A light hearted funny Christmas read. Great characters and story line. I will recommend this with 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss is about Kate Turner, who has gone back to the village where she grew up, to look after her father after her mother left him.  She's a fabric designer who works for Liberty, and so can work wherever she likes, and as she specialises in nature, this is perfect.

She hasn't had a lot of luck with love, and so when her friend Laura pesters her into signing up for the Twelve Dates of Christmas, she's a little bit hopeful.  She's going to have 12 different dates in different settings, and with different men.  Her friend Matt is worried about her doing this, but she's confident it's going to be fine. After all, she might meet the one.

This is a wonderfully festive read, with lots of festive activities, food, drink and snow!  I very much enjoyed reading it, and found it very evocative.  

 The Twelve Dates of Christmas  by Jenny Bayliss was published on 12th November 2020, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and your  local independent bookshop .

You can follow Jenny Bayliss on  Twitter  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Pan MacMillan .

I loved the concept of the dating agency's 12 dates of Christmas, where in December they will match you with 12 different men, you have a choice of activities for each date, and hopefully come out of with with a new love.

At least that is what is meant to happen, but well things don't go that smoothly for Kate, as you may imagine with this sort of story! I don't think it will spoil things to say she is stood up on the first date, but there are some good guys in amongst the 12 - there are also one or two complete and utter sleazeballs.

And its a good variety of activities for the dates, and if this was real, then I would be tempted to sign up myself as it would certainly get you out of your comfort zone, and able to meet some new people.

But between the dates we get to know Kate a lot better and her childhood friends Laura and Matt, and also her family. I loved that she is a fabric designer for Liberty's which sounds like such a creative job, and Kate is also a fabulous baker and there are so many yummy treats mentioned to make you very hungry.

I'll admit I had an inkling very early on as to who Kate would end up with, which didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story, as I was keen to see what would happen on each of the dates, but at the same time my head kept wishing she would come to her senses!

The village of Blexford is charming and I loved the small town gossipy community vibe going on, where others knew what was going on with you, almost before it happened! And it sounded so lovely in the snow.

This is a rather charming debut novel, from an author I would happily read again. It's not the most festive of books, although it does have a wintery / Christmas backdrop to the whole book, which means you could easily read it quite far out from Christmas!

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

Loved this! We all need something festive and cheery during lockdown#2 and this is perfect. Kate is warm and witty, her friendships are lovely and the dating dramas almost restored my faith in men! Another one ticked off my Christmas reading list and definitely one of my favourites.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would just like to say a very big thank you to Elle at MacMillan Press for forwarding me a copy of this book, in return for an honest review.
The setting for this book is so lovely and Christmassy, I just wanted to step inside the book and live there!!
The characters were very likeable and I loved how Kate and her friends were when they got together - so funny!!
I enjoyed reading what had happened on each date and I loved trying to guess who she was going to be with in the end of the story.
For a debut novel, this was a wonderful Christmas read and I would highly recommend.

Within the genre this is a great variation on the theme. The character and situational vignettes of the dates are an excellent trope to explore the main protagonist. They highlight the perils and the joys of dating websites. Beyond all that though is the expected but comforting underlying love story we all want in books of this genre.

Witty and perceptive, this is a great Christmas read.

Another Christmas read ticked off my list and this one was a great read. I think it’s actually restored my faith in men lol. This is such a sweet sweet story about a young woman who signs up to a special dating event which matches singles with 12 different dates over Christmas to try and find them their perfect life partners. I loved all the characters in this book and really laughed at some of the dreadful experiences she ended up in. I can’t go into detail as it will spoil the book but this is lovely and they should make a Christmas movie out of it.

Absolutely loved this book it had everything will be recommending, it would make a great Christmas movie.

I enjoyed this book. It has a really rich storyline and by the end I felt I actually knew the main character. There is a lot of detail in this book and it draws you in and you feel like a part of it. I found the storyline interesting and was curious as to how the twelve dates would work out. They are all very well done with a lot of thought going in to them. Dare I say I was slightly disappointed by the ending? It in no means detracts from the book and I am glad I got the chance to read it. Thank you #netgalley, I definitely recommend.

I loved this book, such a heartwarming and feel-good, christmas read! A cute, predictable romance with some very interesting twists in it! I found myself very excitedly guessing how the next date was going to turn out and desperately reading to find out. I loved both the idea of the book and the characters, how Kate handled a lot of the situations she found herself in and was laughing out loud with some of the disaster dates, practically shouting “GO ON GIRL!!” at the pages as she showed the men who was boss! Sassy and loveable main character and supporting characters and some excellent Christmas date ideas too!

The book starts with Kate, unlucky in love, being coerced into signing up to a singles event run by Lightning Strikes dating agency by her best friend, Laura. This isn't like your usual eHarmony or Match.com dating agency, and there is no swiping involved. All Kate has to do is pay a LOT of money, fill in an online form and then pick 12 different date events she fancies and the company will match her up with a date at each event. Simple. Right?

Kate's first date doesn't quite go to plan but luckily her childhood friends Matt and Laura are on hand to offer support, and by support I mean to take the mick out of her! The book moves through the month of December and each of Kate's 12 dates and we see her go salsa dancing, ice skating, wine tasting, hiking, gingerbread house making (my favourite of the dates!), cocktail tasting, cooking, an escape room and to an outdoor cinema, among other things. She finds herself matched with men who aren't over their exes, REALLY aren't their type or who have signed up for a bet to complete "the twelve shags of Christmas" and as Christmas is drawing closer Kate is beginning to realise that this isn't the way to find true love - maybe her knight in shining armour can help her. 

I really love how matter of fact Kate is and how she is a strong female protagonist rather than a pathetic, needy woman who feels she needs a relationship to validate her life - she is successful in her career (a pattern designer for Liberty no less) and decides that if she doesn't find Mr Right, she's strong enough to have a baby on her own. She doesn't need a man.

The story is a funny take on the wonderful world of dating in our modern society but Jenny Bayliss also explores childhood friendships, community, difficult parental/family relationships, loss, divorce and finding love when you are on the wrong side of 30! A truly festive read - although be warned, you will want to snack (and drink coffee!) while reading this. I can't wait for Jenny's next book, this one was unputdownable (I read it during a school day!)

’Tis the season for a lovely holiday read — and this book definitely fits the bill. It’s kind of like a cosy mug of hot chocolate in book form. And, really, what more could you want? 

Kate Turner’s in her thirties and totally ready to say ‘bah humbug’ to relationships. She lives alone in a cottage in Blexford, and it’s not exactly brimming with prospects.But then her best friend, Laura, signs her up for an online dating agency that promises to find singletons love before the festive season. Twenty-three days until Christmas, twelve dates with twelve different men — who could say no?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before (not to mention the whole town is keeping tabs on her dating adventures), Kate starts to learn more about herself than she ever thought possible.

This is a hilarious and heartfelt Christmas read that will have you smiling from the first chapter until the very last pages. I was immediately drawn to this book based off the premise (and the fact that I’m just a really, really big fan of Christmas) and it definitely did not disappoint.

I loved the relationship between Kate and her friends, Matt and Laura. The camaraderie between the core group of friends was really enjoyable. Their relationships with Kate, as well as the rest of the villagers, added a charming layer of warmth and love to the story.

The book was a bit on the predictable side at times, but that’s definitely not a bad thing — nor did it take away any of my enjoyment of the book.

It’s so easy to get drawn into the drama of the dates — each different, and totally disastrous in their own way — and to root for Kate to find the man who’s won her heart.

This book was exactly what I expected it to be (big giveaway in the title), it was light, fun, fluffy, easy to read, funny and thoroughly enjoyable!

Kate's best friend ,Laura, persuades her to sign up to a dating app with a difference - 12 dates leading up to Christmas with 12 different partners. A different romantic novel, funny,sad, and hard to put down.

An enjoyable, predictable and light hearted rom- com, full of Christmas cheer and with a couple of mini surprises on the way.
This book follows the story of Kate as she’s pressured into a special “12 days of Christmas “ dating service. Apart from the first date all her dates are extremely good looking and most are her cup of tea, but there’s always a But.....
A great diversion from the gloom loop we’re currently in and an easy bubble of a read.
# the twelve days of Christmas # netgalley

This was a very fun and festive read set around everyone's favourite time of the year, aka, Christmas and I really enjoyed this book for what it offered. This is a story of Kate, who lives in a small English village and is set up by her best friend, Laura on consecutive dates as a part of an event, which Laura's company is organizing for Christmas.

Like I mentioned, it was an enjoyable book, I loved the friendships in the book and the village setting felt so cozy and wholesome. However, (and this maybe because it was an ARC and the the final copy may show different results) but the writing felt a little choppy and long-winding at times. The plot was kind of cute but i really feel that it could have been executed better.

I loved Kate as a main character and loved reading the development of her relationship with Matt. I think this book had a lot of potential and it could definitely be better with some editing.

From the amount of notes I have saved, it’s safe to say I really enjoyed reading this!

Kate has begrudgingly agreed to go on twelve dates all before Christmas (to rightly get her money’s worth!) whilst navigating her own personal life and the snow that just keeps getting in the way of her picturesque village life!

Each date is a different activity (and man) and this is where the fun starts! This is such a lighthearted and fun read, I found myself so excited for each upcoming date and there’s something that shines from each one.

I did however, find the pacing a little weird. 30% of the way in and 5 dates down already, I began to worry how the plot would continue. Unfortunately, this meant that by the end of the book I was just wanting it to end! The length is quite unnecessary and I felt it slowly begin to spoil the end of the book - by this point I knew who Kate would end up with. But I didn’t really care.

Though I dreamily left this read wishing I lived in a little village of dreams, during the winter period so I can attend cute Christmas markets and go carol singing to my hearts content! I would like to put my Christmas tree up now please.

Definitely worth a read to get you in the festive mood and to have a genuinely fun time reading. To sum up, a couple of my favourite quotes:

“And Anthony laughed, a deep gravelly laugh that made Kate want to rip all her clothes off.”

“Kate laughed. She tried to shake her boobs but sloshed cocktail over herself.”

This was a lovely love story set in an idyllic village. Two people who have loved each other since childhood but find themselves going down different paths. One decides to join a dating group called “The Twelve Dates of Christmas”. This part of the story gives a few good belly laughs, a few cringeworthy moments and some downright annoyed ones! This book was a joy to read and really sets the stage for a lovely Christmas.

I loved this book. What a fabulous book to snuggle up and get cosy with. I'm all set for Christmas now! Loved the characters and loved the plot. A perfect Christmas read!

The Twelve Dates of Christmas
By Jenny Baylis
Pub date nov 12 2020

I love this book the story an epic read it’s funny and well written she has two go on twelve date before Christmas she sign up two this date in app on line and hope she find love before Christmas. I love the fact that each date has its own story two learn from I enjoyed this book so much it’s a great read xxx I gave it five star read from me xxx