Once a Year: A heart-warming, festive page-turner

by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

'A charming festive story with a warm heart' Roisin Meaney

'A delight to read. Beautifully written and a page turner. The characters are so real that you feel part of the story' Belfast Telegraph

'A beautiful novel about imperfect families and the struggles we all face during winds of change' Meath Chronicle

Now that she's finally (and secretly) divorced her unreliable husband, Sheila is ready to celebrate. But is her family's annual get-together, held at the hotel they've owned for generations, the best time to break the news?

And she's not the only one keeping something to herself.

Nora, Sheila's formidable mother, is distracted by her doubts about the Castlehill Hotel's new her grand-daughter Máire. Can she hide her feelings though, putting family before the business for once?

Meanwhile, Sheila's three daughters each have a big decision to Henrietta needs time away from home to think, Máire is afraid of losing someone, and Barbara is eager to take a risk ...

As the Sullivan women gather at a place filled with memories, bittersweet and painful truths come to the surface. Will honesty drive them further apart, or will they finally find themselves brought closer together?

Praise for Felicity Hayes-McCoy's novels

'An absolute joy to read' Carmel Harrington

'A fascinating generational saga ... beautifully written' Patricia Scanlan

'A page-turner ... I adored it' Joanna Lumley

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2025

About the author

USA Today bestselling Irish writer Felicity Hayes-McCoy is the author of the 'Finfarran' novels, set in a fictional county on Ireland's West Coast. Marian Keyes calls her writing "a pitch-perfect delight", Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of "Between Sisters" and "Secrets of a Happy Marriage", has described the Finfarran books as "a delicious feast", and "sunshine on the page", while Jenny Colgan, bestselling author of "The Cafe by the Sea", calls them "charming and heartwarming".

Felicity's latest book, a standalone novel, The Keepsake Quilters (Hachette Irl), was published in October 2022 to critical acclaim. Best-selling Irish authors Roisin Meaney and Carmel Harringon called it "the perfect festive read" and "warm and wise ... an absolute joy"; Claudia Carroll and Patricia Scanlan wrote of it as "warm, funny and full of heart" and "a fascinating, beautifully-written generational saga"; and television presenters Barbara Scully and Mary Kennedy have described it as "a gorgeous novel" and "a beautifully-crafted story."

Finfarran #1, The Library at the Edge of The World, was published in June 2016: The Sunday Times called it "engaging, sparkling and joyous" and The Sunday Independent wrote "If you like reading a feelgood novel, take a journey to the edge of the world. An easy, pleasant summer read for fans of Maeve Binchy".

Summer at The Garden Café, the second in the Finfarran series, came out in the UK & Irl May 2017, The Mistletoe Matchmaker, a warm, empowering Christmas story, in October 2017, and The Month of Borrowed Dreams, in June 2018: The Irish Independent's review called it "a heartwarming novel which will leave you longing to read the earlier ones". The best-selling author Marian Keyes said she was "utterly charmed" by Finfarran #5, The Transatlantic Book Club, which was published in 2019.

A US & Canadian edition of The Library at the Edge of The World, published by Harper Perennial in Nov 2017, was chosen as a LibraryReads Pick. The US & Canadian edition of Summer at The Garden Café was published in 2018, The Mistletoe Matchmaker followed in 2019, The Transatlantic Book Club in 2020, The Month of Borrowed Dreams in 2021, and The Heart of Summer in 2022.

Finfarran #7, The Year of Lost and Found, was published by Hachette Irl in May 2021, and praised as "the perfect, page-turning escape" and "the best book of the year so far for me" by best-selling Irish authors Sinéad Moriarty and Claudia Carroll. It was preceded in 2020 by Finfarran #6, The Heart of Summer, of which Ireland's Sunday Business Post reviewer wrote "This works perfectly well as a standalone novel ... her writing sings", and bestselling author Patricia Scanlan commented "Fans of Maeve Binchy will adore it - she just gets better and better!"

The Finfarran novels have been translated into seven languages and can also be purchased in English as ebooks and audiobooks.

Described as 'wise, funny' and 'blazingly beautiful' by actress and writer Joanna Lumley, Felicity's first memoir, The House on an Irish Hillside was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2012. It takes the author to London, where she worked as an actress and met her English, opera-director husband, and back to Ireland, to a remarkable stone house on the Dingle peninsula.

Enough Is Plenty: The Year on the Dingle Peninsula, a sequel to The House on an Irish Hillside, was published by The Collins Press in 2015. Illustrated with photographs by Felicity and her husband, and with a foreword by the best-selling Irish writer Alice Taylor, it charts the cycle of the Celtic year in Felicity's own house and garden.

A second memoir, A Woven Silence: Memory, History & Remembrance, described by The Sunday Times as 'a powerful piece of personal and political history', was published in September 2015, also by The Collins Press. Inspired by the lost story of her grandmother's cousin Marion Stokes, one of three women who raised the tricolour over Enniscorthy town in Wexford dur

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Once a Year, by Felicity Hayes-McCoy, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The Sullivan women have a lot of secrets. Set in beautiful Ireland, Nora her daughter Sheila, and granddaughter Maire, is featured in this book. This book had so much drama in it, almost to much. It was a good read.

[Wynnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The annual Sullivan Girls' get-together is on the calendar—a cherished tradition that brings together three sisters, their mother, and their formidable grandmother, the family's matriarch. Each woman slips effortlessly back into her familiar role, highlighting a well-drawn, multigenerational dynamic that feels both authentic and heartwarming.

Felicity McCoy-Hayes' writing style evokes the charm and warmth of authors like Emma Hannigan and Sinéad Moriarty. A comforting, character-driven read—perfect for curling up with on a chilly winter evening.

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once A Year by Felicity Hayes-McCoy published October 16th with Hachette Ireland and is described by Felicity as ‘a festive intergenerational story about family relationships and secrets, especially those between mothers and daughters.’

As the name suggests this book is centred around an annual event, one that takes place at the Castlehill Hotel. Nora Sullivan, the matriarch of the family, has hosted a weekend for all the women of the family across the decades since she stepped into her role in the management of the hotel many years previously. She dedicated her life to building up the business but now she finds herself in a predicament over what to do with it next.

Máire, one of her grandchildren, is currently the hotel manager but Nora is concerned that it is all a little overwhelming for Máire. The responsibility of running a hotel is huge and Máire is very slow to delegate responsibilities, leaving her exhausted and short-tempered with everyone around her. As her mother and siblings descend on the hotel for a weekend, Máire is struggling to be there for them while also keeping everything in check with the managing of the hotel. Raymond, her husband, barely sees her anymore with fractures slowly appearing in their marriage.

Sheila, Nora’s daughter, left the hotel and the family home years back to chart her own course, one that her mother never approved of. Now, after finally seeing her divorce come through, she is extremely nervous of returning to Castlehill and explaining her decisions to her daughters and mother. Sheila has had an exhausting life and this decision will change her life for the better – once she can get the other Sullivan women on side.

Barbara is the strong, independent go-getter but she is facing her own personal dilemma and is taking a risk coming back to Castlehill. Her heart has been broken in the past but is she willing to put herself out there in the hope of finding what she really wants?

Henrietta is a step-mum to Jane, a teenager, with a very protective father. Having lost her Mum at a very young age, Jane has had to be brave but the impact of those younger years has left her quite reserved and an observer of life. Henrietta is caught between being a friend and a substitute mother, leaving her in a quandary when it comes to Jane’s development as a person and her own role as a wife and a mother. Henrietta is quite restrained but has the time come for her to put her own mark on her marriage?

As Nora observes all the ins and outs of her family’s lives she is considering her future and that of the family business. Has she the strength to make some very big decisions? Will this weekend make or break the Sullivan women?

Once A Year is a sweet tale of family dynamics across generations. The Sullivan women are all facing momentous decisions in their lives and it’s lovely to see how they each help each other come to terms with their path in life. It’s a gentle story of the everyday moments that become important in our days. A mother’s growing awareness of her children’s need to make their own decisions, while also being there to encourage and listen when necessary. A daughter’s understanding of her mother. A grandchild recognising the battles faced by their grandmother in days gone by. A new mother recognising her need to be brave. All these daily moments and more are captured and portrayed in Once A Year, a novel perfect for anyone in search of a comforting read.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

The annual Sullivan girls' get-together takes place at the family hotel during Christmas time. As the ladies gather, they're all on tenterhooks, keeping secrets and trying to hold it all together for the sake of the matriarch, Nora. This book tackles complicated family relationships. I felt it was slow in parts, and the ending felt very rushed. It was a good read, however.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and all of the family dramas.
It was good to see no family is perfect 😀
I would love to read a sequel of this book as all of the characters have made major life decisions and I’d really like to see how they all pan out.

[Roisín O'Halloran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy read, perfect for Christmas or as a Christmas present to someone. Lots of different characters and their relationships with each other. A couple of nice twists near the end.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cosy festive-ish read

[Mairi Byatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy read, give it a go!