I enjoyed this Christmas novel. It was well written and the story flowed. The descriptions of the setting was beautiful and I enjoyed reading and meeting the different characters.

I so enjoyed reading this Christmas story.

Elinor Noel, known as Nory has her own second hand book shop, and absolutely delights in the feel and smell of old books.
She is part of a gang of friends from school days, and two of the gang are having a winter wedding at a grand Castle, next to their former school, and the village Nory was born and raised.
It’s been a few years since she has seen some members of the gang, but she has been invited for a week of fun and get togethers at the Castle leading up to the wedding.
Will she or won’t she go for the week?
She isn’t looking forward to seeing one of them after what happened after their last get together.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, and the dynamics of their gang, not living in each other’s pockets, but can pick up after a few years, like they’ve never been apart.
Just a heads up though that there is mentions of a suicide, carefully and sensitively handled in my opinion.
Without giving away the plot of the book the friends gang are from privileged backgrounds, not so much Nory, but in my opinion though working class, she wasn’t from poverty.
It’s an interesting read little snatches of school days pomp and comp, because sadly that happens in life.
It was an interesting bunch of characters, some I warmed to, a couple I didn’t, but that’s life.
When the book shop was being described I could feel it, warm cosy, and smell the books too.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an e-book copy. Opinions are my own.

Loved this book and thought the build up of the romance was particularly well written. The explaining of the different relationships within the group of friends was fascinating as well, a really interesting and thought provoking read.

I was really excited when I saw that Jenny Bayliss had a new Christmas book due out, as I have loved her previous stories. And I'm delighted to say this was no exception, another incredibly enjoyable story, that grew on me a lot as it progressed.

It take a bit of time to get to know the whole of Nory's old friendship group, for they were originally a very tight eight, best for friends at their private school, and with the exception of Nory, born to a life of privilege (something that is a contentious point for others in the story).

Getting all together for the first time in years, we get to see them in the week leading up to Jenna and Charles' wedding, all staying in a castle in their home town, and taking a trip down memory lane, falling into old patterns and even the gardener in the castle is a familiar face to them all. For Nory and Isaac used to be rivals when they were at school.

I loved seeing Nory's developing friendship with Isaac as adults, and Ameera's with Dev who has a lot more going for him than the normal "man barbies" she normally dates. I also enjoyed despising Guy's despicable behaviour, while feeling sorry for his wife.

Between a bridezilla, some hidden secrets, a fabulous bookshop (Nory is a bookseller that doesn't like parting with her books even when going to a good home), some gorgeous gardens, and some festive fun and games - not to mention Snowball Croquet - and of course remembering Tristan who was a integral part of the group - we have a very pleasing to read story that I thoroughly loved.

There is a lot going on in only a short space of time, and the pacing is spot on. So many characters some I adored, others I 'd love to see more from (I need more Dev in my life), and a few that you hope will redeem themselves given it's Christmas.

I will say though this isn't the most festive feelings of books, so easily one you could read at any point in the year, especially winter, as although it's set in the run up to Christmas, far more of the focus was on the wedding than the season. A joy to read .

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

Glorious! A good romantic, feel good, happy every aftery book that I devoured. It wasn’t saccarine sweet though and had a good dose of sarcasm, some sibling rivalry and a good punch up in the stables. Some likeable, and not so likeable characters and everyone described and dealt with perfectly.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I've enjoyed Bayliss' other books so was pleased to be given an advance copy of her latest novel to read - I do love a Christmassy romance. This did not disappoint, I was invested in the characters and thought the setting and descriptions were beautiful.

Elinor Noel (known as Nory) runs Serendipitous Seconds, a second hand bookshop in London. She has remained best friends with Ameerah from Nory’s days of being a scholarship girl at the posh private school of Braddon-Hartmead. She is reluctant to accept a pre-wedding house party invitation from another school friend which is to be held at the castle in Hartmead. Will this school reunion be a success or will it be a case of dodging complications from the past?

Having really enjoyed the authors previous two Christmas novels I eagerly anticipate this one but it just doesn’t hit the mark or grab me in the same way. I find it slow to get going as there’s a lot of over explanation which makes it way too long. It could easily be cut by an hour or so of reading time without losing anything of the plot which sadly, feels predictable. I’m also not keen on the ‘them’ and ‘us’ dynamic between those that attend the school who are known as Pomp and those who attend the Comp which feels dated. In addition, there are a lot of strands to the storytelling which means that with some things, surfaces are skimmed.

However, I really like the settings especially Nory’s bookshop which as book lovers you’d enjoy browsing and wile away some happy hours! The castle setting is also lovely. There is some humour and sparky dialogue. The dynamics are interesting though there are a lot of characters to get your head around and some are not especially likeable.

Finally, it just doesn’t feel Christmassy enough to me despite the snow in late November ( it rarely does), the shop window display, the mistletoe and a faux Christmas tree.

Overall, it is an enjoyable read in places but I’m disappointed that I’m not wowed as previously.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I'm going to be honest, I couldn't get into the book until the first 11% because there were a lot of details that I started to skim over and the writing style failed to keep me engaged. The blurb makes it sound like the story would revolve around Nory & Issac when they meet again but her friend group had more interactions than what I expected Nory & Issac to have. Which is why I didn't buy the insta-love between her & Issac. I also didn't get the feel of the Christmas setting, because it felt as if the book was more of a women's fiction than a romance. In my opinion, Nory & Isaac's past (of them being each other's childhood nemesis and having feelings) was not well constructed. What I liked about the book was the huge friend group, they had their own unique personalities and opinions which showed that the characters were well thought of and sketched. Their interactions and conversations were pretty engaging. Overall, it wasn't my favourite but the ending was finished very well and the book had some laugh out loud moments.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me the ARC

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A winter wedding of school friends should be the highlight of Nory Noel’s festive calendar. But that group has long since drifted apart, and Nory is dreading the lavish, week long affair. Still, she supposes, being the only single person means she gets a king size bed in the idyllic castle venue all to herself.

As the champagne flows, the years roll back and soon the air is alive with old sparks and old tensions. Desperate for a moment of peace, Nory escapes and crashes into Isaac, the castle’s gardener and her former school rival.

Nory and Isaac have more in common these days than they could ever have imagined. But as she steals more time away to spend with him, Isaac reveals an astonishing secret about his past. Nory is in a unique position to help right this wrong but uncovering the truth might mean pushing Isaac away once more .

Really enjoyable read totally recommend thank You NetGalley And Pen MacMillan
I just reviewed Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss. #MeetMeUndertheMistletoe #NetGalley