| Title | : | How the Grinch Stole My Heart (Love for Christmas #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 307 |
| Publication | : | First published December 10, 2018 |
She’s never met the man in person, but Mr. Grieder, a.k.a. Mr. Grinch, leaves her nasty notes whenever her son plays in the hallway. He complained until their doorman got rid of the beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby. He even slammed his door on the Girl Scout Carolers. This is Noelle’s first Christmas since a painful divorce, and this grouchy old hermit seems determined to make her favorite holiday as unpleasant as he possibly can.
Except there are two things Noelle doesn’t know about Mr. Grinch:
One, he’s not an old man.
And two, he’s going to be her date for Saturday night.
How the Grinch Stole My Heart (Love for Christmas #1) Reviews
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*Spoilers*
The 3 stars in no way reflect my enjoyment of this story because it was engaging from start to finish. Similarly, I thought the premise one that's rarely presented in contemporary romance novels, and lastly, the author is quite talented. So, why 3 stars?
Let's back up. Six years ago, 34 yo Jeremy suffered a brain aneurysm that completely altered his life. Consequently, he lost his wife and his physical mobility became impaired. Additionally, he's become a recluse and quite rightly believed he was destined to spend the rest of life without ever finding anyone who would love him.
Enter Noelle. 38 yo, recently divorced, with an ex who cheated on her; so suffice to say, her self-esteem had taken a big dent. Jeremy and Noelle are neighbours whose lives intersect in both good and bad ways, but eventually, they develop feelings and have an HEA-ish.
So far so good, right? Yes, except I made the mistake of immediately diving into another book written by Costa:
My Perfect Ex-Boyfriend, which also features a physically impaired hero as well as a recently divorced heroine.
And, you know, it was quite disappointing because I felt the author implied that only emotionally damaged and/or middle-aged women would ever love these men.
Of course, this is my own interpretation but it seemed that whenever Jeremy dated a single beautiful female, Costa would depict them as being unsympathetic and patently superficial. Even Jeremy's ex-wife, being both young and beautiful, was vilified. I don't know....perhaps, I'm overthinking this except I believe it would have been more impactful had we made a journey with a heroine who started off as superficial but eventually realised the worth of this amazing guy.
Overall, it was refreshing to read about an atypical romance hero as well as their journey to finding love again. -
![Vaishali • [V.L. Book Reviews]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1700331868i/85343546._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
R A T I N G: 3.5 stars to How the Grinch Stole My Heart ★ ★ ★
‘But I’m not a homebody by nature. I’m in my apartment so much these days, sometimes I feel like I’m suffocating, even when I open up all the windows. I could deal with not being able to run if it weren’t so challenging to walk. I miss wandering around the most interesting city I’ve ever lived in.’
Reading ‘How the Grinch Stole my Heart’ was my meager attempt to actually read a theme-relative read for this time of year. I’m incredibly bad at keeping up with current reads as much as I am at selecting genre-specific choices for any and every observing holiday, but I did it!
What I love about this story is Its shedding of light on an underrepresented subject in the romance genre: disability and physical impairment. It’s seldom. It’s scarce. It’s definitely not a commonly integrated writing topic with romance. At least, for me, it’s something I’ve rarely caught sight of and the absence of its marginal depiction speaks for itself. As a member of the chronic illness and disability community, I have a huge appreciation for realistic and healthy disability rep. It’s thematic to my whole life, and thus a big part of it, but it’s not something I get to read about often…
‘In rehab, they taught me to fall. Falling is inevitable, but the important thing is when I see it coming, to do it in a way so I minimize injury. With only two fully functional limbs, I can’t afford to take out anything else.’
I loved Jeremy. I loved keeping up with his daily struggle with impairment; how daily tasks are typically accompanied by some form of relative difficulty (things abled people have the privilege to never worry about), his miscounted efforts, the loneliness, the complacency and necessity of hermit living, and the bitter comparison that typically accompanies the life-changing impact of an abled turned disabled lifestyle. The forceful change in ability and the inadequacy of disadvantage is a common and realistic perception.
Jeremy isn’t so much a ‘grinch’ as a man who’s been believably stricken by the unexpected blow of mortality, his seemingly grinchy attitude an inevitable consequence of adjusting to his loss. Because, believe it or not, there is a grief in losing things other than people.
‘That’s my pace these days—slow. It drives me crazy that I can’t go any faster, and it makes me feel even worse if the person I’m with can’t deal with it either. ‘
What I felt unsettled about though, was the unexpected addition of perhaps some ageist and facile ideas. The younger orbit of women seem to look at Jeremy with an ableist, unconcerned lens, with the implication that his need for assistance makes him unattractive and undesirable. That slightly older woman such as Noelle might only consider him as a possible partner. If you’re going to write up a character that has been marked with impairment, it’s important to also write up surrounding characters who present a stream of support and might even go out of their way to understand and respond to the condition with compassion. Jeremy obviously hasn’t received much of this (surprisingly, even with his family I believe) and I didn’t like seeing him alone and unaccounted for, even though sprightly Fanny was a friend to him.
‘I went from being a healthy twenty-eight-year-old man to having a very visible disability. When the doctor offered to fill out a form for a handicapped parking permit for me, I almost cried. Six years later, I’m used to it. Crippled, disabled, handicapped—whatever anyone wants to call it. It doesn’t matter. It all amounts to the same thing.’
If we’re lining the mirror to reality, the height of systemic ableism extends to the idea that a person needs to be in full physical working condition to be considered loveable or seen as equal enough to form a partnership with. People offer a wide berth to disability because it’s atypical to them and it’s entrenched within society to see disability as a deficiency. It’s unhealthy and discriminatory, but a commonality. The truth in this though is that not a considerable number of people are without the weighted bias that comes with disability, so maybe Costa was referencing the reality of tolerance. It just seemed to me that Jeremy was written off by women for looking the way he did, and I’m not sure this is the best way to represent.
‘I wonder if the end of Jeremy’s marriage had something to do with the fact that he can’t move his right arm or leg very well. What sort of woman would dump a guy for something like that? Then again, how many women cope well with tragedy?’
The author nicely sets up the romantic development, there’s no hurry and no rush, but very late into the book, the pace drops off and the story dies down just when it feels like the romance might be going somewhere. Very, and I mean very close to the complete end of the story, do the couple tentatively decide to jump back in, unfolding with a one (and the only) mild, fade-to-black love scene and then a sharp finish too quick for my liking. As a complete picture, there’s not a substantial amount of story here, and I think the relationship was calling for an injection of development. It was also missing a needed epilogue.
‘But there was something about this woman—the one whose nametag pinned to her chest said Noelle. Noelle. She’s the first thing that’s reminded me of Christmas that I haven’t hated.’
Annabelle Costa’s Christmas romance was an enjoyable read, if not a fantastic one. It was Jeremy’s character who made the story for me. Though this read was more on the wanting side, I’m glad Jeremy and Noelle attracted their HEA. I was engaged because Jeremy kept me there and I was riveted by the idea of incoming cheer at a needed time. A story about a cheerless, housebound hero who misses the parts of life he gave up on. Who attracts the reputation of an ill-mannered grinch in the making. The story was subdued but Jeremy's realism prevailed.
‘I’m worse than Mr. Wilson. I’m Scrooge. But in my defense, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a really f****** long song.’
P O T E N T I A L_C O N T E N T_W A R N I N G: Some swearing and one mild fade-to-black sex scene.
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T W I T T E R: @VicariousHearts
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I have rather given up on contemporary romances as they do not transport me any more except for some few authors and Annabelle Costa is one of them, her stories always deal with crippled or disabled hero, and how at one time he get his own love story.
There is no billionaires nor fairy godmothers, it is always down on earth stories with all the not so nice details the protagonists face in real life, how they struggle to do what looks to us so easy but is like a real challenge each time.
Jeremy had a stroke on a Christmas Day six years earlier, it left him hemiplegic and if not bitter, he became rather a recluse, having problems to face the eyes of others.
Noelle is recovering from her divorce with her cheater of husband, with a young son to raise, in a new flat as she can’t afford her old one. And now her direct neighbor is causing problems with her son, when at the same time she just meets a nice guy and his disability does not bother her, he is so cute and nice.
I do loved how the author described Jeremy’s life, all he went through after the stroke, how he does with every days chores, his feelings of loneliness and also his fears to see pity or disgust in others eyes. I loved him. He does not appeared harsh to me to Henry, Noelle’s son, the kid was rather infuriating, playing a little with her mother’s idyllic view of him but he is no bad child, just a bored one. Noelle is a nice woman, she has an instant attraction with Jeremy and his handicap is not an issue for her, she is more dealing with a little low self esteem and is a little unsettled on how to get to see this nice guy again.
« I just want to see her. We don’t even need to talk. But maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of her across the room, and she’ll smile at me. That would be nice. It would be a bright spot in my day. Maybe that sounds dumb, but I don’t care. I want to see her. »
So how would they react when they realize they are each one the nemesis of the other.
It was a great read, with no idealized nor honeyed descriptions, but great flawed characters. -
I admit to being a fan of this author so it only took me one session to read this book. Again she created a wonderful setting and fresh characters. Sarcasm, humor, banter and lots of thinking - these are the core points of this book (same goes for all her other books) - I loved every second - and I can not wait for the next book.
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This took forever to get through. I wanted to love it. A disabled hero and a scrappy single mom? I wanted to love it so bad. But I don’t. It’s draggy. It’s weirdly ageist. It has pretty much no plot. They get together at 95%, have fade to black couch sex and a half dozen pages later it’s over. Not even an epilogue. A lot of drudgery for no payoff. I did really like the hero though. So it gets a 3.
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As soon as humanly possible, I get my greedy little hands on the new Annabelle Costa release because there's a 100% chance that I’ll fall hopelessly in love with the hero. Costa doesn’t write alpha, bad-boy jackholes in need of redemption. Instead she takes an ordinary, everyday guy with a significant physical infirmity and peels back the surface challenges and shortcomings to reveal the extraordinary inside. Our hero, Jeremy Grieder, is no different, although he's definitely lacking in hope and in need of some healing. Noelle Moore may be just the gal to help with that, until she realizes that sexy-nerdy guy she's been running into around town is actually the Grinch who lives down the hall and hates her eight-year-old son.
Trust me on this, you’re going to want to read this book. The premise is unique, and Jeremy's character is a breath of fresh air in romance writing. Despite the somber undertone, there’s plenty of humor to add levity and the story will squeeze your heart in the best of ways. This one captivated me easily and I read it in one sitting, I was a little sad to see it end. After you finish this book, do yourself a favor and check out some of Costa’s other books. They’re just as poignant, compelling, thought-provoking and uplifting as this one, and you won’t be disappointed!
*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review. -
This was such a beautifully written story! Definitely worth more than 5 stars! I have read my fair share of cliche christmas books but let me tell you, this is not one of them. This book had all the feels and I just fell in love with Jeremy from the start! Once I opened this book I couldn't put it down until the very end! I wish there was an epilogue but even without I it was still oh so perfect!
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What a perfect holiday story this was! I loved the central message of How the Grinch Stole My Heart--that people aren't always what they appear and you have no idea what they've gone through or what's truly in their hearts unless you take the time to get to know them.
The "Grinch" of this story, Jeremy Greider, is lonely, angry, and miserable because of a bad hand life dealt him six years ago, so he has zero patience for Christmas and all of its accompanying frivolity. He alienates just about everyone in the apartment building where he lives with his "Bah, humbug!" attitude, especially his down-the-hall neighbor, single mom Noelle, whose son continually torments Jeremy. Noelle has reason to hate the holidays as well because she just went through a devastating divorce and has to deal with difficult customers every day while working as a restaurant manager, but she puts on a happy face for her son's sake. It's her kindheartedness and sense of humor that make Noelle so appealing to Jeremy when he first crosses paths with her at the restaurant. Neither one has any idea the other is the neighbor they're warring with as their attraction grows, which is a delicious set-up. Will Jeremy ever work up the nerve to ask Noelle out? What will happen when they learn each other's true identities? Will this Christmas be the end of their budding romance or the start of something wonderful?
The author's characterizations were so well-drawn that I felt sympathy for both Jeremy and Noelle and was rooting for them to find happiness with themselves as well as with each other. This book made me chuckle and get choked up on multiple occasions, and I think the story had an excellent balance of pathos and lighthearted moments, which is life in a nutshell--we all experience tragedy and disappointment, but there are still bright spots to be enjoyed and grateful for.
If you are a fan of second chance romances or holiday stories, you need to read this book RIGHT NOW! You won't be sorry. How the Grinch Stole My Heart is one of my favorite reads of 2018 and I am still thinking fondly of the characters days after finishing the book. Many thanks to Annabelle Costa for writing such an engaging and heartwarming story. It was just what I needed to remind me of what's really important this time of year. -
What a great holiday read!
I love everything that Annabelle writes but she has such a knack for delivering warmhearted Christmas stories!
After her divorce, newly single mom Noelle moves into a new apartment complex with her son. She’s trying her best to make it through the holiday, but her grouchy neighbor seems determined to spoil the Christmas season.
Enter Jeremy. He has a turbulent history with Christmas. So it’s understandable why he’s such a “Grinch” during this time of year. I was pulled into his heartbreaking story from the very beginning.
I love books with single mom’s just trying to get through the daily grind (been there myself). It’s even tougher to be a single mamma during the holiday season. Annabelle does an amazing job of capturing the emotions of these two and making you feel for her characters.
Their “meet cute” is perfection. Jeremy is just so dang sexy and adorable.
Such a great, sweet, holiday story. Read it now. You won’t regret it. -
*contented sigh*
Such an easy, entertaining read. Loved the characters. I need more of them. (Please.) -
3.5 Stars
Nice story. I would have liked a more descriptive and romantic kiss. If all you’re gonna give me to portray passion is a kiss, make it an unforgettable kiss. -
A bittersweet story about a guy who lost so much on Christmas day six years ago and a single mother whose husband divorced her because of a younger woman. Well, Henry was really a brat but I guess the divorce of his parents was hard on him and he wasn't a bad kid. James' story broke my heart! And I really disliked Taylor very much. How can you do that to your husband? Doesn't it say "in sickness and in health"? Well, yeah.. I know, don't judge the girl until you are in her shoes.. but come on! Her reaction to him was seriously sick. I can understand that he hates Christmas after what happened.
I liked Fanny very much, she was hilarious and the scare in the end.. whew!! Who would have thought.. Noelle was quite sweet and totally oblivious to the fact that Henry didn't cope well with the divorce and his bad behaviour. All was well in the end but I wouldn't have minded an epilogue and some glimpse into the future. Still, the book was sweet! -
This one pleasantly surprised me!
I’ve been on this kick of Christmas/Holiday themed books for like...let’s just say months now ok? So the title of this book had me at hello. I AM SO GLAD I READ THIS BOOK.
I have so so so much I want to say but I hate spoilers in reviews so bare with me here.....
I was really surprised when I started reading with the characters! In the best way surprised that is. Both of the leading characters are so freaking adorable and endearing I wanted to live in an apartment on their floor with them. The author brings you two characters that are so far from run of the mill romance leading characters that I felt like I was taking a breath of fresh air with every page. She seriously nailed every single aspect of this book from the character building to their backgrounds to the storyline to the setting to the HEA....it was legit one of my favorite holiday reads. And I’ve read A LOT of them recently. I loved that they were older than most leading characters and had real life issues and real life everyday struggles.....just...GAH I can’t say enough good things.
It’s a beautifully comical story of getting a second chance in life and at love....and I can’t wait to read more from this author as this was first by her!!!
Kel
Mel and Mel Tell Book Blog -
Very enjoyable:)
I really, REALLY enjoy Annabelle's books! She is an out of the box author for me as I typically read sweet and inspirational romantic stories. But I always get sucked into Annabelle's books because of her courageous heroes who have a disability and heroines with a big heart that see the hero for who he really is and doesn't define him by his disability. This book was no exception! It truly kept me guessing as to how in the world the H/h would get their HEA with the huge obstacle between them. The humor was over the top and had me laughing out loud and some tough parts tore at my heart; so this book has a little bit of everything. I thoroughly enjoyed it but must warn that there is some strong language and sexual references. -
Absolutely loved the hero and it was great to see a kid acting appropriate for the kid's actual age.
Reread update: still loved Jeremy!
(The book is better than the movie) -
Jeremy is known as The Grinch. He had a stroke 6 years ago on Christmas. His wife left him and that is how the story starts. Now it is 6 years later and he lives by himself in an apartment. One day a he keeps hearing a thump in the hallway. It is a boy that lives down the hall and throwing a ball against the hallway wall. They have words. Noelle is a single mom and not looking forward to Christmas as she is now divorced. She is upset that there is a Grinch for a neighbor. How these 2 meet u and not realize they are neighbors is funny. She finds him hot and he finds her sexy. She doesn't seem to care that he has mobility issues. I loved the banter between Jeremy and Noelle. Plus Jeremy comes across as a bad guy to some people and then a nice person to others.
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This book stole my heart!
I have found a new author to love! Ah Jeremy, I found him so sexy, and I loved Noelle. The love story moved at the perfect place, and when "it" finally happened, I almost cheered. These two needed each other. I wish there was more! I just realized I have used the word LOVE a lot! That clearly is how I feel about this heartwarming story! -
3.5 stars
This was a cute holiday read with a grumpy-sunshine trope. I love that the author included a main character with a disability- I felt it was very well done.
Overall, I found this to be an easy, enjoyable holiday read. -
4.5 stars
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This was pretty good. I wanted to punch Henry a couple of times though lol. Don't let me get started on Taylor....skank. I do feel like it ended too early. I wanted to see what happened to those losers Greg and Dima. I also would have liked to know if he had gotten the surgery and if it was successful or not and if he regained some mobility in his arm and leg.
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Actual Rating: 4.5/5 stars
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Great read! Would have loved an epilogue giving a little glimpse of the future.
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I could not put this funny, sappy romance down. I read it in one three hour sitting.
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News Flash: The kid is a brat.
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5 Star book, 3 Stars for the ending (too rushed), so I averaged 3 1/2 Stars!
Great read! I only wish the ending wasn't so rushed... -
4.5 Stars..
A first for me from this author and what a treat.
I thought going in that it was going to be a sweet, fluffy little Christmas story with a gruff neighbour and a some tinsel......boy was I wrong!!!!
The opening prologue sets the theme for a heart wrenching tale of life and the curveballs it can throw at you. Life isn’t all glitter and some people find every day to be a struggle....basically don’t judge a book by its cover!!!
I loved the characters and the writing, it flows easily and is real. I loved all the dialogue and interactions between the characters, there wasn’t too much inner rambling from the main characters either. I found myself laughing out loud at a couple of parts. The balance of humour and empathy were equal parts and I feel Ms Costa got it just right.... not overly mushy or sentimental.... just how it is!
I would urge you to read this story... not for any other reason but to appreciate the easy writing style and to follow a journey of love, hope, humour and new beginnings.
For the extra half star... the fact that both characters were so starved of intimacy and physical contact... when they finally came together I feel the moment could have had more... nothing seedy or too graphic but perhaps just a bit more emotion between them....just a small point.
I received an arc from hidden gems and I am choosing to leave a review -
Wow, just wow!
When I read the title of this book, I thought it would be a cozy little holiday read. Was I ever so glad to be pleasantly surprised. I couldn't read it do to family emergency ( husband in hospital). So I finally started it 2 weeks later. Jeremy and Noelle's story was perfect! A lot of people wouldn't have made their romantic lead with physical limitations to the extent of Jeremy's. That is just one of the reasons I love this book. Also, I adore Fanny!
