natalie intihar

Publication Date: September 22, 2026

The Little Shop of Merry and Bright is peak holiday magic! Casey and Ajay’s romantic arc combined with Casey’s own journey was such an enjoyable and heartwarming read. Jenny Bayliss is once again crushing the Christmas book game and does a beautiful job of creating the magic that comes to life in this story.

I loved seeing the connection that grows between Casey and Ajay throughout this story. Casey is coming from such a vulnerable place and it was beautiful how Ajay continued to meet her where she was. With their found family around them, there’s such a community of love supporting these two along their journey to find happiness.

So much of this book is about Casey’s own journey to accepting her past and coming to terms with how the hard times have shaped her into the person she is today. Margo works to help Casey with this while also giving Casey the room to find her own voice. Their unexpected friendship is a beautiful part of The Little Shop of Merry and Bright and added an extra layer to the romance as well.

Thank you to Putnam and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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