Kiss Me at Christmas 

400 pages G.P. Putnam’s Sons publisher September 24, 2024 publish date

ABOUT THE BOOK

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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.

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MY THOUGHTS

Harriet Smith is always on, on for her students when she takes the fall for them during a trespassing charge, on for her daughter who is spending her first Christmas away from home, on for the new man in her life and always on for her friends. If you need a shoulder or a friendly chat Harriet will always be there, until she’s not.

Harriet doesn’t want her daughter to know how much she misses her this Christmas because she doesn’t want to ruin her fun. Problem is Harriet has put all her eggs in one basket, everything she’s done for her whole daughter’s life has been for her; to say she dotes on her is putting it mildly. Without her around she doesn’t see the purpose of decorating this Christmas or cooking for just one.

When some of her students, five misfits who have each other but the others at school think of them as weird and not fitting in are caught breaking into the town’s theater she takes the fall for them saying it was her idea. They’d been there plenty of other times, not causing trouble just reading and practicing for a play.

As a punishment they are requested to clean the theater which turns into an exciting theater remodel. I loved seeing the confidence these kids got having a theater to practice in for a very special show they were about to put on.

She has to work with James, the owner’s lawyer which she had met previously and whom she made a fool of herself in front of.
Of course, during the holiday season foolishness’s are forgotten as things heat up for this pair.

My favorite part of this book was seeing these kids not from the best backgrounds coming around and having such pride in having a place to practice and knowing their cleaning up the theater made a big difference in not only their confidence but for the betterment of the town as well.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

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