This was such a lovely story. I was rooting for a happy ending the moment the two main characters met. Every character in this story was likeable and even though I read this book in early August it gave me a Christmassy feel good vibe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC.

Beatrice, a hotel manager and Ollie, a cardiac nurse, meet on a delayed Christmas Eve flight from Heathrow to Derry, Northern Ireland, where they are from. They don't swap numbers but manage to find each other again shortly afterwards. Some misunderstandings get in the way but thankfully not for very long. Now the biggest problem seems to be the long-distance part of their relationship, as Ollie has just moved back to his hometown after the death of his Dad but Beatrice loves her life in London.

I applaud the attempt to make the story wintery but I have lived in London for over twenty years - we do not get winter storms. We're lucky to get one snow day in February! Does anyone honestly think that in an actual snow storm planes would take off? No, they would be grounded because London comes to a standstill with the first flakes. London doesn't DO snow, it's always the wrong kind. Then, apparently, Kensington got "another week of snow and hailstones" in January. Made me laugh in disbelief.

The book could have profited from tighter editing. The Royal Elizabeth Hospital is in Glasgow not London, most airlines don't have a row 13, and Ollie tells Bea the same story about a Christmas box tradition twice within a few pages.

The story reads well though, and the quirky supporting characters like Leroy and Aunt Nora, who treats Bea's life like a soap opera she needs updates on, are a lot of fun. Someone should have really told Sean though that public proposals are THE. WORST. This is an easy, festive read, if you don't mind that it's the FMC who changes her dreams at the end. The settings are lovely, and I like dogs in a book.

3.75 stars

3.5 rounded up.

Ollie & Bea meet at the airport on Christmas eve, the flight is delayed so they strike up a conversation and spark(le)s fly.

This festive romcom will warm your heart and had me crying a few times. The relationship between Ollie & his dad was beautiful. This will definitely be a cosy winter read for many.

The only thing that made me give it a 3.5 is that Bea didn't really resonate with me at all. I just didn't click with her character at all.

What a joyful easy read, lovely characters, beautiful setting, really enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It has a great feel good factor, characters that I would love to meet and a great story set in Ireland. Recommended.

A cute, festive read. Perfect for the cold winter months. I loved that there were no major dramas that dragged on and on.

What a gorgeous book! This novel is full of all that I adore about life and humanity - warmth, compassion, friendship, family and - of course- love. It centres around Bea and Ollie and how their very separate lives collide one Christmas Eve as they both return home to their families for important Christmas visits. Of course, life is complicated and often difficult to navigate and therein lies the story...
These two main characters are beautifully portrayed and I loved them but I loved them even more for the collection of wonderful characters that surround them. Some how, to be loved by such wonderful people show them to be really something special. After reading this book, I want dinner with Leroy, I want to chat with Aunt Nora, watch Sita, go out with Patsi and see a picture of Jacques: I love them all! I also want to book a trip to Ireland for Christmas and Summer! Emma Heatherington should have commission from the tourist board.
This is a simply adorable book - snuggle up and enjoy!

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the will they, won't they running through it. This story was full of love and sadness.

While waiting at buzzing Heathrow airport for their flights home to Ireland for Christmas, Bea and Ollie begin chatting. When their flights are delayed, they strike up an immediate connection, and promise to meet again the following year.

The story is mainly told from both Bea and Ollie’s viewpoint, giving a more rounded picture. Both have special reasons for their visit home, which are sensitively described. They are warm, friendly personalities, and all the characters are so well drawn that you feel you know them. Ollie’s dad, Aunt Nora and Leroy are particular favourites, with their great outlook on life.

You get a real sense of small Irish communities celebrating the festive season, with lots of laughter and humour. Descriptions of the beautiful Irish scenery and rugged seashore bring it alive, and you wish you were there. There is also heartbreak and sadness, and you feel empathy with the characters and the decisions they have to make.

The book has a heartwarming welcoming feel, full of engaging characters, which is a joy to read.

I loved it, so festive and poignant. I loved the premise that f this, the romance, the scenery and the poignancy of how they meet and keep meeting. This will be the best Netflix film and I look
Forward to snuggling and watching this. Perfect for Christmas romance readers. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

A great festive read. Full of will they, won't they and chasing rainbows. Loved reading the ARC for this as can't beat a bit of Christmas in July.

Thank you Emma Heatherington, Random House UK and Netgalley.

Read in one day. Easy, loveable read. Good story. Lovely to read about ireland. Wish Oster cottage was real.

What a beautifully written book, I absolutely adored Bea, Ollie and Aunt Nora, this is the perfect book to cosy up with at Christmas.

Do you believe in fate? In Maybe Next Christmas two strangers meet at Heathrow airport on Christmas Eve, Bea is on her way to Ireland to join her family for seasonal festivities while Ollie is also heading to Ireland but with a heavy heart to spend time with his own family. While the pair have an instant connection as friends they don't think to exchange numbers and so leave as they met, as strangers. But when the pair happen to meet again in London their unexpected journey towards healing each other's hurts begins in a way that each could never have anticipated.

Maybe Christmas is a heartfelt, feel-good story that will lead you through a bevy of different emotions. While there may be heartache, sadness and disappointment woven within the story, you will also find friendship, love and laughter to warm your heart. The perfect anytime holiday read!

Bea and Ollie meet by chance on Christmas Eve and we then follow their romantic journey with fate giving them a helping hand.
This book was excellent and had me hooked from the first page. The characters were well written and were likeable and relatable with my favourite being Leroy. I loved that the book showed both characters points of view through alternate chapters which I think added to the romance of the story.

The setting of London and Ireland were both magical and I loved hearing about the hotel at Christmas and the stunning Irish scenery.
This book was a definitive 5 star romantic Christmas read which I would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Emma Heatherington and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A chance encounter between the two main characters, Bea and Ollie, as they fly home from London to Ireland for Christmas makes an excellent start to this heartwarming romantic story which follows the highs and lows of their lives until the following festive season. Along the way, Emma Heatherington conjures up beautiful images of Ireland and the Carnation hotel in London, and Aunt Nora and Leroy are excellent additions to the cast. There are even two cute dogs. (I always get nervous when animals are involved in a story but nothing bad happens to these two.) It has everything you could want from a lovely Christmas romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s Christmas Eve and there’s a wonderful festive feel as it’s snowing. Bea makes her way to Heathrow Airport to return home to Ireland for the festivities and her long-term partner Sean, however, there’s a bit of a story there. Of course! The plane is delayed and as she waits at the bar she meets Ollie, also returning home to Ireland, partly with a heavy heart (yes, you’ve got it, another story there) and the pair get chatting and there’s a very clear connection between them. Life inevitably gets in the way but a chance encounter in Kensington Gardens back in London starts a catalogue of events, a chain reaction if you like, that neither have foreseen. Christmas brings them together, what will the rest of the year have in store for them? A surprise or two without doubt.

This is a heartwarming easy read from the very start which is chock full of delightful, very easy to like characters. This is particularly true of the main characters of Ollie and Bea but also of Ollie’s wonderful and lively Aunt Nora and Bea’s coworker in Leroy. There’s the added bonus of a couple of delightful dogs too. I really like the Peter Pan references and a nice touch with the name of one of the pooches.

The author creates a wonderful atmosphere, not just a gorgeous festive one but also with fantastic descriptions of Irish locations that make me want to look up the next flight/ferry times. The whole thing gives you a warm feeling, although it’s obviously centred around Christmas, you could read it at any time of the year.

It’s very easy to read, the writing is engaging and it flows well. You absolutely root for Ollie and Bea because they’re so likeable you therefore want the best for them, It’s an emotional read at times but for all the right reasons.

Emma Heatherington delivers yet again as this is a sweet story. I daresay it follows a predictable path but as I enjoy it and it’s what you hope for it matters very little. There’s a lovely cover to complement the inside too.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin, Random House, Cornerstone for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I absolutely love a bit of Christmas I'm July so thank you Emma and Netgalley for allowing me to read this superb book.

I flew through it as it was such an enjoyable read. The pages just flowed, it was so well written.

Bea, Ollie and Aunt Nora are all such special characters.

I really felt the charm of Oyster Cottage and would love to spend Christmas there.

What a stunning book. I am sure everyone is going to love reading this at Christmas.

Thank you.

Don’t you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa
By far one of my favourite books I've read this month… I loved every minute… Roll on Christmas vibes.

This was such a cute read for me, a real emotional one. Maybe it is the Christmas theme, the long distance or a nurse who just is the light of the hospital - all this made the book such a winner. It was a joy to read and each bump had me reading on and on to make sure that there is a happy ending for Ollie and Bea. A great meet-cute in an airport spawns a lovely, somehow gentle and somehow fast and deep connection that the book unpicks beautifully. Can you give 11 stars?