This Christmas they’re strangers. Maybe next Christmas they’ll fall in love…
It’s Christmas Eve and, as the snow begins to fall, Bea is at Heathrow airport, ready to return home to Ireland for the festivities.
There, she meets Ollie for the first time. They talk about everything and anything, and their connection is undeniable. But when their flight lands, they leave just as they met: strangers.
A chance encounter in London a few months later, however, sparks a chain of events neither of them could have ever imagined.
Last Christmas was just the beginning. This year will be full of surprises.
And next Christmas may be the one that changes everything…
| Title: | Maybe Next Christmas |
| Author: | Emma Heatherington |
| Series: | / |
| Pages: | 369 |
| Category / Genre(s): | Emma Heatherington |
| Trope(s): | Christmas |
| Point of View: | First Person, Present Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
| Location: | London, UK and Ireland |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 29 August 2024 |
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Festive and emotional romance
This time last year, I read This Christmas, also by Emma Heatherington and was blown away by that magically festive story. As soon as I heard she was releasing another Christmas story, I was all in. This story doesn’t link to that one in any way and comes with it’s own festive magic and plenty of tears before its own happily ever after.
Bea, a London boutique hotel manager, meets Ollie, an ER nurse at a London hospital in the airport when their planes back home to Ireland are delayed in bad weather. The connection’s instant but it’s just not the right time for our pair. We see snippets of their lives separately and then again together as they meet once again. But will it ever be the right time for them to be more than friends?
I actually felt her turmoil as she decided what she really wanted and where she wanted to be. All too often, the choices that characters make are easy – or made for them. But Bea’s dilemma felt all too real and I sympathised while obviously willing her to choose true love! She was a perfectionist, kind of control freak but also a bit of a pushover. I loved her immediately and really related to her. She was awesomely flawed and I like that in my heroines.
Ollie was an absolute darling and you couldn’t help but fall in love with him, too. He was a genuinely nice guy but written in such a way that he was believable and not too good to be true. I loved how he was smitten with Bea yet still gave her time and space without putting his own life and decisions on hold. Goodness – I’m describing liking all the things that made things difficult for our couple. Maybe I like the angst more than I let on!
“It’s the best kind of story for a cosy, winter’s day by the fire with a hot chocolate and a box of tissues.”
Together our couple just worked. Different but so similar – they just fit. There was some sex scenes but nothing even nearly bordering on erotic and they fit well with the whole vibe of the story.
What I particularly liked about this book was that while the romance between Bea and Ollie takes centre stage – as it should – there’s also something deeper about the story. It’s about whether there’s ever the perfect time for something to happen, whether dreams can change and evolve and it’s about grabbing life with both hands and hanging on.
I’m not normally one for overly emotional romances and this one, as I expected, had me in bits. And I’m not going to lie – some were happy tears but some were sad. This was an emotional read and Ollie and Bea both had past traumas they were still coming to terms with. It’s a credit to the author that I was so affected but this might be it for me for deep and heart wrenching romance novels for the year, I think. It shattered me in places but that ending – I still dream of that lovely ending where everything felt perfect and right with the world. With snow. Yay!
And like my last foray into Ms Heatherington’s works, I loved her writing style. So easy to get stuck into and then lost in. She really writes her characters so well and gives them such a lovely setting to live in. Looking back, I feel like I read this book under a dark, twinkly, starlight sky with snow on the ground and the wonder of Christmas all around.
If you’re a fan of Emma Heatherington, if you want to read an involving, emotional romance or you just want that festive magic that seems woven into this author’s stories – then I will highly recommend this story for you. It’s the best kind of story for a cosy, winter’s day by the fire with a hot chocolate and a box of tissues.
* I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
Emma Heatherington is the international best-selling author of fifteen novels, including the IRISH TIMES and AMAZON chart topping THIS CHRISTMAS (Penguin Random House) which is out now.
Other titles include the Amazon UK and USA Kindle hit THE LEGACY OF LUCY HARTE, SECRETS IN THE SNOW, THE PROMISE and ONE MORE DAY.
Her novels are set in Ireland where they intertwine life affirming issues with heart-warming love stories. Emma’s distinctive style, full of poignancy and warmth has developed a loyal and growing fan base. She has been hailed as ‘the Queen of Hearts’ and has been compared to the late Maeve Binchy.
Emma’s books have been published in the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Hungary, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
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