The novel was "How the Grinch Stole My Heart".

I read the Kindle sample and the novel does NOT start out like a Hallmark movie ... more like the now abandoned Skinemax fare. LOL

But this story goes beyond the normal Hallmark fare. It's not about abandoning the city for a small town, saving a business, putting on a Christmas parade/pageant/event, or the girl moving on from a bad boyfriend.

Instead it's a story of a damaged man and a woman mired in a bad divorce. It's a classic antithetical romance, but where the man and woman like each other in person but hate each other remotely. Nice twist. In that way it's a bit like Pillow Talk, except here no one is pretending.

It's a story of recovery and redemption, and it's one we're likely to watch many times in the passing years.

I didn't see any chemistry between the two leads. Add in a precocious little kid, more like a brat. I mean, why does he pick that guys place to kick his soccer ball against? The guy had every right to get upset. The kid just kept coming back. So how did the rabbit get in the guys condo? Why does the guy treat it like a rabid pitbull? What kind of kid sticks a toothpick in the keyhole? How could they not figure out who each other was with the stupid notes. And wow, what kind of money does she have, that's a gorgeous condo. Must have made out like a bandit with the divorce. Certainly couldn't afford it working at a diner. Ok off to watch We Wish You a Married Christmas, I really like the leads in that one.

I just watched this movie, and it was such a satisfying experience. Before I go on, I want to apologize for an earlier review in which I said Natalie Hall can't act. Apparently, that was simply because the movie I was reviewing then - a dopey little nonsensical film called "Fly Away with Me" - gave the actors nothing to work with.

Natalie Hall was great in "Noel Next Door" as a newly divorced mom raising her son. Corey Sevier, who can always be relied upon to give an outstanding performance, went even beyond that in this role. He performance was so true and moving.

I loved the realistic settings of this movie. The romance didn't blossom on a tropical island, on a rugged mountain, or in an ice castle. The pair, unaware that they were neighbors in a condo community, met in a diner, and again in the local drugstore.

The chemistry between the two actors was terrific, and when the character, Noel, told her sister that what she felt for Sevier's character, Jeremy, was not a spark but "a flame," I believed her.

They both played the instant mutual attraction extremely well. (The script and direction were great. There was no coy, goofy, unauthentic stumbling over objects or words. Those scenes in other movies often feel so artificial.)

I loved the true-to-life dialogue and honest reactions of the characters. For instance, when things go terribly awry, (as they must at some point in a Hallmark movie!) Sevier's character goes home and downs a couple of glasses of what appears to be vodka and falls asleep on the couch. Some of us may be teetotalers, but I think most of us can relate to the feelings!

Their difficulties, which involve conflict between Noel's young son and Jeremy (who doesn't realize the boy is her son,) wind up being resolved in a very believable and satisfying way.

I keep using the word "satisfying" because it's so nice to see a romance you can really imagine ordinary people in any community experiencing. No one is a rising sports star or a once-famous author.

This is just an excellent movie. The words that come to mind are: honest, worthy, classic, relatable, moving. You'll love it.