrew and Molly travel home to Ireland every year for Christmas. After 2 years in a row of being on the same flight they end up making it a tradition and always travel together. This story goes back and forth between each of their flights and present day (their 10th flight) when their flight was cancelled, they kiss under mistletoe, and everything changes. It gave me big People We Meet On Vacation vibes (but better 😉).

This is in the realm of holiday classics like the Holiday for me, I need to buy a physical copy so I can reread it every year. I just really loved it. It was hysterical and the characters were perfect. I honestly wouldn’t have changed a thing - and that’s really rare for me to say. But I loved it all. It was witty, charming and fun.

Their honesty with each other was so refreshing. There was no wondering and miscommunications. They just talked about everything regularly. Amazing! Their romance felt completely natural and realistic yet also frustrating, the exact right combo needed for a good romcom.

Please pick this one up this holiday season, I would love to see it getting all the attention it deserves. Thank you to @bookouture for my copy, this came out on Tuesday!

#holidayromance #holidayromancebooks #catherinewalsh #catherinewalshauthor #christmasbooks #christmasromcom #favouritebooks #bookishthoughts #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookouture #gifted #bookrecommendation #kindle #ebook #netgalley #readthisbook #readmorebooks #holidaybooks #bookworm #catherinewalshbooks #lovetoread

Be still my heart, this book grabbed me in ALL my holiday feels!

Molly Kinsella and Andrew Fitzpatrick have been at each others’ sides for their Christmas trip back home to their families in Ireland every year for ten years. Despite living largely separate lives in their adopted city, Chicago, they’ve stayed in touch and supported one another as best friends through jobs, life events and both of their strings of failed relationships.

This year - their 10th trip - plans get shaken up by a winter storm that threatens to ground them at the airport. Molly knows how important it is to Andrew to spend Christmas with his family, and her sister, Zoe, is about to give birth, so she’s not about to let Mother Nature ruin things.

What starts out looking like a trip from hell, though, may just be the best journey they’ve ever gone on together …

I adored Molly and Andrew! These two are hilarious together. They’re sweet, snarky, playful, sometimes grumpy, but always there for each other. I won’t say that there was no sap whatsoever, but I didn’t think the book suffered from “Hallmark syndrome” (I made that up), and Molly and Andrew’s interactions and thoughts felt real in a way that I haven’t often felt about other book characters. I also loved their families - especially Zoe, and Andrew’s sister, Hannah.

As for romance, there’s a little bit of spice in that holiday punch, if you know what I mean, but it stays reasonably tasteful. You can skip a couple pages if that stuff bothers you.

My only tiny disappointment was that I got almost to the end without the predictable "problem that threatens the relationship", and I really hoped this one might refreshingly not go there, but alas it did. Honestly, though, the book's good points far outweighed that minor gripe, and the ending made my heart smile!

If you want a charming story that will make you laugh, smile and maybe make your heart beat a little faster, this is a perfect choice!

★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5) ❤️

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and author Catherine Walsh for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s now available.