Today I’m back with my second Christmas in July review! Jenny Bayliss has written a few holiday romance that I enjoyed, so I was excited about reading Kiss Me at Christmas. So today it’s time to tell you about this book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
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.
Review
Jenny Bayliss has written a few holiday romances that I love, so Kiss Me at Christmas caught my eye. I’m someone who loves heartwarming holiday stories, and I had high hopes for this one!
Our main character Harriet is trying to adjust to her new situation. Her daughter won’t be home for Christmas for the first time, and she’s not quite sure what to do with herself. When she takes the fall for some students who broke into an abandoned theater, she ends up trying to put on a play to save the theater. Harriet is very committed to her students and the fact she took the fall is a big sign of that. I loved her passion and the found family aspect in this part of the story. They had their struggles, but it was interesting seeing them getting closer and getting the play ready to go.
Harriet also learns a lot about herself. I really appreciated us seeing her trying to find new purpose in her life and figure out what she wants and needs now that her life is changing in different ways. I thought that was a great side of the story. We also get the romance with James who starts off as a one night stand. I will say that this isn’t an aspect that gets the most attention, but I enjoyed how their relationship developed. I personally would’ve loved to have his POV though. There were certain parts of his story that would’ve benefited from having his side of the story.
Kiss Me at Christmas did give me that holiday feeling I crave from holiday romances. Jenny Bayliss knows how to set the scene to make a story end up being very heartwarming. I would definitely suggest picking this one up if you’re looking for a new holiday read.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite Jenny Bayliss book, I still had a great time reading it. I recently got an eARC of Jenny’s 2025 release, and I’m excited to give it a go.
