Scrooge and the Girls Next Door

Creekville Kisses #4

by Melanie Jacobson

When the sunniest woman in Creekville buys the house next to the grumpiest man on the street, sparks fly . . . and not just because she keeps blowing his fuses...

Twenty-six-year-old Paige Redmond, single mom and go-getter, can’t wait to give her daughter, Evie, the Christmas of her dreams. Nothing can get in Paige’s way, not even her newly purchased fixer-upper cottage needing way more fixing than she planned.

Paige tackles the holiday with Clark Griswold spirit, amusing the entire town—except for her humbug next door neighbor, the grumpy but deliciously handsome Professor Henry Hill. With the help of colorful friends and found family—plus a feral cat and a pancake snowman—Paige and Evie wage a campaign to cure the cranky professor of his Christmas blues.

When Paige's feelings for Henry wind up as tangled as her Christmas lights, there's suddenly more than Christmas spirit on the line. Will Henry pull the plug on their first solo Christmas? Or can Paige and Evie convince the town's biggest scrooge to open his grinchy heart to the holiday . . . and to them?

Experience the laughter and magic of a Creekville Christmas from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Jacobson today!

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Clean Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Rom Com

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[Melanie Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all know my reviews on my own books don't count for anything, right? But I'll tell you that I LOVED writing this one. I think I managed a couple of interesting tricks, and it was very fun figuring out how to do it. It's sweet and funny, and I hope, swoony!

[Pepper Basham · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun story!! Oh my goodness! Henry's thaw just melted my heart. I absolutely adored him. The way he interacted with Evie! And the way he just needed family and to belong again?! Oh my!
I loved Paige's feisty personality and her determination, even if it caused trouble some times.
this story was a great enemies to lovers Christmas story and the kissing? Yep, I take a few of those on top of any Christmas dessert!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the heartwarmiest grumpy/sunshine, dual POV, small town romance you'll ever read!! I absolutely devoured this latest Creekville romcom featuring single mom Paige and her daughter Evie and their new Grinchy next door neighbor, Henry.

This book will give you ALL the feels and make you laugh out loud at the same time. I am a goner for this series and the newest book delivered everything I wanted. If you love Hallmark holiday movies, books with good mental health rep and incredibly relatable characters you don't want to miss this one, especially if you enjoyed last year's Kiss the girl!

Much thanks to the author for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

💋Steam level: kissing only

[Laura Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so fun to return to Creekville at Christmas time! I loved meeting new characters and getting to revisit with a couple favorites from the last book, Kiss and Tell.
Scrooge and the Girls Next Door was funny and heartwarming with all the holiday feels!

I absolutely adored Paige! Despite having a hard past she was bright and cheerful. She was so excited about buying her first home for her daughter Evie and giving her a great Christmas, but she quickly realizes she lives next door to Henry, a Scrooge who hates Christmas and plans to make things difficult for his new neighbors.

Melanie excels at well written rom-coms with lively characters that jump off the page. This story is fun but also has a lot of depth and character growth.
.
I enjoyed reading this curled up by my tree with a cup of hot cocoa. What an amazing slow burn romance with many highlights; including a National Lampoon’s Christmas holiday display, dual point of view, swoony first kiss, great family values, and a sweet mother daughter relationship.
.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lauren (thebookscript) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Melanie Jacobson and it was an absolute delight.

I loved this neighbor romance dynamic! Henry likes things a certain way, controlled..quiet and unchanged. Paige is full of color and personality and their dialogue exchange is absolutely fantastic. Paige is determined to make their first Christmas in their own home one to remember and Henry…well he might make that a bit more difficult.

I absolutely loved the set up and slow build of this romance. Henry’s character arc is amazing. I adored his inner dialogue and at times he felt like my inner alter ego. He was adorable and had this Clark Kent meets nerdy Sheldon Cooper vibe and I embraced it full heartedly. Am I in love with him? Probably.

The romance? Super cute, great moments of tension and swoony kisses. Just what you can expect from a Christmas rom com even with a bit of added depth.

I loved the family dynamic, the bits of inappropriate humor and the small moments that Paige and Henry share in each others homes.

If you like:

- Age Gap romance that feels natural
- A fresh take on grumpy sunshine that doesn’t feel over done
- Single mom and daughter dynamic
- found family and neighborhood romance
- humor filled moments that will make you laugh out loud
- A snack of an Anthropology professor
- A holiday yard that would make the Griswalds jealous

READ THIS BOOK.

I loved it.

[meg *ੈ✩‧₊˚ (semi ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally getting around to reviewing this...

Paige is a 26 year old single mom who just bought a house next to the grumpiest, 35 year old Scrooge aka Henry Hill who is a professor at Jefferson.

Both girls set out to try to turn Prof Hill's Christmas blues around while she is also trying to fix up the cute little cottage that is going to be a lot more work than she fully anticipated.

The story takes twist and turns, just like her Christmas lights between slowly catching feelings for the Grinch, but her life being too busy for anything more than friends. Henry is slowly turning from the Grinch into realizing how much he does miss and love Christmas.

All around this was a cute little story, Henry personally was a very dull character at first but he eventually warmed up to me and I really enjoyed this little Christmas story 😌

[Marilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the happy sighs for this adorable Christmas romance

I was so happy to return to Creekville for Paige's story and it is full of so many things I love:

Small town
Neighbors/Enemies to lovers
Age gap (9 years)
Grumpy/sunshine
Cameos from past characters

plus so much humor, wit, swoon, and heartwarming Christmas goodness complete with a Griswold family level light display.

The romance is a slow burn but it absolutely needed to be. Paige and Henry's relationship was paced perfectly and my, oh my, oh my, the first - and second - kiss are definitely worth the wait.

There is so much more I want to say but I don't want to spoil anything but this is one book I highly recommend you put on your on Christmas reading list!

I received a complimentary copy but a positive review was not required.

[Heidi Robbins (Heidi Reads...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so happy to read Paige's story and have all the great characters from the Creekville Kisses series make appearances. This author excels at vibrant characters whose personalities jump off the page- even when they are as staid as Henry. I loved how Paige was able to peel back his layers and help him loosen up, while also learning to respect his boundaries. There is plenty of chemistry, hilarious encounters, and heart melting moments as Paige and her daughter crack open Henry's heart and they all find the happiness Christmas and love have to offer.

Disclosure statement: A complimentary copy of this book was provided from a tour group, publisher, publicist, or author, including NetGalley, OR was borrowed from the library, including OverDrive, OR borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, OR purchased. A review was not required and all views and opinions expressed are unbiased and my own.

[Daniela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mochte die männliche Hauptfigur gar nicht und hatte daher kein positives Leseerlebnis.
Er hatte so unglaublich viele Vorurteile und sein Verhalten war grundlos so kacke - er war kein Grinch, er war einfach unsympathisch.
Da ich Henry nicht mochte hatte mich auch die Romanze null überzeugt. Die Tochter war echt süss und so wäre das Buch sicher unterhaltsam gewesen, wenn ich den Mann nicht so gehasst hätte.
Schreibstil selbst war okay, die Entwicklung der Beziehung konnte mich nicht 100% überzeugen weil es gefühlt sehr sehr schnell ging (kam mir so vor als würde die Geschichte innerhalb wenigen Wochen statt finden). Und für mich war einfach zu wenig zwischen den Beiden, um von seiner absoluten Abneigung zu Liebe überzugehen.

[•°• gabs •°• · Rating 2 out of 5]

i dont bother with reviews anymore but i want it to be known i took one star off for the hp reference in the epilogue like come on

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things are getting heated at 341 Orchard Street this holiday season! Preferring structure and quiet in his neighbourhood, professor Henry is not ready for the chirpy woman and her chatty daughter to move in next door.

Paige was so feisty and completely unintimidated by Henry, his scrooge-like complaints only fuelling her fire to decorate bigger and brighter. Juggling a lot in her life, I loved Paige and her determination to make a forever home for her daughter.

The transition from rivals to friends to more was cute, but I wasn't totally sold on the romance. I wanted more one-on-one scenes between Henry and Paige, especially with the timeline of the story being quite short.

And for some reason, I sometimes didn't click with the humour. Without spoilers, there's a conflict that mirrors a classic Christmas song that left me a bit unsettled in how it was included. But I know others have really, really loved this one. It was definitely a fun and festive story overall.

(heat level: kissing only)

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

THOUGHTS.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

I started out really enjoying this. Easily a holiday read, I liked the grump and sunshine set up (with easy nods to The Christmas Carol). Single mom trope is here too and I love a great kid in a book too.

There’s some good humor and I loved the slow burn romance. It was a well accomplished age gap and I was head over heels for Henry. He reminded me of Temperance Brennan (Bones from Bones). A very dry sense of humor and the way he viewed the world. I thought this was spot on and his growth was solid too.

Paige grew on me but we had some learning curves too. I struggled with her absolute inability to let others help her even though they’ve literally been helping her for years. It was a stubborn clash that made me shrug my shoulders a bunch.

Some of the trauma felt like it was approached with a bit of insensitivity. I think I got what the author was trying to do, but it was a miss for me.

It does have the perfect amount of holiday cheer and I thought the ending was really sweet. There’s a good combination of things here even if some of the stuff wasn’t clicking for me.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Holiday Romance
- Language: very little
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: low
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a grandparent (recounted), brief mentions of substance abuse, grief

[Tricia Anson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread via audiobook—great narration!

Original review:
What we have here is some Grumpy/Sunshine, Single Mom, Age Gap, Christmas-themed goodness. If you’ve ever seen the show and character, Bones, Henry reminded me of her in the best ways. Dry humor, introvert, observant, and awkwardly adorable. Paige is a spitfire and the way that Evie wormed her way into Henry’s heart was amazing.

Things I Loved:
-“Nice meeting you, neighbor. But just so you know, anything you need to borrow, I won’t have.”
-Nana and Poppa Dub
-Evie, everything about Evie. ♥️
-Home Improvement reference
-Cat
-Mr. Brown
-Pink stripe
-Rampant commercialism?
-Miss Lily
-Hill the Pill
-“It’s about to get aggressively jolly around here.”
-Sea monkeys
-No cap—or anytime Henry uses slang 😂
-Project: Makeover
-Lipstick matching 🙈🤣
-“You’ve advanced to the intermediate level of Winters Family Studies, I see.”
My smile breaks free. “Is being an unwilling victim part of the coursework?” “It’s essential.”
-Coaching
-The intervention
-“You deserve this. You deserve our love and support just because you’re you.”
-Henry’s date
-“Can you fix this, Mr. Henry?”
—And boy does he. What a HEA. ♥️
AND, do not miss out on the bonus epilogue. Perfection. 😍

The transition from slight enemies, to tolerant neighbors, to friends, to more felt just right and oh, so swoony. Especially with sweet and precocious Evie involved. Both MC’s character arcs were fantastic and I love how they both worked through past traumas and found their way together.
This is set in Creekville and characters from the previous books in the series do make appearances that are so fun, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone. Do not miss out on this sweet read!

Content: Closed door/sweet read with mild swearing and innuendo

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.9 stars. That was a delicious cup of Christmas cocoa! I absolutely loved this book so much. You have the grumpiest grump of a man, who is old before his time. He is definitely over the top, ridiculously grumpy to our heroine in the beginning of the book. But, he is redeemed, and I cannot tell you how much I laughed throughout the middle of the book.

This had really lovely character and relationship development, and I cried so much as these two people revealed their trauma to each other.

There’s a delightful little girl, who is older before her time, and a great side character.

The hero has a crush on another woman, but it’s not serious and is used as a side story to further the main plot.

This has lots of found family in it. I will definitely check out the rest of the series.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m that girl that judges romance books based on the amount of plot and smut they have. Usually a zero smut romance is not my thing, but this book was so damn cute I couldn’t help but love it and I didn’t even miss the smut. Paige buys a fixer upper in a nice neighborhood and moves in next door to Henry, a man that hates Christmas and excessive noise. He immediately realizes the arrival of Paige and her daughter will disrupt the quiet life he needs on Orchard Lane.

I didn’t realize this was a book from a series (can be read as a stand alone though) and so I wasn’t familiar with any of these Creekville characters. Even so I love the grumpy/sunshine difference between new neighbors Henry and Paige. This one has the slow burn and enemies to lovers..both things I’ve grown to love in my years of reading 😅

Paige has a 5 year old daughter, Evie, who stole not only Henry’s heart with her little Christmas gifts she leaves him but mine too. Paige and Henry both have past traumas haunting their lives and begin to realize they may be able to lean on each other to help grow and move past them.

Great quick holiday read 🎄

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute! It was light-hearted, sweet, and had just the right amount of depth to it. It's a dual POV, and the voices of the characters are easily distinguishable and I really enjoyed reading their inner dialogue. The humor is spot on and had me laughing many times. I also appreciate character growth, and both characters developed as the story progressed. The relationship between Paige and Henry was sweet (eventually) and realistically paced, and Evie was such a cute character.





A little note on content for those wondering:
Romance is clean, there's a handful of impolite words, and there is one crude joke that I noticed.

[Natalie Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* This is probably my first true grump/sunshine trope and it took me some time to get used to just how grumpy this hero was. It was endearing and understandable once his reasoning was revealed. I appreciated that Ms. Jacobson gave her heroine real struggles as a young, single mom. It added a level of authenticity that made the heroine a dimensional character. This was one of those stories that I wish was a tad longer because I really was invested in all of the characters and wanted more. A sweet, heartwarming story.

[Melissa’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this sweet, funny Christmas romcom! This is the first book I’ve read by Melanie Jacobson and I adored it! Can’t wait to read her other books. It’s a grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, age gap romance with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart.

Paige is a single mom who’s depended on the Winters/Dubs for years as she’s finished school and gotten back on her feet. She finally has the opportunity to buy a home for her and her seven year old daughter Evie. It’s a little run down and needs lots of work, but she’s determined to be independent and make things work. The only obstacle to her dream is the grumpy but handsome professor next door. He’s determined to thwart her at every turn. When she finally gets the house and decides to make her home the Griswold home of the neighborhood for Christmas, the war is on.

Dr. Henry Hill, professor of anthropology, does not like Christmas ever since a tragedy in his childhood ruined it for him. He likes his quiet, ordered life. So when a pretty woman and her exuberant daughter decide to move in next door, he tries to do all he can to prevent them from destroying his solitude. But, he can’t resist sweet Evie and her thoughtfulness and the gorgeous woman who he can’t seem to get out of his head. When she tries to help him with his love life, he finds there’s more to their relationship than friendly neighbors.

Loved Paige and Henry! Paige is such an amazing mom who tries so hard to make life enjoyable for her daughter. I could totally relate to her inappropriate laughing. I’ve found myself in those situations and it’s so hard. I loved the way she tried to help Henry with her makeover advice, the scruff! These two are perfect for each other despite their opposite personalities. Also loved Evie, she’s so well written. I loved her cute, quirky personality and the way she tries to help Henry like Christmas with her thoughtful gifts.

Henry is just this cute, funny curmudgeon of a guy who seems more like 65 than 35. Underneath that professorial personality is a sweetheart who feeds a stray cat and fully supports both Paige & Evie. I loved their passionate relationship and how they were able to clear up all their misunderstandings. That first kiss! Holy cow!

This is one Christmas romcom you need to read! While it’s set in a lovely small town with all the Christmas traditions, the relationships are what make this book amazing! It’s funny, sweet, clean with a few mild swears, and perfect for any time of year. Though it’s the 4th book in the series, it can definitely be read as a standalone. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn’t much I love as much as a Christmas rom-com. This one by Melanie Jacobson has so much going for it. I loved the plot, the characters, and the little town of Creekville!

I was so glad to see Paige get her own love story. She is such a great person. And I love her daughter, Evie, so much. Both of them were just rays of sunshine for the whole town. Paige is just so excited to finally get to buy her own house. And that was one of my favorite parts of the story. Her enthusiasm for her home and having their very first perfect Christmas there. And that’s what gets her into trouble with the next door neighbor, Henry.

Henry was a bit of a curmudgeon. He didn’t like Christmas. Also he didn’t like kids. And he really didn’t like anything to do with Christmas and kids right next door to him. I had to really laugh at the way Paige’s decorating for Christmas escalated because of that. But I also really loved the way Evie dealt with it. She was really the whole reason that Henry moved on from his hate of Christmas. And I loved that!

This book made me laugh, so many times. It made me cry just a little bit. And it definitely made me want to keep reading it! You need this great book in your life.

[Kayla Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ya know, it was okay. I think if you want a wholesome Christmas book, this is the one for you. I just found myself skimming some of the pages, especially when it came to the MMC, because he was so boring. How many times do you have to say you're an anthropology professor?? It was in almost every chapter. We get it. He also went from hating kids and constantly complaining, never to mention it again. I felt he did a complete 180, and it didn't flow well for me.

[Emily Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scrooge and the Girls Next Door
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance
Format: Physical Book
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: Melanie Jacobson
GR: 4.30

I requested an advanced readers copy from Melanie Jacobson and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This is the fourth book in the Creekville Kisses series. I have read one other, and have the other two in my TBR. I love this series! I loved Paige and Henry. This story follows the classic enemies to friends to lovers trope, one of my favorite tropes. There is also the trope of grumpy/sunshine mixed in. The story is narrated by both Paige and Henry, in a dual POV, which I loved as you get the whole relationship. The story takes place in Creekville, a beautiful small town, and the author does such amazing job with the descriptions, you felt like you were there. I want to go visit the non-existent Creekville! Paige is independent, strong, a single-mother, and about to buy her first home. Henry is standoffish, a professor, and has a strong dislike for Christmas and noise. He was not my favorite character at first, but he did grow on me. Paige’s sort of adopted family is amazing. Let’s not forget Evie, the little girl, that I absolutely adored! I love Melanie Jacobson’s writing style and will read anything she puts out. This was the perfect Christmas tale on both sides of the spectrum, with Paige wanting to do Christmas special for her daughter, while Henry does not like Christmas, especially before Thanksgiving. The characters were well developed and followed the other books, had depth, witty banter, chemistry, and creatively developed. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, funny, swoon-worthy, engaging, and brilliant. I would highly recommend this book and any of the series. The banter was amazing, there were several times that I laughed out loud and the chemistry was very evident. Jacobson did a fantastic job at mental health representation in this story. This will put you right in the holiday mood and give you ALL the feels! Out now, go order!!!
🏷
.
.
#whatimreading #booklover #bookworm #bookpic #bookstagram #fiction #booksoninstagram #reviewer #bookfriends #bookrecs #goodreads #bookishgirl #2022bookgoals #bookpost #Book-Reviews #netgalley #romance #romcom #enemiestolovers #christmas #holidays #holidayromance #scroogeandthegirlsnextdoor #melaniejacobson #creekvillekisses

[James McRay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scrooge and the Girls Next Door is an enjoyable Christmas romcom that I enjoyed. However…

I understand Romance and especially Christmas romcoms are formulaic. I love the formula, that’s why I read so much of it. So, I don’t expect an author to reinvent the genre or turn it on its head. But I do like to see a new wrinkle added, or even for the author to add their signature whatever. Scrooge, I’m sorry to say, almost felt like it was written not just from a formula but from a template.

{ENTER: TROPE} Enemies to lovers
{ENTER: STOCK MAIN MALE CHARACTER} Grumpy but hot college professor
{ENTER: STOCK MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER} Plucky single mom
{ENTER: STOCK FORCED PROXIMETY SETTING} Neighbors
{ENTER: STOCK SUPPORTING CHARACTER} Precocious seven-year-old girl
{ENTER: STOCK ANIMAL/PET THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING ON THE PLOT WHATSEVER, BUT MIGHT APPEAR ON COVER ART?} Cat

From these parameters you can figure out the plot, conflict, and conclusion even before you crack the cover. Plus, this was a chaste romance so there wasn’t any steam to look forward to.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't circle back around and reemphasis I did enjoy the book. It was well written with snappy dialogue and likeable characters. I stayed up way to late too finish it. It’s just that with the plethora of Christmas romcoms out there, there was nothing to set this book apart.

[Janssen]

Fine but not as cute as the first one.

[Suzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐
Steam Level: 🔥 (kissing only)
Trigger Warning: brief mentions of death of a loved one

Paige Redmond and her daughter Evie are finally ready to find a home of their own. When an old house on Orchard Street goes up for sale, Paige knows instantly that it's meant for them. Sure it needs a lot of renovations, but the price and location are just right. The only problem is the stuffy, grouchy neighbor Henry. When he makes it clear that he dislikes Paige and Evie moving in, they decide to go all out on Christmas decorations just to drive him crazy. At first it seems like Henry will never warm up to them, but soon the girls next door start working their way into his heart. Could this rivalry turn into a friendship or even love?

Oh boy. I have enjoyed Melanie's books in the past, but I had to DNF this one at 60%. I actually would have stopped much sooner, but I wanted to at least find out why Henry was so down on Christmas. Was it worth reading that far? Probably not, in my opinion. Paige and Evie were fine, although I can't say I was super invested in their story. My biggest issues were with Henry. From the beginning he was incredibly boring and downright mean. He's supposed to be mid-thirties, but he acts like a stiff, grouchy old man who is completely out of touch with the current times- despite teaching at the local college. I just never found him to be attractive physically or personality-wise. Even when he started to open up and be nicer to Paige and Evie, I never really believed that it fit his character. I think if this had been written only from Paige's POV I might have liked it more. Then Henry might have seemed more likeable. I know many others enjoyed this, but it just didn't work for me.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 23% Such potential but I am SOO bored. Character dialogue is nil at about 2 lines every 2 pages. Internal monologues galore. 2*where is the story?!*stars!!!!!!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paige Redmond is the proud new owner of a house on Orchard Street. The problem? A looooong list of house repairs/remodeling musts and Henry Hill.

Henry's the grumpy, attractive curmudgeon living next door and he's determined to get in Paige's way. He refuses to have a loud, Christmas-loving family move in next door. Too bad Paige and her daughter, Evie, are determined to turn that Scrooge-like frown upside down...

Merry Christmas because this book is a GIFT TO THE CHRISTMAS NOVEL WORLD. I adored the heck out of this. There was truly no better way for me to ring in the holiday than this. Melanie Jacobson books are always full of love, heart, fluff, and laughter and I’ve enjoyed every single one I’ve read. This one stole my heart and RAN WITH IT. Though it’s a standalone, they’re all characters that were trickled in from her Creekville series and I loved Paige and little Evie from those!

Single parents in books always have such a soft spot for me. Reading Paige trying to create the perfect “first home” experience for her and Evie tugged on my heartstrings like no other. Paige always wanted to do the best she could as a single mother and it was super evident in her work ethic and parenting skills. Reading her daily struggle as a single mother and allowing everyone in her life to help her was such an emotional experience. She's also one of the BEST female characters I've read in awhile. Her holding down the fort as a single mom and standing her ground whenever trouble couldn't seem to stop coming her way had me rooting for her beginning to end!

Henry was very appropriately labeled a Scrooge. From the SECOND he and Paige meet, it's nothing but bitter, cold-shouldered conversation. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with Paige and Evie, but reading those emotional walls he put up come down was the most satisfying slow-build. I was waiting for his cold demeanor to soften into something wonderful and beautiful and with every page, and with every slip of that wall came a comfort that he couldn’t help. Henry slowly gravitating toward wanting to be around Paige and Evie was so sweet to read.

The timeline of events (as well as the HILARIOUS/Holy sh*t plot moment that you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there) completely works. Everything 100% works all together to make the perfect little Christmas book and I'm just in AWE. Such a perfect dual POV, grumpy/sunshine vibe for every Christmas lover's heart. Loved it to bits and I can't WAIT to get my physical copy in the mail and read it all over again!

Rating: 5 million Christmas trees out of 5 🎄

[Jen (jensdreamylittlereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this was SO GOOD!!! The absolute perfect holiday read and such a delightful romance! An authentic, slow burn romance with some exceptional enemies to lovers, neighbour rivalry vibes. Our hero is a Scrooge-y grump, and our heroine is full of festive cheer. Together, their opposites attract romance was compelling and easy to devour in one sitting. Although it’s the slowest of slow burns, this absolutely flies by and remains sassy and spirited the whole time. I laughed, I swooned, and had an all-around good time while reading.

I absolutely fell in love with this story. It’s the perfect mix of enemies to lovers with a sprinkling of Christmas magic. Lots of tension, laughter and I may have even shed a tear near the end. Grumpy Henry having to endure Paige’s infectious Christmas spirit was utterly delightful and hilarious. The verbal sparring and the instant chemistry all leads to a slow burn romance that was dripping with tension and emotion. Add in the secondary characters that provided so many words of wisdom, help, and nudges in the right direction especially from Paige’s daughter Evie and you have a must read holiday story. Henry’s Scrooge like attitude transformation towards Christmas was was a joy to watch, especially because it was fuelled by his desire to putting a smile on Paige and her daughter Evie. I truly was smitten with both of them. There are so many emotional moments for Paige and Henry, individually and together. Their story has more than its share of sweet moments that tug at the heartstrings. There are layers upon layers, and Melanie Jacobson weaves these all-important themes throughout the story.

As the enemies to lovers vibes transitions into something softer and sweeter, I loved how they complemented each other perfectly. Henry's grump pairs well with Paige's sunshine, and their dynamic kept this feeling low angst and incredibly festive. It's like a little dose of holiday cheer, and exactly what I look for in a seasonal romance. I loved the characters, the writing, the way the author captured the delicate emotions between these two characters and, of course, the romance! This book is charming, funny, romantic, and full of Christmas joy. An absolute must read!

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nice meeting you, neighbor. But just so you know, anything you need to borrow, I won’t have.”

When single mom, Paige, finally buys a house, her new college professor neighbor, Henry, isn't exactly welcoming. I'm all in for these grumpy-sunshine romances and this one was a special delight! Henry took holiday grumpiness to a whole new level, which only spurred Paige on to spread Christmas cheer as far and wide as she could, especially in the form of decking her halls (and yard).

The banter between neighbors, masked by hatred and anger, had the outline of an electric current that threatened to trip a breaker in my heart. Of course Evie, a child no one can resist, breaks down some invisible walls with her sweet innocence and pure intentions.

I love this small town and the wonderful Winters family, but I especially loved the witty banter between Henry and Paige. A perfectly charming holiday story!

Content: very mild language; mild+ romance (kissing, some light innuendo)

[April | Aprilsbooknook_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Single mom, grumpy/sunshine, dual POV, Christmas romance?

Yes please!!!


I LOVE Paige's village. Her support system was incredible. The fact that they loved Evie just as much as she does, was so heartwarming. Evie was absolutely spectacular. She's such a witty little thing. Her conversation with Henry will live rent free in my head for forever.
Henry, oh our sweet, grumpy Henry. I love him. That's all. 😅 The tension between him and Paige was good. So good. Also...Cat🐱😂
& THAT GRAND GESTURE. MY FREAKING HEART.
And then as if I haven't already exploded into a million tiny pieces, we have the Epilogue. Where I explode all over again.

Miscommunication usually tends to frustrate me, but I think it was very well played in this storyline and dare I say necessary.

This was the perfect start to my Christmas/Holiday romance read.
I absolutely recommend it for this holiday season. 🤍🎄

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropes:
- slow burn
- small town
- grumpy x sunshine
- fade to black

Scrooge and the Girls Next Door was cute, had moments of laugh out loud banter between Paige and Henry, and surprised me with how emotional it made me in the end... BUUUUTTTTTTTT the pacing was beyond glacial and I struggled with Henry and Paige's chemistry a little.