Enemies-to-lovers holiday romance

Normally I love this author's books, but this one definitely was not my favorite. I liked Cole and Storee well enough ... but I didn't love them. And the premise is cute, I just found it too long ... it could have been told in half the pages. Even though some the situations were ridiculous, they did make me laugh. The steam between Cole and Storee was off the charts and quite frankly, that is what kept me reading.

I received a copy courtesy of Sourcebooks Bloom Books through NetGalley

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How My Neighbor Stole Christmas
Author: Meghan Quinn
Holiday Romance

Thank you so much Netgalley, and Bloom Books for this ARC! Meghan Quinn is my favorite romance author, hands down, no questions asked. I was so excited to get this from Netgalley. This was pure Meghan perfection to me! I’m also a very avid Christmas romcom lover, so these were two of my favorite things combine. This was adorable, spicy, and hilarious as usual for Meghan. Cole is basically the Grinch, and he wants nothing to do with Christmas. Storee, his childhood nemesis, moves in next door to help her Aunt over the holidays and enter into the twins Kringle contest. He ends up entering to spite her, but their rivalry turns into something more throughout the competition. It was another perfect Christmas read… but this one was insanely spicy compared the usual G rated hallmark Christmas stuff. If you want a hot af, modern Grinch story please read this one this holiday season!

It’s certainly the ho-ho-hoiest time of the year and this book brought all of the holiday spirit!

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, funny holiday read with a decent dose of heat to keep you nice and toasty between the thighs, then this is the one for you!
Meghan Quinn always knows how to deliver incredible banter and moments that will have you laughing out loud.
I would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audiobook for this one because the full cast really just bring this book to life.

With that being said, I think if I hadn’t been listening to the audio, I might have not finished this book. However, the narration saved it for me despite feeling like the characters were a tad bit insufferable.

This was a fun holiday, seasonal read/listen but I doubt I will read it again… even with the candy cane scene lol

I enjoyed this book. Thought it had a fun premise. It took a little time to get into the book and then it was a quick finish.

This was a great retelling of how the grinch stole christmas. Was it possibly the straightest thing I have read this year? Yes, did I love it, also yes. I love the rhyming at each chapter as well

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“How My Neighbor Stole Christmas” by Meghan Quinn is a twist on the Grinch (if you couldn’t tell from the title…)

& honestly, it was a big miss for me. I powered through but it was just ok! It was a little too cliche and I had to wait way too long for the naughty parts lollll.

However, as always, big thanks to @read_bloom for the ARC! This was released October 15 so grab it for a light read going into the week of Christmas! 🎄 #netgalley #arc #bloombooks #howmyneighborstolechristmas

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

TV movie editor Storee returns to Kringletown after a decade away to care for her Aunt Cindy. Storee enters the Christmas Kringle contest at her Aunt's request, where she must prove that she has the most Christmas spirit of anyone in town. But it turns out she is up against her childhood friend, Cole, who is inexplicably mean to her. As Storee and Cole battle it out while making candy canes, decorating their homes with lights, and wrapping gifts, the ice in Cole's heart begins to crack. Suddenly, the competition is not just about the Christmas spirit, it's also about who will open their heart.

This was a cute Christmas story with just about every Christmas activity included. I definitely felt the holiday spirit when reading the book and the Christmas-themed spice was super fun. However, I struggled with the humor in the book. I did not enjoy the narrator speaking to the characters directly as it took me out of the story. There was also a Grinch-esque poem to start each chapter, which was too much for me. In my opinion, the MMC was excessively mean to the FMC and she forgave him way too quickly. Overall, this was a fun book but not one I would go out of my way to recommend.

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

If this book was a pizza it would be extra cheese…and I love it!! Quinn was very creative in bringing in elements of the original Grinch story but making it her own. And the love story between Storee and Cole was cute (put also SUPER spicy, my goodness)

I’m giving this 3.5 stars cause the side story with her sister felt unnecessary (also Taran was awful!). And I felt that the book got a tad long at the end.

Overall, one of my favorites of the year.

Was this a fully- holiday, totally “how the grinch stole Christmas” coded book?! YES! It was cute, albeit a little “hallmark” cheesy at times… but it was a very fun holiday read. It is a longer book, and the spice doesn’t come in for a WHILE, so definitely more of a slow burn. But, iykyk 😅

I commend the book for infusing elements from the Grinch because I love that movie/book. The rest of the book was really not great. I didn’t like really any of the characters and their relationships seemed really weak to me.

🎅🏼 How My Neighbor Stole Christmas - Meghan Quinn

4 ⭐️ - Screaming this from the rooftops, LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK. This one is cute and cheesy, but done as a duet and the listening experience is top notch. If you’re a fan of the storyline of The Grinch, this one seems obviously for you.

This was a cute, laugh out loud, spicy holiday romance. It had hilarious banter between our main characters, a fun and ridiculous Christmas competition and a spicy childhood crush, enemies to lovers romance. I think it was a cute take on The Grinch in an obvious different way. I loved the narrator at the beginning of each chapter. I’m glad I read this one, but it had no business being almost 500 pages long. I HIGHLY recommend the audio.

I didn’t come into this expecting to love this as much as I did. In fact I felt really weird about it because how are you making this an actual re-telling? But y’all this turned out so well done! Don’t get me wrong, it’s long af, but it was really good and I really could not stop laughing.

Y’all this book was hilarious. I think if it wasn’t I really would have DNFed it because whyyyyyyy is this contemporary romance 10+ hours?! The book itself is 480 pages! Anyway, there were many times I laughed so freaking hard I almost woke up my kid. Like the lights on his house scene? Or the 50 foot Santa? Lordt I almost burst a blood vessel trying to make sure I didn’t laugh too loud. I don’t want to give too much away, but she was a hot mess and it made her hilarious.

The length seemed to be a bit of an editing issue. I think if some of the competition had been cut or if some of the bantering had been cut it would have been fine, but it was just too much book for me. I found myself taking breaks because I kind of had to. But even still, this didn’t stop me from telling everyone I was reading this and I was loving it. Because I did in fact love this so much.

Despite my original thought about this, the story was so good! I loved it so much. I mean I knew how it would be to write a grump, but I thought it was going to be an enemies to lovers or a grump/sunshine. But it was so much more than that. With the narrator and all. It was so much fun! Quinn did a damn good job at making this an actual Grinch retelling and not just the tropey story I was expecting.

The romance itself was also very good. HOWEVER, I didn’t love how he was acting to her. She had no idea what had happened and even when he could have told her, he didn’t. I didn’t understand why this made him mad at her? It didn’t make any sense to me. And for him to be holding that grudge too for years and saying all those weird ass little sayings? He was aggy as hell sometimes. I wanted her to walk away and cuss him out. I was very glad that I was not her because I don’t know that I would have stayed lol But I’m also petty sooooo. But when they finally got together, I was fanning myself. Everyone has said this, but THE CANDY CANE SCENE? I am never going to look at one the same lmao But the place and the way it was done? Are all her books like this? Have I really been missing this the whole time?

The holiday-ness of this one was amazing too. The town was very much a Who-Ville type of thing? Each character was in charge of something Christmasy in the town. And I really loved that. I do wish we got to see the reindeer more, but I realize that isn’t super important and it was something that actually mattered in the grand scheme of things, but still lol

This was so much more fun than I thought it would be. I’m not sure if I enjoyed it so much because it was a holiday story or what, but Lordt I know that I need to read more of Quinn’s stories. I definitely need to know more about what she’s written!

I had the absolute best time! The Christmas rhymes at the beginning of the chapter was the cutest touch, added a whole star because of the thoughtfulness and Christmas vibes while reading. It is impossible to not feel immersed in a Christmas movie while reading this silly and fun story about Storee and Cole. Thank you so much for letting me read this early, SO fun.

“If you allow fear to take over your actions, then you’re never going to accomplish anything.”

Everyone in Kringletown celebrated Christmas a lot, but there is one who certainly has not. Cole Black has been lacking in Christmas cheer for many years now. It’s a time when he hides in his home and doesn’t come out. Except this year, something is different..Storee Taylor is back in town and she’s brought some holiday cheer with her. Store hasn’t been back to Kringletown in many years but when her Great Aunt Cindy needs her help she shows up, and gets entered into the town’s annual Christmas Kringle contest…much to the annoyance of Cole. Now these two are at odds and bantering faster than one can make a candy cane. Who will win? And who will be the first to meet the other under the mistletoe?

This book was so cute! I’m definitely a fan of the enemies to lovers trope and Meghan Quinn surely did not disappoint in this aspect. The banter and tension were *chef’s kiss* Truly a classic enemies to lovers.

Not to mention the fun little references to the Grinch throughout the duration of the book. I won’t give them away but let me just say that I love Max!

Meghan Quinn truly knows how to round her characters, the evolution of Cole throughout the book is probably the most profound in a way that pulls on your heart strings.

If you’re looking for a fun holiday romance with spice then I highly recommend this book.

4.5 stars - This would be amazing to see on Netflix! If you enjoy a small town holiday competition between families, then you'll love every moment of this story. You also might never look at a candy cane the same again...don't say I didn't warn you.

3-3.5 stars. Very mixed feelings on this one. Several of the descriptions are overkill and the first third or so I really skimmed to the dialogue. The whole competition is silly, but that’s kind of the point. Theres competitive banter and some obvious vibes. Once things take a turn things heat up, but it’s a little convoluted with the town and family drama.

The grinch is my favorite Christmas movie so the tie-in and grinch-fic was fun to me, as well as the narrator.

Received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

So sweet and festive and enemies to lovers and also second chance romance. I loved the premise of a Christmas town and a Grinch retelling and I always love a dual POV. I really appreciated that Max/Atlas was the sweet golden retriever and I really hope Quinn gives him his own story (maybe for next Christmas???). I will say I was a bit shocked at the ending and feel like maybe we could have used a touch more closure but another great read.

This holiday romance will have you giggling and coming back for more!

I LOVED this one! How The Grinch Stole Christmas has been a classic favorite children's book, and movie of mine for as long as I can remember. The hilarious nostaligia and fun easter egg nods to the original concept really brought me so much joy!

I loved the aunt's antics in getting our FMC and her sister into town to take over her place in the competition! And our lovable grumpy hero made me laugh out loud more times than I can count with his inner monologues about her! I LOVED that there was a narration piece similar to the Grinch movies, so although I received an e-ARC of this once, I also purchased the audiobook simply to enjoy the experience that much more! 10/10 recommend snagging the audio version if you enjoy reading in that format, and love the Grinch too!

I won't spoil anymore for those reading this, but this reader feels this holiday romance will be at the top for MUST READS and gifting this season!

Storee and her sister are temporarily moving to Kringle to help take care of their great aunt after she suffers a broken hip. Kringle is a town where Christmas never sleeps and goes on year round. Great aunt Cindy convinces Storee.to participate in the yearly competition that showcases the person with the most Christmas spirit. In the process, Storee is reconnected to next door neighbor, Cole. They have a past and neither seems to be too happy to see the other. When Cole enters the competition, game on. They might decide the competition isn’t the only thing they want to win.

This is 100% a made for tv movie, except for all the crazy sex that couldn’t be shown on regular tv! While nothing was a big surprise, this was a fun holiday book. This was my first Quinn book, so I’m not sure if the spice level is so high in all of the books she writes!!

I originally passed on this book due to the cover art. But then I saw it getting rave reviews on IG and decided to give it a try. Cute premise custom made for a Hallmark movie but I just couldn't get past the stilted characters and dialogue. This was a DNF for me.