Okay, so this book was adorable to start. It was like Hallmark's Haul Out the Holly meets How the Grinch stole Christmas. A town obsessed with Christmas, two individuals who had a slight past, a competition for who is the most Christmasy.....and all of the stanzas reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. I love it to start out....

....and then, while we knew there was sexual tension, we had chapter upon chapter of sex scenes. The book ceased to be about the Christmas competition and instead about the sex. And graphic sex scenes that honestly felt written by a horny teenager. I like them semi classier.

So honestly I got really annoyed with this book. It's a hard one to recommend because it started so far from what it could have been

Oh my goodness!!! What a fun read. This is my second Meghan Quinn, and I absolutely loved it! I find that with a lot of holiday romcoms, they can blur together due to their similar nature, but How My Neighbor Stole Christmas stands out on it's own.
After her great aunt Cindy breaks her hip, Storee and her sister go to stay with their aunt during the holiday season (reluctantly) for the first time in a decade. 10 years prior she had humiliated herself in front of the whole town, so she isn't necessarily jazzed about the long-term visit. Cindy lives in a Christmas-all-year-round town called Kringle (Whoville) where they take their annual Christmas Kringle competition very seriously. Because Cindy is unable to compete this year, she tasks Storee to win the 2024 Kringle title in her honor. Unfortunately for her; however, her grumpy and Grinchy next door neighbor catches wind of this and decides he wants to steal her Christmas glory and compete against her.
This novel focuses on their enemies to lovers dynamic in the modern timeline, but it is important to note that they also had a friendship prior to the decade that has passed between the two seeing each other, so it is also a second chance romance in a way.
My favorite part of this book was the festive competitions and quirky characters. Oftentimes the setting and background can get lost in a romance, but I fully felt immersed in this town. There were a lot of cameos to the Grinch, which was so fun to see and the humor in this book was unmatched!
The steamy scenes were quite steamy indeed- cough cough candy cane scene....... Quinn knows how to get a girl excited, that's for sure! The romantic scenes between the two were full of love and emotion but were also dirty af - my favorite combination.
My biggest critique was that I felt that the backstory between the two was glanced over a bit too much to get the full emotional payoff of their second chance. I do agree that the book is long, so perhaps it was cut down for that reason, but I did notice that. In addition, it wrapped up really fast.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this and rated it 4.5 stars. Hoping that maybe she will continue to write future festive books in Kringle.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read a new one by one of my favorite authors about one of my favorite holidays!

I mean, let's face it, Meghan Quinn has done it again. The humorous situations and banter that she comes up with is unmatched.

Storee heads back to Kringle Colorado with her sister to take care of their elderly aunt and she runs into her old friend/crush Cole and from there, rivalry and hilarity ensues. Of course this is a rom-com from the master so obviously there's some steam involved but the way this book was written was just *chef's kiss*. It's like watching a Hallmark movie but funny and witty and sexy.

Instantly became one of my favorite holiday reads!

Really liked the first 25% or so! Looooved the narrator aspect and all of the nods to the actual Grinch movie. I liked the two MCs but didn’t really like how the romantic piece went from literal zero to one hundred. Some of the spice was just a bit gross in wording and because there wasn’t much build up of an actual relationship, I didn’t feel any chemistry and therefore wasn’t attached to the characters. I do think many who like heavy spice will enjoy. I loved the small town aspect and the competition component- that was sweet.

A fun holiday romance! I loved the grumpy/sunshine, the heat, the exciting premise that it brings with competing for something, and the love story was just so so fun.

This is easily one of my all time favorite holiday romance books, this was absolutely adorable! I loved the story and the two main characters were PERFECT for each other! I’m a sucker for a good rivals to lovers, and this one didn’t disappoint!

I looooove MQ but this was not my favorite. We read it for book club or else I probably would've DNF. It was a little too cheesy/over the top slap stick for me. I did LOL at some parts, but cringed at others. I love her books soooo much (hello, Huxley Cane) but this one was not it for me.

"How My Neighbor Stole Christmas" by Meghan Quinn is a delightful holiday enemies-to-lovers romance that will warm your heart. The dynamic between Cole and Storee is filled with humor, tension, and undeniable chemistry. Quinn's witty writing and the festive setting of Kringletown make this book a perfect holiday read. The story is engaging and full of holiday cheer, with well-developed characters and a charming plot. Highly recommended for fans of holiday romances and anyone looking for a feel-good story to get into the Christmas spirit!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn is a holly jolly of a good time romance with an epic take on the Grinch story.

Meghan Quinn is hands down one of the funniest romance authors in the genre & she always make me literally laugh out loud.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is great for those looking to read…
🎄 Holiday Romance
🎄 Rivals to Lovers
🎄 Forced Proximity
🎄 Fake Dating

This was such a clever & wickedly fun take on a classic Christmas story but add in so much humor, emotions & some delightfully spicy romance. I adored the fascinating small town, the magic of the holiday events & her Aunt! There’s also more story to this world & I hope we get to read it!

If a story comes from Meghan Quinn’s brilliant brain, I will be reading whatever she writes.

If you’re looking for humor & spice in a holiday romance, How My Neighbor Stole Christmas is the best recommendation!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Bloom Books for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

This was a super cute, spicy Christmas novel! I loved the poems at the start of each chapter, and all the references to Christmas movies, it really got me in the holiday spirit, though I don't think I can eat a candy cane this year!! The banter was great between our "enemies" as is to be expected from a Meghan Quinn and the competitions and prank war between Cole and Storee was super entertaining! This was a very fun Grinch inspired story and I hope she does more holiday themed books!

Pros
The cute little grinch rhymes by the narrator
Simple, easy, predictable plot
Christmas everywhere

Cons
That plot twist at the end ruined it for me. Stupid, hated it.


Middle of the roads
The chemistry was nice but the falling in love in days always hits me the wrong way
The story felt really unnecessarily long

4.5⭐️ I just love Meghan Quinn! She’s got some sweet heart felt stories with a whole lotta spice.
I loved this book.
I laughed, I cried, I spit out my drink and blushed!
Such a great way to start my holiday reads!

I liked this book but wouldn’t re-read it. It felt long and slow moving. I didn’t like the attitudes of some characters. I did enjoy the small town, nice community and fun Christmas celebration vibes.

This book was really cute and nicely spiced! The town competition was a fun backdrop to the story and I loved all the little details of what contestants did for each round. The year-round Christmas town was a bit much, but in the best possible way. The family relationship with Cindy, Taran, and Storee was wonderful, as was the *chef's kiss* bromance/friendship between Max and Cole. And the primary romance between Cole and Storee incorporated elements of second-chance, fake dating, friends to lovers, and enemies to lovers, which was quite impressive. And their relationship explored surprising depths given how spicy the spice was. All in all, a very enjoyable holiday romance from Queen Meghan Quinn!

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas was the PERFECT read to kick off my holiday reading season!

Storee hasn't visited her Aunt Cindy in over ten years, disappearing after making a fool of herself at the town celebration. Needing to come back to take care of her, she definitely doesn't agree to be running in her place for the Christmas Kringle. But, she can't say no to her Aunt and the holiday cheer squad that is her sister and everyone in the town. While she may be the least festive person out there, she is ready to put her best foot forward, even when it involves Cole. Cole, the boy turned man who has had a grudge against Storee since she left him on the porch all those years ago, is determined NOT to have her win the Christmas Kringle competition. But nothing says holiday magic like making candy canes together, light competitions and wearing holiday sashes down the streets of the city.

I adored this novel by Meghan Quinn, finding it to be a close tie in to How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I laughed, I cringed with Storee at the American Girl dolls and I blushed. As always, Quinn makes you root for the main characters, knowing that someway/ somehow they will have a "magical" ending. The little narrator lines at the beginning of each chapter, and sometimes in the middle, brought a classic touch and solidified this as one I will listen to during each holiday season to come... with the hopes of a MAX book next year. I just am not ready to leave this holiday town and their holiday shenanigans!

This book was very fun! A perfect holiday read. VERY spicy. The only thing I didn't like was the narrator poems.

I love this book so much! The setting and the atmosphere is perfect. A year round Christmas town. The chemistry between the two main characters is so good. Childhood friends that become enemies to lovers. The spice was fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of this book.

If you like your Christmas stories on the spicy side, then How My Neighbor Stole Christmas, by Meghan Quinn, should be on your list. The story was fun and the characters had great chemistry. A good, quick, holiday read.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨How My Neighbor Stole Christmas✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
The Grinch meets Hallmark. This is such a cute, fun holiday romcom! I started it back in September, but since it was still 100° in Phoenix, I put it down and just picked it back up. The poems, the competition, the spice. This book is equal parts heartwarming and hysterical. I swear, MQ gets more and more creative with each book she writes.

This book is like a hallmark channel movie printed in a book. It’s fun and silly and heartwarming and the setting is movie set idyllic.