Well if this doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit I don’t know what will! At this time of year there’s an abundance of feel good,uplifting festive reads for book lovers to indulge their imaginations of what a truly magical Christmas should be like and Jenny Bayliss has certainly gone to town in creating a perfect cozy atmosphere for a budding romance to flourish within a seasonal setting. Lose yourself in the lives of the residents of Blexford village as Kate Turner takes centre stage in a narrative that is more twinkly than the millions of fairy lights adorning anywhere and everywhere in this friendly little setting.

Kate has returned to her home in Blexford, forgoing her life in London to initially care for her father Mac in the aftermath of her parents separation. She’s happy to be back amongst her longtime friends Laura,who works at Blexford Manor and Matt, owner of the Pear Tree cafe. Managing to work from home as a creative designer for Liberty London, life is pretty settled for Kate, the one exception being her love life. Laura wastes no opportunity in signing Kate up to online dating site Lightning Strikes which offers clients twelve dates in a variety of settings in the run up to Christmas. Although sceptical that Kate will find her perfect match, she nonetheless approaches these dates with a heart filled with positivity and hope. What could possibly go wrong??

In a novel embracing love and friendship as well as Christmas spirit I did enjoy the humour prevalent throughout that makes Kates’s dates come alive and become memorable, generally for the wrong reasons. Although there is an overall syrupy sweet nature to the writing this is diluted by the amusing dating anecdotes that form the basis of this storyline. The men Kate meets on these dates may seem like caricatures but they provide great entertainment even if it is at the expense of Kate’s attempts at finding love. You just know they are going to fall short of being worthy of the title The One! Could it be that true love is actually closer to home?

One of the things I loved most about this novel is Kate herself. She’s definitely not a wallflower despite her bad luck in finding true love and her enthusiasm for meeting new people, however daunting is infectious. Kate is fun, immensely likeable and a terrific friend to Laura and Matt. She doesn’t shy away from a challenge and throws herself wholeheartedly into each date. Coupled with her creativity and culinary expertise you can’t help wondering why this woman is still not in a happy relationship. Not that you wonder for longer than a few minutes as it’s glaringly obvious but the beauty and appeal of this storyline is you know you’re not in for any nasty surprises. That all will be right at some point in this fictional world is really rather comforting; all that is required of the reader is that they sit back and relax!!

With some colourful characters in the guise of Kate’s mother, the knitting sex kittens and village queen of gossip Evelyn, this novel cannot fail to work it’s sparkly magic and imbue with a warm fuzzy glow of contentment.
My only slight criticism of the writing is that in setting the scene for the reader the author has gone slightly overboard with her descriptions of this snow covered village which after a while seem unnecessary. But that’s only my opinion! However the author deserves full marks for creating such a vivid atmosphere although with the amount of snow that falls in these scenes I was surprised any of the villagers could leave their homes let alone frequent the Pear Tree cafe! She has certainly fulfilled the brief of a cozy idyllic setting which is essential for this type of fiction. I did end up worrying about the state of Kate’s waistline and her teeth given the amount of sugar she consumes with all the lattes and baking delights but this is a storyline guaranteed to whet your appetite, delighting all the foodies amongst us. In some ways reading this glittery gem of a novel you do feel as if you are overindulging all your senses. With perfect picture postcard images of Blexford and smells of cinnamon and chocolate wafting up from the pages the reader can wallow in sensory heaven. All in all the tone of the writing fits the theme of Christmas overindulgence to a tee and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas might well be cheesy and predictable but for anyone who loves Christmas and or a good romance then I would recommend adding this to your list.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Kate is 34, single and content in the childhood village she grew up in. Her best friend Laura, however, wants Kate to find a man and encourages her to sign up for the Twelve Dates of Christmas experience. There follows an interesting, and extremely good-looking, set of dates. Through escape rooms, gingerbread house making, hiking in the snow and wine tasting amongst others, we meet a succession of men - will any of them be right for Kate?
This book is woven through with Christmas festivity, atmosphere - so much snow! - warm characters and life-long friendships. It made me want to move to a village like Blexford and immerse myself in village life!
The only reason I gave 4 out of 5 stars is because I found some of the lengthy descriptions a bit too much.
Put on your PJ's, make a hot chocolate and curl up with this book!

OK so now I’ve read this Christmas book in October? DO I?

A) Put my Christmas tree up
B) Drink my body weight in mulled wine
C)Make Mince pies (yuk) I call mince pies dead flies.

Believe it or not, my car stereo today automatically selected my music and came up with Michael Buble and Jingle bells.. I kid you not! Talk about an omen.
Anyway, where was I? This is a lovely Christmas read. Should you be a complete nutter like me reading snowy, cold novels in October then I’m sure you too will enjoy it.
But it doesn’t matter what month you read it because you will feel christmassy and get sucked into the drama of Kate and Matt and the villagers who are all watching from afar and hoping that their village friends will get together after becoming besties at school.But life’s never simple is it?

Kate who is a fabric designer for Liberty’s of London - ohh I love that shop, has all the boxes ticked in life apart from the romance box and so she embarks on a Twelve dates of Christmas service where a company lines up 12 hot men in blind dates over the Christmas period.Oh what could go wrong I hear you shout. Well everything -this is a Christmas novel after all.
So while this is a predictable read, and you kinda guess what’s going to happen... you still like to read about the dates and shenanigans that go on while everyone seems to be drinking mulled wine, mince pies - (don’t get me started again) and hot toddy’s until they are coming out of their ears.
Jenny Bayliss creates a modern, romantic novel with laugh out loud moments and you will like the characters who are down to earth and you could imagine drinking copious amounts of coffee and red wine with.
I cringed and laughed and thought it was cheesy but in a nice way and I recommend it...
It published on the 13 th October so you’ll all be already stocking up on your Christmas goodies by now and you’ll be ready for some tinsel and romance.I recommend you order it now.

Thanks to Netgalley and G.P Putnams”s Sons #gpputnamssons @penguinrandomhouse

This is such a gorgeous festive story. If you are looking for the perfect festive story to read by a fire with hot chocolate this is it!

I love the idea of a 12 dates of Christmas app and getting to follow Kate on all of her dates was amazing. All her dates are truly unique and actually quite entertaining to read!

Well worth the read!

Cute story about the perils of dating and how true love prevails. Entertaining story with fun characters and a lovely feel good ending! An easy read - one for a Sunday afternoon in front of a lovely fire. With thanks to netgalley for an arc in return for my honest feedback.

This is a lovely, comforting, Christmassy read. It’s like enjoying a hot chocolate with marshmallows in front of a real fire and I enjoyed it.

Kate is a designer for Liberty’s of London and I particularly loved the descriptions of her artistic designs for this iconic London store.
As well as her London job, she’s also living in the most fabulous English village, with it’s eccentric characters. Kate wants to find love and so signs up for the ‘Twelve dates of Christmas’. This is such a clever premise that, despite the underlying predictability of the story, the date descriptions and the humour within the writing kept my interest.

This isn’t my usual genre, but, I really enjoyed it. The perfect stocking filler.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

This is not my usual choice of novel so I was a bit sceptical. My view remained the same for the first few chapters although I did enjoy the descriptions of the countryside and how the main character used them for her work. The more I read, the more I realised I was actually enjoying the plot and the various characters. I suppose I did know all along how it would end but it was an interesting journey getting there. This is a book for easy reading curled up in front of the fire.

An amusing uplifting tale about a young woman reluctantly on the hunt for love.
A cosy setting and A well written, humorous plot had me hooked from the beginning.
The characters were likeable and reacted mostly true to life.
A very easy to read and happy novel that I would recommend.

Brilliant. This is a happy and emotional read. It is like a great big hug. Curl up and forget the world for a few hours.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book is really enjoyable. It has already put me in the spirit of Christmas, making me wish Christmas was a bit nearer than it is, so I can put up my Christmas tree and decorations. The book also made me very hungry with the talk of mince pies, chocolate brownies etc, so much so I ended up baking three different batches of cup cakes once I finished the book.

The story is light hearted, funny and romantic, I like the concept of the twelve dates of Christmas putting a slightly different spin on a dating website. This book needs to be on everyone’s Christmas TBR list.

Kate Turner lives in the house she grew up in. In the small village of Blexford, a place where people go to retire or start a family. She moved back as her father Mac was struggling with his mental health. After his wife ran off with the estate agent who was helping them to down size for their retirement. Kate took over the mortgage so her father could rent somewhere smaller.

When Kate first moved back home she would do everything she could to avoid Matt her best friend, by hiding in bushes, behind trees or anywhere else she could find to hide. They had been the best of friends all through their childhood until they had a huge falling out over 10 years ago. They both knew that things couldn’t continue like this with the village being so small. Their friendship is now slowly getting back on track even though it is still a bit fragile.

At first Kate also missed the buzz of city life but she soon got in to the swing country living again. With her routine of working on her fabric designs for Liberty’s of London and doing some baking for Matt. Who owns the local village cafe called “The Pear Tree”. After her day of work, virtually every night is the same with her cuddled up in her Pj’s watching TV.

Due to Kate’s way of living her other best friend Laura persuades Kate to sign up with a new dating agency called “Lightening Strikes”. Who she has been closely working with for a few months, as they will be hosting some of their date activities at the manor house. Where Laura is the PA/Curator.

The dating package consists of 12 date throughout December and depending on what location and activity Kate chooses she will be matched up with someone who has chosen the same.

Matt has decided to rename it the 12 S**** of Christmas, which he keeps telling all of his drinking mates in the local pub. Before Kate knows it everyone in the village keeps asking her how her dates are going and she has unwittingly become the talk of the village.

How do Kate’s dates go?

Date 1: High Tea with Richard. Divorced, devoted father of two, works in hedge funds
Date 2: Couples Cooking with Michael. Divorced, Vegan, no children, works in an art gallery
Date 3: Ice Skating with Anthony. Divorced, single father of two kids, works as a fireman
Date 4: Cocktail Making with Sam, Motorcycle enthusiast, would like children, works as a graphic designer
Date 5: Salsa Dancing with Drew, no info as the Lightening Strikes App had a glitch
Date 6: Dates with Mates Pub Quiz with Joshua no info as that’s one of the tasks of getting to know each other during the date
Date 7: Hiking with Phil, Never Married, one child, owns an independent extreme sports store
Date 8: Meal with Jim, Divorced, no children, works in the city (London)
Date 9: The Escape Room with Edward, Never Married, no kids, works in IT
Date 10: Gingerbread House Competition with Adam, Divorced, three children, works as an architect
Date 11: Wine Tasting Tour at Local Vineyard with Thomas, Divorced Twice, works as a bespoke cabinet maker

Date 12: To happen on 23 December.

Option 1: Choose your own date, in other words pick someone from previous dates
Option 2: Lucky dip where your names are pulled out of a virtual hat

So how will Kate get on with her dates? Will she find the one for her final date or will she go for the lucky dip?

A light hearted Christmas read, that I’m sure you will enjoy.

A great book with lovable characters
.Kate returns to Blexford single and to her old friends Laura and Matt her first love.
Laura signs her up to a dating agency "12 Dates of Christmas " hoping for her to find love before Christmas.
The dates are full of humour some laugh out loud, you know how it`s going to end but the journey is very amusing and so christmassy I wanted to put my tree up.
A brilliant easy to read book with great characters will definitely be reading more from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC on return for an honest review.

Only thing I did not like was the spacing of sentences with 2-3 words in the middle of a sentence separated on one line, confusing.

Kate isn't really looking for love, but her best friend, Laura, seems to think she should be. So strongly, that she coerces Kate into signing up for a course of twelve dates, leading up to Christmas.
Forced into a situation she really didn't want to be in, Kate embarks upon her dates and ends up with a mixture of disappointment, surprise, passion, fear... but does love make an appearance?
I enjoyed this easy read of a Christmas romance, where love showed up in an unlikely place.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan McMillan for an early copy of this book. I really enjoyed this Christmas fiction.

Our heroine is Kate who lives in the idyllic sounding village of Blexford. Kate is single so her best friend Laura decides to sign her up for Twelve Dates of Christmas.

The story of the book is how Kate gets on at these dates.

I loved the relationships in this book, Kate and her Dad, Laura and Matt. This is another book thay could easily be a movie and is perfect for an afternoon with a hot beverage of your choice :-) I will look forward to seeing whatbthe author produces next.

Romantic, funny and sexy!
For this festive novel, debut author Jenny Bayliss takes a simple but brilliant idea and signs heroine Kate up to a dating agency which promises to find her the perfect partner from the Twelve Dates of Christmas event it is hosting. A series of sometimes good, sometimes fun and more often disastrous dates sets up the scaffolding for an emotional narrative in which Kate's life and previous relationships are explored and her friendships tested, before she finally finds what she is looking for.
While Kate's dates range from ice-skating to cocktail making to hiking in the Epping Forest the solid background of the narrative is her home village of Blexford, a cosy, neighbourly community that's home to a collection of eccentric and fun characters, including a group of 60-something Knitting Sex Kittens, Kate's single dad, and her childhood friends Laura and Matt, all now seemingly settling into long-term relationships. So why can't Kate find her man? Maybe she is looking in the wrong places ...
I really enjoyed this story. It's festive and funny and the author has a killer line in wit. Kate "worries her hymen may have grown back", her curls look like "Medusa's serpents after a spell in a wind tunnel", love creeps up on her "like black ceiling mould." But underneath all the laughter and jokes is a strong story of emotions tested, friendships tried and a love that's just waiting to blossom for a heroine you'll fall in love with, even if so many of her dates just don't!

Another easy Christmas read. Loved the main character Kate and her 12 dates. I think what helps the story is all the ithwr loveable characters and the village where the story is based.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of the 12 dates of Christmas - I would definitely sign up. It sounds great fun. I enjoyed finding out what the next date would be and what would be wrong with them!!

I enjoyed the side friendship with Laura - Although I confess to finding her a bit annoying!

Thé ending was very very predictable but I enjoyed being immersed in Christmas do much it didn’t really matter to me!

A great read to get me in the Christmas spirit!

The Twelve Dates Of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Published 12th November 2020.
Thank you to @panmacmillan and @netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

A throughly enjoyable read, this has got me all set for the upcoming Christmassy season.

This book has it all, fantastic characters with heartwarming relationships with both family and friends, albeit a frustrating mother!

I enjoyed the setting of the book and the village community (I would love to live somewhere like that).

Whilst it was obvious how the book would end, and with who, as the reader I was laughing out loud at some of the dates and the situations that Kate found herself in.

An impressive debut novel by Jenny Bayliss, I’m looking forward to reading more of her work and highly recommend that this book is added to peoples Christmas TBR lists 🎄🤶🎅⛄️#arc #jennybayliss #thetwelvedatesofchristmas #netgalley #bookreview #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #reading #readingcommunity #books #bookcommunity

Oh I do love a Christmas book, and this one didn’t disappoint! A romantic story with a wonderful snowy village setting with sprinkles of mouthwatering food and drink references and some laugh out loud moments.
Kate gets involved in a crazy dating scheme, with 12 dates leading up to Christmas. Each one is an interesting story, some funny, some romantic and some not so romantic. I loved the back story of the characters’ pasts and the stories within the main story of the other characters. Descriptive story telling, making me feel like I was there with a lovely ending. Just perfect for Christmas.

Kate Turner is in her thirties, she’s very single, living alone in a cottage in Blexford, a quintessential English village in Kent. Best friend Laura persuades her to go on ‘Twelve Dates at Christmas ‘ run by an online dating agency, twelves dates at lovely venues in December. Laura lives in hope that one of those twelve dates will be someone she likes!

Well, this one really is christmasy, in fact it’s a Christmas cornucopia, almost an overload if indeed it’s possible to have such a thing!! It has the works, all the sparkle and glitz, everything from Christmas jumpers to yummy food and Christmas trees and snow. So if this doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit then you may be Ebenezer Scrooge, before his transformation obviously! The setting is lovely, can I live there please? In an especially close location to Matt's coffee shop preferably, as that is the beating heart of the village to say nothing of it’s yummy brownies and mince pies. Kate’s job, a designer for Liberty adds a lovely and really interesting dimension too. I like the concept of the book and the dates she goes on are fun, well, some are more fun than others! Most of the characters are really likeable, we all need a friend like Laura, a dad like Mac, though less so a mum like Kate’s as although she’s very funny she’s also self centred and exasperating. Yes, this is predictable, of course it is, you know what you’ve signed up for when you choose to read this but it is such an entertaining book and puts a smile on your face which has to be a really good thing.

My only negative is that at times the author gives way more detail than is needed and it just gets in the way of the fun bits. Overall though, it’s a very entertaining read, it’s extremely festive, heartwarming and I’m just hoping that the drawn out tediousness of Covid doesn’t mean that this is the closest we get to a fun filled Christmas. Fingers crossed.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for the arc for an honest review.

I loved this so much, I just couldn't put it down.

It was funny and romantic and full of Christmas spirit, wish a dash of unrequited love..... or is it?

Poor Kate hasn't had much luck in the romance department, so decides to give the twelve dates of Christmas a go. Cue lots of mishaps that will make you laugh and groan along with her.

It's an absolutely perfect read for the festive period. The characters had so much chemistry, that it was jumping off the pages.

Definitely one to read this Christmas.