Another easy Christmas read. Loved the main character Kate and her 12 dates. I think what helps the story is all the ithwr loveable characters and the village where the story is based.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the idea of the 12 dates of Christmas - I would definitely sign up. It sounds great fun. I enjoyed finding out what the next date would be and what would be wrong with them!!

I enjoyed the side friendship with Laura - Although I confess to finding her a bit annoying!

Thé ending was very very predictable but I enjoyed being immersed in Christmas do much it didn’t really matter to me!

A great read to get me in the Christmas spirit!

The Twelve Dates Of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

Published 12th November 2020.
Thank you to @panmacmillan and @netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

A throughly enjoyable read, this has got me all set for the upcoming Christmassy season.

This book has it all, fantastic characters with heartwarming relationships with both family and friends, albeit a frustrating mother!

I enjoyed the setting of the book and the village community (I would love to live somewhere like that).

Whilst it was obvious how the book would end, and with who, as the reader I was laughing out loud at some of the dates and the situations that Kate found herself in.

An impressive debut novel by Jenny Bayliss, I’m looking forward to reading more of her work and highly recommend that this book is added to peoples Christmas TBR lists 🎄🤶🎅⛄️#arc #jennybayliss #thetwelvedatesofchristmas #netgalley #bookreview #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #reading #readingcommunity #books #bookcommunity

Oh I do love a Christmas book, and this one didn’t disappoint! A romantic story with a wonderful snowy village setting with sprinkles of mouthwatering food and drink references and some laugh out loud moments.
Kate gets involved in a crazy dating scheme, with 12 dates leading up to Christmas. Each one is an interesting story, some funny, some romantic and some not so romantic. I loved the back story of the characters’ pasts and the stories within the main story of the other characters. Descriptive story telling, making me feel like I was there with a lovely ending. Just perfect for Christmas.

Kate Turner is in her thirties, she’s very single, living alone in a cottage in Blexford, a quintessential English village in Kent. Best friend Laura persuades her to go on ‘Twelve Dates at Christmas ‘ run by an online dating agency, twelves dates at lovely venues in December. Laura lives in hope that one of those twelve dates will be someone she likes!

Well, this one really is christmasy, in fact it’s a Christmas cornucopia, almost an overload if indeed it’s possible to have such a thing!! It has the works, all the sparkle and glitz, everything from Christmas jumpers to yummy food and Christmas trees and snow. So if this doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit then you may be Ebenezer Scrooge, before his transformation obviously! The setting is lovely, can I live there please? In an especially close location to Matt's coffee shop preferably, as that is the beating heart of the village to say nothing of it’s yummy brownies and mince pies. Kate’s job, a designer for Liberty adds a lovely and really interesting dimension too. I like the concept of the book and the dates she goes on are fun, well, some are more fun than others! Most of the characters are really likeable, we all need a friend like Laura, a dad like Mac, though less so a mum like Kate’s as although she’s very funny she’s also self centred and exasperating. Yes, this is predictable, of course it is, you know what you’ve signed up for when you choose to read this but it is such an entertaining book and puts a smile on your face which has to be a really good thing.

My only negative is that at times the author gives way more detail than is needed and it just gets in the way of the fun bits. Overall though, it’s a very entertaining read, it’s extremely festive, heartwarming and I’m just hoping that the drawn out tediousness of Covid doesn’t mean that this is the closest we get to a fun filled Christmas. Fingers crossed.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for the arc for an honest review.

I loved this so much, I just couldn't put it down.

It was funny and romantic and full of Christmas spirit, wish a dash of unrequited love..... or is it?

Poor Kate hasn't had much luck in the romance department, so decides to give the twelve dates of Christmas a go. Cue lots of mishaps that will make you laugh and groan along with her.

It's an absolutely perfect read for the festive period. The characters had so much chemistry, that it was jumping off the pages.

Definitely one to read this Christmas.

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!

Gloomy weather outside the window and less than three months to Christmas, I made myself a cuppa and I've read this lovely book in one single sitting (hey there insomnia!). In the realm of cheesy lines, copious amount of baking and the grim reality of what online dating mostly is, this books sits right in the middle of. I've could see the ending coming a mile away -which bothered me a little, was hoping for a plot twist halfway through!- but it still made for a pleasant read and would definitely recommend.

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!

Kate is well into her 30s and is pushed by her best-friend Laura to sign up on a dating site which would take her on 12 dates. Kate signs up for it and starts her journey to find her soul-mate. But does she really need the dating site or is her soul-mate well within her reach and right in front of her?
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The book is truly fun, mood-lifter and witty. Loaded with lots of lovely characters, budding love stories and lots of food, I enjoyed this one immensely. The narration is smooth flowing, emotions such explained that you feel them and overall, a lot of fun!
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Definitely recommended for festive reading and when in mood for a sweet, entertaining story!

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.