Warm, romantic and different, in the very best way. This author has woven more than a hint of magic through the pages. I absolutely adored it!

Meet me under the Mistletoe is a Christmassy story of long friendships and how they evolve over time. I enjoyed the authors descriptions of the Kent Castle and it’s lavish gardens. She really painted a picture of Christmas opulence in her descriptions of the castle and added glamour through details of the decant wedding, feasts and outfits. Nory was a great lead character, and I enjoyed reading about how she supports her friends despite their differences. The attraction that builds between Nory and Issac is charming and really adds to the book. I also really enjoyed the friendship between Ameerah and Nory and how they always had each others backs despite the difference in upbringing. I would recommend this to readers looking for an opulent romantic comedy drama set at Christmas time.

This was a warm, cosy hug wrapped up in a book! I really enjoyed this; a group of old school friends, sibling rivalry and an old crush from the past. There was drama, comedy and romance, what’s not to love!

This story follows a young lady called Elinor who runs her own antique book store. It means the world to her and she loves her books like they are her children!. She's invited to a wedding by her old private school friends. She was in a large group of friends at school and they will all be back together again for the wedding. Tristan is mentioned as being missing from their group, the reason is revealed as the story goes on. They have a week together at the wedding venue before the happy couple get married so they intend to have lots of fun before the wedding. The castle grounds butt onto the back of their old school so they are familiar with the grounds!
The friends dynamic remains the same as school even though they are all older now, and there are a few arguments amongst the friends.
As this is a romance there are a few people who fall in love, there are the usual will they, won't they get together for a certain couple so all the usual content is covered and then some!!!
This is the most beautiful story that i have read for a long time. I was quite emotional at times following the stories of poor Tristan. I absolutely adored this book!. This is first book I've read by Jenny Bayliss and it won't be the last!!.
Netgalley supplied the free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netballey, #panmacmillan, #jennibayliss

What a wonderful, wonderful story, bookshops, weddings, castles and one hot gardener all combined in a warm and festive read, I will definitely read this again

I loved this book plus it a Christmas book you love with a hint of romance you like. I’ve read a few by Jenny Bayliss and love all her books. I love her writing style the story a epic read as well.

Another delightful Christmas book by Jenny Bayliss!

Eleanor, or Nory as she is called by family and friends, leads a quiet life in London where she is the owner of a store dealing in vintage books. She is invited to the weeklong wedding celebration of a close friend and boarding school classmate. The wedding is to be held at the castle in Nory’s childhood village which she was in a hurry to leave.

This story deals with friends, family, social class differences and, most importantly, love. Love of family, friends and new found romantic love is the central theme of this story.
The writing is descriptive, the characters are all too real and, for the most part, very likable. There are quite a few characters, with their attendant back stories, to keep track of which was a bit cumbersome at times. I don’t know about other readers but the cover of a book is what first draws my attention and this book’s cover is charming.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy holiday romances with substance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this book!

You can always guarantee a a feel good tale from Jenny Bayliss and this was exactly that. Perfect to curl up with and escape with Nory and her close group of friends.

This was a really well written enjoyable read that I didn’t want to put down. Wonderful story and great characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

A group of friends from college get together for a week for wedding festivities around Christmas.

Elinor runs a secondhand bookshop, and hasn’t been that lucky finding love. But she falls in love with Isaac who is the gardener where they’re staying. As the week progresses, they start to bond as they’re always meeting each other through the events taking place.

I enjoyed reading this story and seeing the characters’ development. Something happens to each of the friends and sone things could’ve been stopped from happening if only they’d been open with each other.

I recommend this book.

Jenny Bayliss is fast becoming one of my favourite writers and I really look forward to her books.
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is no exception. I loved it!
Telling the story of Elinor 'Nory' Noel, owner of a vintage book shop in London. We are transported to a country castle where Nory is attending a wedding. Her friendship group are varying degrees of snobs, and there are some well-developed characters - love them or hate them!
Jenny Bayliss is an intelligent writer. No lazy overuse of the same descriptive words, or hastily contrived plotlines.
This is a delightful festive romance.

I’m really quite disappointed in this read. I loved both of Jenny’s previous books whilst not even being a fan of the genre so I did expect more of the same.


90% and I finally gave up, just skim-read to the end without caring about the insides.

This just feels really infantile. I’m so sick and tired of the “these men are pigs whilst the others have no faults” trope and as a whole I just cannot be bothered with this friendship group!

Split down the middle of lower class and the “toffs”, I hate it. It is such an overdone and boring element and it soured the rest of the book for me, though really the only other plot element is the romance. Oh, and Nory’s constant bickering with her brother - give me a break. Grow up.

I began writing my review whilst reading and on plunging further I’m left wondering why this feels like an exercise in creative writing. The charm and wit from before doesn’t seem to be coming across well in this read.

Oh and now here we go, 78% and suddenly the lack of communication trope.

Nory won a scholarship to a posh private school, her friends all came from wealthy families. Unfortunately as life got in the way they drifted apart but are meeting up for the wedding after 2 in their friendship group finally get together
The wedding is going to be at a castle which is near to where Nory grew up and went to school so she is bound to bump into old friends
A fun read and how the other half live !

I love, love, love this latest festive fiction read by Jenny Bayliss! It is a feel-good read with everything you could want for some winter escapism. I am definitely recommending this to everyone I know!

What a fantastic novel. Perfect to curl up in front of the fire with at this time of year. I couldn't put it down.

Whilst there is definitely Christmassy vibes, this book really centres on the wedding and pre-wedding holiday of a group of friends who used to attend the private school close to the castle. The dynamics of the group were really interesting and there was quite a lot of discussion surrounding 'old' money, 'new' money, school bullying, racism and also how Nory, who won a scholarship, fitted in. I also thought that Tristan's suicide and the impact this had had on the group, was dealt with sensitively.
I LOVED the characters of Dev and Ameerah - it wasn't just Nory and Issac's romance that you were invested in. I also loved the description of Nory's secondhand bookshop - dreamworthy! Overall, highly recommended read!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy. This is a really good book, kept me entertained throughout and I would thoroughly recommend to all.

Ahhh a lovely feel good festive read with PLENTY of drama along the way. I really enjoyed all the different characters in this book and could identify with the group of school friends that feel like family in a lovely way but also in a way that drives you barmy. They all had complex stuff going on, especially Guy, and with the memory of Tristan present for them being so close to their old school.
The wedding set up, the castle setting, the book shop… all vividly described and worked well together in this story line. Isaac sounded like a dream boat and the de veer storyline was a great diversion to what is a traditional festive romance story. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Having read the authors 2021 Christmas book, the twelve dates of Christmas, I was sure this wouldn't disappoint. I absolutely loved it, the characters are so endearing, the settings evoke a lovely warm christmassy feel. And of course everyone wants to find love at Christmas. Another brilliant book by Jenny baylis, I already can't wait for the next one! Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for my arc

I have loved the is authors previous books so was looking forward to this one which didn’t disappoint.

Although this one has a Christmassy title it isn’t really an overly Christmas book so could be ready anytime of the year and is so much more than just a holiday romance novel as it covers a lot of sensitive topics throughout the story such as suicide, marriage breakups, bullying and the class divide.

The story focused around the main character Elinor (nory) who owns a second hand bookshop in London going back to the place where she grew up in the countryside to be reunited with her friends and the events which follow. I enjoyed the bookshop descriptions and the talk of books this also drew me in. As the story progresses we get to meet the rest of the characters and delve more into how events of the past shape the future. And the complexities of friendships are explored.

There were some humorous laugh out loud moments in the book as well as a few deeper and darker moments.

Looking forward to seeing what this author writes next.