I absolutely love Christmas and combining it with my love of reading is a dream! The problem is there are always a LOT of very festive book titles and covers coming out around this time and it’s hard to tell the difference between the quality ones and the ones that punch you in the face with Christmas on the cover (good thing) but turn out to be quite slow and boring (bad thing).

I am here to tell you that this is not one of those books! It’s my first read by Emma Heatherington and I’m overjoyed to have found her and can’t wait to read more of her books now.

Maybe Next Christmas strikes a really nice balance between the gorgeous festive cosy feels and enough everyday life in between so that it can easily be enjoyed at any time of year - but if you time it right and read it in December you can totally be maximising its charm by snuggling up by a fire with a mulled wine on the go!

The story itself follows Bea and Ollie as they meet for the first time on Christmas Eve getting a flight from Heathrow to Ireland. Their connection is instant - but Bea is still in a relationship with Sean, although she’s on her way to break things off..

We follow them over the course of the next year where a lot changes for both of them, and we come around to the next Christmas! I won’t give too much away but it’s such a lovely heartwarming story. The two main characters are gorgeous and have great chemistry, and we also have the fantastic Leroy and Aunt Nora helping to bring it all alive. There are heartbreaking elements to it, but all with a lot of positive reframing of what the characters are going through which I loved - a lot of food for thought in challenging times and I took photos of a few things characters said (mainly Leroy!) that I particularly liked and wanted to remember.

An absolute festive delight!

Christmas Eve and Bea is at the airport ready to return home for Christmas as she works in London but is flying home to Ireland for the festive season. The plane delayed she meets Ollie who is also returning home for Christmas and they talk about anything and everything.

They arrive on Irish soil and it is there that they part ways and become strangers once more. However, a chance meeting when they both are back in London sets about a turn of events that neither of them expected.

Ahh I loved this one and as an FYI Aunt Nora is my favourite character especially as we both share a dislike of a certain singer. I always say that if you can read a book and it draws you into the places it is set, so much so that it’s places you want to visit in real life, then it’s a great book. This book has made me want to visit Oyster Cottage in County Donegal and the Carnation Hotel in Kensington. I absolutely loved Ollie and Bea and this was a warm hug of a book and that to me is perfection in a romance book.

Meeting on Christmas Eve whilst waiting on a delayed flight home to Ireland Bea and Ollie are at different stages of their lives but feel a connection.
Both working in London when fate reconnects them. Is it meant to be? Can they overcome issues and difficulties?
A heart warming romance starting at the festive season. Enjoy I did.

Loved, loved , loved this book. Another gorgeous winter read to curl up and read by Emma.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

Absolutely beautiful book, I fell in love with the main characters and wanted to be part of their family and visit the hotels/BnB that they work at.

When Bea finally fits in a week off to spend time with her family in Ireland on Christmas eve, a stranger joins her table in the café after the flight is delayed. Olly is a cardiac nurse who is travelling home to spend the last Christmas with his terminally ill father.

Bea has a lot on her mind as she feels like her long term relationship has come to an end as the distance between Ireland and London is too much when neither of them want to give up their lives and move to be together, but is she brave enough to call off a 7 year relationship. She ends up telling Ollie all about her dilemma and they spend the flight delay and find themselves sitting with each other on the flight, chatting and finding out about each other's lives, before going their separate ways.

But neither of them can put each other out of their minds but they didn't exchange details at all, so it is all a dead end

This book was beautifully written and the characters were really lovely and you wanted to be part of their world. I would definitely recommend this Christmas read and I am hoping that Emma writes a follow up book, as I want to know what happens next in their world

I don’t often read romance stories any more but when I saw this one from Emma Heatherington I knew I would enjoy it as I’ve love her previous books .

Bea and Ollie meet in Heathrow airport each returning home for Christmas. They both have things they need to address when they get home , but find themselves enjoying each others company and discovering a spark between them which takes them both by surprise!

With the pressures of work in London and problems which exist in Ireland will they ever meet again ? I was hoping they would find their happy ending even though the odds seemed to be stacked against them .

This book gives you a warm hug, Second chances, love, loss and family are all beautifully explored. This book would make a wonderful Christmas movie , and who doesn’t love a little Christmas magic, which this feel good romance definitely delivers on.

Another lovely book by Emma - great characters and a rollercoaster ride of emotions .

Only issue is Murphy the dog eating a mince pie - these could kill a dog.

Book Review: Maybe Next Christmas

I just finished reading Maybe Next Christmas by Emma Heatherington, and it was the perfect cozy escape as the holiday season approaches. The premise drew me in right away: a chance encounter at Heathrow Airport on Christmas Eve between Bea and Ollie that promises a spark of romance, even if they part as strangers.

From the moment I met Bea, I felt her warmth and yearning for connection. The chemistry between her and Ollie is palpable, and their conversations flowed effortlessly. It’s that kind of dialogue that makes you believe in fate, and I found myself hoping their paths would cross again. When they unexpectedly do a few months later, the excitement was infectious!

Heatherington's writing beautifully captures the essence of holiday magic, intertwined with themes of love, loss, and second chances. I loved how the narrative explores the “what ifs” of life and relationships, making me reflect on my own experiences. The pacing kept me engaged, and I appreciated the surprising twists that kept the story fresh and unpredictable.

The setting, especially around Christmas, is described so vividly that I could practically feel the snow and smell the festive treats. Each scene was like a warm hug, making it a delightful read for anyone who enjoys holiday romances.

Overall, Maybe Next Christmas is an uplifting tale about love and the power of connection. Emma Heatherington has crafted a heartwarming story that left me smiling and eager to embrace the holiday spirit. If you’re looking for a book that feels like a holiday movie in novel form, this is definitely one to add to your reading list! Highly recommended for fans of feel-good romances.

Absolutely loved this heartwarming Christmas romance a definite page turner for me.
A cosy read you can lose yourself in that’s beautifully written with great characters.
Interesting storyline that is set in London & Ireland where two complete strangers have a chance encounter at Heathrow airport.
Bea & Ollie are both on their way to Ireland to meet up with family & are taking the same flight.
They begin talking to each other & they find themselves talking about anything & everything.
By the end of the journey they say goodbye & that is that.
Or is it ?
Thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming wonderful read.

Bea meets Ollie at Heathrow airport at Christmas and they spend time talking to one another and enjoying each others company but they don't exchange numbers and go their separate ways, only for what feels like fate to intervene and they meet months later again. Bea is happy in London and Ollie has moved back to Ireland so they can't see how it would work. This is a gorgeous festive story and in true Emma Heatherington style its very emotional and just absolutely beautiful to read.

Absolutely loved it!

Two strangers on a flight home for Christmas meet when their flight was delayed. They fall in love at first sight but went their separate ways before knowing how to keep in touch to their regret afterwards..
If it was meant to be they hoped to meet again. Maybe next Christmas? A most engrossing story.

A really good read. When Bea is on her way home to Ireland for a family Christmas she is apprehensive as she is preparing to end her long distance relationship when she has a chance meeting with nurse Ollie and there us an immediate attraction and as they bump into each other again later it seems as if fate is again bringing them together but with her loving her life in London and Ollie returning to live back in Ireland can she start another long distance relationship. A lovely warmhearted story with some festive cheer and great characters perfect easy reading novel

I've become accustomed to reading an Emma Heatherington before Christmas and this was another lovely heartwarming story.
Hotel manager Bea and nurse Ollie meet by chance as they wait for a flight from Heathrow back to Ireland to visit family.
Both feel an instant connection, however circumstances mean they are not of the right mindset to explore.
The story follows a year in both their lives, where coincidence and fate meet, and conspire to bring these two back together.
This was a wonderful tale, a beautiful book and a true feel good festive love story, laced with the emotional difficulties encountered as the characters traverse through their individual difficulties.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Really enjoyed this. Perfect Christmas reading.

Bea is at Heathrow waiting for a delayed plane back to her hometown in Ireland for Christmas. It is there she meets Ollie who is also waiting for the same plane. Although they make a connection they don’t swap numbers. But over the next year fate intervenes.

I felt that I needed a romantic, uplifting story to break up all the dark novels I’ve read recently and there’s nothing better than one set at Christmas. I also liked the cover. This was a beautiful, warm novel full of heartwarming moments. I enjoyed most of the characters and think they came across well, although sometimes I wanted Bea to see sense. I also liked that it was told in both voices of the main characters so that we could understand both perspectives.

I found parts of the story very compelling, however it took me a while to get into other parts. Saying that, there were emotional scenes that evoked a lot of different responses, which needed time to be built up. This is perfect for those wanting a cosy, festive romance to read on a cold night. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Bea and Ollie meet in London and this is their story. Maybe next christmas is a beautiful, heartfelt christmas story that will draw you in and make it impossible for you to put down. This book gets you right in the feels.

This was a gorgeous hug of a book, so heartwarming and romantic and it definitely warmed my heart.

Maybe Next Christmas is so warm and cosy and festive and it is the most perfect Christmas read.

It was such an easy book to read and i actually read it all in a couple of sittings. From the moment i started reading it, it pulled me in and didn’t let me go until i had very quickly devoured it all.

The characters were all wonderful, well-rounded characters with even a couple of doggies thrown in for good measure!

Maybe Next Christmas was a wonderful, beautiful, sweet, Christmassy story and it left me with a very happy heart…..

I loved this book - heartwarming and really well written, it drew me in an was a great read - perfect for a dreary winter's day.

I think this book would make a totally fabulous festive film. I could see it all so clearly, and it certainly gave me all the feels.

Set between London and Ireland, with an initial first meeting at Heathrow airport with a flight delay on Christmas Eve, this was just one fabulous book.

I loved getting to know Bea, and the hotel she works in that sounded divine, as well as Ollie and especially his Aunt Nora.

Both are travelling back to Ireland for Christmas for the first time in years, hoping to make this a memorable Christmas.

And although they don't exchange details, fate clearly has plans for our leading pair, and I loved it even more each time they met.

It's a moving festive romance, that is another in a growing number of fabulous books from Emma Heatherington. She is definitely one of my auto read authors for a fab Christmas book.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Another amazing Christmas novel by Emma Heatherington! A lovely heartwarming journey of love, heartbreak, grief & all things Christmas! An absolute must read!

With thanks to #NetGalley #MaybeNextChristmas