Review: Mean One by Ab. Cynthe

Rating: 5 stars

On Kindle Unlimited: Yes

Publication Date: December 10, 2024

Page count: 98

HEA: Not so happy

Version: Ebook

Mean One was absolutely unhinged in the best way possible and honestly exactly what I needed right before Christmas.

First of all, MAX IS NOT A DOG. I don’t know why that truly threw me off so much. It took me a couple of encounters to accept that Max was in fact a whole human being. Once I adjusted, though, I was fully locked in.

This book was funny, chaotic, spicy, and just the right amount of WTF. The characters definitely fall into that category where you either love them or you really don’t. There is a pretty wide margin there, but that honestly added to the experience. Overall, the cast fit the tone of the story perfectly.

The spice was present and doing its job. A solid 4/5 on the spicy scale.

Honestly, the only quote you need from this book is the author’s note. If that doesn’t make you want to read it, I truly don’t know what else will.

“For those of you who begged for a smutty Grinch retelling, Mommy listened. Get ready to ruin your childhood because after this novella you’ll never be able to look at that green monster the same. And yes, it grows… you’re welcome.”

What really sold this for me was how the unhinged energy felt intentional rather than forced. It flowed well, with just enough background to make everything make sense and just enough lead-up to the action to keep you guessing, but not so much that it felt dragged out, especially since this is a retelling.

Also, apparently I’m a holiday novella girl now because this is my third one and at this point I’m fully leaning in. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more holiday novellas to share because if they keep hitting like this, I’m not stopping.

Overall, hilarious, chaotic, spicy and festive. Five stars. No notes. 🎄📚✨