Storee and her sister are visiting her injured aunt Cindy in Kringle for the holidays. She remembers visiting every year and hanging out with the neighbour boy, Cole. That all changed, and Storee hasn’t returned to Kringle since “the incident” ten years ago. Aunt Cindy wants nothing more than for her dear niece to win the Christmas contest, so Storee begrudgingly enters. Cole, feeling like Storee abandoned her ten years ago, will not allow her to win, not after their history. As the competition heats up, so do their feelings. Now, we need to figure out who stole Christmas. 

 

This was a cute, fun, holiday read. The tension and banter that Meghan Quinn brings to this story was laugh-out-loud funny. Storee was the epitome of sunshine, while Cole was the gumps of all grumps. I loved watching them together, seeing what would happen next. The book was full of heat, and there was even a scene involving a candy cane (if you know, you know). 

 

With the town of Kringle, we have some great characters, too. Aunt Cindy and her antics kept Storee and her sister hopping and getting into the Christmas spirit. We had Max, Cole’s loyal friend, who was comedic relief and Bob Krampus, the town Santa. There were so many others, all adding to the story and bringing the town to life. 

 

The beginning of each chapter started with a narration, similar to The Grinch, which added to this story. This was such a fun book, and is the perfect addition to your holiday reading list! Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

read if you like: enemies to lovers, fake dating, delicious banter, small town, Christmas read, slow burn, forced proximity, childhood friends