A slow-burn romance with forced proximity and family drama. The two MCs are dealing with their own issues, and when they have to share a cottage at Christmas time, they are reluctant to share much with each other. I would have loved to know more earlier in the story, but the drawing out of the reveal might be exactly the type of story someone else wants.

Lovely readable tale about two lonely strangers who are snowed in to a Seaview Cottage in Ireland. Rose and Charlie try their best to avoid each other and the awkward situation but the inevitable happens, as in any good love story, and they Elgin to warm to each other, bonding over their dogs and their sadness.
It’s a read to snuggle up with, hot chocolate and a warm blanket, as this is how the book makes you feel.

Rose Quinn has always loved Christmas until 3 years ago her life changes for ever. Desperate to get away from Dublin and the twinkling lights and parties she decides to spend it alone in a remote country cottage which holds many memories.
When Charlie decides he wants to spend Christmas alone after his ex wife and daughter Rebecca move to live in Tenerife he also books Seaview Cottage.
When Charlie and Rose decide to share the cottage for Christmas nothing goes as planned.
I loved the description of the cottage and the surrounding area.
A beautiful story of lost love,families and how 2 strangers can help to heal each others hearts.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this lovely book.

This was an enjoyable, cosy festive read. I liked the characters, especially the canine ones. The setting in Ireland was gorgeous.
I thought that the pace of the story was too slow for some parts, but then too quick in other parts. Overall I liked this book.

A beautiful festive read, this is such a lovely book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Well written, with engaging dialogue, but oh so predictable.
I was willing for the characters to have a fling, get what they needed from each other and move on with their lives.

Emma Heatherington weaves a Christmas tale against the beautiful backdrop of Donegal.

🎄BOOK REVIEW 🎄

#ThisChristmas by #EmmaHeatherington

➡️synopsis

So I hate to let my inner Scrooge out this early in December but I did end up DNFing this one…

So on paper this one should be the prefect Christmas read and it was to an extent. Two people who had reasons to not want to celebrate Christmas end up double booking the same cottage and from there the story begins.

It had the right characters and the prefect chocolate box locations / cottage tick tick. Snow was falling and the fire roaring tick tick. Both characters had interesting backgrounds which really intrigued me, but my goodness it was just too slow for my liking and very repetitive - not even the want to know how it all wrapped up could get me to pick it back up again and I gave up around 80%.

I am bereft as it’s got great reviews elsewhere and it’s from one of my favourite Christmas authors, reading her books yearly tradition, but well yea what is there to say other than just not for me this time.

With thanks the author EH, @netgalley and #penguin for allowing us to read this one.

OUT NOW

Anyone else read this one? Should I have finished it???

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

This was overall quite cute, although the main characters didn't actually interact for a good portion of the book. It wasn't the most realistic and the conflicts seemed easily fixed. They were also WAY too chill about one of the dogs going missing??? I would also suggest checking trigger warnings as death is mentioned a fair amount. Overall, quite cute and cosy, but I would've like more in-person bonding. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Rose Quinn and Charlie Sheerin should never have met but when they are both inadvertently brought together by a Christmas double booking at Seaview Cottage they have no choice but to make the best of the situation. Both of them, for very different reasons, are nursing a broken heart and this gentle story about the healing power of love is sprinkled with a generous helping of friendship, romance and Christmas magic.

With a winter wonderland setting, magical walks through a snow-laden forest and with a tug away at the old heartstrings with Rose's poignant connection to a majestic old lighthouse This Christmas had everything I wanted in a festive read. There's definitely a 'will, they, won't they romantic vibe and with a generous cast of quirky characters who each bring something quite special, including two wonderful canine companions, this magical story captures your heart from the beginning. The ending melted my heart and left me with a wonderful warm glow.

This was a nice enough, festive read. In fact the festive feel of rural setting was my favourite thing about the book.

It was sold to me as having ‘The Holiday’ vibes, and I can see this. But for me, I had zero emotional connection to the characters.

I didn’t get how Rose was some efficient boss-woman at work at the beginning of the story and then later on when she is in the cottage she suddenly becomes a chaotic messy slob??

But aside from the that it was a good storyline and the back story of both characters were good and had depth.

I especially enjoyed the end scenes of the book and how it all turned out.

Just isn’t up there with my fav festive reads.

Thank you to @netgalley for a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A lovely romantic festive read! The book draws you in and makes you feel that you are part of the story watching the characters story unfold.

This Christmas is the perfect Christmas book to read and get all cosy with. I absolutely loved every minute, I absolutely adored Rosie and Charlie, what a perfect couple they make!

“This Christmas” is absolutely everything you want from a Christmas themed book. Too often I see books marketed as being for the festive season but Christmas barely gets a mention. This on the other hand, goes all out!

It follows the stories of two characters: Rose, who lost her partner in an accident a few years ago on Christmas Eve and who has spent every Christmas since alone and this year decides to retreats to a familiar cottage; and Charlie who is devastated being separated from his little girl (who has gone to live overseas with her Mum and new Stepdad) and is offered a stay at a cottage by a friend so that he can get some head space. Unfortunately, both end up at the same cottage and circumstances conspire so that they end up having to share over Christmas. Do they end up helping or hindering each other’s recoveries?

All of this is told against the backdrop of a snowy, wintry setting in Ireland with a cute village and festive goings on. And while none of the plot is particularly surprising, I was really impressed with the way Rose’s grief was dealt with and I applaud the author for that.

This is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold December day. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Charlie and Rose are both trying to escape at Christmas time. Unfortunately they have been double booked into an isolated cottage.
The book follows their week up to Christmas while they try to deal with their own personal issues as well as sharing a small cottage.
It's kind of predictable but a pretty cosy Christmas story.
For some reason the emotion just didn't quite hit for me.

Rate: 4,5⭐️

Read if you like:

❄️Christmassy vibes,
❄️Forced proximity,
❄️Polar opposite,
❄️Dual POV,
❄️Healing.

I really loved it, its Christmassy vibes, slow burn🔥, main characters and their dogs.

Both Rose and Charlie want to hide away from their reality, they both look for solitude and peace in order to fight their demons and they happen to find themselves in a secluded cottage in Donegal which is... double booked..

What I found in this book: Christmas magic, delightful characters, great chemistry between Rose and Charlie, wonderful, cosy love story, wise thoughts, healing, dealing with loss.

I recommend this charming story to everyone who is looking for a bit of Christmas magic in a book about loss and love. Add it to your festive tbr.

Rose and Charlie, both dealing with Christmas-related pain and loneliness, plan to spend the holiday season alone. Rose escapes to a cottage in rural Donegal to find solace, while Charlie faces his first Christmas without his loved ones.

However, when they discover that their holiday rental, Seaview Cottage, has been double-booked, their plans for solitude are disrupted. Faced with the unexpected company of a stranger, they must decide whether to spend the holiday season together. A heartwarming story about finding comfort and companionship during a time of year that holds painful memories for them.

A very cozy holiday story that definitely delivered on the Christmas feels but felt lacking in other areas.

I didn't really buy into the intensity of romantic feelings or the resolution to some pretty deep seated issues for the main characters in such a short space of time (especially when a lot of those 9 days weren't actually spent talking to each other)

That said; all the characters were likeable, the setting was picturesque and the Christmas feels were in abundance. A nice read overall.

I just loved this. It was festive, quaint and just a lovely read.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I liked both main characters - and their adorable dogs - but sadly there wasn't much of a plot. Aside from a lot of soul-searching and repetitive thoughts nothing much actually happened - the main characters didn't even talk for most of the book. Yet despite being a slow-burn the romance was rapid which also didn't really seem to fit with the characters and what they'd both been through. That said I liked the author's previous book 'Rewrite the Stars' so seemingly it was just this particular story that didn't resonate with me for whatever reason.

A cute festive read that packs a punch of emotion but with the right amount of cosiness too!

Will be recommending for the holidays.