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Mean One

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'Tis the season for revenge.


This is a dark romance/horror retelling of the Grinch. Please check triggers prior to reading.

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2024

1091 people are currently reading
2681 people want to read

About the author

Ab. Cynthe

16 books391 followers
Ab. Cynthe is an International Best Selling author who decided to create this specific pen name to showcase her darker, spicier, more horrific works. She is known for her retellings and monsters and has close to a dozen published works in total, with many more set to release within the next year.

If you're in search of a short read packed with triggering chaos, look no further.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
1,186 (22%)
4 stars
1,452 (27%)
3 stars
1,463 (27%)
2 stars
769 (14%)
1 star
452 (8%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,404 reviews
Profile Image for Kathryn.
69 reviews9 followers
December 12, 2024
If I could give this 0 stars I would.

I wish I could forget everything I read in that book because honestly what was that?

I don’t trust any of your judgments on here because you all praised this absolute garbage 😂
Profile Image for Madi.
741 reviews947 followers
December 20, 2024
now why did you make the dog a person? no, really. i’ll wait. explain yourself.
Profile Image for Eloise Blaise | Bibliophel.
131 reviews4,629 followers
December 23, 2025
[3.5] All spice, minuscule plot, but what plot there was (specifically the twist at the end) I was down for. She was also so right, I’ll never look at the Grinch the same ever again oop
Profile Image for Smutty Little Books.
325 reviews205 followers
September 5, 2025
I devoured this dark and twisted little masterpiece in one sitting. A mashup of horror and the grinch is perfect for your dark Christmas TBR!
Profile Image for Peter Topside.
Author 6 books1,450 followers
December 15, 2024
The Grouch? Whoreville? All the makings of something good, but it all fell flat for me. There was an attempt to have some sort of plot, but it was a side note, amongst the sex. Neither being developed properly and sort of just constantly bumping into one another. There were too many characters and no genuine focus to make any of the plot points meaningful or clear. I just wanted a lot more from this.
Profile Image for Jocie (so behind on reviews).
259 reviews9 followers
December 11, 2024
5 ⭐️
5🌶️

Dude that ending??? 😳😳 it was literally crazy and such a twist that I never expected to happen if I’m being honest. It was a fantastic book. Max was definitely crazy and I was here for it. The story was just great the whole way through. It was short, spicy, and super unhinged. You’ll never look at the Grinch the same way, but I think you’ll be better for it. The Grinch in a whole new hot light if we are being honest. Definitely worth the read, it’s not long and you’ll blow through it wishing there was more.
Profile Image for Grapie Deltaco.
843 reviews2,595 followers
December 25, 2024
Points for creativity bc I did laugh really hard at the town being named Whoreville

Beyond that, this will haunt me for the rest of my life

CW: explicit sexual content (including blood and BDSM), verbal and physical abuse, graphic violence and murder, gore, dead loved one, grief, arson, bullying, stalking, bodily mutilation, PTSD, slut-shaming, torture, domestic violence
Profile Image for Darlene I read WAY to many books.
3,675 reviews2,430 followers
Read
December 26, 2024
Reviews saying this is a dark romance. No...no it's not
It's a erotic horror. There is no HEA lol. Read if you will.

WELL...only for Max..
Cuz fuck the grinch... Max baby you deserved so much more.. so im glad you did what you did.

Drama, sexy times, no virgins


Recommend-maybe
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶

Age gap
Degradation
Humiliation
Pinning
No condom
Horror
Murder
Epilogue
Profile Image for tiffany dai jel 🐝✨.
230 reviews116 followers
December 24, 2024
Mean One

WTF did I just read? And why did I like it so much?
This was beyond twisted yet so captivating.
and that ending stole breath. Talk about a curveball in the 9th. I think my mind is well and truly f*cked!

star rating: 4.25
spice rating: 3.5 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Profile Image for Hollylovesbooks.
191 reviews23 followers
November 26, 2024
• 𝙶𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜. I was so damn excited for this. My girl never lets me down. This was so good. 𝚂𝙾. 𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳.

• Let me say... I have read my fair share of retellings. The way she did this was seriously so friggen cool. Seeing all these characters in a grown up setting & a not so “la de da “ light. 𝙾𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍.

• The Grinch & Max are quite the pair. They made me grin a ton. And poor Martha-May has quite the life. You just want to pat her on the shoulder and say girl, get out. Run. In the end. It was a 😮👀 immediately DMed AB. Hahaha. She took me by surprise.

• I am obviously not telling you 𝚃𝙾𝙾 𝙼𝚄𝙲𝙷. But just know, you should read it. It’s spicy, dark, and all around a good time.
Profile Image for littlesmuttyone.
239 reviews40 followers
November 26, 2024
I was not disappointed at all with this grinch retelling. I won't lie max has me intrigued and curious about how crazy she was in the best ways

The spicy scenes had me feral and wanting more from them

Gus is just trash in any story he in he absolutely garbage in every way

I enjoyed this so much
Never disappointed in these retellings
Profile Image for Kelly.
680 reviews527 followers
December 23, 2024
It’s an erotic horror themed grinch novella & ya know what?…….UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENT 👏
Profile Image for MONA.
191 reviews12 followers
November 18, 2025
I can’t believe I did this to myself
Profile Image for Amanda H.
17 reviews
December 13, 2024
What an absolute hot pile of trash. I’d rather drag my eyes over rusty needles than read this book again. I need to go deep clean my brain to forget what I read. 0 stars.
Profile Image for Neapolitan670 📚🖤.
745 reviews42 followers
December 26, 2024
Ok, so a revenge seeking Christmas grunch and a mental Max 🤣 TBH they are both a little unstable…definitively unhinged!

One of those Christmas reads that isn’t fluff and rom, nope not here! Honestly, it is difficult to give you anything without giving spoilers. So maybe go read it yourself and make up your own mind, do however read the trigger warnings. As there maybe a smattering of bl00d and gore, I say this loosely 🤣🤣

I totally enjoyed reading this short Christmas novella 🤭
Profile Image for Bookaholic__Reviews.
1,149 reviews151 followers
December 24, 2024
Okay, so I loved Max!!! I love that she was made to be a total unhinged "lovesick puppy" for the grouch! And whoreville... I shouldn't laugh, but yeah, the puns and nods to the grinch made me lol! This one was super fun. Great spice and a little bloody, too!
Profile Image for Katie.
106 reviews16 followers
December 17, 2024
No because what did I just read???

Petition to make sure max never becomes a human…
Profile Image for angelictaleslibrary.
520 reviews12 followers
December 6, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Mean One
a dark & smutty retelling of the grinch
'TIS THE SEASON FOR REVENGE

💚CHRISTMAS SL4SH3R
💚 GRINCH RETELLING
💚 OBSESSION
💚 AGE GAP
💚 DUBIOUS CONSENT
💚 AN EROTIC HORROR
💚 GRUMPSY X SUNSHINE
💚 VOYEURISM
💚 BREATH PLAY
💚 🩸🩸 PLAY

To say I devoured this book would be an understatement.
This was absolutely brilliant I loved it, it was so spicy 🥵 gory, full of revenge and a whole lot of blood.
I’ll never be able to watch the grinch and not think about the candy cane 🫠🫠🤣 honestly a wild ride..
Tht ending omg 🤯wasn’t expecting tht at all..
This is the first book by AB.Cythe and it won’t be the last.. I loved it

“You May Have Taken Her Heart, But You Will Never Have Mine”
Profile Image for cassi.
229 reviews35 followers
December 23, 2024
Rating: 4 stars⭐️✨
Recommend: if you’re unhinged yes
Genre: Dark romance grinch smut
*spoiler free*
This book is basically a smutty grinch parody novella with the most jaw dropping ending. The sex scenes were unexpectedly good and unhinged. Don’t judge me for liking this. Justice for Max fr the gronth did her dirty.
Profile Image for Nikki.
269 reviews84 followers
December 12, 2024
GIRLLLLL. I went into this not knowing what to expect from a dark and spicy Grinch retelling… What I got was shared trauma, beautiful emotion, SEX (so much and so sexy), rage filled revenge, blood, and amongst it all laughter and Christmas spirit. I loved every depraved second of this and the ending could not have been more perfect. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND 💚

Profile Image for Bria  Boyd.
449 reviews
November 15, 2025
Oh my lanta 🫥

I wasnt....I don't know...I am floored...

This was so good but I can't look at a green fur coat the same again
Profile Image for Paige Ray.
1,113 reviews65 followers
December 20, 2024
I love a good Erotic Horror but this just wasn't it. I was intrigued by the retelling of "The Grinch", as it's what drew me in, but this just wasn't very good.
Profile Image for LaTosha Webber.
1,162 reviews72 followers
December 21, 2024
Grinchmas

I don’t even know how to write this without spoiling it. I enjoyed the creativity, the pacing was a little slower than expected for the length, and ultimately I’m happy with the ending even though it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. It was entirely poetic and practically Shakespearean. As long as you go in remembering this is a horror and not a romance I think you’ll enjoy it too
Profile Image for Lauren Lara.
304 reviews50 followers
December 15, 2025
Smutty Grinch retell novella! Dark adult parody! Check the trigger warnings first! Monster romance! One sitting read! So messed up. No happy endings. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,404 reviews

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