@readwithme.jess

@bookish_alyssa Happy Friday Eve my friends!! 👏🏼We’re almost there 😅 Yesterday I wrapped up what is likely my last holiday romance of the season- The Twelve Dates of Christmas! And let me tell you, it was a good one to close out on! This was SO cute with great banter, an English countryside village setting, lovable characters, and a well paced plot. I’m kicking myself for not picking this up during the last holiday season! What’s your reading like right now? Are you plowing through books, or in a bit of a slow-paced lull as we approach the end of the year?🐇🐢 . . . . . . . . #booksaremagic #bookworm #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview #bookflatlay #homebody #bookish #bookstagram #romancereader #holidayromance #readmorewomen

@_booked_up What a cute Christmas story set in the little village of Blexford, England! Definitely a perfect read for this time of year 🌲. Kate has been unlucky in love for a long time and decides to do a program called The Twelve Dates of Christmas (also known as the Twelve Dates of Shagsmas by a select few...). On a series of twelve different dates in the month of December, Kate has twelve different chances to meet Mr. Right. But, since this is a romcom, we know there’s bound to be a series of unfortunate events leading up to late finding her perfect man. Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it? A dash of Christmas spirit and a smattering of hometown romance make for a great Christmas read. #thetwelvedatesofchristmas #jennybayliss #jennybaylissbooks #targetfinds #holidayreading #bookstagram

@that_bookish_life I hope everyone who celebrates had a very nice holiday yesterday! I still have a few holiday reads I'm planning to share and I'm even sneaking in one last Christmas romance - I'm just not quite ready to let go of the magic! 🎅 That said, let's talk The Twelve Dates of Christmas, which might just be the 2nd most popular Booksta holiday read this year behind Holidaze (at least by my very subjective estimation.) The premise of this story is great: Kate, a thirty-something woman who has moved back home to the quaint English village where she grew up, is single and looking for love. She signs up for the "Twelve Dates of Christmas" where a company arranges 12 festive blind dates in hopes of meeting a match. The dates end up being disastrous each in their own way, but Kate may just find her way to love after all. What I like: The setting for this book is perfect! Very charming small town, with plenty of community Christmas warmth. Kate bakes for her friend's cafe and there are drool-worthy food details (my favorite!) that make you long to stop in for coffee and a holiday treat. The doomed dates start out very entertaining, but... This brings me to what I dislike: the whole 12 dates trope is way too big a focus. There doesn't seem to be enough substance outside of the dates themselves to anchor the story and being that there are 12 of them it starts to get a little stale which creates a slump throughout the middle of the book. It makes sense now why I'm seeing mixed, and even and some DNF, reviews. I wish the structure of the book had been different and focused less on the dates themselves and more on Kate and her friends. I think that would have tightened up the plot and made it more interesting. If you read this one what did you think? Are you still Christmas-ing? Or are you ready to take down the tree and pack up the holiday reading? For me, Christmas isn't really over until New Year's 🎉