Jenny Bayliss Books Ranked

Kiss Me at Christmas

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Year: 2024

Genre: Fiction

Spice Rating:💋💋

Age Range: 18+

Plot

This marvelous Christmas story tells the tale of a newly renovated community theatre and the members trying to perform A Christmas Carol before the theatre is sold. It all started because 5 student were caught skipping school in said theatre by their guidance counselor – who takes the heat and offers their community service as payment so the landlord doesn’t press charges.

Harriet, the guidance counselor, was not expecting their ramshackle group to grow, and while she hoped the theatre could be an access to the community – she did not anticipate it becoming THE community hub. As she works to pull the production off, she is not expecting to partner with the landlord’s attorney – who happens to be a man she had a one-night stand with the night before.

Why Kirsten loves it

A lot is going on in this story in the best possible way. Some students bring talents and gifts to life as they earn confidence working on the production. Other community members find their place in the group and help mentor the children. There is romance, a fantastic production, and so much Christmas cheer. I also got choked up at the acknowledgment of Hanukkah and the mini celebration they have for one of the theatre members. Representation means so much.

Find this book in: Best Holiday Books / Christmas Book Club Books / Best Christmas Books Of All Time / Jenny Bayliss Books Ranked

A December to Remember

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Year: 2023

Genre: Fiction

Spice Rating:💋

Age Range: 16+

Plot

Jenny Bayliss is back with an exciting holiday book about the Winter Solstice. When Simone, Maggie, and Star, half-sisters with different moms, find out their father has died they also learn that to receive their inheritance, they must first solve a scavenger hunt and then relaunch the town’s Winter Solstice celebration.

The sisters don’t have a relationship outside of the one month each summer they all spend together with their father. Now, they are forced to work together and rebuild their sisterly bond.

Each sister is also working through something. One is a single mom facing eviction. One is struggling with infertility. And one is a bit adrift and trying to start over and settle down.

Why Kirsten loves it

I adored this holiday book about love and reconnection during the holiday season. It’s probably my favorite Christmas book for 2023. #gifted

Find this book in: Best Holiday Books / Christmas Book Club Books / Family Inheritance Novels / Jenny Bayliss Books Ranked

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Year: 2022

Genre: Fiction

Spice Rating:💋

Age Range: 16+

Plot

Nory, a used bookstore owner, is back in her hometown staying in a castle for her posh friend’s wedding. Reunited after years apart, this group of high school friends have lots of secrets and shared memories. But during the week-long festivities, Nory is drawn to her former childhood nemesis, Isaac, who now runs the castle grounds and gardens.

Why Kirsten loves it

I thought this would just be a charming Christmas romance novel, but it deals with the fallout from one of the friends in their group who had committed suicide a few years prior. Mental health, adultery, and classism are just a few of the heavier topics discussed in this book. #gifted by Penguin Random House

Find this book in: Christmas Book Club Books / Jenny Bayliss Books Ranked

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Year: 2025

Genre: Fiction

Spice Rating:💋💋

Age Range: 18+

Plot

After a terrible breakup, Fred is moving back to her childhood home in her small town of Pine Bluff. Feeling like a failure, she can’t just sit around and mope – instead, she throws her skills into helping her Aunts and Mom with their Christmas Cracker business.

Along the way, she reconnects with her best friend (and former crush) and sparks a new romance with a reporter in town to cover the Pine Bluff Christmas market. Can Fred make a plan to escape Pine Bluff once more or was she always meant to bloom in her hometown?

Why Kirsten loves it

Jenny Bayliss’s Christmas stories always have the perfect mix of warmth and heart. The love story is secondary in this one, because it’s really about making peace with your roots and taking the path you initially rejected. It was a lovely story for the holiday season. #gifted by PRH Audio.

Find this book in: Christmas Book Club Books / Jenny Bayliss Books Ranked

The Little Shop of Merry and Bright

Author: Jenny Bayliss

Release Date: September 22, 2026

Genre: Christmas Romance

More info: A Contemporary Christmas Carol Retelling

Spice Rating:💋

Age Range: 16+

Plot

When Casey declined her boyfriend’s marriage proposal three years ago, she never dreamed that it would go viral, and she would still be dealing with the backlash years later. Now, she has chosen a job with no potential for humiliation. But there is no potential for a boyfriend either.

When Casey meets Margo, the spirit of Christmas present, they make a bargain. Margo will use her powers to erase the video, but Casey must first witness five alternate realities. If she still wants the video erased, Margo will do it. Casey will have to decide what she really wants from life.

Why Kirsten likes it

This story wasn’t so Christmassy, but it was a fun, light-hearted fantasy about the paths not taken. I loved Margo’s antics and the funny glimpses of Casey’s other potential futures, but mostly I loved her current life – warts and all. It wasn’t my favorite Jenny Bayliss, but I did enjoy it. It would be a good first book to transition to the Christmas season. Gifted by Putnam Books.

Find this book in: Fantasy Christmas Books / New Christmas Books / Jenny Bayliss Books Ranked