10 Things I Hate About Christmas

by A.J. Pine, Andi Arndt (Narrator), Sean Masters (Narrator)

Bestselling author A.J. Pine drives home the holiday spice in this hysterically funny new road trip rom com!

If there’s one person Gemma Marshall can’t stand, it’s her office nemesis Theo Campbell, who just so happens to be her boss’s nephew. Whether Theo’s pulling her off a major account or hogging the office microwave, he constantly rubs her the wrong way…plus he has no business looking that sexy.

But everything changes when Gemma accidentally sends her uptight boss Eleanor a highly NSFW holiday gag gift meant for her bestie. Theo catches Gemma freaking out and offers her a an invite to his aunt’s exclusive Christmas party in the festive holiday destination town of Tinsel, where she can intercept the inappropriate gift before it’s unwrapped.

For Theo, helping the woman upon whom he has an unrequited crush is a huge win. It’s a chance to spend time with her and finally get off her naughty list…and if they both lose their hearts along the way? Well, all’s fair in love and Christmas.

Genres: Audiobook, Romance, Christmas, Holiday, Rom Com, Contemporary, Fiction

Audible Audio

Published November 13, 2025

About the author

A teen librarian by day and a romance writer by night, A.J. Pine can’t seem to escape the world of fiction, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s the author of the If Only series (Entangled Embrace), the Only You series (Berkley/Intermix), the Kingston Ale House series (Entangled Select), and the Crossroads Ranch series (Forever Romance). When she finds that 25th hour in the day, she might indulge in a tiny bit of TV where she nourishes her undying love of vampires, superheroes, and a certain high-functioning sociopath detective. She hails from the far off galaxy of the Chicago suburbs.

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I found the novel a bit juvenile when it started with Theo saying something was ‘cringe’ but it picked up after that and at the end I was a mushy mess. The characters were a bit too perfect, but I needed escaping into a Christmas fairytale and that was what I got.

[aeryn rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️

Short and sweet, but not necessarily great. 😭
I don't know exactly what I was expecting. I wanted something festive and cute but this book just made me cringe sooo bad at points. It went so far as to mention an ACTUAL MEME at the very beginning, and then the main character saying "cringe" to describe his own behavior. Yikes...I agree.

Also, a grown woman, a mother, says that she can sense a "vibe" is off to describe something weird just rubs me the completely wrong way. AM I TOO WOKE FOR THIS BOOK? The language and the way the characters act is just so...new gen. Especially since these are all adults we're talking about. If I were to write a book, this is not the kind of descriptions and structure I'd use because it just comes off as trying way too hard to fit in with the newer generation.

Even though there are a lot of...questionable things to this book, I actually think it did some things really well. The setting and ambiance of Christmas was lovely and it really gives off warm and cozy feelings. I liked the descriptions and the setting of the town and how it was described. It really gave a cozy Hallmark Movie feeling and I enjoyed that. Just like one of those movies, they're cringey and corny but you stick around and watch because they feel safe and nostalgic.

I wish this book had a bit more yearning, too. It's no spoiler that Theo already had a crush on Gemma from the first chapter and the synopsis, but this book was so short that it wasn't paced very well. No yearning or angst I wish there would have been cause it would've made that so much better. I like the plot of the lost gag gift and how they came together. I just didn't sense a whole lot of chemistry. It wasn't long enough to really build that up, but it did have the potential.

This book was just a feel-good, corny Christmas romance, but I felt that it was lacking in a lot of departments. This isn't some masterpiece by any means, but it had funny and entertaining moments you can't help but at least finish this book. This was just an impulsive read that I found on Audible with my subscription and it definitely felt like that. As I read/listen to winter and holiday reads, I'll be reviewing them to (maybe) help you guys decide what might be worth the read! This one, unfortunately would be a miss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

𝓟𝓻𝓮-𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭: 🎄🩵

Let the Christmas reads commence!! 😈

[Dani Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feliz navidammit is my new favorite phrase and I’ll be using it all of December

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 Things I Hate About Christmas is a funny, cute, hallmark movie style of a book that is just perfect for the run up to Christmas.
We follow Gemma and Theo, who are office rivals. Theo is their bosses nephew and is always getting Gemmas back up at work.
When Gemma accidentally mixes up two Christmas gifts and sends a rather inappropriate gift to her uptight boss Eleanor (Theos aunt) instead of her best friend, she ends up with no choice but to take up Theos offer to attend a Christmas party at Eleanor's House in the town of Tinsel to try and intercept the present before Eleanor gets her hands on it and has the shock of her life.
This was such a fun, feel-good, sweet, and tender listen, and the narrators did an amazing job making it come to life. There are so many funny moments throughout the book, and although the ending was quite predictable (like a Hallmark movie), the book was well worth a listen.

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i mean that’s exactly what i expected it to be but i laughed out loud when the mmc started talking about the way his childhood was difficult because his mom only packed him ball shaped foods in his school lunch idk man

[·♛ kaykay ⚔︎ ♡· · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, simple read with a likeable character dynamic at its core. The interactions between the main characters are warm and easy to enjoy, and the story moves very quickly, making it a fast, low-commitment book.

Also, there’s like no spice, and the romance stays light and pretty wholesome throughout.

That said, while it’s not a bad book by any means, it does feel like there isn’t much depth or substance beyond the basics.

With the plot being very straightforward and predictable, and nothing really stands out as memorable or extraordinary. Overall, it’s a cozy, harmless holiday read💋💋

P.s Merry Christmas

[Skylar Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost dnf’d 1000x only read bc it was free to listen on audible
Hallmark vibes and cheesy

[Sydney ✽ (currently slumping🥲) · Rating 3 out of 5]

10 Things I Hate About Christmas is a festive romantic comedy centered on Gemma, who’s determined to impress her boss with the perfect Christmas gift, until a disastrous mix-up sends a wildly inappropriate gag present instead. Terrified of losing her job, Gemma turns to the last person she expects to help, her coworker Theo, who she’s convinced has it out for her but who also happens to be her boss’s nephew. What Gemma doesn’t know is that Theo has been quietly crushing on her from the start and helping her might be his chance to finally get closer.

❀ﾟ.･｡ﾟ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ﾟ｡･.ﾟ❀
✦･ﾟ: * My Thoughts * :･ﾟ✦

˗ˏˋ ★★★☆☆ ˎˊ˗

Cute, cheesy, fun! It was a pretty entertaining audiobook. Really the only downside was the insta love which isn’t my cup o’ tea.

❀ﾟ.･｡ﾟ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ﾟ｡･.ﾟ❀
✦･ﾟ: * Vibes * :･ﾟ✦

Genre: 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
Tropes: 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑠／𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑦, 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑠, 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑠 𝑇𝑜𝑤𝑛, 𝐻𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟
Spice: ❧❧
Song: 𝄞 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑁𝑜𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑎𝑠 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑌𝑜𝑢 － 𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠

❀ﾟ.･｡ﾟ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ﾟ｡･.ﾟ❀
✦･ﾟ: * Favorite Quotes * :･ﾟ✦

╰┈➤ “𝙸 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝙶𝚎𝚖𝚖𝚊”

[Lauren Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holiday Romance! Workplace, he falls first, friends to lovers, fake dating, small town. Back in Tinsel Town! Super cute & funny. I loved this one too! Such lovable characters & adorable plot! A.J Pine does such perfect holidays romcons!

[Maria Merced · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute and cozy Christmas audio. 🎄

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/10-t...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinsel is an over-the-top Christmas town dreamed up by A.J. Pine for her Tinsel Christmas series. My annual trip there never disappoints! This year's holiday rom-com made my heart so happy, and I savored every moment of the dual narration audiobook.

The holiday spice of my favorite tropes — enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity — works perfectly with the magic of Tinsel. The whole cast is so likable, and I laughed out loud multiple times at their shenanigans.

This story delivers a wonderful, heartwarming dose of holiday cheer. Grab your hot cocoa! 4-star rating, 5-star feels.

[I’m reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great narration, but the story was a bit blah.

There is nothing to do about 10 things anyone hates about Christmas

Likable characters but the “balls” are WAY over done.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gemma can’t stand her office nemesis Theo—her boss’s nephew who constantly gets in her way. But when she accidentally sends her strict boss a wildly inappropriate holiday gag gift, Theo swoops in with a solution: crash his aunt’s exclusive Christmas party in Tinsel so she can intercept it before disaster hits. What starts as a desperate mission turns into unexpected chemistry, cozy holiday moments, and a chance for Gemma to realize her “enemy” might actually be her Christmas miracle.

I ended up giving this book a 4 because, while it had a fun premise and a great holiday setting, so much of it felt repetitive that it kept pulling me out of the story. The dynamic between the main characters never fully hooked me, even though the setup had potential, and I often found myself more entertained by the side characters than the leads—they were genuinely vibrant, funny, and added the perfect spark the main storyline sometimes lacked. Still, the writing style is easy to follow, the pacing moves quickly, and the overall holiday vibe is enjoyable enough to make it a light seasonal read, especially if you love festive chaos and office-romance tension.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute quick read. Fun but not really life changing or one that I will remember details about for long.

[Brittany Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary romance isn’t my usual go-to, but a light and fun holiday themed read that gave me a chuckle.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

1. dumb
2. trite
3. cliche
4. ridiculous dialogue
5. unlikey scenarios
6. Not
7. Worth
8. Your
9. Time
10. Reading

[Jessica LC Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Audible Original! Cleverly written by A. J. Pine (and I love that his last name is Pine!) and narrated by Andi Arndt and Sean Masters, the story came to life!

I needed something in between two other Christmas books, and this tied me over quite well!

Gemma and her workplace nemesis, Theo, go on a work-related road trip and begin learning about each other.

On their way to his hometown, he is delivering a vehicle and she desperately needs to find and retrieve a very inappropriate Christmas gift sent to the wrong person - her boss!

Their boss is his aunt, who has an identical twin, his mom. Confused? Come on, keep up why don't you? Just kidding. I struggled myself a few times.

I loved these character layers, lots of banter, and some naughty and nice fun. Nothing spicy happened on page - just highly eluded.

Overall, for me, a fun and festive read.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an impulse book that I picked up because it was included in my Audible subscription and wanted something to pass the time into the new year. Unfortunately that’s all it was. Nothing special about it. 2.5 stars for me.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

[Matthew Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun little Christmas story that follows all the classic beats; didn't love it, didn't hate it.

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

True rating 2.5

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as not another Christmas romcom, it didn’t have the same charm.

More Hallmark, less humor, no spice….. unless I zoned it out because it wasn’t anything worth remembering 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️

[Queenie2023 aka Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

So super cute and a not super long story. Very enjoyable audiobook. Loved Gemma and Theo and the whole Christmas town called Tinsel.

[Cheltsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read with some of the quick humor and Christmas magic that comes along with the town of Tinsel. I felt like the relationship was a bit rushed though.

[Krystle Krystlesbookclub · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok, very cheesy Hallmark vibes

[J V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cheesy romcom. Funny lines at times. I did the audiobook for my 5 hour ride and it was free. If you are looking for something simple and kind find it free, go for it.

[Grace Batterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was cringy, and the reviews said no "spice", but they were wrong. There were two scenes that I had to skip and I almost DNF. I will admit the story itself was cute and made me laugh on a number of occasions, but I definitely could've done without the inappropriate humor and all the "ball" jokes. Not my cup of tea that's for sure, so I would not recommend.

[Sara Fabris · Rating 3 out of 5]

least favorite of the series but still fun. I was disappointed that her "inappropriate" gift wasn't very imaginative

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof. This was…something.

Let me start by explaining why I read a Christmas novel in March. I have something called “The Winner Wheel” app on my phone that helps me pick the next book I’ll read because, with a TBR list long enough to span the rest of my life, I never know what to read next. The app chose this book, so I grabbed it and got ready for a cute, romantic story! And it was…terrible. As per usual with my one star reviews, I’ll put my complaints in a numbered format.

1. These characters were cringe-worthy. The book states that Gemma and Theo started off hating each other, but that’s a huge lie. Gemma dislikes Theo for taking her off of an important account at their job, but other than that, they don’t show any signs of being “enemies”. No major arguments, no hateful jabs, so signs of disliking at all. Why say the two leads hate each other when they very obviously do not? I felt lied to and it made me angry.

2. The plot could have been so cute with the direction it seemed to be going, but it fell flat. Gemma accidentally mixes up her boss’s appropriate Christmas present with her best friend’s dirty one, leading to her needing to find the gift with Theo’s help. Since Theo is her boss’s nephew, he is the perfect person to ask for help. You’d think this would lead to all kinds of fun moments and hijinks, but it just…doesn’t.

3. Along the same lines as my last point, some moments had a great idea, but were put together so shoddily, you’d think the author was a 14-year-old teenager who was afraid to swear in front of their parents. A Christmas murder mystery party? Cool idea! What happens? Literally nothing involving the party except at the very end, when we discovered the murder weapon was a fork. I’m not kidding. Theo and Gemma are stuck riding in a food truck that plays “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”? Let’s backhand slap the readers with Rudolph jokes throughout the ENTIRE FREAKING NOVEL instead of using this one funny bit sparingly. Things like this made the book unbearable.

4. What was the dirty gift? Something insanely obvious. How did things end involving this gift? Incredibly forced and unbelievable, to the point where you have to reread the climax of the book multiple times to make sure you didn’t miss something. Characters did complete 180 turns out of nowhere and it was jarring.

5. Theo’s mother and aunt had the weirdest relationship that seemed to heal out of nowhere with no prompting. They were identical twins, but they couldn’t be more different! Har har har! Also, if I heard one more ball-centered joke about Theo’s mother’s food design, I was going to scream and throw my phone out a window.

6. Douggie was the most obnoxious child on the planet. If I could body slam one fictional character of choice, I would pick him. He was so spoiled and unlikable. And how could he sneak out of his house and go to the Christmas party without his grandpa noticing? Did his grandpa drink a Niquil smoothie before Douggie’s mother left for the party? It was so unbelievable!

This was the second book I read by this author (the first being “I Love You Like It’s 1999”) and they both ended up with big fat one star reviews. This author is not for me! Christmastime or not, don’t bother with this one.

[Edie Kennard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.J. Pine delivers a sleigh-load of holiday cheer, steamy tension, and genuinely hilarious moments in 10 Things I Hate About Christmas. This rivals-to-lovers office romance is the perfect festive escape, easily earning a 4/5 stars and a spot on your must-read holiday list.

💖 Cuteness Overload & Chemistry That Sizzles
From the very first chapter, the dynamic between Gemma Marshall and Theo Campbell is infectious. Gemma, the ambitious office star, and Theo, her annoyingly attractive and perpetually-in-her-way office nemesis (who just happens to be her boss's nephew), have chemistry that sparks like holiday lights.

The premise is pure romantic comedy gold: Gemma accidentally sends a wildly NSFW (and hilarious) gag gift, intended for her best friend, straight to her super-uptight boss, Eleanor. Enter Theo, who swoops in with the save, offering her a golden ticket to Eleanor's exclusive Christmas party in the wonderfully named, hyper-festive town of Tinsel. The catch? They have to road-trip together and pretend to be a couple to infiltrate the party and retrieve the disastrous present before it's unwrapped.

"Pine expertly uses the forced proximity trope, making every car ride, close call, and fake-flirty moment crackle with unacknowledged desire."

The switch from professional rivalry to reluctant allies, and then to a deeply felt romance, is handled beautifully. The "hate" in the title quickly melts into a whole lot of adorable affection, anchored by Theo’s long-held (and delightfully unrequited... until now) crush on Gemma. It’s impossible not to root for these two as they navigate their way through awkward moments, shared secrets, and the overwhelming festive atmosphere of Tinsel.

😂 A Fun and Funny Festive Treat
What truly elevates this book are the laugh-out-loud moments. The sheer panic over the inappropriate gift is a running gag that keeps the stakes high and the humor flowing. Gemma's internal monologue is snappy and relatable, while Theo's calm, often goofy, persistence is utterly charming.

The dialogue is witty, and the supporting cast, particularly the townspeople of Tinsel, add to the overall lighthearted and cozy feel. This is a story that knows exactly what it is—a warm, fun, and slightly naughty holiday romp—and leans into it perfectly.

✨ Great Characters You'll Want to Befriend
Pine shines in her character development:

Gemma is more than just a Type-A office drone; she’s funny, smart, and a little clumsy when it comes to her emotions, making her instantly lovable.

Theo is the ultimate book boyfriend. Beneath his infuriatingly handsome exterior is a man who is genuinely kind, respectful, and has been silently crushing on Gemma for ages. He's not a jerk with a hidden heart; he's just a great guy who's been waiting for his chance, which makes his eventual win so satisfying.

If you are looking for a Christmas romance that delivers on both the swoon and the snicker, 10 Things I Hate About Christmas is the perfect pick. It's a reminder that sometimes the person you think you despise is the one who holds your heart's greatest gift.