Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss.

I've enjoyed her previous books and the unique charm and picturesque settings so I was excited to read Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and unfortunately I was disappointed in this one. The beginning was too slow for me with too many characters to keep track of - I lost interest and didn't really like Nory very much.

This was more of a 3.5 for me, but will round down for review purposes. I really enjoyed Jenny Bayliss' first holiday rom-com so was looking forward to reading more from her. The language in this one was a much sassier than I remember in her debut novel, but it's all bark and no bite, with all of the action happening behind closed doors. TW for suicide/depression, though it happens in the past and is only alluded to. The story follows Eleanor "Nory" Noel, who grew up a working class scholarship kid at a prestigious boarding school, who returns back home from her London secondhand vintage bookstore to attend the wedding of two of her school day friends at the castle estate bordering their alma mater. Once there, she has to navigate her relationship with her old brother, who resents her for the opportunity she had that he did not, and avoid Guy, a friend who she had a one night stand with the last time the group all got together without knowing that he was married with children. After having to run out in the middle of the night to avoid his advances, she stumbles into Isaac, the castle's head gardener and her brother's best friend, who then helps her clean off after a mishap involving a wheelbarrow full of manure and they catch up in his cozy garden cottage. The sparks immediately fly between them, but both Nory's brother and Isaac's boss have forbidden any fraternization between the two.

This was a cute read where the picturesque settings were also some of the better characters. God knows they were better characters than Guy. There was some depth to it with the themes of suicide and class, but it skirted the surface level and didn't feel heavy. The wealthy friend group was out of touch and hard to like with the exception of Ameerah, and I have a really hard time believing that for such a close group of friends, not one was invited to Guy's wedding and knew he was married when he came on to Nory. It packed in the brother's best friend, forbidden romance, third act breakup and miscommunication tropes, with the latter two not being my favorites, but overall it was still a sweet holiday read. I preferred her first novel and still have to read her second to compare.

I would like to thank NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for advance copy of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe in return for a honest review.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss is cute Christmas Romcom. Elinor( Nory) is the owner of a second hand book store. She reconnects with her school friends at week long reunion to celebrate their friends’ upcoming wedding. While there she runs into her childhood enemy Issac.
For me this book was slow moving with characters I didn’t care for. I especially felt like Nory has a lot of growing up to do and by that I mean figuring out what she wants for herself in life. I enjoyed that Nory owned a bookstore and Issac loved books. Over all Meet Me Under the Mistletoe was an average read for me.

I adored this book. While at its core, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a Christmas romance between Nory and Isaac, what I especially liked were the interweaving of the love between Nory's school friend group and all their ups and downs and the love that is the foundation of Nory's family dynamics as imperfect as they are. It's a charming book with some humor, mystery, and drama. Did I mention there's a wedding, a castle and a secondhand bookstore? I'm very glad the stories of Nory's friends weren't dragged along to become 2 sequels as is the trend these days. Not everything needs to be a trilogy.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

"A city bookshop owner heads to the English countryside for a holiday reunion— only to face her childhood enemy."

THE POTENTIAL THIS ONE HAD. I have never been so physically angry over my disappointment in a book. It was supposed to be a fun cute holiday rom com, but instead this book tried too hard to do too much and ended up doing nothing at all. There were too many side plots trying to address too many complex social issues, to the point where I just felt overwhelmed and lost in the storyline. I ended up DNFing for my sanity.

This book was too long in my opinion. The premise was good but there were so many side things going on that it took away from the story for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved The Twelve Dates of Christmas, but this one just didn’t live up to the hype. I was expecting a cutesy Christmas story and this is more women’s fiction in my opinion. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

Because of the intricacy of the relationships in the story, it took a few chapters to really get into this book while the characters were still being set up. But once the story picked up I couldn't put it down. The characters are so lovable (even the unlikable ones!) and the plot itself is was so cute and cozy. For me, Nory's unique relationship with her friends is what really set this book apart from the others. With the dreamiest "English castle at Christmastime" backdrop, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe will 100% be one I reread every winter from here on out. Absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a light, wintry read!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a great light read that follows Elinor and her childhood friends later in life. Many will be able to relate to issues raised either directly or through those they know. It’s not all cherry but Elinor finds herself and what she’s been missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and recommend it as a good book to read in the evenings before bed!

Posted to Goodreads on 9/29

I really loved the twelve dates of christmas. It brought a smile to my face. I enjoyed this book. I love all kinds of christmas books and I really enjoyed the fact that it took place in a bookstore. I loved how she was having trouble letting go of the books because they were so special to her. It made me think of how happy you feel inside a cozy bookstore. I do think the book moved a little too slow.

DNF at 40%

This book didn't work for me. There seemed yo be a lot of extra conflict thrown in and too many side stories. I found the female lead to be rather unlikable.

What a cute story! I loved the dynamic between Issac and Nory. Such a feel good story to head into the holiday season

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "Meet Me Under the Mistletoe", written by Jenny Bayliss. It was released on September 27th, 2022.

Overall, I rated this novel 3/5 stars!

The story revolves around Nory, who owns a secondhand bookstore and previously attended an elite private school on scholarship when she was younger. She is spending a week with former classmates preparing for a friend's wedding festivities.

Some things I didn't enjoy about this book:
*it was incredibly long
*the main portion of the book did not involve romance, which I guess I was really in the mood for while reading. LOL I read more personality and chemistry between Nory and her friends than with Nory and Isaac.

I really enjoyed this book. It definitely had some Christmas but to me it felt more wintery than Christmas but that’s totally ok. Our story is about high school friends who have slowly grown apart over that last 20 years but still mean a lot to each other. Two of these friends are about to be married at this beautiful castle and decide they need to all get together for a week of fun before the wedding.

This week is filled with many ups and downs, fun, laughter, and love. There was one part in particular that really had me all up in my feels and was quite emotional.

A recurrent topic in the book is the mention of their friend’s suicide a few years prior. They share memories and will talk about how they wished they could have done more. This friend was the high school sweetheart of one of the characters and it shares how no matter how long it’s been, your first love never really leaves you. They stay part of you forever and will always hold a special place on your heart. This resonated with me so much. And not only did it resonate with me but my high school sweetheart committed suicide earlier this year. We hadn’t spoken in years other than to wish each other a happy birthday but he was a huge part of my life during a very formative time in my life every part of that moment in the book had me in tears. I almost wasn’t sure if I could keep reading but I’m glad I did. It’s just a part I want to point out in case others have been in a similar position.

As far as the love story in the book, it was such an adorable childhood friends to lovers story and it was a warm spot in the book. I really did enjoy the book and it’s definitely a nice book to read this winter.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss is a sweet story. Eleanor is meeting her old friends from private school for a week-long wedding celebration at a castle. We learn about their history, life long friendship, and how they each fit into the social strata in the story. Isaac is a childhood friend who studies horticulture and is now the gardener at the castle.

I loved Nory and learning about her secondhand book store. Her store and love of books resonated with me. I was invested in the secondary characters at her bookstore, her friends from school, and Nory’s family. The author does a nice job talking about heavier topics such as suicide, race and classism without being too heavy. Isaac is a sweet hero who get Eleanor and I found myself easily routing for him.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is the perfect story as you get ready for the holidays. I loved the setting in London and the British countryside. The story has wonderful characters, a touch of romance, and pulls at your heart. I recommend it.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

While this book appears to be a light holiday rom-com, it really addresses much deeper themes than that, so the reader should be forewarned, especially if they are triggered by suicide, adultery or racism. The positive themes are a second-hand bookstore (who doesn't love those?), second chance story, enemies to lovers, the local scenery, and friends. It is also rather long at 448 pages.

I wanted this to work, despite the deep themes, but it just wasn't my thing. I'm sure that there are readers who will devour and love this book, so if the description appeals to you, give it a try.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

It’s the last Wednesday of September, so it’s book review time! This month, I decided to go with a corny romance. I was hoping for something Halloween-y, but settled for Christmas since that’s all I could find. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss was released yesterday (the 27th) from G.P Putnam’s Sons. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe follows Elinor “Nory” Noel, who runs a secondhand bookshop, as she spends a week with old friends from the posh private school she was a scholarship student at. The reunion brings a host of good memories mingled with a couple of particularly bad ones she would rather forget, but she pushes through in order to be supportive of her friends’ upcoming wedding. It helps when she meets Isaac, an old foe of her friend group, and he turns out to be not half bad (and still stupidly handsome). As the week passes and feelings grow, Nory and Isaac both have some major decisions to make if they want to keep things going.

I admit that romance isn’t my usual genre to read, but of the ones I have, this one pretty much fits the mold. Though, there’s a lot going on here. Most romance I’ve read has two or three subplots going on, but this one has at least six. It’s a lot and a couple of the plotlines feel thin, but it’s handled well for the most part. And it helps that the characters are all interesting enough that I didn’t mind following those subplots. There aren’t many places that drag since something is always happening to someone. So, that’s good.

I really only have two complaints about this book. The first is that all important first kiss scene. The payoff for all of the prolonged will-they/won’t-they bullshit. Of course they will. And the reader will get to be the creepy stalker who watches the sparks fly. I don’t feel like that’s too much to ask out of a romance. But it happens off the page with only a passing mention. Wtf? Sure, we get to see the second kiss, which is supposedly just as good, but it’s not the same. I was so disappointed.

The second complaint has to do with that last big fight scene. You know the one. Every romance has one. When the relationship doesn’t seem like it’s going to work. Well, I didn’t mind the scene, but Isaac’s reaction felt far more stereotypical than true to the character he was built to be. I can understand him kicking Guy out, but he would’ve heard Nory out. If he had kicked her out after discovering she was doing something he’d repeatedly told her he wasn’t ready for, I would’ve understood that and believed it. Kicking her and Guy out just felt like something they throw in to cause friction. It was forced. So, the whole pining thing for the last quarter of the book was just annoying instead of heart wrenching.

As far as the writing goes, it was actually a quick, fun read. The plot was a little dense, but mostly worked. The characters were fun and mostly interesting. It was cute and Christmasy and well written.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. Romance isn’t my favorite genre unless I’m in a particular mood, so I probably won’t go looking for more work by Bayliss, but I won’t avoid it either.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. I had fun with it and definitely recommend it if you’re into corny romance, but it’s not something I’d recommend to everyone.

Elinor “Nory” Noel owns a secondhand bookstore in London, but is invited back to Hartsmead, her home village for a reunion week ending with the wedding of two of her best school friends. Nory considers only going for the wedding, since it’s so close to the holidays and her bookstore’s busiest days of the year, and she wants to avoid one friend in particular after their last get together. Her best girlfriend convinces her to come stay the week at the castle. Escaping the feelings of inadequacy she’d felt throughout school between her rich friends and herself, the poor scholarship student, she runs into Issac, her former sworn enemy for the Mud Wars and the castle’s gardener. Issac is handsome, caring and quirky and exactly what she is looking for.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a cute, sweet holiday romance, with so many endearing and lovable characters. I loved that two people could meet and just say that they were interested in each other, rather than just bottling those feelings up. I liked the storyline and I didn’t feel like I could predict the ending because it took a few unexpected twists I was not anticipating.

3.5 stars
I loved The 12 Dates of Christmas, and I was excited for another holiday season book set in England. This one took quite a while to get into, as a good chunk at the beginning of the book sets up Nory's life, her bookshop, and all her friends, and then it gets into the gathering of her old school friends ahead of the wedding.
Nory and Isaac have instant chemistry, but even then it takes the better part of the week leading up to the wedding for anything to happen between them. The majority of the book focuses on the events leading up to the wedding as Nory's large group of friends from school reconnect, and many of them have strong personalities. There was a lot of repeated demonstrations of traits - Guy is drunk and a jerk, Pippa is totally in charge, Jeremy is lovesick, Jenna is a princess, and Nory feels guilty and takes responsibility for other people's actions. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, and I would have preferred more time devoted to Nory and Isaac's developing relationship.
Trigger warning for suicide, alcoholism, and infidelity - these come up again and again in the book.

It took the main character’s love interest’s arrival for me to get into this book. Bayliss is a very descriptive writer, and I think she does it well, but I find myself reading slower when there is too much detail. This is a personal preference, not a critique of her writing. I found myself most engaged in this book in sections with a lot of dialogue, which again is a personal preference for less detail on scenery and wardrobe. I did feel like the title implied it would be a little more Christmasy than it was. I also needed a little more chemistry between Nory and Isaac. I enjoyed them together, but it still felt like the love connection fell a little short for me. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I will continue to read her books.