‘The Twelve Dates of Christmas’ is a Funny Festive Time

STORY | 34 and without any real long-term relationship, Kate is ready to find the other half of her “we.” Trouble is, the old-fashioned way hasn’t worked, and so Kate is signed up for a 12 Dates of Christmas dating service that features 12 dates leading up ‘til Christmas.

Trouble comes early when her first date is a no show. After that, she meets some men who seem like perfect guys until she discovers some of the things she hopes for the future are not in the cards for the guys. This gets her thinking, and more unexpectedly, she runs into Richard, the man who stood her up. But is he who she wants, or is love closer than she thinks?

REVIEW | The concept of this seasonal novel is a really fun one. The idea of a women going on twelve random dates and looking for Mr. Right is one we’ve seen before, but for romantic comedy addicts, it’s still a cute premise. Kate is a character more in tune with what she wants, but the character does still get a bit wishy-washy in certain moments. This is perhaps being a bit of a nitpick on my part, but I know what I like, and wish more novels would truly feature characters of strength and sureness.

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Beyond this, the novel is a fun time. There’s interesting date events(gingerbread contests, wine tastings), which lends a kind of fun adventure to the story. Kate is a good character who is easy to like as are those that surround her. This includes her father Mac, family friend Evelyn; and Kate’s two besties, Laura and Matt. There’s a fun little romance thread that underlies the story and while not everything goes through a thread or method I applaud, it doesn’t take away from the overall happiness of the plot.

If you’re looking for a cozy and fun read, and don’t mind that it’s secular fiction, The Twelve Dates of Christmas is entertaining.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Author: Jenny Bayliss
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Source: Bought
Publication Date: 2020
Find the Review Elsewhere: Amazon ǀ Goodreads
Find the Book Elsewhere: Amazon ǀ Goodreads
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary, Secular Adult
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Content: there are several f-words (not to an excess) across 300+ pages, and other commonplace profanity. There is also some crude sexual innuendo and references to being “turned on,” etc. There’s an implied sex scene late in the novel and references to one in the page; plus, a woman laments the change in her sex life. There’s another reference to a married man who has frequent affairs. The novel would definitely be PG-13 or R.

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