How My Neighbor Stole Christmas

If you’re looking for a festive read with humor, spice, and a sprinkle of Christmas chaos, this is the perfect holiday read for you! 🎅🏻 Set in a year-round Christmas town, this spicy Grinch inspired romcom is packed with snarky banter, lovable characters, and major Hallmark vibes. From the start, Storee (FMC) and her grumpy neighbor Cole (MMC) clash in a rivalry that evolves into a swoony fake-dating scenario sending plenty of sparks flying. One of the book’s standout features is the unique Christmas-themed poems that open each chapter. Whether they’re naughty, funny, or downright cute, they added a whimsical touch to the story that I absolutely loved. Another delightful surprise? The gorgeous illustrations throughout the paperback - total bonus points for that! I also listened to the audiobook while reading, and it was fantastic! The narrators did an amazing job of capturing the chemistry between the characters. It brought the story to life in a way that made the already hilarious banter even more enjoyable. Highly recommend pairing the audiobook with the physical book if you can! 🎧 The first half of the book had me hooked with its snappy dialogue and hilarious antics, though I found the pacing a bit slower in the latter half. At times, the story dragged on a bit, but the chemistry between the leads and the spicy scenes (I’m looking at you candy cane scene 👀) kept me turning the pages. Overall this is a festive, flirty, and fun romance perfect for readers who love their holiday reads with some extra heat! 🎄♥️

I fully planned to spend the entire day reading, and I picked the perfect book for it because I completely inhaled this story from start to finish. Kringletown hooked me instantly. The Grinch inspired chaos, the over-the-top Christmas energy, and the festive rivalry were pure perfection. It is messy, loud, sparkly, and just unhinged enough to make you laugh out loud while still delivering heart. Cole and Storee have incredible tension. The history between them adds depth, and watching their dynamic shift from irritation to undeniable chemistry was so satisfying. The banter alone made this worth the read. Storee’s family brings the exact kind of holiday chaos that feels both overwhelming and warm in the best way. Every side character adds something meaningful, and the town itself feels alive. I genuinely wanted to move there. And the ending delivered emotionally. It wrapped everything up in a way that felt magical, heartfelt, and completely earned. This is easily one of the best books I have read this year. Funny, festive, romantic, and emotional in all the right ways. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

📖 Rating: 3/5 stars - A cute, cozy holiday read that’s perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers with a sprinkle of second chances and a lot of Christmas chaos! How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn is a festive, trope-packed holiday rom-com that delivers humor, spice, and a whole lot of Christmas vibes! While it’s not perfect, it’s undeniably fun and festive, making it a cozy read for the season. This book is like The Grinch, but with a steamy twist. Cole and Storee’s rivalry is the perfect setup for their fiery banter and sizzling chemistry, which had me cackling and blushing in equal measure. The Christmas competition in the adorable Kringletown setting gave the story a cozy, festive backdrop while keeping the stakes high and entertaining. The narration at the start of each chapter, delivered in rhyming Christmas poetry, was chef’s kiss—a quirky, delightful touch that made me laugh and added to the book's charm. ✨ What Worked: • The Banter: Cole and Storee’s sarcastic, enemies-to-lovers dialogue is spot-on. Watching their “hatred” evolve into something more was deliciously satisfying. • The Humor: From mishaps with ladders to over-the-top Christmas antics, there’s plenty to laugh about. This book doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s its strength. • The Setting: Kringletown is the embodiment of a Hallmark holiday dream—small-town perfection with a dash of chaos. • The Spice: Yes, this is spicy, and the candy cane moment will forever live rent-free in my mind. 🌶️ 🌟 What Could’ve Been Better: • Pacing Issues: The first half felt like a slow crawl, which was surprising for a rom-com. I wanted the drama and romance to hit sooner. • Too Many Tropes: I’m a sucker for holiday romance tropes, but this book crams so many in that it occasionally feels overwhelming, and some lose their emotional impact. • Depth of the Backstory: While the second-chance element is intriguing, I wish the history between Cole and Storee had been explored more deeply. It felt like a missed opportunity to give the story more emotional weight. 🎅 Final Thoughts: If you’re a Meghan Quinn fan or someone who loves a festive rom-com with a side of spice, you’ll probably enjoy this one! It’s fun, lighthearted, and full of Christmas cheer. Just don’t go in expecting a deeply emotional love story—this one’s all about the humor and holiday vibes.

I saw a lot of traction on social media for this so decided to add it to my TBR. I didn't read the reviews and only had a small idea on what it was about. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised. It was such an adorable holiday rom-com. There was friends to enemies to lovers, small town, fake dating, second chance and forced proximity. The banter between the MCs was so good and I love Max/Atlas. This was a very interesting and unique take on The Grinch. It felt like I was watching the movie. I don't what it's called when it happens in books but in tv/movies it's called breaking the fourth wall. I loved those parts. The ending felt a little rushed after such a good story. It's like it was just cut off and we got a super short epilogue. I would have liked to see a little more there. Also, I hope it's hinting at a continuation with one of the side characters. Overall 4 stars and 2 . I recommend if you like rom coms, Christmas joy and just enough spice to make it fun, but it doesn't take over the story.

First this book is not as spicy was I thought it was going to be. Thats not a bad thing. It just is a slow burn, and because of that it means there is no spice for a large part of the book. Just the way it was hyped I expected it to be like extremely filthy. Its not. NOW when it gets spicy, it does get VERY spicy. So beware when it starts spicing, (around 60%) its spicing. The story is cute. It made me laugh. I giggled a TON. My daughter actually complained I kept her up one night with my giggling. So definitely a romcom, with a hallmark feel that after about 60% gets extra spicy (like the author let the lid fall off her spice as she was adding it to the story. She didn’t sprinkle. She dumped it all in) lol. So did I enjoy this book? Absolutely. I listened to the audio, and read on KU. Did it enhance the story? Absolutely. Did it make it hard to pause when I was laughing so hard I snorted? Um possibly. BUT remember audio has the little 30 second rewind thing. Definitely worth reading with audio, obviously for educational purposes. Never for the spice, and the male narrators voice. This is a spicy holiday Contemporary Romance. The romance is a enemies to lovers feel, with a second chance. There is spice in the second half of the book. The spice in the second half of the book is fairly frequent, and descriptive. The book moved at a quick pace following Storee, and Cole as they meet again after many years apart from childhood. After coming back to town Storee enters a holiday competition, which Cole decides to never let her win. With a complicated past Storee, and Cole pretend to date to get ahead in the competition, only what if her hearts not pretending anymore? This book is, funny, steamy, and cute. It is a book that has you addicted with its fantastic banter, and simmering romance.

I like Meghan Quinn, she does a good job of writing romcoms with spice and good spice mind you- not that calm quiet spice you might get in a typical romcom (which has its place too!). And this book was no different. She built the characters nicely, you could tell the end from the beginning, but you loved them and wanted it to happen. They had the perfect friction moments and the perfectly crafted tumble in love and lots of spicy moments (one with a candy cane that I'm not soon to forget ... It was ... Well you tell me.) And it had just enough Christmas to be in the mood but not over the top. At the end of the day it was cute and a good romcom. It wasn't Meghan's best, but it was a nice way to ease myself into the silly world of Christmas and romcoms mashed together (the only kind of romcoms I watch anymore are Christmas ones OR the millennial aged ones bc I grew up on those and have great memories.) I loved in CO for years and Meghan had me wishing I was in Kringle, I could imagine the small mountain town and where I'd live (might've looked like Vail or Eagle but who's telling). So if you like the sound of all of that, if you sound like me, go ahead and read it. It'll put you in the Christmas mood, or at least start to. That said, it wasn't Meghan's best. Which to be fair, she writes a lot, she has a formula that works. And so they all can't be good. She changed up her formula slightly and took a page out of The Grinch and Twas the Night Before Christmas. I liked the allegory and I liked the switch up in her typical story telling. I didn't love the narrator to character talk (the break of the fourth wall) It was weird and a little unhinged and lacked the injection of humor she was going for. I didn't mind the rhyme she built throughout but it didn't add value to the overall story. However, she did a good job building it. I can't imagine that was easy. I also hated the twist at the end. I will not spoil it. But it didn't read well to me. And again, added very little value to the story but also took away from the character development that Quinn had done throughout. I understand it's meant to evoke sympathy but she'd done a great job garnering that from the audience throughout the twist was unnecessary. The outcome would've been the same without it. And if anything it made me angry at the individual who pulled it. So many book on focus on that lack of communication skills, someone keeping something from someone else instead of just asking or explaining. And a lot of it is for the plot, so I can deal. But in this case, it made me sad and mad. And with that I'm off to read another Meghan Quinn book bc not only did this book put me in the mood for Christmas stories but also for more Meghan Quinn. Be on the lookout for more reviews about ridiculous falling in love stories! I do hope you enjoy How My Neighbor Stole Christmas.

I wanted to kick off the holiday season with a good book, and this book did not disappoint. This book had a little bit of everything: family, friends, “enemies”, a Christmas town, traditions and romance - with a kick of spice. The setting was a small Christmas town that has a Christmas competition among themselves for the season. (Which I might do with my friends) This was a cute was to kick off the holiday season and definitely recommend. This would be a great Rom-Com.

This book was the perfect rom com read for Christmas. I mean you can’t go wrong in a town completely basked in Christmas all year round. Storee goes to help her aunt after she is hurt and she is talked into joining the towns Christmas Kringle contest in honor of her aunt and how much it means to her. She runs into Cole someone from her past and then fun begins. This book has a lot of laugh out loud moments. Definitely has all the spice you need and the story pulls you in from the beginning. Such a good read, especially if you’re reading during the holidays.

This was a fun spicy read to get into the mood for the holiday season, and as the name implies, it was a loose retelling of the Dr Seuss classic.

Meghan Quinn is one of my favorite authors when it comes to a spicy and hilarious romcom. This book was no exception and I really enjoyed it. It’s a really cozy small town romance with a great enemies to lovers trope. I really enjoyed the plot with the Christmas contest and the sabotage and the fake dating. It literally had all of my favorite contemporary romance tropes. The characters were so full of personality and their banter had me laughing out loud and the spice had me blushing. And as a little extra this book has multiple illustrations which just captures the vibe perfectly. Would definitely recommend this as this years Christmas read!

Finally here! Can’t wait to read this!

This story is a delightful read, perfect for fans of humorous and lighthearted romance. While I didn’t love the "Grinch-like" narration style that interacts with the characters, the witty dialogue and entertaining plot kept me hooked for days. The characters had their moments, and the second half delivered with explicit and steamy scenes that many readers will enjoy. The ending was satisfying for a romcom, wrapping things up nicely. However, the premise that two highly attractive characters couldn’t recognize their mutual crush felt a bit unrealistic unless self-esteem issues were at play. Despite this, the character growth and overall charm made it a heartwarming and enjoyable read.

This book is a great holiday romance. I will definitely read more book written by Megan Quinn! I’ve loved the little poems at the start of every chapter, the narrator part when interacts with Cole are funny and I couldn’t stop giggling while reading them! The spicy parts are really good, I will not look at candy cane the same way! IYKYK!! The competition between Cole and Storee kept me glued to the pages, pages after pages they challenge each other’s not playing by rules. Stores and Cole are such a great main characters! Cole is a grumpy cowboy with a good heart. The pelvic thrust! 😂 I’m still not over it!! 😂 The parts where aunt Cindy pretended to be an “old lady cadaver” made me laugh so loud!! 😂 I really hope to read more about Kringletown in the future..( a book about Max 🤞🏻)