Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss is a sweet story. Eleanor is meeting her old friends from private school for a week-long wedding celebration at a castle. We learn about their history, life long friendship, and how they each fit into the social strata in the story. Isaac is a childhood friend who studies horticulture and is now the gardener at the castle.

I loved Nory and learning about her secondhand book store. Her store and love of books resonated with me. I was invested in the secondary characters at her bookstore, her friends from school, and Nory’s family. The author does a nice job talking about heavier topics such as suicide, race and classism without being too heavy. Isaac is a sweet hero who get Eleanor and I found myself easily routing for him.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is the perfect story as you get ready for the holidays. I loved the setting in London and the British countryside. The story has wonderful characters, a touch of romance, and pulls at your heart. I recommend it.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

While this book appears to be a light holiday rom-com, it really addresses much deeper themes than that, so the reader should be forewarned, especially if they are triggered by suicide, adultery or racism. The positive themes are a second-hand bookstore (who doesn't love those?), second chance story, enemies to lovers, the local scenery, and friends. It is also rather long at 448 pages.

I wanted this to work, despite the deep themes, but it just wasn't my thing. I'm sure that there are readers who will devour and love this book, so if the description appeals to you, give it a try.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

It’s the last Wednesday of September, so it’s book review time! This month, I decided to go with a corny romance. I was hoping for something Halloween-y, but settled for Christmas since that’s all I could find. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss was released yesterday (the 27th) from G.P Putnam’s Sons. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe follows Elinor “Nory” Noel, who runs a secondhand bookshop, as she spends a week with old friends from the posh private school she was a scholarship student at. The reunion brings a host of good memories mingled with a couple of particularly bad ones she would rather forget, but she pushes through in order to be supportive of her friends’ upcoming wedding. It helps when she meets Isaac, an old foe of her friend group, and he turns out to be not half bad (and still stupidly handsome). As the week passes and feelings grow, Nory and Isaac both have some major decisions to make if they want to keep things going.

I admit that romance isn’t my usual genre to read, but of the ones I have, this one pretty much fits the mold. Though, there’s a lot going on here. Most romance I’ve read has two or three subplots going on, but this one has at least six. It’s a lot and a couple of the plotlines feel thin, but it’s handled well for the most part. And it helps that the characters are all interesting enough that I didn’t mind following those subplots. There aren’t many places that drag since something is always happening to someone. So, that’s good.

I really only have two complaints about this book. The first is that all important first kiss scene. The payoff for all of the prolonged will-they/won’t-they bullshit. Of course they will. And the reader will get to be the creepy stalker who watches the sparks fly. I don’t feel like that’s too much to ask out of a romance. But it happens off the page with only a passing mention. Wtf? Sure, we get to see the second kiss, which is supposedly just as good, but it’s not the same. I was so disappointed.

The second complaint has to do with that last big fight scene. You know the one. Every romance has one. When the relationship doesn’t seem like it’s going to work. Well, I didn’t mind the scene, but Isaac’s reaction felt far more stereotypical than true to the character he was built to be. I can understand him kicking Guy out, but he would’ve heard Nory out. If he had kicked her out after discovering she was doing something he’d repeatedly told her he wasn’t ready for, I would’ve understood that and believed it. Kicking her and Guy out just felt like something they throw in to cause friction. It was forced. So, the whole pining thing for the last quarter of the book was just annoying instead of heart wrenching.

As far as the writing goes, it was actually a quick, fun read. The plot was a little dense, but mostly worked. The characters were fun and mostly interesting. It was cute and Christmasy and well written.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. Romance isn’t my favorite genre unless I’m in a particular mood, so I probably won’t go looking for more work by Bayliss, but I won’t avoid it either.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. I had fun with it and definitely recommend it if you’re into corny romance, but it’s not something I’d recommend to everyone.

Elinor “Nory” Noel owns a secondhand bookstore in London, but is invited back to Hartsmead, her home village for a reunion week ending with the wedding of two of her best school friends. Nory considers only going for the wedding, since it’s so close to the holidays and her bookstore’s busiest days of the year, and she wants to avoid one friend in particular after their last get together. Her best girlfriend convinces her to come stay the week at the castle. Escaping the feelings of inadequacy she’d felt throughout school between her rich friends and herself, the poor scholarship student, she runs into Issac, her former sworn enemy for the Mud Wars and the castle’s gardener. Issac is handsome, caring and quirky and exactly what she is looking for.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a cute, sweet holiday romance, with so many endearing and lovable characters. I loved that two people could meet and just say that they were interested in each other, rather than just bottling those feelings up. I liked the storyline and I didn’t feel like I could predict the ending because it took a few unexpected twists I was not anticipating.

3.5 stars
I loved The 12 Dates of Christmas, and I was excited for another holiday season book set in England. This one took quite a while to get into, as a good chunk at the beginning of the book sets up Nory's life, her bookshop, and all her friends, and then it gets into the gathering of her old school friends ahead of the wedding.
Nory and Isaac have instant chemistry, but even then it takes the better part of the week leading up to the wedding for anything to happen between them. The majority of the book focuses on the events leading up to the wedding as Nory's large group of friends from school reconnect, and many of them have strong personalities. There was a lot of repeated demonstrations of traits - Guy is drunk and a jerk, Pippa is totally in charge, Jeremy is lovesick, Jenna is a princess, and Nory feels guilty and takes responsibility for other people's actions. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, and I would have preferred more time devoted to Nory and Isaac's developing relationship.
Trigger warning for suicide, alcoholism, and infidelity - these come up again and again in the book.

It took the main character’s love interest’s arrival for me to get into this book. Bayliss is a very descriptive writer, and I think she does it well, but I find myself reading slower when there is too much detail. This is a personal preference, not a critique of her writing. I found myself most engaged in this book in sections with a lot of dialogue, which again is a personal preference for less detail on scenery and wardrobe. I did feel like the title implied it would be a little more Christmasy than it was. I also needed a little more chemistry between Nory and Isaac. I enjoyed them together, but it still felt like the love connection fell a little short for me. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I will continue to read her books.

I have previously read The Twelve Dates of Christmas by the same author and was prepared to absolutely devour this British romance.

I love that the main character Elinor "Nory" Noel owns a secondhand bookstore named Serendipitous Seconds (how absolutely perfect is that name). What I didn't love is how attached Nory is to her private school (Braddon-Hartmead) past. Nory attended Braddon-Hartmead on a scholarship and her core group of friends from that time (no one else shares her working-class background) is a very privileged bunch. When Nory and her friends are all brought back together for a wedding, their history makes the story overly complex and heavy. While navigating her group of friends (the "haves"), Nory runs into a "have not" from her childhood, the gardener's son at the castle where they are staying, Isaac. Sparks fly while complications abound.

I realized while reading the last few pages of the book that I didn't feel satisfied with the conclusion, because there was so much going on in the story that it was hard to truly connect to any of the characters, including Nory. The story is more of a romance that takes place around Christmas time than a Christmas romance, not a problem, but did want to note it, as there are very few holiday feels. I would have loved to see more of Nory's family traditions around the holiday, beyond her father creating a new "London style" cocktail each year.

There is some sizzle to the romance, the bookstore setting was adorable, and a few parts of the book are enjoyable, it's just overall not my cup of cinnamon tea. I do highly recommend The Twelve Dates of Christmas if you haven't yet had the privilege.

I am so sad that this book didn't work for me. I really enjoyed Bayliss's previous two holiday books and wanted to sink right into this one. However, at 30% I felt like nothing had happened except a gathering of kind of unlikeable people. I sat it down and had a hard time coming back to it at all. Thanks for letting me try. I hope the next book works out better for me!

I have to admit that at first the summary of this book (a group of friends from a posh boarding school gather for a week at a castle leading up to their friends' wedding). But oh my gosh, the book is SO MUCH MORE! I love that we meet main character Nory at a point in her life where she's already done a lot of self-reflection and has carved her own path, owning a secondhand bookstore in London, rather than pleasing others' expectations. I also loved that we got to be a part of other aspects of her self-discovery, like trying to find her place between bustling London city life, the quaint small-town where she was raised, her fancy boarding school friends, and more. Despite the title and cover, Christmas doesn't actually play a huge role in the book and it's more of a cozy, heartwarming read that will get you excited for the season. I couldn't wait to see how things turned out and at the same time I never wanted it to end!

I didn't realize how much I wanted/needed a holiday/Christmas themed book in September, but I did and I'm glad I picked this one up. Granted, I will say that I wish there was more holiday/Christmas themes throughout the storyline and I didn't enjoy the language a lot. I did enjoy the setting in London and her running a bookstore!

A feel good romance to get you in the mood for the season! What booklover doesn't love a second-hand bookshop as a setting and Jenny Bayliss does Christmassy romances better than most.

This is no fault of the author but I generally have a tough time with the insta-love trope -- I only mention this so that my star rating is able to be taken with a grain of salt. I didn't feel like I got enough, or perhaps the right things, from their past which made it hard for me to buy into their relationship fully. I did enjoy the friend group though!

This book was admittedly a little long for my tastes when it comes to a light read. The sweet spot for my attention span is typically around 300 pages or so for a fluffier book like a romance, and I definitely think this one could've been pared down a little.

Meet me Under the Mistletoe (𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂) — 3.5⭐️

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: I really enjoyed the author’s Twelve Dates of Christmas, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to read it too! While there was a heartbreaking side-story, this book made my heart happy, and I would describe it as a winter feel-good story. There were some Christmas related parts, but it could be enjoyed all winter. I liked how different the characters were. Also, the romance was sweet, and there were some laugh-out-loud moments too!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 —
🌍 Based in Europe
💗 Friends to Lovers
🎄Christmas Related
🔐 Closed Door Romance
🥰 Feel-Good Story

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐟 —
💒 You enjoy preparing for weddings
🍷 You’d need a drink to get through an awkward dinner
👦 You could fall for your brother’s best friend
📚 You’d like to own a used bookstore
🏰 You’re favorite place is to be is a castle’s garden

𝐓𝐖: suicide, racism, mental illness, political disputes, alcoholism, infidelity

Thank you, NetGalley, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, and Penguin House Putnam, for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Jenny Bayliss, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the chance to read this adorable rom-com as an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I LOVED The Twelve Dates of Christmas, and this comes in as a close second! I appreciate that this was more than just your typical romance, and had a lot of friendship dynamics and didn't stay away from some difficult topics. If you are looking for a lighthearted, steamy holiday read, this might not be the option for you. It takes place a couple of weeks before Christmas, so doesn't actual deal with the holidays, but how the name came about is one of my favorite things about this book! 🥰

Nory, a mid-30's secondhand bookshop owner from London, is visiting a castle near her hometown with her school friends for a week leading up to to the wedding, when she runs into a former crush. She hasn't had the best of luck with romance, but falls fairly quickly over adorable Isaac. Over the week leading up to the wedding, they get to spend quite a bit of time together. Mistakes are made, and trust is broken, but can that trust be repaired in the end?

Tropes: second chance, brother's friend

Trigger Warning: a friend's suicide, depression, infidelity, alcoholism, racism

There were a couple elements I found lacking, but overall a fun and swoon-y read! A solid 4 stars! This comes out September 27th so be sure to order a copy before the holidays!

Thank you @netgalley @penguinrandomhouse @putnambooks @jennibayliss for the eARC and chance to voluntarily read and review before pub day—what a joy and honor!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥 (0-5) Slow burn & fade to black (but really tender and full of lovely tension).

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 A holiday season romance with mistletoe in the title—I’m such a sucker!
🤩 Friend group reunion!
🤩 The setting is at a castle with secret gardens in an English country village two hours from London. It made for such a beautiful escape from reality for the characters in the story as well as the reader.
🤩 But also in London & with a Mary Poppins reference.
🤩 Pre-wedding and wedding vibes.
🤩 All the feels (lust, love, longing, & laughs). Even with some serious occasions and discussions, there were some other truly laugh out loud moments.
🤩 MC careers: Isaac is the full-time gardener for the castle. Elinor (Nory) is a bookshop owner in London.
🤩 The MCs have a shared love of the sky, the earth/horticulture, and art.
🤩 I’m such a sucker for any moment like assisted target practice.
🤩 Double forbidden romance—brother’s best friend plus no fraternizing between guests & workers policy.
🤩 Representation for the benefits of therapy and marriage counseling.
🤩 Theme of true friendship where friends tell you the hard stuff with hopes of you becoming the best version of yourself.
🤩 Themes of social prejudice, class discrimination, elitism, and racism.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 The 3rd quarter drama felt like it didn’t quite fit the character of the female MC.
💫 I really like a little steam after the drama.

Trigger Warning:
🔬 Close friend committed suicide a couple years prior—the emotions are talked about a lot.

What a fun Christmas read! Though I live in a hot climate, this really got me in the mood for cold and cozy winter nights and transported me into the holiday spirit! I really loved Elinor/Nory's character and the dynamic and bonds between her childhood friends. This was just as fun and charming of a read as Bayliss's other books, and I look forward to reading whatever comes next!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe follows Nory, who owns a second-hand bookstore in London and reunites with her boarding school friends for a holiday wedding at a castle. All these atmospheric elements, combined with the adorable Christmas-y cover, give off such cozy ,cheery vibes. However, readers be warned, this book packs a serious emotional punch. The saying "do not judge a book by its cover" could not be more true in the case of this book.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe was well-written with likable characters, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had it not been marketed as a Christmas book. It feels a bit like the author came up with a contemporary/women's fiction story and then it was later made to fit into the mold of a Christmas-themed romance book. I would not have even thought to check trigger warnings based on the cover, but there are several heavy ones, including suicide, alcoholism, adultery, and racism. While I appreciated the strong female friendships, I did not feel much Christmas cheer while reading it, and I had a hard time finishing it. Perhaps I just felt a bit misled by the marketing, which put me off when the book took a darker turn.

As a reader looking for a light, heartwarming Christmas romance, this was a bit of a disappointment. The holidays, in particular, can be a very difficult time for those struggling with mental health or the death of a loved one by suicide, so I do feel that trigger warnings for this book should be more prominent. I think there is an audience who will enjoy a Christmas-themed book that is more complex, but I'm afraid this book may upset readers that typically enjoy a light, holiday romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Putnam Books for this ARC!

This book is very cute! I tried to think of a more eloquent word to describe it, but honestly, cute fits perfectly.

I loved the different settings in this book. Nory's secondhand bookshop sounds like a warm hug and somewhere I'd love to visit in real life. And you can never go wrong with a castle in the snowy English countryside!

I liked Nory and Issac, but I also liked the side characters in the book. There's a lot of them so it does take some time to sort out who's who, but they're all pretty well developed and made for an interesting group dynamic. My favorites were Nory's coworker Andrew and her best friend Ameerah. They were both amazing and supportive friends to Nory, but both had their own fun parts in the book. I loved hearing about Andrew's mom and his husband Seb's mom battling to be their daughter's the favorite grandma. And I loved Ameerah's growing relationship with Dev.

I've been reading a lot of YA lately, so it was nice to read about characters more in my age group (mid-30s) and the things we deal with at this age. While there are lots of jokes about drinking/hangovers not being the same in your 30s vs. 20s, there's also some more serious issues brought up, like growing apart from old school friends, navigating relationships with family, and the death (suicide) of a friend.

While there is romance and Nory/Issac make a very cute couple, a lot of the book is focused on the group of friends and their dynamic together. Also, the book is set in late November - Christmas Eve, but it's not overly Christmas-y. So, if you're looking for a steamy holiday romance, this probably isn't for you. If you're looking for a light-hearted, sweet story of friendship and finding love, I would recommend this one.

Unfortunately, I really didn't care for this book. For a Christmas setting it was sorely lacking in Christmas and it was also kind of crass. The language and content shot down any cozy vibes this could have had. There were too many characters to keep track of, and for a supposed romance novel, there was more focus on Nory and all her childhood friends than on Nory and Isaac, and as a result the romance had no depth and was very insta-love. She mentioned how Isaac was "worth everything" but she barely knows the guy. It didn't feel authentic at all. Nothing about this felt authentic really. The author tried way too hard to insert every little thing into this and it just didn't work. Also, it drove me crazy the author kept going back and forth between Nory and Elinor. I don't think this is one I can recommend. Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️
Ultimately, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a book about a friend group and how relationships change yet also stay the same from youth until your thirties. Elinor “Nory” is given the opportunity to go to a friend’s castle estate wedding in the same location that she went to a posh private school some ten plus years earlier. A reunion of sorts, we meet all of her friends, some single, others married, and even one whom is not with the group any longer. It’s an easy friend group to fall into, but at times I found myself having to check back to remind myself of which friend did what, making it slightly tricky to keep up with. Nory has to face one of her mistakes, a friend she slept with but did not know was married at the time which makes the plot a bit interesting, but she ultimately has to decide what type of love story she wants to write for herself. Isaac, head gardner at the estate, and friend to Nory’s brother, has known Nory since she was in school and the interactions between them are lovely (even when covered head to toe in manure). Isaac is exactly what a reader would hope for in a romantic foil; sweet, attentive, humorous, and a hard worker. His moments in the book were my favorite. But I wanted to strangle Nory in her poor decision making in the “third act breakup”—I think I audibly groaned. Fortunately Jenny Bayliss turns Nory’s mistake around and saves us with an HEA, but I would not have blamed Isaac for being very upset with Nory. All loose ends are tied up neatly and I appreciated the way each friend got their own mini-story. If you’re looking for a sweet, easy, countryside British Christmas read, this book will deliver. Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Group for this early eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

54% - DNF (right now)

The premise of this book is so cute, and I loved Jenny Bayliss's The Twelve Dates of Christmas, so I was really looking forward to cozying up with this new holiday romance. But it just moved so slow. I am looking forward to finishing this book at some point, and remain hopeful that it will be as cute as I'm anticipating, but right now it's just moving too slow to hold my interest.