THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS BY JENNY BAYLISS

11/20/2020

If you're looking for a sweet and festive holiday read then you can't go wrong with The Twelve Dates of Christmas! I adored this one. It put me in the Christmas spirit!

Rating: ★★★★
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Genre: Christmas Romance. Chick Lit.
Series: None. Complete standalone.
Pages: 368 pages
Format: Paperback. ARC from the publisher.

'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read

When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . .

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READ MY BOOK REVIEW

My Rating: 4 Stars
Genre Chick Lit | Holiday Romance

I absolutely adore Christmas stories, When I saw the cover for THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS, I knew this would be a book that I needed for the holiday season and it did not disappoint. Sure, there were a few things that didn’t work well for me but when I take a moment to think of the story as a whole, I can’t help but get those gooey, happy feelings. Therefore, I think this book is a 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥 and I recommend it to fellow readers looking for a festive read during the holidays.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗠𝗔𝗦
⛄ I enjoy British chick lit novels and while this one DID have romance in the plot, the story still focused on the heroine and her journey to finding love. This one had all the British mannerisms and saying that I have come to love (think books from authors like Sophie Kinsella and Bridget Jones’s Diary) and I felt like I was in the U.K. right with them. It also helped that it had all the small town feels which is another thing I love in all books.

⛄ Another thing I loved was that this book felt festive. You could practically picture the gorgeous decorations, smell the mince pies and mulled wine, and feel the snowflakes dancing around you. Settings are important and being able to transport your readers and make them feel as if they are IN the novel is important. Jenny Bayliss nailed this.

⛄ The heroine is a wonderful character. Not only is she a good person (you can just tell by the way she treats others) but she’s fierce and doesn’t take crap from ANYONE especially the men who may have dishonest intentions within the dates.

Now onto the things that did’t work well for me (personally).

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗠𝗔𝗦

⛄ The point of the book is TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS. That’s the title, that’s what we go into the story thinking about, and that’s what the blurb talks about. However, I felt like these dates weren’t displayed enough. We don’t get to see these dates in a large part of the story and when we DO get to them, they seem to get glossed over too quickly. I would have liked to see her with her dates a lot more than we did.

⛄ This book is described as a romantic comedy and I honestly didn’t laugh while reading. This book wasn’t funny and lighthearted like other romantic comedies out there. I was bummed too because I really wanted a book that would give me the full belly laughs.

⛄ The heroine doesn’t end up with who one would think she would. Of course, many readers WILL know straight away who she ends up with (it’s no shocker) but again, it doesn’t feel fitting of the title.

Other than these small issues I truly did enjoy this story and I know it’s going to be one I bring up around the holidays every year. It’s a full on, festive read, with a setting you can visualize and characters who will warm your heart.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐