Kiss Me at Christmas

by Jenny Bayliss, Caroline Fantozzi (Narrator)

White Christmas meets Nora Ephron in Jenny Bayliss’ latest wholehearted, ensemble-cast holiday extravaganza.

Christmas can officially get stuffed because Harriet Smith is not feeling bright and merry this year. She hasn’t for a while. So when her college-aged daughter opts for Manhattan’s winter wonderland instead of Christmas at home, Harriet finds herself seeking solace in a wine-soaked one-night stand.

But how Harriet will spend the holidays is swiftly decided for her after she takes the fall for some students who break into the town’s old Winter Theater. To get the students off the hook, the theater’s elderly owner requests that Harriet direct the washed-out stage’s final Christmas performance. And Harriet will do anything to help the kids . . . even work with the owner’s lawyer who, as it turns out, is her less than impressed one-night stand.

Directing the play with him won't exactly change her life. But it might just reignite the Christmas spirit and remind her what makes life merry and bright again.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

Audible Audio

First published September 24, 2024

About the author

Jenny Bayliss lives in a small seaside town in the UK with her husband, their children having left home for big adventures. After having been a professional cake-baker for many years, she went back to college at age thirty-nine to study part-time for a degree in Creative and Professional Writing. Bayliss likes long walks, baking days, stationery, and shamelessly wearing party dresses to the supermarket. The Twelve Dates of Christmas is her debut novel.

See also: Jenni Jennings

Reviews

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

✩ 2 stars ✩

What to Expect:
➼ One Night Stand
➼ Empty Nester
➼ Alone At Christmas
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Found Family
➼ Working to Save the Community Theater
➼ He Works for the Owner of the Theater
➼ Single Mom

This was another book club pick and that was the one and only reason I didn’t DNF it. This is marketed as a romance, but in actuality, it wasn’t very romance forward at all. The MC’s had very little chemistry and all of their intimate scenes felt very lackluster. I’ve read that this is meant to be a retelling of A Christmas Carol, but I didn’t pick up on that at all and it’s not labeled as a retelling. ??

The FMC takes the fall for a group of teens who broke into a community theater and somehow that leads to them putting on a play in hopes that the owner will allow the theater to remain open to the public. This portion of the plot took center stage (pardon the theater pun) and unfortunately this was a focus that just did not interest me. The concept reminded me a lot of the movie Two Weeks Notice except there was no Hugh Grant or Sandra Bullock around for comedic relief.

If you’d like to read a really dull book about a middle age divorcée who’s alone at Christmas, this is the book for you. 🙃🎄

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RTC - didn’t love this one. Trying to finish one more book before the end of the month and then I’ll try to get some of these reviews done. 😅

Argh… out of Spotify minutes so I’ll have to wait until the end of the month to finish this! Say a prayer for me that I’ll remember their names in a week. 😂

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Pre-read:

Tis the season for cheesy holiday books! 🤗💋🎄

Forgot to tell you guys I started this one! This is my book clubs pick for December. So far it’s not my favorite 🙃 but hopefully it will grow on me…

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this community focused Christmas story 🎄 It had its laugh out loud moments 🤣 and some romance 🥰 Best read in December for me so far! ❤️

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*A Great Christmas Story*

**4.5 Stars**

I really enjoyed this book, it was warm, tender, emotional and the main character Harriet really comes into her own.

Harriet is a feisty character and she was a teacher but she stepped down for personal reasons. Ever since she is determined to be there for everyone to her own detriment.

This year for Christmas her teenage daughter is spending it abroad and she will be home alone for Christmas. She has her best friend and her ex husband who are married and it is all a very amicable blended family. But, her heart is not in it. She meets a handsome man in a bar and has a one night stand. She disappears the next day when he is in the shower, after all she will never see him again…

She is now in charge of Pastoral Care in the same school and she is passionate about her students. One day she finds out that some of them are missing and she leaves the school in search of them. When she follows one of them to an old run down theatre, sadly she is caught and the owner wants to press chargers as she takes the rap for her students.

Imagine being in a police station and the owner of the theatre turns up with the very man she ran out on after a great night with him yikes!!!

Well, little does Harriet know this whole episode will change her life and not just hers as she learns more about herself….

I absolutely adored this book…

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Kiss Me at Christmas, by Jenny Bayliss, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Harriett Smith in not in a good mood, or happy that its Christmas, especially when her daughter, decides to spend the holidays away from her. Harriet decides to have a one night stand, and help some kids out with a Christmas play. I did not care for this book. I did not like Harriet at all.

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed Harriet! She was funny and angsty but also so determined to help her daughter. This could be a holiday movie on TV! So many great things happen. All of the stuff between FMC and MMC was also very entertaining. It is a great Christmas in July read!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sorry: a FOUND FAMILY HOLIDAY STORY that takes place in the THEATRE and oh yes, there’s a midlife romance woven in there?! This was made for moi. I made the mistake of reading mixed reviews before I picked this one up, and had essentially gotten the vibe that this was a horny 40-something romance with some community subplot thrown in. Y’all. Did we not read the same book? I ADORED Harriet and James, and their midlife romance, Harriet’s empty-nest self-love reckoning, and the sweet redemption storyline for some of our more crotchety characters. But where this book sings is in the heartwarming, hard-won found family narrative centered around the community production of A Christmas Carol (and did I mention it’s to save a crumbling former-jewel theatre? The delicious tropes abound!). This one made my heart grow three sizes with its delightful plotline and reminded me of what I love most about the holiday season - when we can all come together for a sec and just remember our shared humanity. Jenny Bayliss is a jewel, and she has officially cemented her status as an auto-buy author for me with two knockout holiday stories the past few years. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early copy!

[Jessica Paige (Exercise_Read_Repeat)]

Tried but couldn’t get into the story. Was bored

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Deanne Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harriet Smith is always on, on for her students when she takes the fall for them during a trespassing charge, on for her daughter who is spending her first Christmas away from home, on for the new man in her life and always on for her friends. If you need a shoulder or a friendly chat Harriet will always be there, until she's not.
Harriet doesn't want her daughter to know how much she misses her this Christmas because she doesn't want to ruin her fun. Problem is Harriet has put all her eggs in one basket, everything she's done for her whole daughter's life has been for her; to say she dotes on her is putting it mildly. Without her around she doesn't see the purpose of decorating this Christmas or cooking for just one.
When some of her students, five misfits who have each other but the others at school think of them as weird and not fitting in are caught breaking into the town's theater she takes the fall for them saying it was her idea. They'd been there plenty of other times, not causing trouble just reading and practicing for a play.
As a punishment they are requested to clean the theater which turns into an exciting theater remodel. I loved seeing the confidence these kids got having a theater to practice in for a very special show they were about to put on.
She has to work with James, the owner's lawyer which she had met previously and whom she made a fool of herself in front of.
Of course, during the holiday season foolishness's are forgotten as things heat up for this pair. My favorite part of this book was seeing these kids not from the best backgrounds coming around and having such pride in having a place to practice and knowing their cleaning up the theater made a big difference in not only their confidence but for the betterment of the town as well.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Christmas novel of 2024!! 'Tis the season!!!!! So it begins!!!! AAHHHHHH!! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Harriet Smith is on the pastoral care team at a private school in the UK. She finds herself almost constantly looking after the same 5 kids who attend the school from the local town. One day, she realizes that four of these students are absent and she sees the fifth one stalking off-campus on his own. She puts on her super spy hat and tails him all the way to the decrepit Winter Theatre. Here, the "famous five" as they're known to the school's staff are congregating to blow off steam and ditch class.

However, soon after, the students and Harriet are caught by the police for trespassing and the story snowballs (*ba dum ching*) from there! Harriet meets her one-night stand from her drunken adventures the night before at the police station--turns out, he's the lawyer for the owner of the Winter Theatre, Evaline Winter. So, things are.... interesting when they come face-to-face again. Evaline decides that to remedy her crimes, Harriet has to clean up her theatre and put on a Christmas play to make the building look good to potential buyers of the property.

This novel is FIRMLY in the found family trope and I am so here for it!! I really appreciated the affection and care that people had for each other; it all felt so organic and real. This novel was so sweet. I really did love it. There were some things that felt like they were resolved a little too quickly or where some of the adult's actions came off as immature that made me roll my eyes, but overall, this is def going to be on my list of recs this Christmas season!

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the eARC!

[Ty]

DNF at 55%. This book was a huge disappointment for me because I have enjoyed other books from the author in the past. This didn’t give me any of the Christmas vibes I would expect from a book set at Christmas time. I didn’t get hardly any romance in the story besides a one night stand and some bits of flirting. The story focuses on students putting on a play in an old theater they are trying to renovate and for me that was extremely boring. I didn’t connect with any of the students or our main character Harriet to just read or care about a play they are trying to put together. I also thought Harriet was always saying something really cringe or had a corny joke. I will continue to pick up more from the author but this one just wasn’t for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Chaos · Rating 1 out of 5]

My favorite things about Christmas romance books is the banter, the holiday cheer, and the development of a relationship between the two main characters. While the writing itself is to be commended, the rest of the story fell flat. There wasn't witty cheesy banter that I come to expect of Christmas books. The characters were not likeable in any way, shape, or form. And worst of all, there wasn't any Christmas feel besides a couple mentions of the season and the cover. It's extremely disappointing. I can't believe I finished it, but I hoped that something would change.

[M. Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars⭐️: (FMC) Harriett was a high school teacher, and this took me back to my teaching days😃. I loved that they put the play "A Christmas Carol" on stage❤️🎄... a heartwarming, entertaining Christmas story.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiss Me at Christmas if the first Jenny Bayliss book I've read, but it won't be the last. Harriet Smith used to be a professor of English, but after a tragedy switched to pastoral care. She is also dealing with having an empty nest this Christmas as her daughter is staying with friends in Manhattan instead of coming home. Drowning her sorrows, she meets a man in a bar and spends one lovely night with him before sneaking out in the morning. When a group of her students break into the old, closed down theatre in town, she takes the fall for them when they are caught. To keep the kids and herself out of jail, she strikes a bargain with the older owner to clean it up and hold one last show before she sells. The problem is, the lawyer she has to work with is the man she had the one night stand.

I enjoyed this story, probably because I loved the characters so much. Harriet, being a teacher dealing with students that had a variety of needs hit close to home for me. I loved her caring nature and how much she would do to help her students. She had her own issues which we finally learn about near the end of the book, which made my heart break. She was also very insecure at times and doubted herself continually. I enjoyed watching her grow a backbone and finally become the person she was meant to be. The students were realistic and I cared about them a lot. From living in foster care, to living with an alcoholic, or not feeling like anyone cares about them they broke my heart as well. The premise of putting on a show and working together with a theatre company who were set in their ways added some humor to the story. As the theatre comes alive with The Christmas Carol and the many groups using the meeting rooms, so do the characters. There is a romance story as an undertone, but for me, the Christmas Magic that shows this ragtag group that they are worthy, loved and matter is the heart of the story. I really enjoyed this story with its flawed characters, and Christmas Magic. I recommend Kiss Me at Christmas to anyone looking for an uplifting Christmas story.

[Roxanne (The Novel Sanctuary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 this was so beautiful and cozy

[Julie Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly can’t believe I finished this. In truth, I skimmed the last 30 pages at least. Jenny Bayliss won me over with her first novel and has gotten progressively worse with each passing novel. The main character was beyond self righteous and obnoxious, she did not deserve the male lead. Which is ironic considering she continued to find fault in him. There were a few charming moments, but they were not enough to save it from the supercilious Harriet.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An uplifting story of a community coming together to restore a neglected theater to put on a production of the Christmas Carol. The characters came from all backgrounds, with some dealing with being overlooked and judged by others. Add in a bit of romance,and you have a lovely Christmas novel about family, friendship, and inclusion.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to jump into the world of Christmas Romance, it’s a fun place to be! While i found this story to be cute and very heartwarming it felt like it had alot of info and characters and information but at the same time nothing was totally dialed in / flayed out. I felt like i wanted more in depth on the characters to be able to connect / relate to them but i didn’t feel like we got that!

I was disappointed with the third act conflict because i didn’t feel like they were at the point in her relationship for her to feel valid in getting that upset that she didn’t know.

I liked the overall idea / plot of the book. It definitely gave hallmark movie vibes - but i just wanted less fluff and more important / relatable details.

It gives the found family vibes & i absolutely loved that.

overall, i didn’t dislike it but i don’t think it’s a book i’ll ever think about again.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Kiss Me at Christmas” is about Harriett, a single mom who is all alone during the holidays while her daughter is spending Christmas on a study abroad trip. While Harriett is on her own she decides to take on the challenge of updating a dilapidated old theatre in town and putting on a community production of A Christmas Carol. While doing this she has to work with James, a straitlaced lawyer she previously had a one night stand with.

I’ll say what I always say when I review a Jenny Bayliss book – she writes exactly what I feel like reading around the holidays. Her books are cozy and charming not too treacly, not too Hallmark-y, and are inclusive and feature great representation. The characters always feel like people you might know in real life and they are always likable and mostly relatable (I realllly related to Harriett).

I liked the way that Evaline, the theatre owner and town matriarch of sorts, was full of surprises and grew on me as the book went on while also teaching Harriett some important lessons. Another favorite aspect was the introduction of the refugee women’s group. And the Billy and Grace storyline made me almost tear up a few times.

My one complaint with this book is that I feel like it is about 50 pages too long. I often feel that way with Bayliss’s books.

Anyway, Jenny Bayliss is still my go to holiday author and fans of Katherine Center or Amy Poeppel who are looking for a holiday read are sure to love “Kiss Me at Christmas” as well as the rest of her books.

[Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harriet Smith's Christmas is not off to a great start. She finds herself alone since her college-age daughter will be spending the holidays in New York City. She doesn't even feel like decorating for Christmas, even though she loves the holiday. Feeling depressed, she heads to her local pub to enjoy one too many mulled wines and finds herself engaging in a memorable one-night stand. She knows there is no future in this relationship, so she moves on by throwing herself into her work at the school. While trying to advise a group of students, she ends up trespassing into the town's old theater and ends up taking the fall for her students. As her punishment, the theater's owner has requested that Harriet clean up the theater, which is in a state of disarray, and organize one last holiday performance at the Winter Theater. If not, the theater's owner has threatened her with the law. Harriet works at a school with a lot of budding actors, so this won't be too bad, right? Insert the lawyer..... it's her one-night stand. Cue the awkwardness! Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss is a charming and heartfelt novel that gave me a lot of White Christmas vibes.
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is Jenny Bayliss going to make me cry every single Christmas? Yes I think the record shows that she will.

I ADORE this book. I knew from very early on in this book that it was going to be fabulous and mean a lot to me, and I was right. Harriet Smith is the most endearing character and this book had absolutely everything that I love. One night stand turned enemies (ish) to lovers. It had a group of misfit, written off teenagers, quirky groups of adults, a sassy, snooty older woman making demands, lots of laughs and romance. And all this centered around taking an gross abandoned old theater and making it a community hub to bring all these unlikely people together in a found family situation WHILE THEY PUT TOGETHER A CHRISTMAS CAROL PRODUCTION. Like are you kidding me?! What more could you want? I cried multiple times and I could not stop reading this book.

This author writes the "found family / community comes together for a good cause" trope SO WELL. All this on top of a smashing romance with so much humor and INCREDIBLE characters.

Note: I listened to the audiobook and it was PERFECTION.

Thanks to the publishers for a free copy and a free audiobook; my thoughts and review are my own.

[Kenzie | kenzienoelle.reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.I think the first thing to know is despite the title, this is much more of a contemporary fiction novel with a side of romance. Aaand tbh the romance was the worst part of the book🫣

Harriet (the main character) and the kids she counsels/cares for are the main plot and lots of found family vibes.

I really didn’t like Harriet. I found her incredibly annoying and I didn’t find her love interest anything but boring. Most of their “romance” felt more like two horny 40 year olds… if that’s your vibe, cool. But not for me😅

As far as spice level, this was closed door but lots of crass talk.

Thank you Putnam for this gifted copy!!

[Nancy Mittan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title and cover suggest a cute Christmas romance, but the relationship felt like a side bar to the rest of the book and fell flat for me. The relationship was underdeveloped and I really didn’t even like Harriett. Even being a theatre lover, I found it difficult to keep reading through the amount of details given about casting/rehearsing/performing the play…not to mention the hefty amount of small characters to keep track of. I can appreciate found family with a side of romance, but all the fluff and needless details took away from the plot.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted listener copy! I loved the narration by Caroline Fantozzi. She had a big task with all of the characters but I thought she did a wonderful job and was very funny!

I picked this book up because it fit a reading challenge I was doing and I ended up really enjoying it! This was more than just a Christmas romance. It was delightfully campy with all the characters and found family/community aspect. There's just something about Christmas/holiday books set in England. It just feels so cozy.

I even found myself getting emotional which I didn't expect at all. A very sweet book that touches the heart.

I loved this both on audio and read on my Kindle. If you're looking for a fun Christmas book, with a focus on found family with a side of romance, you'll love this one!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of Jenny's yet!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The romance is not the focus/main storyline of this book as the title may lead you to believe but I still enjoyed it. The story is really about found family, becoming part of a community, and personal growth.

[Jane Weinermoate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one! A romance about Christmas and an absolutely goofy save-the-theater-by-putting-on-a-play plot? This seemed like a slam dunk, hallmark movie in a book, quick cute read, but instead it was a frustrating, depressing slog.

I liked that Harriett was in her 40s - it’s not often that you get romantic comedies about people who are out of their 20s or 30s, but who also aren’t retirees. But that was the only thing I liked about her! She was judgmental and too high on her own supply, but she was also really spineless. She was way too harsh on every action that James took, but also judged him for being the slightest bit offended by her disappearing act after their one-night-stand. She would read into every one of his actions and decide for him how he felt, but how dare he assume her intentions?? Give me a break. She needed to go to therapy to deal with the depression she was feeling about her daughter being gone and her job being unfulfilling.
Also, this is a pet peeve of mine: I cannot stand when characters don’t curse but instead using cutesy, creative alternatives to curse words. This might just be a me thing, but if a character is cursing, it doesn’t bother me. If a character doesn’t curse, I don’t notice or care. But “sweet baby head cheese” or “you’re a stinking, flatulent beast” are such jarringly silly turns of phrase. It just never feels like a real person would talk this way.

It was hard to get over my dislike for Harriett, but beyond that, the story had no romance! It was called Kiss Me at Christmas, but the plot was (excruciatingly) 85% about a bunch of teenagers putting on a play and 10% about Harriett’s disappointment over not feeling Christmassy. Doesn’t leave a lot of room for me to care if the two MCs get together, unfortunately.

[Bree Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Season for Second Chances is one of my all time favorite holiday reads and immediately made Jenny Bayliss an author I’d be keeping an eye out for a holiday read from. I read this one cover to cover and while it doesn’t compare to A Season for Second Chances in my opinion, it is one that if you stick with, I do feel is worth it in the end.
Not very Christmasey but as an Educator I appreciated the teacher and student aspect of this story and how the main character had built relationships with her students, knew them, knew about them and went to battle for them when needed. I thought the one night stand and now working together element was fun. While it didn’t hit me in the gut like my last read by her, I’m glad I read it and will continue reading Jenny’s holiday reads.

[Brittany Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every second of reading this book and it’s possible that it’s my favorite of this year. I loved all of the relationships; Harriet and James’, Harriet and the famous five, Billy & Grace (my fave), Emma and Harriet, and all of the misfits from different groups just meshed so well together. The story was so genuine and made me tear up a few times but made me laugh even more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jenny Bayliss, and Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC before it's intended release.

[Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was delightful. I love the quirky group of characters that assembled to put on this play and the community that formed because of it. A true feel good book. I liked the romance too but, at times, I feel like the other storylines outshined this solid romance. That was fine for ME because I loved the feel-good story at the heart of this and the romance was just the cherry on top but if you are looking for the romance to be the star you might struggle. All around good Christmas read and romance!