A quick and easy Christmas read of past sweethearts, with unresolved feelings, begin to write letters, not knowing they are to each other. Enjoyed this one, and found the letters truly fun to read. Would recommend.

With irony and heart, Quinn dazzles. Resting Scrooge Face is my favorite rom-com of the year. From laughter to humor, there is no resisting.

Oooooooo spicy! This was such a fun, spicy, book! It is not my usual genre but I appreciated the story and thought the heat was just right!

Really cute novella! This story is everything Meghan Quinn in a compact story. Loved the story between Caleb and Nola! Old flames pushed together by a meddling old man and woman. Can they re kindle their romance?

I was in a book slump and this was just what I needed to get out of my slump and put me in the Christmas spirit . Thank you NetGalley and Megan quinn for allowing me to read this one .

I have been a Meghan Quinn fan for quite a while, and I was really excited to see this novella pop up on netgally and I was lucky enough to receive an advanced readers copy, and i was extremely excited! My review is done voluntarily, and my thoughts and opinions are my own.

The last place you want to be when you aren't feeling the Christmas spirit is in a small town that throws up Christmas all over the place. What makes matters worse is you're rebounding from a bad break-up and your high school crush that broke your heart years ago still lives in said small town. well crap. When Nola is just trying to survive the holidays without bumping into her old crush she is handed a letter. After reading the letter she realizes it's from another fellow scrooge. She decides to respond to the letter, and the two scrooges carry on back and forth, flirting and sharing scrooge-like banter. unbeknownst to her, her secret pen pal is her high school crush. can these two pen pals realize that they are meant to be and create their own fairy tale in this small town?

When I saw the title I knew I needed to read it, because I am feeling very Scrooge-like this year. I still enjoy holiday reading even if I have never felt less Christmas-y in my life. This was a cute pen pal romance written with Meghan Quinn's wit and humor. I loved the banter between the two scrooges and how the novella contained the actuall letters that each wrote to the other.

Any books with letters/text messages/emails in them, I am sold! I loved the anonymous letter writing between the two main characters. Some of the things they shared made me giggle, and some made me laugh out loud. These two were clearly meant to be, and I love a good second-chance romance set at Christmastime with scenes from one of my favorite fictional towns, Port Snow!

Meghan strikes again with this one. Caleb is grumpy and gruff, with a soft spot for Nola that all readers will love. Nola is just trying to make sense of her life again after her life in New York kind of blew up in her face. These two are formerly lovers, now enemies, with some meddling grandparent figures who bring them back down to reality.

For a novella, you get a good glimpse into the lives of the main characters and feel that connection with them, something I don't think always works in novellas. I love the MQ universe so much and I'm looking forward to her hopefully expanding this universe in the future! :)

Meghan Quinn does it again. Such a cute short and sweet festive second chance romance. I really loved the anonymous letter trope.

If you’re after a short, sweet read for the holiday season, then this might be it.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. I thought the premise was great, but there wasn’t a lot of chemistry & build up to *spoiler* the big L-bomb, which I felt came out of nowhere. I would have loved to see some more behaviour change, & growth before the reconciliation but know that short stories are an unlikely place to get too much romantic character development.
It’s a quick read, set in a small town with second chance romance. A big too corny for me, but hey, ‘it’s the season!

I loved this novella! Somehow, in 80 pages, I got almost everything I love in a book. A strong and lovable FMC and a very thoughtful (but somehow lost his way) MMC. There are letters, meddling and hilarious seniors, and a second chance given to a couple who really was meant to be together. My only wish is that there could have been more chemistry and steam between Nola and Caleb. Other than that, this story was perfection!

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, Amazon Publishing, and Netgalley for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a short, sweet Christmas story showing true love never dies and always wins. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline.

So fun, so cute, such a perfect holiday read! Exactly the right novella during the holiday season. Highly recommend!

A second chance love story between the girl who got away and the boy who broke her heart

After a bad break up sends her back to her hometown right before the holidays, Nola can’t seem to enjoy the season the way she used to. When the local postman gives her an anonymous letter from an equally Grinch-y native, the pair trade hilarious letters detailing their hatred for the holidays, while slowly forming a unique friendship.

This was SO DARN CUTE! Sweet and funny, lighthearted but heartfelt, with relatable characters, delightful plot and several instances that made me crack up, but I wish it was longer!

"Dear Christmas,
I despise you."

The letters back and forth were engaging and witty and if you are a fan of second chance romances, dual POV stories, small town vibes, and a little spark of the holiday spirit be sure to add this to your TBR list this season!

"Just remember, sometimes people come back into your life for a reason."

Pull up your blanket, pick up your cup of cocoa, and snuggle in for this delicious treat. This novella was a treat. Meghan Quinn brought charm, romance, and loads of Christmas spirit with this one.

"Even during our time apart, even when our hearts were both shattered, it’s always been you. Always and forever."

If you like:
Holiday Themed Short Stories
Second Chance Loves
Small Town Romance

Then this book is for you.

After a bad breakup, the last thing Nola wants to do is celebrate Christmas. The “merry and bright” atmosphere in her hometown seem to mock her at every turn. One day, the mailman gives her a mysterious letter - from a fellow Christmas “scrooge” like herself! Intrigued, she answers, not knowing the sender is none other than Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago. Although they claim they can’t stand each other in person, their letters say otherwise. Can they have a happily ever after or will they be haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past?

This was a unique and fun holiday read! I loved the modern take on “Scrooge“ and letter writing back-and-forth. The fact that Nolla and Caleb didn’t realize they were writing to each other made the story more endearing in my opinion. Pick this up if you’re looking for a fun and different holiday book. Thanks to Netgalley and Meghan Quinn for the ARC! This one is out now.

This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

This was a short and sweet second chance Christmas romance. Set in a small town dominated by the holiday season, neither Caleb nor Nola are experiencing the holiday spirit this year, but as they anonymously write each other letters about their hate of the holidays their feelings begin to change. I thought the romance was a little fast, and a little cheesy, but I think that's just the nature of a Hallmark-y romcom novella.

This was a very quick read. It was a good holiday story. It was shorter than I anticipated. But it was a funny little read.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

You've Got Mail but make it Christmas. This is how you make a shorter work love story believable. Could it have been longer? Yes. Caleb and Nola could have been thrown together in several awkward, uncomfortable encounters, local Christmas festivities like the type that abound in all the Hallmark movies. And that would have been great. But it wasn't necessary for the story.

One of the aspects that helped this story work well while being short was the string of letters early on. They showed us time passing and a growing bond in not a whole lot of words. And they were funny. I could easily see why these two were going to end up together.

There was a slight twist at the end that I didn't see coming. I should have, but I didn't, and I'm a little disappointed in myself for that. I'm going to blame my oversight on all the non-Christmas Christmas movies I've seen this year.

Overall I give this book 4.7 out of 5 stars and if it were turned into a Hallmark Christmas movie, I would watch it in a heartbeat.

Are all of Quinn's books this short? Because I am HERE for the quick reads. Not everything needs to be dragged out, especially holiday reads most times. I was so excited that it was flying by so nicely.

This is a fun, sweet second-chance love story set in a small town in Maine with a bit of the Grinch…
And when I say a bit, I mean these characters were fully in Grinch mode. Who really says they hate the sound of laughing children and “I don’t smile, especially during the holiday season”?
It was a bit dramatic & unrealistic for me, but I think part of that is just what comes with the territory of a short story.

Overall, I enjoyed the dialogue in the letters and they were a cute way to make this story go even quicker.
Plus, one thing I’ve like about Meghan Quinn books is how her all of her stories are intertwined: how Bright Harbor is conveniently located next to Port Snow and how Griffin at the Lobster Landing saves everyone fudge.

Thank you NetGalley and Meghan Quinn for the cute ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not usually a big fan of second chance romances, but this was definitely an exception!

The author was able to create an immersive world with developed characters in a short amount of time, which I really enjoyed since I burned through the book in about 45 mins.
I found the letters between Nola and Caleb funny and moved the story along without becoming boring.

I wish it was longer, but it was a perfect quick read to get me in the holiday spirit

Honestly this was absolutely the cutest Christmas short story I’ve read this year!!


POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

This story starts from our Resting Scrooge Faces pov, aka Caleb. Ever since his ex rolled back into town, after being dumped by her boyfriend in New York, he can’t help but see her and think of all the ways he messed up, how she was the one who got away because he simply wasn’t mature enough to fight for their love! And because of that he has chose to take his anger out on Christmas becuase he certainly isn’t feeling very Holly Jolly. Nola on the other side of the coin is also not feeling the Christmas spirit, instead feeling lonely and lost in the world, but rather than taking it out on the town she has simply thrown herself into renovating her parents house. That is until she receives a mysterious letter from a Christmas hating pen pal. And from their the story takes off into an adorable Christmas romance! I loved Caleb and Nola from the start, I loved that they had a past and when Nola blew into town again after a harsh break up they didn’t just immediately run into each other’s arms only to break up later. I loved that they fought it out, and that they avoided each other it felt so realistic!! I also loved that we as readers were able to read the back and forth letter exchange between Resting Scrooge Face and Ho Ho No, they were so sweet, and funny. I honestly could’ve read like 80 more pages of just letters between them!! If this short story isn’t on your TBR then you should add it immediately because you will not be let down!



HAPPY READING 📖