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Under the Meh-stletoe
Planning my hometown’s annual Christmas celebrations is bad enough… Having to do it with a hard-to-resist grump is even worse.
When my injured sister guilt-trips me into organizing the town’s holiday celebrations, only a week after moving back home, all I want to do is survive the season, nurse my bruised heart, and start my life over.
Now I have to co-chair a Christmas committee with a grouchy man I’ve never met. He has sexy curls, intense eyes that make it clear he craves my curves, and he dares look hot chopping down trees. He even likes it when I make fun of him! Grumps like him are my weakness.
But I can’t be interested. Who cares if we bond over our disdain of the holiday nonsense around us. Who cares if we share private jokes or engage in benign Christmas-related vandalism. Or even if we share a kiss or two.
I need time to be single and settle back into small-town living, not the distraction of an infatuation.
Except there may be more between us than a few rushed moments… and mistletoe won’t let me forget it.
Under The Meh-stletoe is a close proximity, Un-merry Christmas novella. It’s a slow burn with a grumpy hero, a feisty plus size heroine, holiday slander, and spice that makes it worth the wait.
When my injured sister guilt-trips me into organizing the town’s holiday celebrations, only a week after moving back home, all I want to do is survive the season, nurse my bruised heart, and start my life over.
Now I have to co-chair a Christmas committee with a grouchy man I’ve never met. He has sexy curls, intense eyes that make it clear he craves my curves, and he dares look hot chopping down trees. He even likes it when I make fun of him! Grumps like him are my weakness.
But I can’t be interested. Who cares if we bond over our disdain of the holiday nonsense around us. Who cares if we share private jokes or engage in benign Christmas-related vandalism. Or even if we share a kiss or two.
I need time to be single and settle back into small-town living, not the distraction of an infatuation.
Except there may be more between us than a few rushed moments… and mistletoe won’t let me forget it.
Under The Meh-stletoe is a close proximity, Un-merry Christmas novella. It’s a slow burn with a grumpy hero, a feisty plus size heroine, holiday slander, and spice that makes it worth the wait.
167 pages, ebook
Published November 1, 2023
52 people are currently reading
561 people want to read
About the author
Leonor Soliz
15 books300 followersLeonor wrote her first Meet Cute at eight years old and never really stopped. Her stories are cozy and fun: low conflict, slow burn books that will make you swoon... and will reward you with great spice. With a healthy dose of humor, these stories guarantee a happily ever after to her plus size and multicultural characters.
Leonor is a Latina living in Canada, working as a therapist during the day and fitting as much writing to her life as she can. She’s also a multicrafter, trying her hand at watercolor, jewelry, sewing, and anything else that strikes her fancy. She makes her own covers!
Learn more about Leonor at leonorsoliz.com/links.
Leonor is a Latina living in Canada, working as a therapist during the day and fitting as much writing to her life as she can. She’s also a multicrafter, trying her hand at watercolor, jewelry, sewing, and anything else that strikes her fancy. She makes her own covers!
Learn more about Leonor at leonorsoliz.com/links.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
December 7, 2023
I'm a sucker for slow-burning grumpiness that turns into begging hotness.
Ale and Daniel are exactly my kind of person, I had a lot of fun reading their story.
Ale and Daniel are exactly my kind of person, I had a lot of fun reading their story.
November 15, 2023
If you like short books and want to add books to read at Christmas, I recommend this one. Her sister had an accident, and now she returns to the town where she grew up to organize the Christmas celebrations, and in that committee is this grumpy man she had never met.
For reasons of fate, the protagonist will have to organize the city's Christmas celebrations with him and they basically hate it.
Thank you to the author for the ARC!
For reasons of fate, the protagonist will have to organize the city's Christmas celebrations with him and they basically hate it.
Thank you to the author for the ARC!
November 18, 2023
A slow burn, steamy, dual POV, Grumpy x Grumpy, holiday novella featuring two Latine MCs. I really wanted to love this more but I just didn't jive with the main characters (possibly I wanted more depth than was possible in a less than 150 page book).
Daniel and Alejandra were just a tad too grinchy/grumpy for my Christmas-loving soul. The spice was definitely worth it though and I'm interested to read more by this new to me Canadian indie romance author. If you just want something quick and fun with not a lot of depth you can't go wrong picking this one up.
Daniel and Alejandra were just a tad too grinchy/grumpy for my Christmas-loving soul. The spice was definitely worth it though and I'm interested to read more by this new to me Canadian indie romance author. If you just want something quick and fun with not a lot of depth you can't go wrong picking this one up.
November 3, 2023
Grumpy outdoorsy lumberjack x Colorful sarcastic twin returning to a small town to take care of her sister what could go wrong?
I always appreciate how Soliz writes community. I also thought it was interesting that the small town was written things changed because the community needed to but kept the essence. So much was integrated in this novella, and it was heartwarming 🥹 And then the 🪞 scene 🥵
CN: car accident, car giver stress, financial instability
I always appreciate how Soliz writes community. I also thought it was interesting that the small town was written things changed because the community needed to but kept the essence. So much was integrated in this novella, and it was heartwarming 🥹 And then the 🪞 scene 🥵
CN: car accident, car giver stress, financial instability
January 6, 2026
Anti- Christmas novella with 2 latine mc’s, this was so fun to read!
I need to read more of Leonor’s books ASAP
I need to read more of Leonor’s books ASAP
November 5, 2023
My only critique of this novella is that it was not LONG enough!
I think this is my favorite work so far by Leonor Soliz. When I received the ARC for this I picked it up immediately because the title, the premise, and the cover matched my erratic mood vibes I was looking for. Also the 🪞 🌶️ was the BEST she has ever written in my humble opinion.
So why did I love this so much:
-MMC was a grump but he wasn’t an asshole. He was just quirkily grumpy and it was refreshing.
-MMC was latine but did not speak Spanish. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Spanish language rep but I also love how Leonor captures the different aspects of Latinidad. This detail was not lost on me and I thrive on this representation in her characters.
-FMC was so cheeky. I love me a good cheeky Latina. I related so much.
-The plus size representation was CHEFS KISS. The way Soliz describes the bodies of these characters makes ME feel sexy. I have so much love in seeing this in writing. Truly has an impact and Soliz is just the best at doing this.
- Daniel and Ale had so much chemistry and the slow burning was burning. I am an absolute sucker for a slow burn.
- Perfect anti holiday but holiday vibes. The chalk vandalism scene was so cute that I have it cemented in my head.
-The pace was perfect I felt and even tho this was a short novella I did think this was a well balanced meet cute story.
I think this is my favorite work so far by Leonor Soliz. When I received the ARC for this I picked it up immediately because the title, the premise, and the cover matched my erratic mood vibes I was looking for. Also the 🪞 🌶️ was the BEST she has ever written in my humble opinion.
So why did I love this so much:
-MMC was a grump but he wasn’t an asshole. He was just quirkily grumpy and it was refreshing.
-MMC was latine but did not speak Spanish. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Spanish language rep but I also love how Leonor captures the different aspects of Latinidad. This detail was not lost on me and I thrive on this representation in her characters.
-FMC was so cheeky. I love me a good cheeky Latina. I related so much.
-The plus size representation was CHEFS KISS. The way Soliz describes the bodies of these characters makes ME feel sexy. I have so much love in seeing this in writing. Truly has an impact and Soliz is just the best at doing this.
- Daniel and Ale had so much chemistry and the slow burning was burning. I am an absolute sucker for a slow burn.
- Perfect anti holiday but holiday vibes. The chalk vandalism scene was so cute that I have it cemented in my head.
-The pace was perfect I felt and even tho this was a short novella I did think this was a well balanced meet cute story.
November 17, 2023
Leonor has done it again.
Also how has she been able to create such a holiday themed book with two non holiday loving characters.
Tinsels, trees, Santa's beard are felt all throughout this book but the two MCs are a bit of Grinches and I could not love that juxtaposition more.
I love the close knit relationship of the FMC and her twin sister that is injured. Their quiet but potent bond was very comforting.
The extremely evident chemistry between these two though... hahaha I laughed just KNOWING and feeling their attraction and chemistry as they both fought hard for a bit to deny it.
You get a beachy small town vibe plus holiday cheer IN SPITE of two grumps. The PERFECT HOLIDAY NOVELA!
Also how has she been able to create such a holiday themed book with two non holiday loving characters.
Tinsels, trees, Santa's beard are felt all throughout this book but the two MCs are a bit of Grinches and I could not love that juxtaposition more.
I love the close knit relationship of the FMC and her twin sister that is injured. Their quiet but potent bond was very comforting.
The extremely evident chemistry between these two though... hahaha I laughed just KNOWING and feeling their attraction and chemistry as they both fought hard for a bit to deny it.
You get a beachy small town vibe plus holiday cheer IN SPITE of two grumps. The PERFECT HOLIDAY NOVELA!
November 10, 2023
4.5 beautiful ⭐️! Or in this case, 🎄 trees! I absolutely adored this short story of two grumps who connect over their distaste for the holidays. Ale and Daniel were top notch! The way Daniel talked about Ale’s body and curves!!! It was perfection! Love love LOVED!!!
January 3, 2026
No chemistry, no good plot, and I didn't see anything complain of it... In fact, everything was dumb, even as I read it, I felt like I wasn't getting anything out of this shit... I never liked it. Stupid. depressing. boring. Even the Christmas vibe wasn't there... I still don't know what's going on in this book? Ugh. Damn.
November 1, 2023
Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5
Spicy: 🌶🌶
Gender: Romance
Thrope: #grumpyvsgrumpy #theyhatetheholidays
Start: 31/10/2023
Finished: 31/10/2023
Language: Inglês
Format: Kindle ARC 😱
As you might have seen yesterday I have paused my Halloween reads to fit this Christmas ARC 🎄 with latine protagonists. The FMC is plus size and the MMC has a bit of a tummy ❤️ and I simply devoured this novella.
Since this is a short book, I can't give much details so I don't spoil anything important, but to summarize we have a Christmas novella with the main characters hating Christmas and having to organize the Christmas festivities on their small town.
I couldn't relate much with the FMC (besides being latine and fat), but that didn't bother me at all because the story is so good. I loved the MMC, I found him cute in his grumpiness. The slow burn is amazing, and since this is a novella, we don't suffer for too long before the characters get together and the hot scene is incredible. To me, a latine slow burn with plus size rep and excellent hot scenes are the official trademark of Leonor Soliz
If you're looking for a comfy/cozy latine Christmas book for your Xmas / December TBR, this is the one. This novella is already available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.
Spicy: 🌶🌶
Gender: Romance
Thrope: #grumpyvsgrumpy #theyhatetheholidays
Start: 31/10/2023
Finished: 31/10/2023
Language: Inglês
Format: Kindle ARC 😱
As you might have seen yesterday I have paused my Halloween reads to fit this Christmas ARC 🎄 with latine protagonists. The FMC is plus size and the MMC has a bit of a tummy ❤️ and I simply devoured this novella.
Since this is a short book, I can't give much details so I don't spoil anything important, but to summarize we have a Christmas novella with the main characters hating Christmas and having to organize the Christmas festivities on their small town.
I couldn't relate much with the FMC (besides being latine and fat), but that didn't bother me at all because the story is so good. I loved the MMC, I found him cute in his grumpiness. The slow burn is amazing, and since this is a novella, we don't suffer for too long before the characters get together and the hot scene is incredible. To me, a latine slow burn with plus size rep and excellent hot scenes are the official trademark of Leonor Soliz
If you're looking for a comfy/cozy latine Christmas book for your Xmas / December TBR, this is the one. This novella is already available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.
November 23, 2023
This was my first ARC ever and I have to tell you I thoroughly enjoyed it! Being a misunderstood grump myself I found both Daniel and Ale relatable! I loved the representation of different body types and Latin roots! Definitely recommend this if you're looking for something short, sweet and spicy!
z-dnf-2024
December 16, 2024DNF 31% just bored
November 4, 2023
Fat Representation: Ale the FMC is plus sized and very fat positive body neutral language. No insecurities just living life.
🎄: holiday Christmas Novella
😠: 2 MCs who are not fans of the Christmas consumerism and holiday spirit. MMC is a grump but not an ass.
🔥: slow burn but so worth wait.
🪞: 🌶️ time and damn that scene was 🥵
It’s no secret that I love Leonor’s work. I personally love a story that is comforting, full of communication and so much love and joy. As someone who struggles with the holiday spirit and over consumerism that Christmas is I loved those conversations in this book a lot.
🎄: holiday Christmas Novella
😠: 2 MCs who are not fans of the Christmas consumerism and holiday spirit. MMC is a grump but not an ass.
🔥: slow burn but so worth wait.
🪞: 🌶️ time and damn that scene was 🥵
It’s no secret that I love Leonor’s work. I personally love a story that is comforting, full of communication and so much love and joy. As someone who struggles with the holiday spirit and over consumerism that Christmas is I loved those conversations in this book a lot.
November 29, 2023
I absolutely loved this novella! Leonor wrote this in a time crunch but she added so much to this cozy not-so-jolly Christmas story.
This book checks so many boxes for me!
Plus Size Rep ✔
Latine Rep ✔
Dual POV ✔
Slow Burn (but not to the point of boredom) ✔
Spice 🌶🌶
"Under the Meh-stletoe" did have a trope I have yet to try, and that is Grumpy x Grumpy. I totally enjoyed it! It was so cute seeing our two MC's hate something that everyone else loved, I couldn't stop grinning seeing them rudely flirt with one another. I adored seeing them realize their true feelings for one another even though it was denied at the beginning! There are only two spicy scenes but with a novella, it's totally fine. Plus, the slow burn made the scenes sooo worth it. The epilogue was so cute, if Leonor decides to continue the series I would be so excited!
Also, if you are a person that LOVES Christmas, like I mean eat, breath, and fart jingle bells then you might not enjoy this book as much. As a person who enjoys Christmas on a regular scale, I will say that I still enjoyed this story & still felt some Christmas cheer! It may have not all been from our MC's but I still got to see a bit of it.
This book checks so many boxes for me!
Plus Size Rep ✔
Latine Rep ✔
Dual POV ✔
Slow Burn (but not to the point of boredom) ✔
Spice 🌶🌶
"Under the Meh-stletoe" did have a trope I have yet to try, and that is Grumpy x Grumpy. I totally enjoyed it! It was so cute seeing our two MC's hate something that everyone else loved, I couldn't stop grinning seeing them rudely flirt with one another. I adored seeing them realize their true feelings for one another even though it was denied at the beginning! There are only two spicy scenes but with a novella, it's totally fine. Plus, the slow burn made the scenes sooo worth it. The epilogue was so cute, if Leonor decides to continue the series I would be so excited!
Also, if you are a person that LOVES Christmas, like I mean eat, breath, and fart jingle bells then you might not enjoy this book as much. As a person who enjoys Christmas on a regular scale, I will say that I still enjoyed this story & still felt some Christmas cheer! It may have not all been from our MC's but I still got to see a bit of it.
December 4, 2023
Whew this is the most negative romance I’ve ever read. I guess “meh” is right there in the title but I didn’t know it would describe the characters and plot too.
The plot itself was nothing special or original, but one I generally like. It’s two people planning their small town’s Christmas celebrations against their will, but their crankiness and grumpiness just got old by the end. You’re adults, you can just say no if you don’t want to do something. No need to be so negative about it.
Ale especially got on my nerves because she kept calling Daniel a grump when he wasn’t any worse than her. Her denying her own grumpiness is another thing that got old.
She also came across as a bully towards him, he was trying to gather his thoughts so he could be honest about his feelings and she laughs in his face and goads him.
A lot of the plot wasn’t fleshed out and felt rushed - why didn’t Daniel want a relationship? Why was Ale’s breakup mentioned then not really a plot point? What was her sisters accident like? Etc.
Overall this was a big miss for me which is a bummer because I love a Christmas novella
The plot itself was nothing special or original, but one I generally like. It’s two people planning their small town’s Christmas celebrations against their will, but their crankiness and grumpiness just got old by the end. You’re adults, you can just say no if you don’t want to do something. No need to be so negative about it.
Ale especially got on my nerves because she kept calling Daniel a grump when he wasn’t any worse than her. Her denying her own grumpiness is another thing that got old.
She also came across as a bully towards him, he was trying to gather his thoughts so he could be honest about his feelings and she laughs in his face and goads him.
A lot of the plot wasn’t fleshed out and felt rushed - why didn’t Daniel want a relationship? Why was Ale’s breakup mentioned then not really a plot point? What was her sisters accident like? Etc.
Overall this was a big miss for me which is a bummer because I love a Christmas novella
December 10, 2023
Usually novella's are not my go to reads; I just always feel like they are cute but find myself wishing for more especially if the relationship between the MC's was not already established prior to the start of the book. And that is exactly how I feel about Under the Meh-Stletoe. It was such a cute read, full of representation, I loved both MC's, I adored the small town setting and the towns people. The premise was so cute and I was invested from the first page, but I really just found myself wishing that it was at least another hundred pages or so longer. I would say this one is perfect for fans of short yet steamy novellas, with lots of forced proximity and two slightly grumpy MC's who are not actually fans of all the hoopla of Christmas. I found this author by recommendations on Instagram and I own a few of her other books and I am looking forward to reading a full length book by here in the near future.
January 20, 2024
The title of this one encapsulates my overall feelings regarding the characters and story. Everything was very meh. It’s entirely possible that I’m just not the right audience for this story because I like Christmas. What I anticipated would be a cute holiday story about two grumps planning their town’s Christmas celebration, was instead pretty negative and not very cute. I appreciated the book’s representation, but I’ve never known a single person who genuinely dislikes cookies. This one was a miss for me.
October 31, 2023
Miss Leonor Soliz gave me the non-Christmas Christmas vibes, if that makes sense.
I loved these two. I loved the two grumpy un-Christmas lovers falling in love during the Christmas season. It gave me all the feelings and I really loved it. Might re-read it on Christmas since I enjoyed it so much.
I got an arc of this book. Thank you so much to the author, all thoughts are my own.
I loved these two. I loved the two grumpy un-Christmas lovers falling in love during the Christmas season. It gave me all the feelings and I really loved it. Might re-read it on Christmas since I enjoyed it so much.
I got an arc of this book. Thank you so much to the author, all thoughts are my own.
November 25, 2023
I adored this slow burn, steamy novella. I adored the characters. It’s never too early for Christmas novels/novella’s and I’m so happy this one was the first christmas novella i read for this season.
I absolutely love grumpy characters, and felt like both Ale and Daniel, they were written perfectly
I absolutely love grumpy characters, and felt like both Ale and Daniel, they were written perfectly
December 3, 2023
Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I felt that there was more telling us that they were grumpy rather than showing us. Also, the amount of times the word grump was used was wayyy to much. I also did not feel the connection between Daniel and Ale. It just happened and this is where the telling rather than showing kept happening.
December 5, 2023
A grump that’s actually sunshine and sunshine that’s actually grumpy… love that twist.
The fat sex is PERFECTION!!! Leonor knows how to write fat bodies in such sensual ways! She does not shy away from describing the amount of flesh the fat body holds and the softness and sexiness that the abundance of flesh facilitates. I can’t get enough! Leonor got a new fan!
The fat sex is PERFECTION!!! Leonor knows how to write fat bodies in such sensual ways! She does not shy away from describing the amount of flesh the fat body holds and the softness and sexiness that the abundance of flesh facilitates. I can’t get enough! Leonor got a new fan!
January 14, 2024
grumpy x grumpy fun
I really enjoyed this book! A Novella is not always enough for me to get really invested, but I loved Ale and Daniel so much! Their hatred of Christmas as their bond really worked well, and their energy just sparked against each other. There are a lot of full length novels that don’t make me buy the build up in the relationship as well as this did. Also, you can tell that the author thinks fat people are hot. That is not always true and romances about fat people and it really makes the book way better. I totally enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone!
I really enjoyed this book! A Novella is not always enough for me to get really invested, but I loved Ale and Daniel so much! Their hatred of Christmas as their bond really worked well, and their energy just sparked against each other. There are a lot of full length novels that don’t make me buy the build up in the relationship as well as this did. Also, you can tell that the author thinks fat people are hot. That is not always true and romances about fat people and it really makes the book way better. I totally enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone!
October 30, 2023
This was cute, but it wasn't for me, unfortunately. Daniel and Ale didn't captivate me, but I can definitely see this being a super cute holiday romance for others. Thank you to the author for the ARC!
December 25, 2023
Really enjoyed this! Definitely looking forward to trying more from this author! I had a few personal nitpicks so I don't feel like I can give this a full five stars but I could definitely see myself returning to this next holiday season, which is always nice!
November 1, 2023
This was such a cute rom com novella! I loved these Ale and Daniel!! Two grumpy grinches hating on Christmas while having to plan the towns Christmas festivities! The banter was great and their chemistry was undeniable! The slow burn was *Chef’s Kiss*. It had the perfect amount of spice leaving you wanting more! This was such a quick read and enjoyable! I highly recommend!
December 27, 2024
This is such a cute Christmas short story! It had very little conflict or miscommunication, and lots of relationship and character building, topped off with all the spice! This is not something I find in a good balance in a lot of short holiday romances but Under the Meh-siltoe managed to pull it off!
Definitely recommend this one!
Very excited to read some of the authors full length novels in the new year!!
Definitely recommend this one!
Very excited to read some of the authors full length novels in the new year!!
December 16, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
December 15, 2023
It was cute but I wanted so much more!
December 10, 2023
Add this to your holiday reading lists asap! This is Novella length so it will be a quick read. This is my second book I have read by Soliz and we are 2 for 2 🙌🏼
This Christmas themed book with the MCs being Christmas grumps was everything I didn’t know I needed! Ale and Daniel were so fun, their back and forth flirting kept a smile on my face & even though they were Christmas haters with grumpy/ cranky personalities they weren’t mean a-holes, they were fun & kind grumps lol Soliz really has a way of creating unproblematic characters and healthy communication in the relationships ❤️ The body positive language that is used when the FMC plus size body is described is amazing. All aspects of her story is handled with care and it shows 🫶🏼 & once it was time for the get down 🌶️ I absolutely loved that there were no insecure thoughts about how her body would look in front of a man, he basically worshipped her and I was here for it 🫠🫠🫠
Even though this is an anti-Christmas read you still get the holiday feels! You get an unmerry Christmas theme, small town romance, grumpy hero, feisty heroine, slow burn, spice 🌶️🌶️, plus size and latine rep. JUST ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR!
This Christmas themed book with the MCs being Christmas grumps was everything I didn’t know I needed! Ale and Daniel were so fun, their back and forth flirting kept a smile on my face & even though they were Christmas haters with grumpy/ cranky personalities they weren’t mean a-holes, they were fun & kind grumps lol Soliz really has a way of creating unproblematic characters and healthy communication in the relationships ❤️ The body positive language that is used when the FMC plus size body is described is amazing. All aspects of her story is handled with care and it shows 🫶🏼 & once it was time for the get down 🌶️ I absolutely loved that there were no insecure thoughts about how her body would look in front of a man, he basically worshipped her and I was here for it 🫠🫠🫠
Even though this is an anti-Christmas read you still get the holiday feels! You get an unmerry Christmas theme, small town romance, grumpy hero, feisty heroine, slow burn, spice 🌶️🌶️, plus size and latine rep. JUST ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR!
November 19, 2023
Basically all they talked about is hating Christmas and there was a lot of cringe.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews