The Twelve Dates of Christmas

By: Jenny Bayliss

3/5 ☕️

Kate is completely over dating. She's decided to give it on last go before giving up and starting a family on her own. It's not that she needs a man or anything, it's just that she thinks companionship will be nice. This thought, and the urging of her best friends Matt and Laura, leads Kate to try a disastrous dating app that has created The Twelve Dates of Christmas (or Shagmas as Matt calls it). Through the app, Kate will go on 12 blind dates in the days leading up to Christmas. The hope is that at least one of the dates turns into a second date, but right off the bat, it does not seem promising.

As Kate expands her horizon and tries new things, she realizes that what she needs may have been right under her nose. Will she be able to admit what she needs and chase it, or will the Twelve Dates of Christmas produce something new?

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a pleasant read, but there were some downfalls. For starters, with the 12 dates, it felt as though Bayliss introduced the characters too fast too soon. At page 50, I felt as though I needed a character chart. At page 100, I was still trying to figure out who was who. By the end of the book, I realized Bayliss could have definitely done without a few of the background characters. However, about halfway through, the introduction of new characters didn't bother me as much.

This book is also very predictable. I knew on about page 3 exactly how it was going to end. Normally, this doesn't bother me, but I found myself getting restless. I wanted my prediction to come true and the obstacles were just too much. I think the book could have been a little bit shorter since it was so predictable. Personally, I don't like a long chase, but to each his own.

Despite these downfalls, the book was enjoyable for the most part. I loved the setting: a quaint town in England. The description of the town during Christmas was right out of a Hallmark movie and easy to picture. While the dates were outlandish, they did make me laugh out loud and sympathize with Kate's troubles. Her willingness to try anything was also inspiring in a weird way. No, this was not my favorite Christmas book of the year, but I don't regret reading it.