Thanks to Pan Macmillan for inviting me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great quick Christmas read - funny, heart warming with all the cosy feels. Yes, it was predictable. But the happy ever after is what is needed from a Christmas book!

I finished this book late last night, it was the kind of book where you can't read for just 10 minutes and I found myself reading for hours at a time.
This is the perfect Christmas book featuring Kate, a fabric deisgner living in an idylic village surrounded by her two best friends Matt and Laura. But Kate is single and feeling the pressure to be part of a couple she signs up for the 12 dates of Christmas, a series of dates in the hope to find 'the one'. Each chapter focuses on a date, some are the perfect man, some are a disaster. Eventually by chance she finds the one, Richard, but is he what he seems?
As Christmas fast approches Kate has a realisation (I won't say what else it'll spoil the book) and after a few mishaps she eventually has the perfect Christmas.
There are a few plotlines which didn't necessarily need to be in the book, for example her mum and her antics, it added little to the main story but brought some additional comedy.
Loved this book and I hope Jenny will be writing a sequel.
Also I hope we get as much snow this year as they did in the book!

I could reread the “twelve dates of Christmas” over and over again!!! When Kate finds herself looking for love and the relationships she builds coming across different dates, both good and bad, you find yourself rooting for her and Matt more and more. The characters of the village make you want to live there and bake, knit or grab a coffee at the Pear Tree.

The “Twelve dates of Christmas” makes you laugh, smile and relax, just like spending time with an old friend.

I really enjoyed this lovely Christmas-themed story set in the little English village of Blexford.

Kate is a fabric designer for Liberty who moved back to Blexford from London to be nearer her Dad after her (dippy!) Mum ran off with someone else. She has settled back into her old life and reconnected with her childhood friends, Laura and her young family, and Matt, who owns and runs the Pear Tree Cafe in the village. Kate and Matt's relationship has been a bit rocky over the years but they are back to their usual friendly bickering now.

Laura works at Blexford Manor and there is an event being organised by a dating app site, whereby people who sign up meet up with 12 people for various dates in the run up to Christmas. Kate isn't interested but is persuaded into it by Laura and so decides she has nothing to lose.

The dates are all very varied and Kate manages to get a lot of 'interesting' characters, which makes for a very funny story at times. It was very clever as it made the book really interesting and easy reading as each date was different chapter.

During the course of the story we get to know Laura and Matt more, both really great characters, although Matt was a bit of an idiot towards the end.

A really lovely warm feeling story with lots of snow and Christmas atmosphere, I loved it!

I know that it's only October but is there really a wrong time to read Christmas stories? I dont think so!
If you like Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews you will love The Twelve Dates of Christmas.
Kate is in her 30s and looking for love so she signs up for the Twelve Dates of Christmas with a dating site. They offer 12 dates with 12 different men and each date has a different theme.
Kate meets lots of very different people - some nice, some ok and some ghastly but will any one of them be her Mr Right?
This is unashamedly romantic with characters I really liked and I could see the village of Blexford in my minds eye looking gorgeous in the snow.

A Christmas romance. Do they normally follow a similar premise? Yes! Are the endings predictable? Yes! ... I LOVE THEM! and this book does not disappoint.

It might have been a rainy autumn day outside but I was cosy on my couch with a cup of hot chocolate and totally immersed in the winter wonderland of the sleepy little village of Blexford, which sounds idyllic.

Kate has signed up with a dating app for "Twelve dates of Christmas" mainly due to peer pressure from her married best friend Laura and to the amusement of her childhood friend Matt.

The book takes you on Kate's twelve dates undergoing varied activities and there is a good balance of funny and serious moments. I loved Kate's character and her love of nature.

All the characters are written well and it's beautifully descriptive. It's a heart warming read perfect for the coming winter months.

This is the authors debut novel and I will definitely read any more that she writes.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC

This was an excellent book. So very well written and kept me glued to the story. The characters were interesting and so realistic. An great idea for dating which was funny and scary in equal measure. I found Kate a funny and fascinating character and loved her best friend Laura. A great book to snuggle up to with a cup of hot chocolate and a cupcake. I got so engrossed in the book I could imagine it snowing outside with Christmas just around the corner. A great read and one I would highly recommend.

An easy Christmas read with a likeable main character in Kate. I love Liberty fabric and enjoyed the description of Kate’s designs. There were some likeable village characters and traditions and I loved the idea of twelve dates in some brilliant locations.

The ending was too predictable and spoilt the book for me because I guessed early on what was going to happen. However, a good book to curl up with

This is s lovely book and I so enjoyed reading it.
For me, it wasn't the romance, or the dates, or the people even, that made the book. It was the beautifully written descriptions of the Artwork done by Kate. Her words wove the surroundings alive as she gazed at flowers, trees, snow crystals, all to make some of the most lovely designs for Liberty.
Superb writing.
Thank you Net Galley for a chance to review this book

This was a delightful story, illustrating that the thing you most need can be right there without you realising. A well described village atmosphere with lots of great characters and well depicted interactions. There was an ideal conclusion to a great Christmas story

This book was so much fun and had so many twists and turns.

Kate is someone who has moved back to her home area and is happily settled back into her family home. She is persuaded to join the 12 Dates of Christmas by her best friend Laura. She wants her friend to be happily coupled up as she is. She is back in proximity to her childhood friends and back to living with her dad, who she had already gone home to look after.

This leads to adventures of 12 totally different dates and the people that she meets on them. At points, you can feel the tension and frustration between Kate and the employees from Lightning Strikes of the events happening around them.

This was fun and warm and is definitely something I would highly recommend it.

I’ve not read any books by Jenny Bayliss previously, but the premise sounded interesting, so I thought I’d go for it.

I enjoyed the story, I thought the twelve dates idea was fun, and carried out well. The atmosphere of the dates (and the whole book, in fact) was generally very Christmassy. I thought the mix of people Kate was paired up with was not unrealistic, though a little disheartening!

I thought the characters were well drawn, especially as many of them didn’t get a huge amount of page time. They were all different, and some were very entertaining. I liked Kate very much, she was kind, and looked after her friends and family. Her dad was lovely, as were many of the characters in the village. However, I unfortunately couldn’t like any of the potential love interests. Richard threw up red flags for me right from the start, he seemed emotionally manipulative at the very least, and I couldn’t believe it when Kate continued to go out with him, even after she sees some of his bad side.

I also didn’t really like Matt. He was repeatedly really horrible to Kate, and she’s always putting aside her plans to do things for him. He never actually apologises for the nasty things he said, just says “I was angry” and somehow it’s all fine. That would not be sufficient for me. Some sense of regretting those words and actions would be necessary.

As a result of me not really liking any of the love interests, the ending did fall a little flat for me. I’m not convinced of their ultimate happiness together. However, if you’re not as demanding of apology as me, this was a lovely Christmassy book, with plenty of amusing moments too.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

This was a lighthearted, entertaining read. Kate, now 34 years old, is looking for someone to be ‘the one’. Hence she has signed up for 12 dates. The date venues are varied, as are the men she meets. Kate is a very creative person and the reader is taken on some of her thought processes and inspirations for her designs. Kate is also an enthusiastic baker and works through her recipes. Kate has two best friends in her village, Laura and Matt. Some of their back stories are told, also village life. There were some very vivid descriptions that formed a picture in my mind. This is a story of friendship, love and humour. It is a story to read curled up in a warm wrap with a mug of hot chocolate. It really left me with a feel good factor. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas is a great feel-good romantic comedy novel. It has all of the elements of a superb Christmas novel, and even though I read it in September, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it for any time of the year. Great to snuggle up on the sofa with a hot drink and escape into Kate’s world.
Kate is single and not really looking for a partner; but badgered by her best friend, Laura, she agrees to sign up to the Twelve Dates of Christmas. As the name suggests, a dating agency will arrange twelve dates with twelve different people, completing twelve different activities in the run up to Christmas.
Sounds simple - so what could possibly go wrong! Will Kate survive the twelve dates? Will she make it to Christmas? Will she possibly even find her Mr Right?
This book is so well written, it fast forwarded me to Christmas, the sight of snow, the aromas of mince pies, mulled wine and warm elastic bands around a postman’s wrists!
Highly recommend this entertaining read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Omg, I am such a sucker for Christmas and for this book. I love,love, love.
Kate is soooo lovely. I just, love her. She is such a good heroine. She is smart, funny, beautiful and super bossy.
She has it all, except love, but she isn't shy about it. She knows what she wants, and goes for it.
I knew that she will end up with Matt, but love the banter.
Such a cute story. Thank you so so much for this read.
This is a 4 stats for me.

Right, is it December yet?!

This charming book has really got me longing for Christmas. Jenny Bayliss paints a dreamy picture of Christmas time in a tiny village. There’s snow and mince pies, Christmas lights and carols. It sounds fabulous!

And then there are the dates... they turned out to be rather amusing, well, for the bystander at least. There’s tears and drama, and that’s just from the dates themselves.

This book shows that sometimes love finds you in an unlikely place, and the humour and heart-warming moments made this a really enjoyable read.

Right, I want to put my tree up now and it’s only September!

The Modern Day Speed Dating... Loved It, A Should Read Christmas RomCom ❣️

Loved this book, the sort of book you should curl up and read, with a good drink and devour (book 😉) in one sitting ❣️

The twelve dates of Christmas is a dating app that's been created by promising twelve dates in twelve different locations in the run up to the Christmas. Laura has encouraged Kate to sign up, Kate had looked into this previously, but was not letting this slip to her bff. Each date there are options for each type of event, after choosing an activity all Kate needs to do is turn up, the rest is all sorted. As anticipated, the path to find true love does not run smoothly... Most dates for one reason or another are memorable for Kate, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

Kate lives in a small village with two bff's nearby, when dates go wrong village talk shares those embarrassing moments even though Kate may not have wanted it common knowledge, but her love life seems to be the talk of the village.

The book is told from Kate's perspective throughout, shining a light on, her friendships with Matt, whose been a friend with their ups and downs since childhood; Laura, and her parents. It's filled with humour, and hope to find true love with a perfect festive setting. A definite should read.

When Kate's best friend Laura tell her about the Twelve Dates of Christmas which is being held over December at Bletchley Manor by a large dating site, Kate is convinced to join . As now in her thirties she has a career , her own cottage in a Kentish village, friends but no-one special in her life.
When the first date comes she finds herself being stood up which doesn't do a lot for her confidence but carries on going to see whether or not she will find someone special.
This is a seasonal romance which is easy and enjoyable to read with a nice theme to it. Very enjoyable

This was a really lovely romance. Although I read it in September it had a gorgeous Christmassy feel to it. It was fun to read Kate’s exploits during the 12 dates and about her life and whilst it was quite obvious who she would have her happily ever after with it was nice to join in her journey to get there. It was a really well written romance and a joy to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book I think it will do really well. It certainly deserves to and I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author. Her gentle true to life humour and expertly written characters were a joy to read.

This is a gorgeous debut novel, I really liked how well rounded the characters were and the lovely village setting. Although the dating scheme sounded far fetched it featured some fabulous sounding date settings and the author managed to make each actual date have a different defining characteristic leaving the whole concept actually plausible. There weren’t a huge amount of surprises in this but it’s a definitely cosy winter winner with a good dose of festive spirit.