Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh (Romance fiction writer) Series: Fitzpatrick Christmas Book 1
Published by Bookouture on January 5, 2024
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
She’s meant to be catching flights, not catching feelings…
Molly and Andrew are just trying to get home to Ireland for the holidays, when a freak snowstorm grounds their flight.
Nothing romantic has ever happened between them: they’re friends and that’s all. But once a year, for the last ten years, Molly has spent seven hours and fifteen minutes sitting next to Andrew on the last flight before Christmas from Chicago to Dublin, drinking terrible airplane wine and catching up on each other’s lives. In spite of all the ways the two friends are different, it’s the holiday tradition neither of them has ever wanted to give up.
Molly isn’t that bothered by Christmas, but—in yet another way they’re total opposites—Andrew is a full-on fanatic for the festive season and she knows how much getting back to Ireland means to him. So, instead of doing the sane thing and just celebrating the holidays together in America, she does the stupid thing. The irrational thing. She vows to get him home. And in time for his mam’s famous Christmas dinner.
The clock is ticking. But Molly always has a plan. And—as long as the highly-specific combination of taxis, planes, boats, and trains all run on time—it can’t possibly go wrong.
What she doesn’t know is that, as the snow falls over the city and over the heads of two friends who are sure they’re not meant to be together, the universe might just have a plan of its own…
A totally gorgeous and escapist friends-to-lovers festive romance with a swoon-worthy hero. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Mhairi Macfarlane, and Christina Lauren.
My Review
I want to start out by saying thank you to NetGalley for giving me this book as an ARC in return for an honest review. This is not my first book by Catherine Walsh, and I am sure it will not be my last. I have absolutely loved the two books I have read by this author, The Rebound and now Holiday Romance. I love the way she writes her characters and the romances she creates.
Holiday Romance is a book about friends to lovers but it is written in such a way that you can not help but be invested in their story. I love that it is about two characters from Ireland who venture to the States for school and work and have decided to stay and reside in Chicago. I love how one character is basically obsessed with Christmas and the other one sees it as just another day. I loved the banter and how different the main characters were from one another. This book isn’t just about friendship and romance because, in my opinion, it is so much more. It is also about courage, self-confidence, taking chances, family and discovering what is important in life. I have to say that I very much enjoyed getting to know their families and I felt it just added another layer of depth to the story.
If you are looking for a fun holiday rom-com with loads of travel, family, and chaos then this may be the book for you. I found it to be an absolutely lovely read that I just flew through because I didn’t want to put it down. Thanks again to NetGalley for the ARC I very much enjoyed the book.