As a teacher myself, I absolutely loved this book! It shows an accurate description of what so many teachers do to fight for their students on their own time but also how burnt out teachers can get from this. Her determination to put together a play to give her students a safe place is admirable but I think my favorite character in the book is Billy. I cannot imagine having to basically raise my brother just to keep us together. Plus, Sid is just the cutest throughout the whole book! I was rooting for Harriet and James to get together the whole time, but sometimes I think James felt too perfect but that’s my only negative of the book. If you are looking for a cute Christmas Romance, this book is worth checking out

“Found family” type romances are usually some of my favorites, and that aspect of this story was very heartwarming and cute. It definitely took center stage and pushed the romance to the side, which was a little disappointing. Overall I enjoyed reading this and the Christmas vibes were high so I can’t complain there. It was overly sweet for my personal tastes but I’ll excuse it just because it’s a holiday romance. Main character was a little questionable. Wearing more than one cardigan at a time is crazy work.

I started this book and actually lost interest half way through... not the best Holiday Book this season.

Kiss Me at Christmas was a cast of characters that I just loved. It radiated holiday vibes, and I needed that in my life. For me, it was this perfect blend of humor and feels, and both were done so, so well. I also loved that this was Harriet navigating motherhood after her adult daughter had gone out into the world. The reflections on motherhood and who she was/what she wanted to do were a powerful and relatable part of the story. I also dug the romance and all the relationships. It read like a holiday movie, and that's a good thing! Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this September 2024 release!

Cute premise, but I ultimately did not enjoy this book. I work with teens, and have a hard time reading teen characters whose dialogue is so wildly not teen-like. There were also a lot of moving parts that didn’t get me hooked into the story.

I usually love a story about a quirky woman looking for community, surrounded by a cast of interested characters, dealing with hilarious and uncomfortable situations. Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. The story never hit or interested me. I was often confused with Harriett’s age. I felt as though she was sometimes painted as a curmudgeonly old woman but then at others she felt a lot younger, almost immature. It never grabbed my attention & just didn’t work for me personally.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

4.5 rounded up. Jenny Bayliss never disappoints.

Overall the story is wonderful! This is a heartwarming story about community and second chances. I adore the cast of characters we are introduced to throughout the story. They all come together to create this new community within the story when they may not have otherwise crossed paths.

Highly recommend adding this to your holiday TBR.

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

I wanted to love this one. I really, really wanted to love this one. However, this one was festive but lacked depth. It was a wonderful idea but it felt so surface and left me wanting more. i loved the “found family” aspect and how the community came together.

Harriet’s daughter isn’t coming home for Christmas this year, so she’s not planning to celebrate. She is a pastoral care worker at a high school, and when a group of her problem students are caught trespassing in an old theater, Harriet finds herself roped into helping restore the theater and put on a production of A Christmas Carol. This book was adorable! It is a romance, but more of a story about found family and community and hope. I actually found myself tearing up at the end because it was so joyful and hopeful. I also loved how Harriet decided she was worthy of love and attention just for being herself, not because of her identity as a mom or a teacher. And I think I loved all the side characters (the kids, the contractors, the different community groups) even more than the main characters! Overall, this is a great read if you’re looking for something hopeful, festive, and heartwarming!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS is out now!

4/5 stars

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced reading copy!

Such a sweet Christmas story! While the last Jenny Bayliss I read was true romance, this book would be better marketed as holiday fiction with a bit of romance & found family mixed in. Due to the expectations I had coming into this one, it took me a second to connect with the reality of the story. The "setting the scene" part of the book took nearly 25% which, in my opinion, is way too long. After that, though, I was hooked!

What romance there was in this story was very well done. Any conflicts were resolved quicky, which is exactly what I want when looking for a lighthearted Christmas read. I loved our main character's connection to the kids, and the setting of the theater/play was so heartwarming. All of the supporting characters added so much. Found family is one of my favorite themes, and this book nailed it -- even bringing me to tears towards the end.

Overall, a perfect read for the holiday season!

This was so frickin wholesome, the community focussed holiday celebrations were so fun to read! I loved the group dynamics and the banter ❤️

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

This was a cute, quick holiday read. It isn't very unique or memorable so I give it 3 stars, but it did continue the Christmas reading spirit for me.

I had a little bit of a hard time getting into this one. The beginning was very slow and the characters felt underdeveloped at first. I stuck with it, wanting to see where it went and ultimately was glad I did. It wound up being a retelling of A Christmas Story, along with a bit of a fixer upper tale (both of the theater itself and some of the characters). I don't know that it's one I would re-read next year but I'm glad I saw it out to the end.

Harriet Smith is always on, on for her students when she takes the fall for them during a trespassing charge, on for her daughter who is spending her first Christmas away from home, on for the new man in her life and always on for her friends. If you need a shoulder or a friendly chat Harriet will always be there, until she's not.
Harriet doesn't want her daughter to know how much she misses her this Christmas because she doesn't want to ruin her fun. Problem is Harriet has put all her eggs in one basket, everything she's done for her whole daughter's life has been for her; to say she dotes on her is putting it mildly. Without her around she doesn't see the purpose of decorating this Christmas or cooking for just one.
When some of her students, five misfits who have each other but the others at school think of them as weird and not fitting in are caught breaking into the town's theater she takes the fall for them saying it was her idea. They'd been there plenty of other times, not causing trouble just reading and practicing for a play.
As a punishment they are requested to clean the theater which turns into an exciting theater remodel. I loved seeing the confidence these kids got having a theater to practice in for a very special show they were about to put on.
She has to work with James, the owner's lawyer which she had met previously and whom she made a fool of herself in front of.
Of course, during the holiday season foolishness's are forgotten as things heat up for this pair. My favorite part of this book was seeing these kids not from the best backgrounds coming around and having such pride in having a place to practice and knowing their cleaning up the theater made a big difference in not only their confidence but for the betterment of the town as well.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Let me start off my saying that if you go into this one thinking you’re reading a romance novel you’ll be very disappointed. It definitely reads more like contemporary fiction with the romance element taking a back seat. The FMC and MMC are both 40 somethings which was refreshing and different from the other holiday books I’ve read. This one was heartwarming and (mostly) wholesome (it’s closed door) and overall such a feel good story. There’s found family with a new take on a renovation trope. So many different cultures and holiday celebrations are featured. The story centers around Dickens’ A Christmas Carol so if you’re a fan of that definitely check this one out. I loved it!

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although this is listed as a romance novel, I would say it it could use a bit more in that area.

When I read the summary for it, I wasn’t sure and I figured I would give it a chance because I enjoyed her Christmas book last year called A December to Remember. This was a story about a woman taking responsibility for a troubled group of children and turning an impossible situation into a community building success. I loved the various premises of the book about supporting kids in a tough situations, an empty nester trying to show up for herself when her daughter gone for Christmas and how everyone needs a place to go where they belong. This was heartwarming and a lovely premise to read during the holiday season.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me access to a digital copy of this book. It was a wonderful book for the holiday season.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and G. T. Putnam’s Son for the copy of Kiss Me at Christmas. Jenny Bayliss just knows how to write a story that you are able to fully immerse yourself it and picture everything so clearly. This was a heartwarming holiday story that I really enjoyed!

When some of Harriet’s students are caught sneaking off she follows them to find they have been breaking into the town's old theater. When they get caught, Harriet takes the fall for them and in the ultimate plot twist discovers the lawyer for the owner of the theater is the same man she just had a one-night stand with. Somehow Harriet negotiates that she and the teens will fix up the theater and put on a play, hoping that this will lead to the theater reopening to the public.
What stood out to me about this story wasn’t the romance, it was the found family. The bond created by Harriet, the students and those helping with the play was so sweet. The romance unfortunately didn’t ever really grasp my attention and left me wanting more depth to their relationship. This book was overall sweet, just not the romance I was expecting.
Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

"Kiss Me at Christmas" by Jenny Bayliss is such a charming holiday story that beautifully combines romance, community, and self-discovery. The book follows Harriet Smith, a school counselor who, feeling lonely during the holidays after her kids have moved out, ends up directing a Christmas play. She gets some much-needed help from a group of quirky students and a charismatic lawyer, James Knight. The characters’ personalities really shine, adding so much warmth and depth to the story. It’s the perfect feel-good read for the holiday season.

What I loved most was how Bayliss created characters that feel so relatable and real. Harriet and James both go through personal growth, which adds a lot of meaning to their journey. Their relationship isn’t just your typical romance—it has depth and develops naturally. The story also highlights the importance of family, friends, and community, especially during the holidays, making it extra heartwarming. With its engaging storyline and loveable characters, "Kiss Me at Christmas" is the kind of book that leaves you feeling cozy and uplifted.

Thank you @putnambooks for the gifted copy of Kiss Me At Christmas, by Jenny Bayliss! This book is available now.

I look forward to a new holiday book by Jenny Bayliss every year, and I always save it for one of my first reads of December. This one was cute and tugged at my teacher heartstrings.

This wasn't my favorite by this author but it was still a cute read to start off my holiday reading. I think it took a little too long to get into the crux of the story, and specifically the romance. After their one night stand, they were thrown together again in an awkward situation, and then it took awhile to get the chemistry back. I think the author was trying to go for awkward, but it was just kind of boring.

I guess it was a sweet story but there was nothing that kept me itching to pick it up.