Reviews

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

gkelch's review

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4.0

I wasn't crazy about the main love interest but this was a fast, fun read.

aimee_amina's review

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4.0

Loved this book as it was a slow burn (my faves) both an enemies to lovers and a friends to lovers but the ending was just such a let down!

Because it’s such a long wait for them to get together, when it does eventually happen you want something super romantic to make it worth the wait. But instead Matt just said 'I love you and I know you let me too so let's go for this" and it was unprovoked too, nothing triggered him to say that so he could have just said it at the beginning of the book.

lindaleest's review against another edition

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4.0

Een heerlijke feelgood! Leuke opzet met veel clichés, leuke momenten en leuke personages (behalve meneer kwal). Hoewel het einde te voorspellen is blijft het een heerlijk boek om te lezen onder een dekentje met een mok thee!

miriamreads's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Sweet story but a little too long and a little too convenient at the end. 

dotdom's review against another edition

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fast-paced

1.0

i don’t think i liked it even a little bit 

nic78's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

emilyrj's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

ebeubanks8's review

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3.0

This was cute but predictable. I called the ending from chapter 2.

gabbylc2002's review against another edition

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3.0

Overall, this was a cute, Hallmark-y holiday romance story. The chapters were so ridiculously long, which is what brought my rating down. When I say, "one more chapter and then I'll head to bed," that shouldn't be another 50 pages! I also did not really like the male main character, which is a dealbreaker for me in a romance book. However, the premise of the story itself was fun and cute.

keberwick's review against another edition

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5.0

“I’m tired of rustling up men! I’ve had my fill of sprinters, I’m looking for someone who can go the distance.”

When it comes to dating, Kate Turner is straight up exhausted. Unfortunately for Kate, her tiny town isn’t exactly brimming with romantic prospects, so when her best friend signs her up for a dating service called The Twelve Dates of Christmas, she reluctantly agrees. As the dates go on, the town starts to gossip more and more about Kate’s date and whether or not she’ll find “Mr. Right” instead of “Mr. Right Now”.

On top of baking for her old friend Matt’s bakery and taking care of her father, Kate now has to navigate a date crying over his ex girlfriend, a date that bats for the other team (but turns out to be an excellent friend and salsa dancer), and a date that can’t handle collaboration on a gingerbread house! While two of the dates don’t seem too bad, drama within the Twelve Dates of Christmas organization stirs up and reveals a betting pool on who can sleep with the most dates! It seems like nothing can go right for Kate and her love life. But, there does seem to be a silver lining, She and Matt are able to rekindle their childhood friendship and her father seems to have found a new lady-friend. The closer it gets to Christmas, Kate has to wonder, could love be closer to home than she thought?

For some reason, Christmas romances set in England just hit differently. There’s a different sense of coziness and cheer, and given this shitstorm of a year, The Twelve Dates of Christmas was exactly what I needed. I absolutely have a special place in my heart for this kind of
Spoiler friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers (kind of convoluted but it is absolutely a genre and I L I V E FOR IT)
romance, and this really hit the spot.

While it started kind of slow, I enjoyed the burn. I loved seeing Kate go on these different dates. I kept thinking “OMG is this the one?!” It was another kind of slice-of-life romance, but very different from [b: This Time Next Year|48656130|This Time Next Year|Sophie Cousens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587147024l/48656130._SY75_.jpg|73999162] (please visit my profile to see my full review). This book is very lighthearted and really cute. I feel like the twelve dates Kate goes on are super relatable and delightful (even if they’re a little tragic). I absolutely recommend this adorable Christmas romance to anyone looking for a bit of cozy cheer, even if it’s not around the holidays!

(P.S. If anyone has any suggestions on how to hyperlink stuff on goodreads that's easier to understand to the help forum, please let me know!)