This was a fun book to read over the holidays. The plot was quick enough that it kept me entertained. I enjoyed reading it.

A pox upon the houses of everyone involved with the titling/marketing of this as some sort of Christmas romcom! Ugggggh! You did this oh so very lovely book such a disservice. While there did end up being a kiss under the mistletoe, this had a much more than a simple romp in the manger to offer and I totally understand why some have complained it was a sort of bait and switch from what they had been expecting. Luckily I have read (and loved) this author before and knew she would provide much more meat on the Christmas roast than other seasonal offerings.

The story here is of Eleanor who is gathering with her former boarding school chums for a week-long reunion prior to two of them getting married. The last time they were together was after the tragic loss of one of their group and where Nory did a diddle that she would like to pretend she never did with another of their pals.

I’d call this part Four Weddings and a Funeral and part The Big Chill (and if you know me you know I’m ALWAYS looking for something that gives me The Big Chill vibes). There’s some seriousness with respect to talk of race and class, as well as some melancholy, but there’s also plenty of laughs . . .

“Tell me about him.”

“He’s the gardner . . .”

“Oh, Lady Chatterley! I do say!”

“I knew you’d say that.”

And love.

Per usual, the third act breakup made me want to punch everyone around me in the face and I also thought this was probably nearly 100 pages too long. But still. It made my Grinch heart grow three sizes and I felt like I made some new friends. It may be time to take down the tree, but you could read this one any time throughout the winter.

Very cute holiday read- if you’re into romance and Christmas, I would highly suggest read this book!

This is a really cute story!!!
I loved the banter between Nory and her family. Also swooning over the fact that she has her own bookshop!

I did feel that certain parts were dragged out and that made the book feel a little long.

Overall, good book!!!

Nory is perfectly happy running a secondhand bookshop and living her fairly simple life. But since she attended private school on scholarship, she often finds herself balancing her life with friends who lead extravagant lifestyles. When she goes to a friend’s wedding at the castle near her old school, she expects it to be a complicated weekend. She finds herself literally in the arms of the castle’s gardener, a boy she used to consider her enemy. But this time around, the chemistry between them is undeniable.

This closed-door romance managed to have a lot of chemistry and a lot of tension. This book really focused on a lot more serious topics than I expected, especially for a holiday romance. There was a lot about social class as well as other deeper topics. While this story was enjoyable, it was a bit challenging to keep up with all of the side characters and the various storylines at times.

Thanks to Putnam Books for the advance copy.

I really wanted to love this book, but on a whole it just didn’t work for me. There were some elements I liked - the small town setting at Christmastime, Nory’s friendship with Ameerah, and all of the scenes in Nory’s bookshop. I wish we had gotten to spend more time there and see more of Nory’s regular, every day life. Maybe I would have liked this more.

This book was rather unnecessarily long. I also really didn’t like most of Nory’s other friends, who we spend a lot of time with. To avoid spoilers I’ll say that I can’t believe that they would all stay friends with Guy after all of his misdeeds. I’m not even sure how Nory could stand to be in the same room with him or his defenders - even Charles was still defending him at the end of the book. Isaac was a sweet love interest, but all of the drama with Nory’s friends (and brother, who is also rather unlikeable) really took away from the romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for a review copy. I loved books by this author in the past so I will definitely give her another try in the future.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss is a wonderful novel. Set in England, this book features a woman who owns a bookshop. This feature alone made this book appeal to me. But she soon has to face her childhood nemesis, and this brings up so many questions. Great book overall. Readers of this genre will definitely enjoy this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This was a cute Christmas read. I enjoyed the friendship and romance. There are some trigger warnings so be aware.

I thought that there were elements that I really enjoyed in this holiday read: the small town setting, reuniting with old friends and finding your place, and requainting with your childhood crush. I did feel at times that the book was very slow and I never felt overly invested in the story. It was a cute read, but didn't really grab my attention.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

There are a lot of characters and a lot going on in this emotional but feel-good holiday romance. Warm, sweet entertaining read.

Pub Date 27 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Another cute book by this author. Nory heads back home for her friend's wedding and reconnects with someone from her past. They both have to figure out if they can get over the prejudices of their past. Feel good winter story.

Overall I enjoyed the love story in this book, but there was quite a few things that I didn’t like. It was very confusing that the author switched between Elinor and Nory in way too many sentences to count. I was so confused on how Nory was at first. It would be different if it was another character calling her that, but that’s not the context it was used in majority of the book. Elinor also didn’t sound like a 35 year old woman. The author made her sound like a high schooler. I also think the author was trying to make the book a little bit *spicy* and it didn’t work. At all.

Jenny Bayliss is iconic and this story is no different. This story centers on Nory(Elinor) and Isaac - former school enemies - in an enemies to lovers tale stemming from a wedding reunion of school mates.

I will say this is not the spiciest- but Bayliss’ stories rarely are. It definitely was a cozy romance for the winter season. A great read.

Nory is going back to her hometown for a wedding and the holidays. She has to deal with her posh friends from the academy she attended and her working class brother who is one of their vendors for the gathering.
She has to come face to face with another childhood friend who she had a crush and a rivalry with.
There are a lot of grown up issues happening within her friend circle. It seems when big life events are happening and alcohol is involved other issues tend to be brought up.
Nory and Isaac were spending a lot of time together and it was a bit of a slow burn due to her brother asking him to stay away. Her friends kind of made comments about him since he was the gardener.
This is set in England who has a different class and wealth structure than we do in the US so relationships and preconceived notions are all there.
Nory had a lot of outside factors constantly influencing her decisions and she wants her family and her friends to be happy with her. But they are both very different.
Guy was the reason why I put the book down cause I can't stand guys like that. But I tried again and luckily he wasn't a big character in her story. He had a lot to struggle through cause he was a douche who didn't appreciate what he had but he didn't do what he did in the beginning again.
I see people complaining about it not really being about Christmas. Most of the winter holiday books I read didn't feel like there was a lot of Christmas in them. They are set around the holidays but that holiday is just one day. You do a bunch of other things in December/January too.
⭐⭐⭐✨
Thank you duttonbooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Such a fun holiday book! I loved reading this during the winter, and i loved seeing the different relationships between friends and lovers throughout.

Highly enjoyed this story and would love to see these characters pop up in another book! It's a romantic and emotional story that I found endearing - I liked the "realness" of the characters who really carried this story beautifully. hank you for the ARC! Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I had to give up on reading this book. It was too much like regular fiction and I was looking for a holiday romance. I read 25% and the pacing was just too slow for me.

Another charming book from Jenny Bayliss! I enjoyed all the layers of friendship and history between Nory and her old schoolmates. Funny, charming, and heartwarming book. Very cozy atmosphere & the perfect thing to sink into in the month of December. My only complaint is it isn’t very Christmas-y despite the title. Most of the action is actually concerned with a wedding and there’s lot of wintry vibes.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book.

I think I'm officially burned out on holiday romance books. This book took me DAYS to read, and I was so bored. It started out good with Nory, the owner of a secondhand bookshop, getting ready to spend the weekend with her boarding school friends to celebrate a wedding. Oh - and it's at a castle. Perfect right? NO. One of the friends is a complete twat, and slept with Nory and didn't tell her he was married. So he's going to be there, along with his wife, who knows nothing. And this guy, (aptly named Guy) is a total drunk prick. The rest of her friends are ok, although Jenna, the bride is a little much for me.

On top of all that, Nory reunites with her old crush, Isaac, who is conveniently the gardener of the castle property. He's still cute, and although he harbors some grudges against the boarding school kids, him and Nory have some sparks.

Following the typical romcom plot structure, there's some major drama between Nory and Isaac, but then they make up.

Cute and predictable. I might have liked it more if I read it earlier in the year - who knows....I will definitely still read her next book though!

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a perfectly festive read about a perfectly imperfect group of friends based around London. Having met each other at a posh boarding school, Nory (the lone scholarship student in the group) and her friends have remained close throughout their 20s and 30s; especially after tragically losing one central member of the group. Nory has tried to balance both sides of her life-her working, middle-class family and her very affluent friends. When Jenna and Charles become engaged, Nory and crew are summoned to a week-long stay at a castle in Nory's hometown, also home to their boarding school. Memories and struggles of the past haunt everyone but this holiday wedding will bring changes for everyone-especially Nory as she explores an unexpected relationship with an old arch nemesis. Jenny Bayliss has managed to depict a holiday story with themes of love, forgiveness and new starts without being saccharine or clichéd.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.