This was such a beautiful story of found family and the truest meaning of Christmas. I so enjoyed this book and thought that Jenny did an amazing job with a unique storyline that not only challenges our thinking but also warms our heart. This is an easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me!

Harriet Smith works as a pastoral care team for a private school in the UK. You find a pattern where she is always searching for the same five kids. They run off somewhere and Harriet has to look for them. They seem to always go to the winter theatre.

Things begin to unravel one day when the kids and Harriet get caught by the police for trespassing. Harriet then runs into her one night stand who happens to be the lawyer of the Winter theatre.

I really enjoyed this holiday read. It has so many good moments of found family that it makes you smile.

I totally pictured this book as a Hallmark movie on TV.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There is nothing quite like a Jenni Bayliss book to make you feel cozy, comforted and ready for the holiday season. This book is no exception. For me, reading new Bayliss books and rereading all her others is now a seasonal tradition. I absolutely loved the cast of misfit characters in this one, coming together in the Christmas season to help one another. Plus there’s also such a good romance as always!!

I am someone who enjoys holiday Christmas books. however, I couldn't get very far in this book. I only got to chapter 8 and decided this book wasn't for me. This book didn't feel very Christmasy to me and thought the plot so far was boring. I was also a bit confused about what exactly was going on. The book I believe is written in 3rd person and I am not a fan of that in books. This could be another reason why I wasn't a fan of this book.

A testament to the holiday season: family, friendships, love, and miracles.
Harriet is committed to her work and students at the school. James is a stoic solicitor committed to his clients. When the two cross paths the first time, sparks turn into fireworks. When they meet the second time, the sparks have become smoldering distain.
Circumstances with the Winter Theater and it's owner, Evaline Winter, cause Harriet to soldier her "famous five" students, along with anyone else she can gather, to put on a production at the Winter Theater. The first in over 50 years, in which the theater has been left in disregard during that time. As other community groups are displaced from the closing community center, a rag-tag group is formed as various clubs come together to use the spaces at the theater.
Renovation is underway to entice the highest price for the theater, the production being the culminating selling point. Will Harriet, with the help of James and the hodge-podge of community groups warm the heart of Evaline Winter to continue community spaces once the theater sells? Will the "famous five" teen-delinquents be part of a success? Will Harriet put herself and her ambitions first in the eye of adversity?

This modern day Scrooge had me already getting into the Christmas spirit and I’m not one to rush to the next holiday!

This book isn’t a silly romance but revolves around helping others, whether they are just generally struggling, teens with a challenging upbringing, in foster care and others with disabilities. Also, Harriet’s journey of self-love in her next chapter as an empty-nester was so heartwarming as we watched her blossom.

Jenny Bayliss reminds us in her newest novel that our family doesn’t have to be blood relatives but can be those we find. 

This book is available now so be sure to grab a copy and a warm drink to get into the holiday spirit!

I have come to look forward to Jenny's new holiday rom-com every year, and this year was no exception. She writes great characters and has fun story lines, with a little bit of drama.

Her new one, however, wasn't as strong as some of her other books. For me, despite the fact it takes place around the holidays, it didn't give me the Christmas vibes. I think there was too much time leading up to Christmas and not enough time actually spent on Christmas.

I did love the fact that the characters in this book give me hope for humanity. The way all the characters rallied around one another and helped out without having to be asked warmed my heart.

There was some romance in this book, but it was a lot of flirting. I would have liked a little more romance, but I'm general, it was a heart-warming story.

I give this book a solid four stars. I wouldn't go into it thinking it's going to be an over the top Christmas book, but you can definitely add it to your holiday TBR.

This was a nice read, a bit different from my regular reads , but definitely a cozy read for winter or fall. I liked the FMC and her personality. I like how she protect her kids(students). The MMc was nice as well. I like how they meet up and how the relink . Definitely cute. Also the whole theater 🎭 community was such a amazing story to follow . Love it .

Enemies to lovers, just one night, found family, cozy small town vibes, A Christmas Carol, older MCs (in their 40's), divorce

Harriet is the Queen of Christmas, except this year her 17 year old daughter has extended her study abroad leaving her alone. Harriet drowns her sorrows in mulled wine and ends up going home with a man.

In her daily life, she's a pastoral worker at the town's boarding school. The next day, hungover, she has to track down some truant local students and finds them in the local (abandoned) theater.

They have to work together to fix up the theater and put on a Christmas play.

I did enjoy the parallels of the plot and A Christmas Carol, but I found Harriet to be a bit exhausting for my taste. As a teacher, I understand her feeling of being there for her students, but there is a point where we all realize we are one person, and we can’t do everything for everyone. I think the guilt and her constant “on-call” behavior were a bit overdone.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun book. I enjoyed it a lot!

Jenny Bayliss always delivers with her holiday romantic comedies! Funny, sweet, and always romantic; I enjoy them every time! Lovers of holiday romances will surely enjoy this new one!

The blurb of the book sounds so Scrooge-like. Harriet Smith is NOT looking forward to Christmas and she has to clean up a washed out theater just in time to host a Christmas play. However, the book itself was not Scrooge-like at all! I loved Harriet's "Famous Five" students who thrived at the community theater and all of the other underdogs who joined in to make A Christmas Carol a success.

This book was a bit long in the tooth at times and the romance wasn't quite a believable post-one night stand romance, but I still felt the Christmas cheer!

This book was so much fun! Here are the things I loved:

The Christmas Element! So adorable
The inner monologue of Harriet.
The setting, so fun to follow, especially at Christmas.
Harriet and John's banter and vibes were so fun.

This definitely is a Christmas read. Check it out!

I have read almost every book written by Jenny Bayliss, and Kiss Me at Christmas was another fun holiday story. I was a bit shocked when the book started with a one night stand. Honestly, it was a bit off-putting. That being said, I am a sucker for books that are the equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie, and this book felt like it could easily be made into one of those movies. I appreciated the character development throughout the book, in particular that we get to see into the lives of many of the "side" characters and how they are all changed and influences by each other as well as our main protagonist. Overall this is a charming holiday story. I'm sure I'll keep coming back for every new holiday store Bayliss writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for he advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

It’s been weeks since I received and started this one and have yet to return and finish it. About 50% in and can see where it’s going. Would be a great movie but in written word it’s not keeping me interested.

Jenny Bayliss is the reining queen of Christmas themed rom-coms. In Kiss Me at Christmas, we meet a diverse cast of characters that make us feel we have joined their community for just a moment in time. Harriet, who works in the school pastoral care team, defends a group of misfit students when they trespass into private property that happens to be an abandoned theater, and she comes face-to-face with her one-night stand, James, the property owner’s lawyer. Together, they work to create some Christmas magic for both their community and maybe even themselves. A delight at every turn!

In each of Jenny Bayliss’s books, it's the settings that get me, even more than the characters. Kiss Me at Christmas is no exception. The village, the theater, and every other spot that Harriet goes in the book drew me in and made me want to stay.
This wasn't my favorite of Bayliss, but each one is consistently a delight, books I grab off the shelf to recommend to patrons in my library regularly for their charm and comfort.
I received an early copy of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to receive and review this ARC. Jenny Bayliss does not disappoint. This book should be a holiday movie, it's entertaining and firmly in the found family trope. Sometimes the adults were a little immature, but it's Christmas and still fun!

This was such a sweet (closed door) Christmas story. Our main character Harriet is alone at Christmastime while her daughter spends it away in the U.S. Because of this, she decides not to celebrate since she will be by herself "so what's the point" and to really drown herself in her work on the Pastoral Care Team at a private school. While trying to advocate for her group of 5 disadvantaged ragtag students, she finds herself starting a community program at the rundown local theater. Through this adventure, there's found family with the community coming together to help one another and really shows how everyone deserves to have someone in their corner advocating/fighting for them. There are also sprinkles of Scrooge/A Christmas Carol themes throughout the book, which is always a fun eyeopener. The love interests are in their mid to late forties and the book really focuses on them finding out who they are outside of being parents. The adults were emotionally mature (the majority of the time) which is also so refreshing. They were constantly learning and trying to improve themselves as well as understanding other people's points of view. All in all this was a charming Christmas book.

"Being alone does not make a person less worthy of good things. I deserve to prepare myself delicious food. I refuse to curtail life's little enjoyments because I am without a companion. I am worthy of effort."

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam books, for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for my honest review.