The Holiday Grump: A Spicy, Small-Town, Christmas RomCom

by Enni Amanda

374 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2025

About the author

Enni Amanda is a Finnish–New Zealand rom-com author who writes warm, funny love stories with real-life bite.

She immigrated from Finland to New Zealand in 2006 and promptly fell in love with the scenery, the people, and the strange thrill of not having to defrost a car every morning. After years spent studying filmmaking, running a film festival, and zig-zagging between two countries that really should be closer together, she discovered screenwriting, which eventually led to writing books (a slippery slope).

These days she lives in the Waikato (close to the rolling hills of the Shire), raising two energetic boys, designing things, and writing books while heroically avoiding housework.

Social: @enniauthor (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook)

Mailing list: https://enniamanda.com/newsletter/

Reviews

[Disneynerd719 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grumpy? Not so much.

An adorable holiday read, I have been loving the Hideaway Harbor series! The story has a good mix of funny moments, romance and drama. A fabulous grumpy/sunshine dynamic, a wandering FMC who finally finds her way home, and a lonely MMC who falls fast and protects those he loves with all his heart


Content Warnings
Sexual content
Death
Emotional abuse
Toxic relationship
Grief
Gaslighting
Alcohol
Injury/Injury detail
Suicidal thoughts
Violence

Tropes:
Grumpy sunshine
Runaway bride
Bookstore owner
Friends with benefits
Protective hero
Found family

[Jennifer Sereda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook review:

Tropes: Grumpy-sunshine, Small town, Two broken souls,
(Somewhat) forced proximity, Protective.

Trigger warnings: Sexual content, Gaslighting, Emotional, abuse, Death, Grief (spouse), Physical violence.

Part of the Christmas at Hideaway Harbor series. There are six books that are interconnected stand-alones.

A warm, cozy, and sexy small-town romance. Frederick (widow) and Noelle (former runaway bride) meet in a bar and her quirky personality… made him finally see something other than grief. An easy, sexy listen! 🌶️ 🌶️🌶️. Narrated by Dahlia Summers & Grayson Owens.

[SassypantsReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Holiday Grump was really cute, but I felt like so many parts were written in fast-forward mode. I didn’t feel like time necessarily skipped ahead, but certain scenes absolutely did. They needed to be fleshed out a bit more. I liked the depth both characters had, and they had good chemistry, but not insta-love chemistry as depicted. Idk, this book was just so-so for me.

I received a copy of The Holiday Grump from the author, Enni Amanda, and I am voluntarily leaving this (late! Sorry!) review.