This is a nice easy Christmas read with two singletons separately checking in to a holiday cottage in remote Ireland, unfortunately the cottage has been double booked.

The pair decide to stay and mainly ignore the other and communicate via message and whiteboard.

It is a nicely told story but I felt that some of it was quite slow and the last few chapters wrapped up so quickly the story was over before all the ends had been tied up.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely, heartwarming Christmas read. Dealing with sad topics around Christmas time and how important it is to spend it with your loved ones. Charlie and Rose were both so sweet and I loved how their story unfolded

Rose and Charlie meet in Donegal, where both of them have their own reasons for escaping for Christmas. I liked how it was told from both points of view and the setting.

What a wholesome, heartwarming, delight of a book this was 😍

Rose is grieving the loss of her partner, Michael, three years previous on Christmas Eve. She feels that she is to blame for his death, and as such, has not let herself celebrate Christmas ever since. She plans to spend it alone, until she feels that she deserves to enjoy it again. This Christmas, she contacts her cousin Rusty to ask if she can stay in their family cottage. This is a bit of a risk as the cottage has caused a massive family feud. But Rusty says yes, and Rose heads off to spend Christmas in solitude.

What she doesn’t bank on is for the cottage to be already occupied by Charlie, also suffering a loss in his own way - as his ex wife has moved his seven year old daughter Rebecca away from him to Tenerife. He too needs to spend Christmas alone and get his head together. A double booking means that Rose and Charlie face the prospect of having to spend Christmas together, and forgoing their much sought after alone time. Can they do it? And will they find the peace within that they so desperately need?

The setting of this book was gorgeous 😍 I loved Rose right from the beginning and I so wanted her to forgive herself and let herself enjoy Christmas again. It took me a bit longer to warm to Charlie but I did eventually and I grew to love him. When she cared for Rose after she fell off her bike I was actually swooning 😍 George and Max were just great, I loved how they became best buds 🐶 I just loved the depth that this book had. Both characters were facing some real tough times and I liked the way that, eventually, they helped each other face up to reality and start moving on with their lives. They really were exactly what each other needed.

The ending was beautiful and made me cry - the significance of being with your loved ones at Christmastime 🧡 I just loved everything about this book and I didn’t want it to end!

A lovely, cosy Christmas read.

Here we meet Rosie and Charlie and follow their story in a feel good, entertaining story. Well written and perfect to read over the holiday season.

Forced proximity, seasonal romance, I mean, what’s not to like. Loved this story, really entertaining

I’ve been seeing loads of reviews about this book recently, all raving about it and saying how it’s perfect for fans of The Holiday and I couldn’t agree more! I was a little sceptical as I absolutely LOVE The Holiday but this was a pure cosy Christmas romance and I loved all of it.

Rose and Charlie are both just the loveliest characters and I really liked that we got alternate chapters from both of their points of view as I find it really helps to build the dynamic and you get to know both characters. Alongside them you have their two dogs, George (imagine the dulux dog) and then cheeky, adventurous Max who I can just picture snoozing together in front of the roaring log fire. And yes, there’s one of them in this too!

Christmas fayres, snow, walks in the forest, handmade decorations and movies with hot chocolate in front of the fire… I mean I don’t think I need to sell it anymore do I!

This is the first book by Emma that I’ve read but I’ll be hoping it’s not the last as this is the perfect book to get you into the Christmas spirit.

I am not sure why I persisted with this book. It took me a month to read it. Sometimes the good vibes were infectious but otherwise this book was lacking a bit of natural depth.

It was as if the author tried to recreate The Holiday (a Christmas film) but her attempt failed. She decided to add in all the ingredients, but instead of a smart writer she wrote in a tattooed, muscular therapist who meets a woman running from her feelings.

Ingredients alone, does not a good dish make.

I would have liked the slow burn to have developed from a matching of intellects and conversations. Not just a flirty connection and kindness of strangers.

Please let my 2023 end on a good book.

An absolute gem of a Christmas story! I was hooked from beginning to end. A great plot which developed beautifully through the excellent skills of the author’s writing. Delightful characters (especially Charlie who I just wanted to hug) whose interactions throughout the book were sometimes humorous, sometimes highly emotional. I laughed and cried and didn’t want the book to end as I enjoyed it so much. A book not to be missed this Christmas, add it to your reading list without fail!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

I found This Christmas to be an OK read. It was quite a slow book, nothing really seemed to happen in the majority of the story. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me in the way I had hoped it would.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

A cute, Christmas read.

I felt like the book was hard to get into at first because the narrative felt like it didn’t flow perfectly. It also felt like a very typical Christmas love story.

This is an easy, cosy read which ticks most of the boxes you need for a feel good Christmas read.

I found the first part of the book a little slow but it did pick up and the characters felt fairly well developed and honest.

This was a strong 3 star for me as it did feel like a pretty predictable story but sweet nonetheless.

‘This Christmas’ is a pleasant heart-warming novel that’s situated is the beautiful location of Donegal and has nicely described colourful characters. It’s a gentle story with a lovely Christmassy feel but although it started off well by grabbing my interest it slowed down mid-way and the plot became fairly predictable. Despite guessing in advance how it was going to end, it’s a novel that leaves the reader with the feel-good factor and is perfect for reading over the Christmas period.

Emma Heatherington is back and oh what a beautiful and brilliant gem this is.

Is there anything better than a new book by this author? YES- a new CHRISTMAS book. This Christmas has been everything I had hoped for and so much more.

This book is full on Christmas vibes and I’m here for it. This is the perfect heartwarming love story which I have devoured in just one sitting. This is the perfect winters my escape and feel good because ok that I have been looking for.

Rose wants an escape for Christmas so randomly sends a message to see if she can stay at Seaview Cottage. Charlie is spending a first Christmas alone with his dog. Only to find that they have both booked the same little cottage.

This has been a brilliant escapist read to Ireland. I found this a great read to snuggle down with on a cold winter day. Heatherington has pulled me in and made this a read that has been impossible to put down.

Our main characters are the complete opposite, however I have adored both of them. Each have their own struggles to contend with and we really get to know them in this book.

Heatherington has made me fall in love with this one. My heart has been stolen and This Christmas is a book which has completely enticed me and kept me craving more and more as I’ve devoured each page.

Emma Heatherington is an author who gets better and better. This is quite possibly my favourite book by her yet. I loved this book from beginning to end.

I have no hesitation in recommending this gem to other readers. This is a book worthy of all the stars.

This was such a heartwarming, cosy Christmas story! I really loved both rose and Charlie and knew i was going to fall in love with their story from the moment they ended up having to stay together in the cottage.
This story deals with grief and finding love again and did it such a beautiful way, I absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a romantic Christmassy read!

Cute but emotional Christmas romance
4 Stars

I am a sucker for a Christmas romance and this one sounded cute and cosy - I couldn’t resist. It’s my first time reading Emma Heatherington even though I now see she’s written over 15 other books. But where better to start than a festive tale?

Firstly, I have to say that I hate the practice of name-checking other books and films when trying to sell other books. And this one chooses to say that it’s “the most romantic love story since The Holiday.” I love The Holiday. I don’t see it as a particularly romantic film - and even so, this book just doesn’t do well by any comparison. It’s not as light-hearted or have that same sparkle. But what about the book when not compared to something else?

I knew from the blurb that there was going to be some hard times with this book but I wasn’t prepared for the difficult emotions to be blasted right from the first page. We obviously know that something has happened to our main characters - Rose and Charlie - but everything is drip-fed to us, so much so that I started getting annoyed. Just tell us what happened, for goodness sake! So from the start, I definitely didn’t get the fun, cute and festive vibes I was looking for.

I liked both Rose and Charlie. Rose was such a sweetheart and I felt so bad for her. While she was successful in her professional life, I so wanted for her to move on in her personal life. While I couldn’t relate with her in many ways - I definitely did identify with her practice of hiding her true feelings behind a cheerful or happy facade. Charlie was a little grumpy at first but he grew on me in much the same way that he grew on Rose. And special mention for the dogs - gah, so cute!

This book was an extremely slow burn romance. A glacial pace burn. It was nice to watch our couple develop their relationship and grow into something much more than they started with but I would have liked the pacing to be a little bit faster and keep my attention a little more.

A really big part of the joy of this book was in the setting. It was cosy, cute, festive and everything you can imagine when you think of a Christmas cottage in the countryside. The writing was engaging, the scene wonderful and the romance satisfying. It’s not a 5 star read for me but it was enjoyable if a little too emotional for me to love it. 4 stars.

A proper festive story. Cosy up and snuggle with a hot chocolate. Rose wants Christmas alone and so does Charlie. They both arrive at Seaside Cottage to find it’s been double booked. How will they spend their Christmas?

What a really lovely festive story, I just loved the book from the start and could so imagine what Seaside Cottage looked like .This book made me laugh out loud and i did shed a little tear, just loved the storyline.
My thanks as always to Netgalley and to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin for the early read.

Just a good one.
Read it in one sitting. Four stars read.
I deeply enjoyed it.
Thanks to netgalley for this book

A festive story of double booking at Christmas. Charlie and Rose are thrown together when both of them are seeking solitude at Christmas and neither of them have many other options. Whilst this is primarily a romance novel, other darker issues of grief, loss and loneliness are sensitively explored. Recommended.