Christmas setting or no Christmas setting, this has all the makings of cute romance taking place in a quaint English village and I am here for it! I was a little worried in the beginning that guy would be the love interest. I love an enemies to more or a friends to one night stand to pining but let's be honest here. Guy is the absolute WORST. (Caveat, I picked up this book based on author and cover and didn't gully read the synopsis) so there was a Huge sigh of relief when Isaac came [back] into the picture. Childhood enemies to friends, with some mutual pining, overprotective brother and meddling mom who knew they were something to fight for. Love a good four legged sidekick, who wouldn't fall in love with a dog named lettuce!!

Let this be your reminder to plan something with mates from school or uni days, regardless of how long it's been. Quality time with the chosen family. Cheers to shits and giggles!


Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a sweet story of friendship and love at the holidays. Set in an atmospheric castle in a small UK town with a main character who owns a secondhand bookstore, the trappings of the story are perfect for bookworms looking to curl up with something cozy this winter. This is a closed-door romance with sprinkled in elements of mental health (tw suicide).

While the love was cute, the friendships were my favorite part of this story (and what I think made it so lovely).

Jenny Bayliss’ new holiday novel, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, follows Elinor Novel, a bookshop owner, who heads to a castle in the English countryside for a wedding and a holiday reunion with her friends from boarding school. Elinor is reluctant to attend because there’s someone she doesn’t want to see – a certain someone she had a one-night stand with who turned out to be married. Elinor did not know he was married, and he of course didn’t offer up that bit of information. Her desire to see the rest of her friends wins out though and so she’s off to the country.

I really liked Elinor. Even though she went to boarding school and has a squad of rich friends that can afford to spend their holidays at fancy castles, Elinor feels that she has never really fit in with them because she only attended the school on scholarship. Her parents are working class and even with her boarding school education, Elinor doesn’t have a fancy flashy career like the rest of her schoolmates do. She has that underdog vibe that I always love so much. I found it very interesting to follow Elinor’s journey because reuniting with these friends takes her back to a place in her memory where she felt like she never quite fit in and was an imposter. Bayliss does a wonderful job of taking us through the full range of emotions Elinor experiences as she works out how she fits in with this group and what she wants out of life. I also adored the scenes where Elinor reconnects with Isaac, her childhood nemesis, who has grown up and is clearly no longer interested in being Elinor’s enemy. It was really sweet watching the two of them reconnect and reevaluate their relationship.

The story was sometimes hilarious, sometimes dramatic, but always entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the wedding preparation scenes, the random shenanigans surrounding the friends reuniting, as well as the more tension filled moments between Elinor and the married one-night stand. Most of my favorite scenes though actually took place between Elinor and Andrew, who she employs at her secondhand bookshop. He lovingly mocks Elinor because she loves books so much that she never actually wants to sell any of the books she acquires. They were just the most adorable book nerds!

The only downside to Meet Me Under the Mistletoe was that even though it’s meant to be a holiday read, there really isn’t that much holiday spirit in it. Nearly two-thirds of the book doesn’t mention Christmas at all, which surprised and disappointed me a bit. I honestly think I would have enjoyed the story so much more without the promise of a holiday element since that promise set up an expectation that wasn’t really met for me. It’s still a good solid read though.

Add this book to my list of "The Girl Does Not Deserve the Boy." Issac is EVERYTHING, but Nory, the female lead drove me crazy.

My overall issue with this book is there is WAYYYYY too much going on. So many subplots, it is like a soap opera. I understand that Bayliss was trying to discuss societal issues like class, but the execution didn't work for me.

I thought this would be a cute Christmas romance but there is so much drama and strife and not enough Christmas. If you are going to put the word Mistletoe on the cover, Christmas better be shoved down my throat.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Netgalley for an opportunity to review this one. My opinions are my own.

Meet Me Under The Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss is a cute Christmas British romance. Elinor and her group of privileged boarding school friends are reunited for a wedding at a castle. The group has changed since they were all together last. While I love a British Christmas romance I found myself a bit confused about all of the characters. The book deals with deeper issues than most romances so if you’re looking for a story about love and friendship at Christmastime, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a return to hometown holiday story that included a reunion with a childhood crush / brother's best friend / sort of former enemy, plenty of Christmas holiday spirit, some rightings of wrongs, and discussions of class/wealth. The holiday fun was engaging but the story and characters did not pull me in. I think others will love it though!

TW: Suicide
Although it is not explicitly described, there is mention of suicide in this book and it is central to the story.

Elinor Noel, better known as Nory, runs a secondhand bookshop in London. She was a scholarship student at a prestigious school in her hometown and as a result she is mostly surrounded by affluent, rich friends. Something she feels her brother has never let her live down as she was chosen for this opportunity over so many other people. When two of her friends decide to get married in the castle, which was on the grounds of their old school, she is convinced to join in on the festivities consisting of a week long reunion of the friend group followed by their friends big ceremony. Nory is reluctant to go as last time they were all together she slept with Guy, who she later found out was married with kids. Nory feels guilty though her friends insist it wasn't her fault since they were all grieving from their friend's suicide. They all felt some type of guilt for not realizing that things were as bad as they were. When Nory arrives on their first night at the castle, Guy gets drunk and tries to make a move on her so she escapes the castle and bumps into Issac, the gardener's son who is now head gardener. They always sustained a rivalry will she was at school while at the same time, he was her older brother's best friend. Through a series of mishaps, Issac and Nory end up falling for each other, argue because of Guy and end up getting back together. Issac and Nory get married and Nory's friends have a baby who they name in honor of their friends, Tristian. It was a very sentimental read.

Finished this book in a single day. The story weaved both old and new tales of old and new friends. At times it took me a second to remember who was who, but overall was a very good read! There's something to relate to in almost every character and you'll cheer them all on as the book progresses. Romantically it was as expected, pretty mild on the steam. Would recommend!

Thank you to Putnam books for giving me a free digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really hard book to rate. There was a lot that I liked: the coziness, the friendships, the setting. I really liked Isaac’s character. I thought that some of the socioeconomic commentary was good.

Nory was harder to like. She made a lot of dumb choices. Like letting Guy get away with his lie for literal years and everything about how she handled Issac’s art situation.

Overall, while parts of the story were cute and whimsical, this book was difficult to get through. It was too long. There were too many story lines. And it tried to handle too many heavy issues for a Christmas romance novel.

I was SO excited to read this story! I have read Jenny Bayliss' other holiday novels and have LOVED them. I had Christmas in October vibes and was so happy about it. I loved this British story just as much as I expected too. It was a bit longer than necessary in my opinion, but I still had so much fun!

This was a great holiday read, reminded me of watching a cute and maybe a little cheesy Lifetime movie. Another cozy romance perfect for the upcoming cheery season!

I was drawn by this cover and author. The storyline was charming, and ordinarily I love a British holiday second chance storyline. However I struggled with the pace of the story - it felt like there was so much context and framing before the story started, and even then there was a distance to the narration that felt too unrealistic for my personal taste. Thank you for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Nory runs a used bookstore called Serendipitous Seconds. She's invited to a reunion with an old group of friends before one of the friends' weddings. She runs into an old friend of her brother's named Issac at the castle where the wedding will take place. They begin a relationship and they made a cute couple. The friends in her group are all well-developed, each with their own story. Overall it was a great quick read, and with the holiday setting, perfect to read during your own holiday season. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

A British holiday romance following Elinor (Nory) as she reunites with old friends (and enemies) from her posh boarding school!

Nory is a secondhand bookstore owner who prefers to keep to herself these days...until she's faced with an invitation that she can't refuse - two of her friends from her boarding school days are getting married and she's invited to the festivities at the castle near their alma mater. Upon arrival, Nory runs smack dab into Isaac, the enemy of her youth. It turns out that they may actually have more in common than they initially thought and that their instant attraction may be undeniable.

I absolutely loved the setting of this novel - it was charming and lovely! The castle and Nory's bookstore were simply *chef's kiss*. I did feel that the love story was a bit more of an afterthought and the the complexities within the friend group really took center stage for me. With that said, I immensely enjoyed the different personalities, stages of life and trials and tribulations happening within the group and thought it was brilliantly portrayed through the author's way with words. Overall, I would recommend for fans of women's fiction with a romance brewing throughout!

Thanks to @netgalley and Putnam Books for my gifted copy of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, by Jenny Bayliss. This book is out now.

I was, unfortunately, very disappointed in this book. I thought there would be more of a holiday theme, given the title, but there wasn’t. I couldn’t get into the plot either, it felt like every dragged onto unnecessary points. So, I DNF-ed this one.

I adored this book! It's love in an english country-side, filled with books, holidays, and CASTLES! What is not to love about this lovely romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an e-arc to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nory, a bookshop owner in London, has been invited to the wedding of some of her old schoolmates. The wedding festivities turn into an impromptu week-long school reunion, which Nory must work through her complicated feelings about. While Nory is taking some time to herself walking the gardens to get away from some of the noise of the event, she runs into her childhood "enemy" who she hasn't seen in years.

I really liked the 12 Dates of Christmas so I was really looking forward to this novel. However, this was a very middle of the road read for me. It's marketed as a Christmas romance, but there isn't too much Christmas (or any other holiday) woven through the events at all. The romance between Isaac and Nory is definitely cute, as well as having some depth while they navigate the previous suicide of a mutual friend, racism, and Nory's cheating ex continuing to pop in and out of the story. However, I really didn't think that Guy (read: cheating ex) needed to be so integral to the story? I understand he's part of this friend group but these friends are mostly kind of... awful.

I also didn't quite understand why Nory needed her brother's blessing before being able to date Isaac. I don't have siblings so maybe it's an only child thing, but these people are adults in their 30s... just go tell your brother that you'd like to date his friend and the feelings are mutual!

3 stars, a bit slow to start and a little too much filler going on with the schoolmate side plots, but I'm sure this will be a hit during the holiday season.

Hmmm where to start with this one. The holidays and Jenny Bayliss just go together at this point so I was expecting a home run winner. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed this one, it wasn't my favorite like her others have been. I found the main character frustrating and the book was pretty slow to start. I will say I did enjoy all of the other characters and I think if you can look past some annoyances you will really enjoy it too. It's not full on holiday either like I expected but I still think it's a good read for that time of year. While this one wasn't my favorite, I still enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to pick up something from Bayliss in the future.

Coming from a working class family Nora always felt slightly on the outskirts of her friend circle so she is hesitant to attend the week long wedding extravaganza that one of her boarding school friends is throwing at a castle near their old stomping grounds. Reminding herself that life is short, ultimately, she decides to attend. She and her friends reminisce about the good ol' days and come to terms with some of their less than stellar past behaviors/acts. While there she also falls for Isaac, the head gardener and "enemy" from her childhood.

Overall the story felt like a contemporary fiction and due to the cute cover I was hoping for more a Christmas romance. There were small elements of Christmas and romance strewn in but they definitely took a back seat to all of the other storylines attempting to be addressed. At over 400 pages this one could have been a lot shorter and I may have enjoyed it more.

Rating: 3 stars

Special thanks to @netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy of this book.

I loved Jenny Bayliss's The Twelve Dates of Christmas and A Season for Second Chances in on my list to read this winter, so I was excited to read this novel. Elinor "Nory" Noel runs a secondhand bookshop in London and is content with her life. Still, she's always a bit torn between her working-class upbringing and her friends, who she met at a private school she attended on scholarship. Two of the friends invite the old school group to attend a weekend away leading up to their wedding. The trip is exciting but stirs up emotions that Nory has never really dealt with and she prepares for a complicated few days. Then Isaac is there... the guy she used to know and like, but who never seemed to fit with her friends. Nory must decide what she wants out of life and who.

This was a solid three-star read for me. It wasn't quite as cozy as The Twelve Dates of Christmas and parts of the story were a bit slow. I enjoyed Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, but I think this is a case where my expectations for the story didn't exactly align with what it was really about. Nory was frustrating at times, but I liked Isaac and that he pushed Nory to figure out what she wanted. I appreciated the focus on the women's friendships and the nature of a big college group of friends who change over time.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, but it wasn't as Christmasy as expected. TW -- suicide, grief