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Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Meet Me Under the Mistletoe | Jenny Bayliss
A city bookshop owner heads to the English countryside for a holiday reunion-- only to face her childhood enemy. Elinor Noel--Nory for short--is quite content running her secondhand bookshop in London. Forever torn between her working-class upbringing and her classmates' extravagant lifestyles at the posh private school she attended on scholarship, Nory has finally figured out how to keep both at equal distance. So when two of her oldest friends invite their whole gang to spend the time leading up to their wedding together at the castle near their old school, Nory must prepare herself for an emotionally complicated few days. The reunion brings back fond memories, but also requires Nory to dodge an ill-advised former fling. When she falls quite literally into the arms of Isaac, the castle's head gardener, who has nothing but contempt for the snobby prep school kids, the attraction between them is undeniable. And as Nory spends more time with Isaac during the wedding festivities, she finds herself falling hard for the boy she used to consider an enemy. Nory and Isaac explore their common ground, but pressures mount on all sides, and Nory must decide what kind of life she wants to live and what sort of love is worth the risk . . .
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sebrittainclark
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Mehso-so

2.5/5

Nory is returning to her hometown and she'll be staying as a guest in the castle bringing Nory back into contact with the gardener who is not a fan of her friends.

There were some side characters I liked, but there were a few who were awful, and it felt like most of the book was just waiting for when their awful behavior would mess everything up. When it finally happened at 80% through, I almost dnf'ed the book I was so frustrated.

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sebrittainclark
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ebook: Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss
audiobook: Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
print: Honest Advent by Scott Erickson

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

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willaful
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I was surprised to see so many negative reviews for this one; it seems that the title and cover promise holiday froth and it doesn't deliver. I'm just as happy with lesser froth and I enjoyed the meatier themes and complicated relationships.

Also, a used book seller and a gardener, how could I not love that combo? I used this for a “job you'd love“ square and I don't know which one I meant. 😁

#BuddyReads #WinterGames #HollyJollyReaders

Laughterhp I‘m still waiting on my hold from the library for this one. I feel like a lot of books by this author are holiday adjacent and are meatier and deeper like you said. 10mo
Julsmarshall I really liked this one too! 10mo
BookmarkTavern I‘m still waiting for this one! 😂😂 10mo
20 likes4 comments
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sebrittainclark
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"S hepherd Market is old London. Two small squares of ye-olde quaint shop fronts and pubs, some dating back to the 1700s, nestle unconcerned among the steel and glass monoliths of their descendants."

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

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kstadt929
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Mom is back in the hospital, but I‘m starting this new one while she naps 🎄

Bookwormjillk Hugs 10mo
Mollyanna Thinking of you and your family. ❤️ 10mo
17 likes2 comments
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ChasingOm
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Pickpick

I love Jenny Bayliss's holiday romance novels. 🥰
They're atmospheric and she really builds out all of the relationships in the MC's life - not just the romance, but the friendships and family dynamics too.
There is almost no 🌶, but sometimes the 🍭 wins!
The main character in this one is Elinor Noel - but she goes by Nory.

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JenReadsAlot
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sebrittainclark
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AnnR Looks fun, with lots of cozies. Enjoy! 🙂 🌲 11mo
NikkiM5 I read “The Little Book of Hygge” early on this year. I didn‘t know there was a name for my favorite way to relax and socialize until I read it. I will have to check out Hygge Home 😍 11mo
dabbe Quite the list! Thanks for sharing! 🎄❤️🎄 11mo
See All 6 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 11mo
LeeRHarry Great list! 😊 11mo
ShananigansReads Great list. I hope you like A Holly Jolly Ever After as much as I did. 11mo
35 likes6 comments
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kissmehardy
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Pickpick

Less festive but more substantive than I expected, and I'm not mad at it! I really loved Nory and her friend group, and the way everyone had some learning and growing to do was so real and skillfully done. Going to have to read more Bayliss! #womensfiction #contemporaryromance #christmasromance

willaful I was surprised too... I started The Twelve Dates... and it seemed pretty facile, so I wasn't expecting this to be so meaty. 10mo
kissmehardy @willaful It was a nice surprise! Still feel good, but not total fluff. 10mo
11 likes2 comments
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TheDaysGoBy
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Pickpick

I liked this one. For some reason though it wasn‘t my favorite and I‘m not sure why. I liked the characters. Maybe the story moved a bit slow at times? I feel like I usually devour stuff from this genre rather quickly and this one seemed to take longer. Can‘t put my finger on it exactly but this was just a like, not a love for me

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TheDaysGoBy
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This is how I‘ll be spending my lunch hour on this cold snowy Thursday. Much better than working out…though I‘ll probably force myself to do it after work 😂

ETA: except today is Wednesday. Can you tell I‘m exhausted and brain dead? 😂 Thank god for a nice, easy read that requires zero thinking

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BriannaT
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Pickpick

A cute read that I needed after Don Quixote. It wasn‘t super Christmas-y, but I didn‘t mind. I bought the book when I found out the main character owns a book store. Sorry about the target sticker but hey this was $7

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wanderinglynn
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Pickpick

This is between so-so and a pick. I‘m feeling generous because I did appreciate the MC was a bookseller who hated to part with the books in her shop. It really isn‘t a Christmas book as it focused more on the friend‘s wedding and their friendships and relationships. Christmas is more of a backdrop & really, this could‘ve been set at anytime during the year.

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wanderinglynn
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Three of the books I had put on hold at the library for #winterreadathon finally came in this week. 🤷🏼‍♀️ So I‘m reading them anyway.

Imagine my delight when the book nerd MC of the tagged is reading my fave Gaiman book! I do love when the MC is a book nerd.

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emmaturi
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Pickpick

This was a fun Christmas story set during the time leading up to a wedding. Nory meets up with her oldest school friends and the reunion brings back painful memories and she also meets a dishy gardener at the castle where the wedding is being held.

BarbaraBB You‘re on fire 🔥 2y
29 likes1 comment
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staci.reads
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Pickpick

This was a charming, fun romance with all kinds of atmosphere and interesting characters.

65 likes1 stack add
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Scochrane26
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Pickpick

I liked Twelve Dates of Christmas so picked this up recently. Nory attends a house party/wedding for her friends & is re-acquainted with a guy she knew as a teen. Her family is nearby. I enjoyed all the characters, the romance, even the winter setting. Author throws in some serious topics—classism, past suicide, conflict with a brother—but overall, it‘s a fun read. Thought I should read one seasonal book this month!

25 likes2 stack adds
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DaniJ
Mehso-so

Fun holiday read with castles, flowers and a wedding.

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LittlebearReads
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Pickpick

What a perfect little holiday read 💕 Bayliss delivers warmth, humor, and just the perfect measure of that little tug of sorrow we often feel around the holidays.

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LittlebearReads

And the award for funniest quote of the year goes to “…I was spray-tanned by a woman who thought being the color of marmalade was the height of sophistication…”

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julesG
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Pickpick

I liked this #Romance. Good banter, a group of quirky secondary characters.

#WinterReadathon
@Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader

Andrew65 Sounds good, still to read this author. 🎄🎅🏼🎄 (edited) 2y
Wesleypaker Hey how are you doing today? 2y
DieAReader 🎄🎄🎄 2y
65 likes1 stack add3 comments
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BarkingMadRead
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56 likes3 stack adds
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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

Utterly delightful! This holiday romcom is a warm cup of tea with found family, school friend vibes and multiple settings to make you smile. Whether you love exploring a historic manor estate, a beautiful garden, bustling London or a packed to the brim bookshop, you‘ll find it in this book. CW for suicide (off page). #WinterReadathon #BookspinBingo @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @TheAromaofBooks

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 2y
Andrew65 That‘s great 🎄🎄🎄 2y
julieclair This sounds like a perfect candidate for my #DecemberFluff project! 😁 2y
TheAromaofBooks I have this one on reserve at the library, but I'm not sure if it's going to make it in before January!! 2y
62 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Julsmarshall
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Is anything better than a quiet morning reading by the tree?

Bookzombie I love your tree skirt! 🎄 2y
Julsmarshall @Bookzombie Thanks! I made it years ago, it is a modified log cabin pattern. 2y
67 likes1 stack add2 comments
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marleed
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Pickpick

This cover and title suggested a more seasonal read where even the mistletoe had more to do with its placement in an English garden than its seasonal use. Holiday disappointment aside, I did like the story of 7 friends, 15 years post boarding school and how they fit in each other‘s lives at 34. TW for the 8th friend who died by suicide in years prior to the onset of the story.

ICantImReading Have you read this one of hers yet? I loved it, and it definitely has lots of holiday vibes! 🥰 2y
marleed @ICantImReading oh I did! I read it last year and loved it! 2y
59 likes2 comments
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TLuvs
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Excited to jump into this JB book!

TLuvs Got a chapter in and had to put on hold. 😔 2y
16 likes1 stack add1 comment
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kezzlou85
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Pickpick

Well this was a fabulous read. It covers an awful lot of emotions. One minute its happy and funny, the next it touches on some darker and more sad aspects. It did have me laughing so many times. The ending was well written and tied the story off so well. I liked the conclusions of each character with no one giving up for another. 5* #Netgalley

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Kar2b
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Pickpick


This book wraps around you like a warm hug and fills you with warmth like the cups of hot cocoa everyone frequently drinks. I absolutely adored Elinor, “Nory” as the soft-hearted, genuine lead character that she was. Her group of friends and family are not perfect, but they are relatable and loving. Isaac is a wonderful lead man, too. This is a perfect cozy winter read, and a must for book loving romantics.

6 likes1 stack add