The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

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Title: The Twelve Dates of Christmas
Author: Jenny Bayliss
Published by: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Format: ebook
Pages: 320
Genres: Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Source: Overdrive
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2022 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2022 HoHoHo Readathon
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

'Tis the season for finding romance in this hilarious and uplifting holiday read

When it comes to relationships, thirty-four-year-old Kate Turner is ready to say "Bah, humbug." The sleepy town of Blexford, England, isn't exactly brimming with prospects, and anyway, Kate's found fulfillment in her career as a designer, and in her delicious side job baking for her old friend Matt's neighborhood café. But then her best friend signs her up for a dating agency that promises to help singles find love before the holidays. Twenty-three days until Christmas. Twelve dates with twelve different men. The odds must finally be in her favor . . . right?

Yet with each new date more disastrous than the one before--and the whole town keeping tabs on her misadventures--Kate must remind herself that sometimes love, like mistletoe, shows up where it's least expected. And maybe, just maybe, it's been right under her nose all along. . . .

4 stars — My reading buddy likened this book to a Hallmark Christmas movie, and I have to agree that it’s a pretty great comparison!  It’s light, but has enough depth to keep things interesting.  And while you generally know the final outcome pretty early, the journey is still fun.

I will admit that I was kind of reluctant to get sucked in initially, as the book wasn’t quite what I was expecting.  It definitely has more of a chick lit feel than contemporary romance — it really is about Kate’s personal journey.  And the writing is a bit more descriptive than I normally like, that’s just a personal taste thing.  But somewhere along the way I became intrigued by the dates, by Kate’s friendships, Kate’s family, and the eclectic townsfolk that surrounds Kate.

I became a bit worried that each date would be a bit too easy to dismiss, but things kind of twisted and turned and at least there was variety in the guys.

Kate had a lot of layers to her, some I connected with more strongly than others.  She was creative, hardworking, and I adored her joyful love of the season.  I was also jealous of her baking, and I kind of wish I could somehow get copies of the recipes in the back of the book, but alas it’s a library copy.  At the same time, she had this cynicism about relationships that I at least sort of understood based on her parents relationship…but I still resisted it, especially with my romantic heart.

As I mentioned above, one of the strengths of this book was the supporting cast that was very wide ranging.  Obviously I loved her friends Laura and Matt, and her Dad Mac.  But I also adored the eclectic cast that was her gossiping and well meaning fellow townspeople.  They were well described, and I could picture this place clearly.

All in all this was a solid holiday book, just wish there had been a smidge more romance in it, because I’m a romance lover to the core.