Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Can Harriet save Christmas or will the man she can’t forget stand in her way?”

I am TOO excited about my first Christmas read of the year 😍 I cannot explain how absolutely stunning and fun and moving and romantic and utterly brilliant this book is! If you read one book this Christmas, it needs to be Kiss Me at Christmas. I am feeling so bloody festive right now! I’m so thrilled to be on the blog tour for this book – please take a look at all the other reviews from these lovely people! ⬇️

About the book

They were only to share one magical night together, but now they have to put the past behind them to save Christmas!

Harriet Smith is not feeling bright and merry this year. She hasn’t for a while. So when her daughter opts for Manhattan’s winter wonderland instead of Christmas at home, Harriet finds herself seeking solace in other ways.

But how Harriet will spend the festive season is swiftly decided for her after some students break into the town’s old Winter Theatre. To get the students off the hook, the theatre’s elderly owner requests that Harriet direct the stage’s final Christmas performance. And Harriet will do anything to help . . . even work with the owner’s lawyer who Harriet knows a little too intimately.

Directing the play with him won’t exactly change her life. But it might just reignite her Christmas spirit and remind her what makes life merry and bright again.

The beginning

I just knew this would be beyond perfect as soon as I started reading. It was instantly festive, cosy, *insert every other positive Christmassy adjective there ever was here* and I just loved Jenny’s beautiful writing style. Harriet was such a brilliant main character; she’s so relatable and has such a loveable charm about her. However, she’s not feeling too great. Her daughter is staying in Manhattan for Christmas, so Harriet’s festive plans have gone to pot. She proceeds to drown her sorrows with some mulled wine, meets a handsome stranger and wakes up in his bed (then swiftly exits.) Not bad for an evening’s work. The opening to the book was fun and full of promise. I loved learning more about Harriet’s life, her friends, her job in pastoral care, but after her students break into an old theatre and she takes the blame for their trespassing, the unthinkable happens. She’s awkwardly reunited with her one night stand, James (he’s a solicitor?!) AND she has to fix up the old theatre to keep its elderly owner from pressing charges. The start of a perfect festive romance if you ask me! 🥰

“Of course, they didn’t need to share their stories. They could work on this project as colleagues. But Harriet couldn’t ignore the rising desire inside her to know absolutely everything about James Knight.”

Harriet’s idea of creating a safe community space for students at the Winter Theatre filled my heart with warmth. That’s just the kind of person she is. Selfless, thoughtful, kind. She reminded me of a modern day Miss Honey from Matilda. She has their best interests at heart and genuinely wants them to do well. But when putting her brilliant ideas across to the owner of the theatre, someone rather unpleasant, Harriet reluctantly agrees with the owners terms; Harriet must put on a Christmas production at the theatre before it is sold, something which will benefit both parties somewhat. Even James, who works as the owner’s solicitor is roped into helping much to Harriet’s… excitement? The author writes relationships between different characters so incredibly well, especially Harriet and James. I loved their developing relationship. It was such a breath of fresh air, their interactions cute and wholesome. They might just be my couple of the year already (even though they weren’t a couple… yet!)

The middle

I loved the community spirit, how everyone works together to get the theatre looking brand new and fit for a Christmas production – A Christmas Carol. With so many people helping to transform the space, we naturally meet so many wonderful, quirky new characters, and I could visualise each and every one of them. They’re all so perfectly developed and felt like real people. A professional theatre group help with the casting, with a refugee group and a group for older men who are widowed or would otherwise be alone for Christmas coming along to assist in the set up. We learn so much about their lives and the author has created such a diverse group of people. It was heartwarming, moving and emotional at times. I could honestly stay in their little festive world forever. As the Christmas production looms, I felt like there was a hidden part to James, (and so does Harriet) something that we’re yet to discover. And who was Lyra, the mysterious woman who sent a text message to his phone?

“A blizzard of emotions twisted and swirled inside her chest, an aching sadness at reaching the end of this chapter, and the cavernous uncertainty that stood poised to turn to the next page.”

Despite his own secrets, I couldn’t help but love everything about James. What a gent! He’s doing some growing of his own, learning from his past mistakes and doing his best to be a better person in all areas of his life. The effort he goes to in order to ensure Harriet feels Christmassy was so lovely. Even simple scenes of helping Harriet put up her Christmas decorations was so wonderfully magical and festive, and the author effortlessly captures all these warm and wonderful feelings with her beautiful words. She also captures the sexual tension between the two PERFECTLY 😂 There’s also a really meaningful conversation between the two in a cafe which was what these two beautiful people needed. To clear the air, to tell each other what needs to be said and to move forward. I was so engrossed in this conversation, so thrilled with the outcome. And now all we needed was a successful Christmas performance!

The end

With the Winter Theatre’s owner, Evaline, being so uptight and unpleasant from the start, I was nervous to see how she’d react to the thriving, friendly hub Harriet and Co. had created, the wonderful community they’d built without her knowing. I expected her to shut it down instantly, to be upset, to be furious. And when she turns up unexpectedly at the theatre I had visions of the worst. However, once everything was explained and she saw first hand what had been created, the progress of the production, it all caused a very different reaction that made me pretty emotional. Good GOD, Jenny! What have you done to me?! I also loved how Harriet mentioned how Miss Honey from Matilda had been a small influence in her wanting to be a teacher years ago – me thinking this earlier just proved how perfectly the author had developed her character. It made me so happy! My happiness soon turned to worry however – things start to go wrong mere days before the production and my heart was in my mouth.

“People were making connections, breaking down barriers and sealing friendships. The theatre was becoming a living breathing ark, picking up survivors and rescuing them from loneliness.”

The book’s finale was absolutely brilliant. We get that nervous feeling of not knowing whether everything will go to plan, both in terms of the production and in Harriet’s personal life. But of course, it’s a Christmas romance, it HAS to! Reading about their Christmas production on show night filled my eyes with tears. The author’s writing is so powerful, the build up to this very moment so wonderfully executed. I felt so proud of each and every character for putting their all into making it a success. There was just something so moving and beautiful about so many diverse souls coming together, finding friends and family, and just being there for one another. Harriet’s growth and how she incorporates a bit of self-love in her life is something we can all learn from. She is the most fabulous character and one of my new favourites. And where James is concerned… I’ll let you read the book to see how their story ends (or in this case, doesn’t!) A perfect book in every way, one I hugely recommend for lovers of romance, romcoms and Christmas fiction 🎄

Overall thoughts

Kiss Me at Christmas is a huge warm festive hug of a book and I absolutely bloody loved it. I love Christmas so much and I’m so ready for it now after closing that final page of this beautiful story! Our main character, Harriet, must organise a Christmas performance at an old theatre, and what we see is so much more than just a show to keep the owner happy. We see diverse communities coming together, found family, new friendships and blossoming relationships. Harriet’s relationship with lawyer, James, was far from the cut and paste relationships you see in most romcoms. It was beautiful and sincere, with so much focus on growth, priorities and self love. It has every possible feel-good Christmassy element to it and I’m so sad it’s all over. A MASSIVE Christmas fiction recommendation from me, the ideal book to get you in the festive mood. Perfect for fans of Milly Johnson!

Huge thanks to the author, Jenny Bayliss, and the fabulous team at Michael Joseph for my proof copy and place on the blog tour! You can grab your own copy of Kiss Me at Christmas right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author on X/Twitter and Instagram for more updates!

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