Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥
Release Date: October 4th, 2022
CW: mentions of alcohol abuse and sobriety
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…
I’d seen so many positive things about this book, so obviously I was really excited to read it. I read and loved The Rebound not too long ago and when this was announced, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on the ARC. And it was so special and so unique. And while I’m not a big fan of Christmas (much like Molly), this book brought so much cheer into my life. Catherine Walsh has a special way of writing characters in unlikely situations that warm you up from the inside every step of the way.
The book follows Molly and Andrew’s friends to lovers story. The book opens with Molly telling her annoying roommate to end things with her boyfriend instead of cheating on him and then ends up getting a seat on a plane to Ireland right beside said boyfriend (aka Andrew). This begins their friendship. Not only does the story go back and forth over the ten years of Molly and Andrew’s friendship, but the chapters set in the past chronicle their flights from Chicago to Ireland and it’s so fantastic. The idea of seeing their friendship grow through these back and forth chapters really made the story that much more special. And to see them go from being friends to sort of enemies to friends and then lovers was just icing on the cake.
“You know when people say that the anticipation of a kiss can be better than the actual event? Those people have never kissed Andrew Fitzpatrick.”
While I felt like it dragged in some places, Catherine Walsh’s writing is amazing. Some chapters had my full attention and I was so invested in Molly and Andrew’s friendship and romance. And there are so many tiny details that are hilarious and entertaining and completely precious to this book. So much so that I found myself smiling multiple times through the course of the book. Even the supporting characters were so spectacular and I truly believe every single one of them deserves a story. Like…can we get Zoe’s story? Because that woman was so fantastic!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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