This holiday book was hilarious, I especially loved the poems, and the banter between the narrator and Cole.

Storee comes to take her of her great aunt after being away for 10 years. Cole has hated Christmas for the past 10 years since both his parents past.

Storee is forced to join a towns holiday competition and upon hearing so Cole decides to join.

While I really enjoyed these two, I can honestly say my favorite character was Max (Atlas). I could read a whole story just about him.

4 stars

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts are my own.

Meghan Quinn is at the very top of my favorite authors list, but this one just wasn’t my favorite book of hers… maybe it will be better in audio with the narrator reading the blurbs (she got one of the best in the biz), and interacting with the cast? I’m going to pick it up in audio and try it again - I really wanted to love it more than I did. I know she has a fantastic cast!

A take on the night before Christmas and the grinch, but only just lightly related, where we have Storee and Taran Taylor coming to a small Colorado Christmas town to care for an aunt after a hip surgery, because they are the only ones available. They used to spend every Christmas here and so most of the town knows them, and still remembers a number of shenanigans that Storee got up to the 10 years prior, the last time they came. The biggest and worst memories? Neighbor Cole, who is still bitter because the disappearance of his long ago friend coincided with the loss of his parents.

The town holds an annual Christmas “Kringle” competition and aunt Cindy expects Storee to take her place. Bitter Cole decides that this is the year he will complete too, so this out-of-towner can’t waltz into town and take over. Surely even though he has no Christmas spirit he can do all the Christmas things! It’s just lights, carols, candy canes…

A good enemies to lovers, neighbors, Christmas romance, with some great heart growing scenes at the end (like in the grinch)… I really do think I’ll enjoy it so much more when I get to listen to the audio version with the narrator scenes done properly (I’m an audio person, so reading those scenes didn’t come across very well). It’s still a good story, I just think it was written for audio, and I didn’t get the full experience I needed. I liked it, but not my favorite of all her books (not the usual standard I find and not the same satisfaction I usually have when I finish one of MQs books). I know so many will absolutely love it, and I’m hoping that is what I will find after listening.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Bloom Books, and this is my honest feedback.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn is a humorous holiday enemies-to-lovers romance!
The story is a delightful mix of humor and heart.
This holiday rom-com had me laughing and kicking my feet with such delight.
A light hearted romance. It gave me all the feels and put me in the holiday spirit.
A classic Meghan Quinn novel. This is a super quick and fun holiday read.
I mean Quinn wrote it so you just know it’s going to be an amazing story!

Thank You NetGalley and Bloom Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

“I’m on a mission, and it’s to save Christmas! Well, save Christmas from being stolen by a conniving, tricky man who’s toying with the hearts of people in town to win him favor”

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is a hilarious Christmas romcom. The story takes place in Kringletown, a town that celebrates Christmas all year round. Every year for hundreds of years (really only a handful of years) 5 townsfolk compete in the Christmas Kringle, to be the one who truly embodies everything that is Christmas.

Storee Taylor is visiting her aunt and Kringletown for the first time in 10 years. The last thing she wants to do is take part in any town activities but when her aunt volunteers her, she is ready to win for her aunt. Cole Black hasn’t celebrated Christmas in 10 years, ever since tragedy struck but he would rather become the next Santa than let Storee win the competition this year.

Storee and Cole had amazingly funny banter while competing in the silliest of competitions. It was so fun to see what the town deemed the most important. When Cole decided a little fake dating would help his cause he jumped at the chance to make Storee look bad.
“An eerie calm settled in as she sat ready and waiting for the man next door she’d never planned on fake dating.”

However fake dating never stays fake for long and it was great to see the two realize their friendship from when they were kids was always there for them.
“You’ve brought some life back into my mundane days. I knew I was living in the dark, going week by week, month by month, but I didn’t realize how far I’d sunk until you came back.”

The narrator of the story was also hilarious, and I loved how each chapter began with a rhyme. How My Neighbor Stole Christmas was the perfect holiday book to start the impending holiday season! I’m so ready to skip Halloween and get right to Christmas!
Thank you @meghanquinnbooks for the ARC!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥: “Lick me clean,”

I was gifted this ARC for an honest review.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t even know where to start. When I saw I was approved and the ARC was sitting in my email, I think I freaked out. Since Meghan is one of my favorite authors I’ve been trying to get my hands on an early copy and I was pumped for this one.
This is a grinch inspired Christmas novel and let me tell you, this book was hilarious. You get dual POV from the main characters Storee and Cole (could also be known as Connor 😉) and let’s just say they are not on good terms. Storee is back in town to help nurse Aunt Cindy back to health after a fall, with her sister Taran. But Aunt Cindy has other plans. Storee is going to take her place in the Christmas Kringle contest and guess who’s not happy about that? If you guessed Cole you are correct! The novel continues on following their journey through the contests. Their banter is hilarious and I will never look at a candy cane the same way after reading this book. Meghan is the queen of romcom’s and if you’re looking for a Christmas read this upcoming season this is definitely going to be a go to! This book is available on Amazon October 15th!

It was an absolute honor to get an early copy and saying thank you doesn’t even start to cover it! I hope I get the chance to review more upcoming releases. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced e-copy of How My Neighbor Stole Christmas, in exchange for an honest review.

"I couldn't put this book down. ! It had me laughing out loud from start to finish.
The story follows our fierce and determined FMC Storee, whose life takes an unexpected turn when she returns to her quaint hometown to care for her aunt, who has recently suffered a hip injury. From the moment she steps foot in the small town, filled with twinkling lights and festive energy, nostalgia washes over her. It's not just a town she returns to; it's a place steeped in memory and childhood dreams.

However, the picturesque homecoming is quickly overshadowed by her infamous grumpy neighbor, whom she had a love-hate relationship with during her youth. As they prepare for the town's annual Christmas competition, the stage is set not only for a battle of festive spirit but also for a rekindling of unresolved feelings.

The competition becomes a thrilling race filled with laugh-out-loud antics, humorous misunderstandings, and competitive hijinks. Quinn masterfully writes tension and humor, keeping you engaged and laughing out loud at the situations the characters find themselves in. The rivalry between the two main leads intensifies as they engage in everything from decorating disasters to cookie-baking fiascos, each eager to outdo the other.

The stakes are raised when they find themselves engaging in a fake dating scenario, one that brings its own set of complications and comedic moments. Forced to act as a couple for the sake of the competition, Storee and her neighbor are soon enveloped in the chaos of pretending to be more than just enemies. This pretense sparks an evolution in their relationship, forcing them to confront their past and the feelings that have lingered beneath the surface for so long.

If you appreciate a touch of spice in your holiday romances, *How My Neighbor Stole Christmas* will not disappoint! Prepared to be entertained by some particularly wild and imaginative scenes, including an unforgettable moment involving a candy cane that will leave you both blushing and laughing.

Whether you’re a fan of sweet romance, hilarious hijinks, or festive cheer, this holiday novel deserves a place on your reading list. As the title suggests, there’s just enough mischief to remind us all that Christmas can come with some surprises.

If you're in the mood for a feel-good holiday romance filled with laughter, 'How My Neighbor Stole Christmas' is the book for you.
This was a 4.75 read for me!!!

Meghan my queen!
This holiday romcom had me laughing so hard then fanning myself from the spice! I love a good enemies to lovers and second chance romance so this was the perfect book for me! Storee and Cole were so cute! Definitely recommend!

I was a bit iffy about this story in the beginning but in true MQ fashion, it redeemed itself.

I love the little rhymes in the beginning of each chapter. Some are hilarious and witty, some are naughty, and some just hit you right in the feels. Max and Cole's friendship was one of my favorite things about this book. I don't know how the author comes up with such absurd scenarios but she is the queen of creating such hilarious scenes that also come with secondhand embarrassment. Also the interactions between the narrator and Cole? I love it so much.

This story is so much fun and the author really brings the Grinch to life with her own little spin. I'm not really sure how to feel about why Cole was so mad in the first place and honestly, there just needed to be some communication, but I really liked how healing and supportive they were once they finally did talk (which was also sooner than I expected so, bonus points for that). The conflict was pretty late in this story and there wasn't all that much time to build up so I didn't really feel the impact of everything. I would have loved to learn about the town and the other people there but otherwise, this was a fun, festive, and incredibly spicy holiday romance!

This is probably a 4.5 for me it was super cute.

I really liked our main male MC Cole. He is funny. He is sweet and kind. He is grumpy but for a good reason and I love seeing him find the Christmas magic again and getting competitive with Storee.

Storee’s Aunt Cindy tricks her and her sister into coming to town to help her recover from a fake hip injury and the aunt forces Storee to compete in this Christmas competition which puts her against Cole. Cole can’t forget how she ranted about hating the town on the night his parents died (she didn’t know!) and then disappeared and never came back.

They compete it the most hilarious ridiculous competition all while the small town runs their nose into their business. When Storee finds out what happened to Cole’s parents she is authentically apologetic and they become friends and start dating and hooking up. Then her sister tries to ruin him in the competition by stealing his lights and trying to break them up so Cole breaks things off but Storee wins him back.

Her sister sucks and I don’t care that she apologized after it felt so faked and forced.

The only thing that didn’t quite work for was the poetry and narrator lines in the book. They’re done as a riff off of the Grinch but they don’t really work and stopped reading them just skipping them. Would have worked better to do that as either the prologue or epilogue (or both) but now as starter for every chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books and Meghan Quinn for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This retelling of How The Grinch Stole Christmas within a romance lens is simply brilliant. Add in the expected steam from Ms. Meghan Quinn and this book is just FUN! The Seuss style poems at the beginning of each chapter could create its own shortened romance book- add some illustrations and I'd buy it!

Re-imaginings are not often my favorites but this one had me rolling on the floor laughing out loud at some parts and then in turn crying at some more difficult moments. I found myself reading the "poetry" parts in my best Grinch narrator voice (in my head of course lol). Finding yourself in a town known for their year round Christmas cheer (this also had me looking up towns in the US that might actually fit the bill because...what fun would that be to visit), when it was the place of one of your most seriously embarrassing moments and then running into your crush would have most of us screaming for the hills. Then to see your crush has become the Grinch of this story makes it even harder to deal with. When the competition to become the town Kringle is foisted on Storee, the fun just writes itself. Meghan has a way with rom-coms in any case but her holiday stories always make my soul feel the holiday spirit (and I loved the nod to Port Snow).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! ---

If I am being honest, this book fell a little short for me. It had cute moments and it made me so excited for Christmas this year, which is great! However, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. So consequently the story dragged out a little longer than I would have liked it to. But, the vibes were great! If you can connect with the characters, I think you'll really enjoy the story! (:

⭐️: 5
🌶️: 4

🎄 small town
☃️ holiday/christmas competition
🎄dr seuss style narration
☃️ friends to enemies to lovers
🎄 secret dating
☃️ grumpy x sunshine

This book has all of the makings of a perfect Christmas read - a cold Colorado small town, a Christmas Kringle competition, and even festive dirty talk and steamy scenes - all wrapped up in a bow. Every line of this book was meticulously written, and I loved finding the Christmas themed Easter Eggs. The Dr.
Seuss style narrator was my favorite touch.

Storee Taylor and Cole Black were friends in their younger years, turned enemies and competitors, turned real lovers with a fake dating agenda. I enjoyed every minute of their banter and antics. I would say their relationship was spicy but dare I instead say it was… minty? That candy cane scene was something else - who knew Cole had it in him.

I genuinely cannot wait until the audio book is available so I can enjoy the story for a second time with the entire ensemble cast.

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️= open door, multiple scenes, descriptive



♥︎ Thank you NetGalley, Bloom Books and Meghan Quinn for the ARC of How My Neighbor Stole Christmas

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing the ARC.

With every book of hers I read, I really just don't know how to feel about Meghan Quinn.

I've liked some of her stuff. I've disliked some of her stuff. This book didn't particularly wow me. I felt like it was rushed. Storee and Cole dropped the antagonistic act super fast despite spending a good 40% of the book being downright ugly to each other. Mostly I just wish her writing was better.

This book is alright. Nothing super amazing, but it's not bad either. Just needs more polish and less 4th wall breaking.

4.5 Stars!
I love that Meghan Quinn finally gave us a full-length Christmas romance.! How My Neighbor Stole Christmas was a lot of fun. It was full of....

* a wonderful second chance romance
* kooky side characters
* hilarious hijinks and lots of laughs
* a ridiculously fun rivalry
* enemies to lovers banter
* Christmas galore
* an adorable small town
* heartwarming moments
* a narrator who perfectly set the scene and knew when to take control of the story.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas was truly a memorable holiday romance to fall in love with. It gave me a much-needed dose of the holiday spirit. My one small complaint was the pace in the first half. All the setup of the story, the competition, and Storee and Cole's relationship made for a slow start. That's not to say I didn't enjoy that half, it was just slower than I expected. It was well worth it to get all the backstory and banter. Overall, this was a great Christmas romantic comedy. I can't wait to see what Quinn comes up with next. She's consistently upping her rom-com game.

4.5 out of 5 stars!

A steamy take on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" Storee Taylor has to spend some time in Kringletown nursing her Aunt Cindy back to health. Since Aunt Cindy can't take part in the festivities she gets Storee to enter. Storee and Cole used to be best friends. They did everything together when she visited Kringletown until an embarrassing incident keeps Storee from returning for 10 years. Cole still lives next door to Aunt Cindy. Little does she know, Cole stopped celebrating Christmas since his parents passed. When Cole finds out Storee is entered in the Kringletown competition, it's game on to see who comes out on top. Then somehow Storee and Cole end up in a fake relationship. The competition between these two is fierce! They were constantly one-upping each other while their feelings turned to something real. Then they were pretending to pretend. LMAO! The audiobook narrated by a full cast made this romcom extra funny and the characters' antics even more over the top. With top notch narrators like Vanessa Edwin and JF Harding, Shane East, Robert Hatchet, and Emma Wilder, this book was just the thing to get me ready for the upcoming Chrismas season. I just might need to do a re-listen!

I received an advance copy of the book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

A cute and adorable Christmas rom com by the amazing Meghan Quinn!! She can’t write anything that is not am absolutely fun and quirky time!

Storee and Cole used to be friends, every year since they were kids Storee would come visit her Aunt Cindy in the year-round Christmas town. Then one year, after an embarrassing incident, Storee tells Cole that she hates the town and can't stand coming to visit. He doesn't see her again for 10 years when she comes to help her Aunt Cindy recover from a fall. It is Aunt Cindy's deepest wish that Storee enter the Christmas Kringle Competition. Cole decides that he has to join the contest just to beat her. Determined to make each others lives miserable until only one can come out on top.

It is never too early to read a Christmas novel, especially one by Meghan Quinn. This is the Christmas book of the season. It is definitely How the Grinch Stole Christmas meets the sexy snow daddy we never knew we needed. Pair the spice with Meghan Quinn's hilarious banter and you have an excellent read. I really enjoyed the rhyming narrations at the beginning of each chapter. The banter is also top notch, the back and forth between Storee and Cole is hilarious. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.

Welcome to Kringletown, Colorado! It is year round Whoville.
When Storee Taylor, a not so self sufficient, immature California gal returns to town a decade later to care for her Aunt Cindy, she comes face to face with her adolescent friend, Cole Black aka our sad boi Grinch.

The buildup and chemistry are a bit weak between these two enemies to lovers in a fake dating small town trope.

There are so many characters introduced at once. Is this what it’s like to read fantasy books? I can’t keep track.

One thing we all need to agree on: Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

Did I read the same ARC as all of you? I wanted to DNF. I hoped for some redemption to the plot and characters, but alas. This book is very heavy on the plot of a completion around being crowned The Kringle of Kringletown. The characters are 2D, the dialogue falls flat, but the spice spices.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 Candy Canes for Meghan Quinn's hilarious, heartfelt new holiday romcom inspired by The Grinch!

From the prologue to the epilogue, How My Neighbor Stole Christmas was absolute perfection! I really don't know how Meghan Quinn continues to surprise me with her romcoms, but this is one of the best. And I've read just about everything she's published. And I often say that *this* book may be one of her best yet, only for her to outdo herself with the next one! Well, I think Meghan has outdone herself...

My heart broke for Cole, and how lonely he's been since his parents died. Storee has also been feeling lonely and isolated, and they really do bring each other back to life over the course of this book. It starts with a spark of healthy competition during the Kringle Christmas contest, and as they spend time fake dating (so the townspeople think they are getting along), they pick up the friendship that was cast aside a decade ago. I really liked how the worst night of Cole's life coincided with a night that Storee was completely humiliated.

And then there is the reverse-fake-dating (I didn't even know that was a micro-trope!) where Storee and Cole begin to really fall in love. The spice level is high in How My Neighbor Stole Christmas... and I will never be able to look at a candy cane the same way again.

Listening to this book on audio was seriously an elevated experience! It was narrated by a full cast, with JF Harding and Vanessa Edwin perfectly playing Cole and Storee's rivalry, fighting feelings, and falling in love. Robert Hatchet was hilarious as Cole's best friend and sidekick, Max, with Emma Wilder bringing snarky sister Taran to life. But I really think Shane East steals the show as The Narrator. The way his British accent wraps around those Dr. Seuss-style rhymes... I seriously could have listened to him tell this entire story!

You'd have to be a real Grinch to not fall in love with Storee and Cole in How My Neighbor Stole Christmas! I received an advance copy via NetGalley and Bloom Books and voluntarily left a review.