Let the season of holiday books commence! I had a bunch of ARCs on my Kindle from NetGalley and finally decided to round them all up and see what I wanted to crack open next.
The winner of the first book of the season was Jenny Bayliss' latest Kiss Me at Christmas. I've previously read Jenny Bayliss "Meet Me Under the Mistletoe" in 2022 and it was definitely not my favorite Christmas read....but, Kiss Me at Christmas was the complete opposite.
I really loved this book; it was truly beautiful and encompassed so much about the Christmas spirit. It was a delight to read and made me really happy.
Publisher's Summary
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.
My Thoughts
When I first started this book, I didn't think I was going to like it. I didn't know if I was going to be able to connect to it because it was about a 40ish year old woman who is an empty nester. That is a completely different life than I've lived so I thought it might be a bit boring or sad.
What I got was the complete opposite.
Kiss Me at Christmas had strong characters; Harriet Smith is a force to be reckoned with. She is intelligent, kind, opinionated and intense, in a good way. I liked James, I liked Emma, I liked the Famous Five, I liked all the fringe characters who made up the crazy, colorful community that Harriet lived in.
The transition of Harriet was interesting to journey along with her; she started out feeling sorry for herself, not taking care of herself or acting like she doesn't matter. At the end, she is someone different -- someone who takes a minute to do what she wants to do and can stand on her own two feet.
The book, at it's core, was a semi retelling of A Christmas Carol, which became apparent more than halfway through and was very kismet since the characters are putting on a a rendition of A Christmas Carol. Kiss Me at Christmas was truly about the Christmas season; it was about finding community, about learning to love and appreciate yourself, and about putting yourself out there.
Harriet and James' banter was so fun and I loved their budding friendship and relationship. It wasn't frustrating, there wasn't a ton of miscommunication and I appreciated that there was conflict without it being dramatic. Maybe that's what happens when you read 'older' romances.
Harriet's relationship with the students she mentored was heart warming and it made me hope that a real life Famous Five had their Harriet.
Community has been such a buzzword recently and it's something I've been thinking more about, so this book came at a great time. Being in person with people, coming together over a common goal or interest is so special and really keeps the world moving. Harriet set out to do something special for her town and she did... and it turned out to be so much bigger than she thought.
The book really dives into the foster care system, and how it's really difficult for children to grow up in that space. I thought it did a beautiful job explaining it and showing multiple points of view.
At the end of it, I was really happy to see how Harriet came into her own. She found herself apart from being a mother, a friend or a teacher. She became her own person and she liked who she was.
Kiss Me at Christmas was a really beautiful book that had Christmas spirit at the center, but lots of life lessons weaved through it. It's a feel good story that will put you in the Christmas mood!
xoxo
B
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