I know this review is long overdue, but I finally got around to reading it this year. I read Jenny's others books the past two years and before I knew it, Christmas had flown by and I didn't pick this one up. I adored her other two novels, and looking back, maybe I would have enjoyed this one more had I read it first. It just didn't live up to the other two, and honestly didn't feel like a true Christmas read most of the time.

I found a few of the characters to be very unlikable. I understand keeping friends for nostalgic reasons, but there's a point where you should go your separate ways, and it felt like they were beyond that sometimes. I really liked Isaac though, and kind of wish the book focused on Nory and Isaac more and had less characters thrown in just for the drama aspects. Which there was a lot of for how old these characters were.

Overall, I would recommend grabbing her other two and will continue to read her future books because I feel she has definitely grown as an author over the past couple of years.

Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnum's Son's for the arc in exchange for my honest review! Very sorry it took so long for me to get to it.

As a lover of anything Christmas, I was so excited to read this one, especially because I love Bayliss’s other books. But this one was just okay for me. It wasn’t bad by any means, it just didn’t draw me in and I didn’t connect to it like her others.

This is a cute holiday read that follows Elinor, a bookstore owner, who heads to the English countryside to reunite with friends.

While there, she finds herself face to face with her childhood enemy. As time goes on, she keeps finding herself running into Issac and they have more in common than they thought.

This perfect blend of humor, romance and holiday spirit makes this a great read!

From the title and the cover, I was expecting a cutesy hallmark romance, and that was not this book. Due to the illusion, I did suffer slight disappointment because I am a mood reader... and was in the mood for a fluffy christmas romance. That being said, Nory was also annoying... lol. I really liked Isaac and thought he was kind and endearing.

I've absolutely adored some Jenny Bayliss books in the past, and was excited to pick this up. This is a cozy holiday romance felt less like a cozy romance and more like women's fiction that just so happens to be set around the holidays.

I usually am all for a romance book that covers deeper topics, but this one felt misleading. The romance was an after thought, and personally, I found Nory to be a bit insufferable.

This unfortunately did not hold the same charm as the Twelve Dates of Christmas did for me. Definitely disappointing, but probably won't stop me from picking up her next holiday story.

Although this book had its moments I just couldn't really get into it. I was really looking for a holiday read and I didn't get much of that from this book. It was cute. I honestly probably would have liked it better if I read it during a different time of the year.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

1/4 stars :(
Definitely not enough Christmas for something with the title of the book! The writing was bland, the pacing was slow, I didn't really care for any of the characters, and the MC's constant defense of her stupid friends who hurt her love interest was awful!

Thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the E-ARC. This was such a good solid read. I loved that more than a "love story" btw 2 people it was a love story btw friends and the dynamic when mixed with a romantic relationship. It does talk about heavy subjects but very respectfully and very empathetic.

This was a cute Christmas-y school reunion romance, but it just felt longer than necessary (When they were happy and together but there was still 2 hours left in the audiobook I was a tad confused). Overall I liked the book, but I wasn't obsessed or majorly invested in the characters love story unfortunately, it was just a sweet romance and a whole lot of character dramas (maybe also because it was just a single POV).

💙Brother's Best Friend
💙Second Chance (ish) Romance

3.5⭐, 1🌶️(closed door romance)

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, written by Jenny Bayliss. This is my honest and unpaid review!

Nory is in for an emotionally complicated few days when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old private school and her working-class town. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle’s head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the "snobby prep school kids," the attraction between them is undeniable.

I really enjoyed this - I’d say it lands more toward the women’s fiction side of the romance spectrum. The romance was a sweet part of the story, but Nory’s relationships with her friends and her family also plays a large part. The audiobook was great!

A perfectly charming holiday romcom, perfect for bookworms who dream of their high school reunions being a meet cute waiting to happen.

I wanted to like this book so much, but for me it just didn't stop dragging. I've read other books by Jenny Bayliss and loved them, so I was disappointed when this one fell flat for me. I loved the cozy vibes of the book but for me there was just too many side characters and there were too many heavy topics for it to be a cute cozy Christmas read for me.

3.5 stars

The characters were great. I loved the close knit group of friends and I wish I had this friend group in real life, I enjoyed reading their connection with one another and their long history together. When I get with my closest friends it’s like we were never apart and this how they were written.

I think the romance itself felt like a side story and should have had more focus. The female MC was written to be a book lover, but outside of mentioning her store it isn’t a focus. I feel like this part of it could have been written a little better because she mentions relationships not working out because her partner didn’t like books.

Over all I thought it was ok. I was more invested in the friendship than the love interest.

I do love this author and will continue to read her books.

This book mentions suicide of a friend.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In 2022, I had a stack of Christmas books that I saved to read between Thanksgiving and the end of December. I saved one too many and I unfortunately did not get to read Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. I was determined to read it this year and on New Year's Eve, I finished the novel!

It is an enjoyable read. I really liked the characters. They are a bit eccentric but not over the top to seem ridiculous. I wouldn't mind seeing them again in a future book. Though Meet Me under the Mistletoe is a complete, stand alone novel.

The setting is perfect for Christmas - a castle in a small village in the English countryside. I love it when gardens are featured in a book.

This is a romance novel so there was the inevitable stumbling block that breaks up the couple. I knew what that obstacle would be, but it happens so late in the novel that I almost thought it wouldn't happen. Because it did happen so late in the novel, it is short-lived thankfully.

While it is set at Christmas, it isn't overall Christmasy. So you could read this any time of the year. If you are like me and missed it when it first time came out and aren't quite ready to say goodbye to the holidays, now would be a great time to pick up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Saturday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/01/meet-me-under-mistletoe-by-jenny.html

Nory is returning to her hometown for her private school friend's wedding. She'll be staying as a guest in the castle where her family sometimes works. It also bring Nory back into contact with the castle gardener who is her brother's friend and not a fan of her snobby friends.

There were a number of side characters I really liked, but there were a few who were awful and it felt like most of the book was just waiting in anticipation of when their awful behavior would mess everything up. When it finally happened at 80% through the book, I almost put the book down I was so frustrated and it was so obvious that Nory's plan would go completely wrong. I enjoyed other parts enough that I decided to just skip the chapter and push through, but it definitely affected my enjoyment of the book.

Such a cute holiday read! It did start out a little slow for me but once the story started going, it was impossible to put down!

This was an adorable book and perfect to read around Christmas! I love all Jenny Bayliss books and look forward to more.

A group of friends comes together after a major loss to attend a wedding. The hash out old problems, find love and grow as a group. Lots of characters, lots of happy endings and lots of family make this holiday read a treasure.

A sweet holiday story that meanders its way through. I took my time reading this book and I think I enjoyed it more that way. Nory is a darling character, and we really get to know her as she spends a week at a castle with her old school friends. We meet her family, who live in the village where the castle is, and we meet Isaac, the gardener, who becomes her love interest.
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Some of her friend were amazing (Ameerah + Dev 😍) and some were awful. There were a lot of characters to keep up with, but I thought they were distinctive enough that it wasn’t a problem.
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The setting was a dream. I especially loved the bookshop, but the castle in the English countryside was nice too. 😆 Jenny Bayliss is a master of the sweet holiday read, and I’ll continue to read whatever she writes! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-copy!

Thank you #Netgalley for this copy!

A fun holiday read focusing on a bookshop owner, Nory, who travels back home for a classmates wedding. Instead of her normal small town quaint living, she is staying at the town mansion to spend time with her friends prior to the wedding. Of course bringing an old group of friends together can bring up mixed feelings, especially when alcohol is involved. While in town Nory also connects with an old friend Isaac who actually works at the property. In this holiday romance, we watch as Nory navigates her old friends and her current life and where she actually fits in.