Holiday Romance

Be still my heart, this book grabbed me in ALL my holiday feels!

Molly Kinsella and Andrew Fitzpatrick have been at each others’ sides for their Christmas trip back home to their families in Ireland every year for ten years. Despite living largely separate lives in their adopted city, Chicago, they’ve stayed in touch and supported one another as best friends through jobs, life events and both of their strings of failed relationships.

This year - their 10th trip - plans get shaken up by a winter storm that threatens to ground them at the airport. Molly knows how important it is to Andrew to spend Christmas with his family, and her sister, Zoe, is about to give birth, so she’s not about to let Mother Nature ruin things. 

What starts out looking like a trip from hell, though, may just be the best journey they’ve ever gone on together …

I adored Molly and Andrew!  These two are hilarious together.  They’re sweet, snarky, playful, sometimes grumpy, but always there for each other.  I won’t say that there was no sap whatsoever, but I didn’t think the book suffered from “Hallmark syndrome” (I made that up), and Molly and Andrew’s interactions and thoughts felt real in a way that I haven’t often felt about other book characters. I also loved their families - especially Zoe, and Andrew’s sister, Hannah.

As for romance, there’s a little bit of spice in that holiday punch, if you know what I mean, but it stays reasonably tasteful.  You can skip a couple pages if that stuff bothers you.

My only tiny disappointment was that I got almost to the end without the predictable "problem that threatens the relationship", and I really hoped this one might refreshingly not go there, but alas it did.  Honestly, though, the book's good points far outweighed that minor gripe, and the ending made my heart smile!

If you want a charming story that will make you laugh, smile and maybe make your heart beat a little faster, this is a perfect choice!

★★★★ ½ (rounded to 5) ❤️

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and author Catherine Walsh for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s now available.