Kiss Me at Christmas is a story about Harriet who is a single mom empty nester and sad her daughter won't be home for Christmas this year. She is helping some teens with a Christmas play and ends up in a bit of a forced proximity with her one night stand. It was cute enough, but overall just 'ok' for me.

This holiday romance had a lot of charm and warmth, but it didn’t fully click for me. While the story had some sweet moments and a cozy, festive tone, it felt like too much was happening without enough focus. The characters and their relationships didn’t feel as developed as I would’ve liked, which made it harder to connect with them.

The third-act conflict also fell a little flat—it seemed like the stakes weren’t high enough to justify the emotional reaction. On the other hand, I really appreciated the themes of found family, which brought some heartfelt moments to the story.

Ultimately, this book had potential and a solid holiday vibe, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression for me. It’s a nice seasonal read, but not one I’ll be revisiting.

I got this book, but I don’t think it was for me. I wouldn’t really say It was much of a holiday or a Christmas Reed other than just taking place in December. The characters were hard to work with as they were more grumpy than happy. Sadly, this one just didn’t work for me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

This was a cute, seasonal read, but it was just fine to me. Nothing special, and I thought the main characters were a little dull.

A great holiday read. A little unexpected romance and a Christmas Carol production by some unlikely players. This is a feel good holiday story. A quick read full of the reason for the season. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was a feel good Christmas read ❤️ While I found the story less of a romance and more about the saving of the theater and Harriet finding herself again, it was an all around good read. I do wish there was more of a focus on the story of Harriet and James because I loved the growth of their relationship, but I did find all the other plot lines and characters to be lovely.

Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel good Christmas read with a bit more emotion than a traditional Christmas rom-com!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Single parent Harriet is facing her first Christmas without her daughter and not handling it well. She is overworked and under appreciated but it doesn’t stop her from giving her all to the students in her care. A one night stand blossoms into more than she bargained for ultimately changing her world in a multitude of ways. I really loved this story, so many wonderful characters.

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

My review has been submitted to Amazon and posted on Instagram.

I’m a big fan of Jenny Bayliss’s holiday romances, they’re sweet without being silly and the characters are a delight. This rang true to that description. I really enjoyed the found family element of Kiss Me At Christmas, and that it was about so much more than romantic love—self-love, community, friendship, all kinds of care for one another. This was a really nice story for the holidays and an easy, cozy read. I enjoyed it!

I’m sorry: a FOUND FAMILY HOLIDAY STORY that takes place in the THEATRE and oh yes, there’s a midlife romance woven in there?! This was made for moi. I made the mistake of reading mixed reviews before I picked this one up, and had essentially gotten the vibe that this was a horny 40-something romance with some community subplot thrown in. Y’all. Did we not read the same book? I ADORED Harriet and James, and their midlife romance, Harriet’s empty-nest self-love reckoning, and the sweet redemption storyline for some of our more crotchety characters. But where this book sings is in the heartwarming, hard-won found family narrative centered around the community production of A Christmas Carol (and did I mention it’s to save a crumbling former-jewel theatre? The delicious tropes abound!). This one made my heart grow three sizes with its delightful plotline and reminded me of what I love most about the holiday season - when we can all come together for a sec and just remember our shared humanity. Jenny Bayliss is a jewel, and she has officially cemented her status as an auto-buy author for me with two knockout holiday stories the past few years. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early copy!

This book was a fun holiday edition. I liked the story and the characters fine, but there was still something missing I felt like. I just don't feel like Jenny Bayliss has ever captured the same magic as she did in her 12 Dates of Christmas book, so sometimes her newer books come up short in my opinion. This is a fine holiday book, and I definitely recommend the physical copy over the audiobook.

This was a miss for me. I was missing witty banter i come to expect from rom coms. I also didnt feel the christmas vibes i was expecting to when picking this up. I just didnt care about the students or anything pertaining to them. sorry!

I will start this review by saying that this book had a slow start for me, though I think the start was important for developing the story as a whole. What I really appreciate about Jenny Bayliss is the depth of her stories. Seeing this book's title and cover, I anticipated a sweet holiday romance but got so much more than that. A bit Dead Poets Society, a bit Sing, a bit A Christmas Carol, and a lot of delight in the end!

I’m just going to allow myself to be a bit critical here. I think with a few tweaks this book could have been a lot better. The story for the plot was very original and played out in a heartwarming way. And the love interest is incredibly likable.

Constructive criticism number 1:
Harriet is the weirdest curser I’ve ever heard. I say this as a full grown adult who very, very rarely curses myself. You’ll hear “shoot” and “darn it” out of me. So I have no problem with Harriet not cursing, I have a problem with how distracting her curse alternatives are.
Who says “bum swizzles”? Who says “holy shish kebabs”? “Sugar Honey Iced Tea”? “Mother Smucker”? Oh my god, it’s so bad.

Number two: Harriet’s fashion choices seem to be intentionally quirky but they are to an exaggerated degree. At one scene she was wearing three cardigans at one time.

Number three: this book is 400 pages. It’s too long

Ok, on to the cute plot.

Harriet is heartbroken because her daughter isn’t home for Christmas. She seeks company from a man named James at the bar. She leaves his house the next day and promptly runs into him again as a lawyer at the police station.

Harriet works at a school and her students are caught trespassing at an abandoned theatre. To save her troubled students from getting into even more trouble she takes the blame and responsibility.

Harriet’s punishment is to clean up the theatre and restoring it to working order and to put on a play before Christmas.

Harriet pulls in her students to help clean and to do the play. James gets pull in to work too and a small community begins to work together in the theatre.

There is a heartwarming story here but it’s buried under some distracting stuff.
I’m sorry I didn’t spend more time talking about the pros but this just wasn’t my favorite.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!

A very cute Christmas read, would definitely recommend for anyone trying to enjoy the season! It’s also great if you love retelling in general, I’m a huge fan of them and this one is really well done.

This was a better-than-average Christmas book. It had a lot of the tropes that are common to holiday themes (a community coming together, grumpy/sunshine-ish, putting on a play, the town curmudgeon who has a change of heart) but also a few unique aspects. I liked the romance between the two main characters because they were both middle-aged and had lived some life. They both showed some character growth throughout the book. I also thought several of the supporting characters were well sketched-out with some depth. This was a fun but not too frivolous read.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kiss Me at Christmas started out on a very high note. I loved the first chapter, but as the plot went on I felt it got a bit slow. I did enjoy some of the playful tension between the two main characters. I appreciated hearing about their back stories, particularly Harriet's. I enjoyed the issues she was going through, and missing being around her daughter at Christmastime. But I didn't care much for the main storyline of the book, which was putting on a play. It just felt a bit slow, but I stuck with it because I enjoyed the romance and the details about the main character's lives.

Kiss Me at Christmas is a heartwarming Christmas story that does not follow a stereotypical "holiday romance", predictable plot. This story has true heart and meaning. We got to see the growth of so many characters and what a community can do.

Harriet is an independent, stubborn woman who is fiercely protective of those she cares about. When she stumbles into a situation where she has to oversee the production of a play to help out 5 kids who she counsels at school, she ends up not only helping the students, but brings together displaced community organizations who no longer have a place to land. She invites them into the theater she has been charged with updated. These diverse groups all come together to put on a production of The Christmas Carol.

I loved the integration of these groups and how the author shows the importance of having community. Many of these characters did not have family or a stable home environment, but they found love and support in the groups that came together at the theater. They showed up for one another during hard times and celebrated the good times together. The book depicted what Christmas is actually about. I also felt that the love story woven throughout with James was realistic and practical, unlike many holiday romance books.

Jenny Bayliss is a reliable Christmas writer and that's a compliment because not everyone can pull off Christmas novels well. This one has mature characters, humor, and Christmas cheer without being overly schmaltzy. There is romance and found family.

It took me way too long to pick this one up. Still not totally sure why but initially I felt like it might be a full read. Now that I have finished I am happy to say it was the furthest thing from dull. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the best king of Christmas read. I fell in love with the FMC from the start. I enjoyed her humor immensely and was deeply inspired by who she was and what she stood for. I found myself wondering more about the MMC and may have enjoyed his POV but that’s just being nit picky at this point.

I'm definitely a fan of the Mom Com. Enjoyable retelling of A Christmas Carol that was great way to kick off my seasonal reading. Jenny Bayliss is great at mature romance and Kiss Me at Christmas is no exception.