3.5 stars
I should have know how spicy this was gonna be considered Sierra Simone is a co-author. I did not anticipate all that spice!! Multiple scenes, decent length, VERY explicit.

Intriguing storyline, no epic plot. Characters did not get exposed like I had guessed- somewhat anticlimactic.

Several aspects that I appreciated being represented (body positivity, sex work, bisexuality, gay/lesbian).

I am curious about what happens to multiple characters after this book. I get the feeling there will be more from these characters.
Definitely more from Julie and Sierra (they have a website now).

Some parts might be considered unnecessary to the overall plot. Book is slightly longer than I think it needs to be.

Complete story with HEA.

18+ always check content warnings

Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this digital ARC.

A Merry Little Meet Cute was an INSTANT cover request for me - the art style is just so elegantly and prettily illustrated that I knew I wanted to read it. Once I learned it was a collaboration between Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, I became even more excited to pick it up! I’m so glad that I did because it was such a wonderful (and spicy!) holiday romance!

This book is just so much fun. You have a Hallmark-esque movie being made by undercover porn stars and a reformed bad boy - what else could you want? The setting’s proximity forced our characters to get to know each other quickly and, while insta-lust sometimes bothers me, it worked so well here. I was rooting so hard for Nolan and Bee the entire time. They had incredible chemistry from their very first scene together and it just amplified from there. I loved Nolan’s character development throughout the book and him continuing to learn how to balance being himself and being who his family/agent need him to be. And Bee is one of my favorite heroines - she’s confident, sexy as hell, sex-positive, and unapologetically fat.

I ended up having a really good time with this book and I can’t wait to see what else this author duo comes up with. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

These 2 creative and kinky authors collaborated beautifully to bring us this early Christmas present!
Sizzling hot, kinky and super sweet, this fun read had smart sexy characters with so much chemistry, I thought the pages were gonna set on fire.
This is a fun read rom com with tons of steam, and a healthy dose of body positivity!!
Ho-ho-ho!

4.5 stars! This has to be the funnest book I’ve read this year! The story was incredibly original and surprisingly emotional, full of great characters and inclusivity. I adored how fiercely Nolan loved his family and how protective he was of them. Full of amazing wit and banter, this was the perfect amount of cheesy and had incredibly explosive spice. Loved every bit of this book! *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

'A Merry Little Meet Cute' is a perfect mix of sexy, sweet and heartwarming. The set up of our main characters as a former boy-band member and a secret adult film star is immediately fun and tropey. Set against the backdrop of a Hallmark-esque holiday film, it's very much heartwarming but with so much additional sexiness, which is what I expect of both authors and they absolutely delivered. Truly delightful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ever wanted a book that is Hallmark channel wholesome with a generous helping of Bellesa style socially conscious, body positive raunch? A book that is sweet and sinful and emotional and smexy and wonderfully silly through it all? If yes, this book is your guy. We all love sugary sweet holiday movies with guaranteed if impossible HEAs (okay, I don’t really) but what do we think about scorching hot, sex positive raunchcoms with healthy queer rep where everyone (or almost) is delightfully, unselfconsciously slvtty? We love them, duh!

Bee (my second heroine named Bee in a row, what a weird little coincidence) is a plus sized bi goddess with a lucrative ClosedDoors (ahem) account and a successful career as an ~adult movie~ star. And our girl’s about to get a chance to…umm diversify her filmography with a lead role in the next Hopeflix holiday hit. You’d think there’s no way the twain shall meet, but you’d be surprised. Nolan is a boy band has been, with many a shenanigans and debauchery behind him and a desperate need to turn over a new leaf. Also a bi icon. Both of them need this break for their careers for different yet equally compelling reasons, but what happens when that need is derailed by a greater need for each other?

He’s her childhood celebrity crush, and he’s also her biggest fan. Neither can keep their eyes, or hands off each other, and thus begins a memorable few weeks of Christmas mayhem. These two are combustible together, but you knew that since Ms Simone is involved. Both her and Ms Murphy are formidable writers on their own, and together they’re a rip roaring delight. We are introduced to a big cast of characters, all a little bit crazy and a whole lot of fun. Some of them I hope will get books of their own, but obviously, obviously I have a great need for sad boy Isaac’s book. I am who I am.

It’s like a Hallmark movie and a smut book had a baby and this is what the result was. I loved it!! I have read books by both authors, so wasn’t sure how this would all come together, but it did - in one pretty little wrapped package and a shiny bow on top! The setting was so cozy and idyllic. It truly set the scene and was the perfect background to our fun-loving and adorable characters, Bee and Nolan. I had such a fun time reading this, I didn’t ever want it to end. The chemistry was off the charts, Murphy’s cute and sweet writing mixed with the wonderfully steamy style of Simone created the perfect holiday Rom-Com that would fit in with any Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie!

I love Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy, and their first book together s no exception. Merry Little Meet Cute has Julie’s sweetness and Sierra’s steam.

I love both Nolan and Bee. I also loved the setting. I love Hallmark Christmas movies, so how could I not? There were many great things in this book, like a fat female main character working in porn. While trying to hide her porn past to be more of a mainstream actress on the Hope Channel, I loved that Bee was never ashamed of her work. Instead, she was proud of what she did and loved the confidence it gave her. Merry Little Meet Cute was a fat and sex-positive book, and I loved that!

Nolan, however, was trying for some major image rehab, and though it took me a bit to w3arm to him, I loved how he saw Bee. Getting Nolan’s POV, as well as Bee’s, really made this book for me. We quickly saw that he was a nice guy but that people expected the worst from him.

I did feel like the story was maybe a little too down out. I know we have to set the stage, but the other shoe had to drop sometime, and I would have liked to have dropped a little sooner. Other than that, though, this was a fun read!

•”Will I only ever be a fantasy to you?”•

Ok first off, the characters in this book are fantastic! Loved their personalities, the humor each brings and how each new character is introduced. The main characters, Bee and Nolan, are wonderful as well. Bee’s progression of finding her self worth as the book proceeds was by far my favorite part. She’s already a strong character but seeing her grow stronger was perfect. The concept of a former pop star was one that drew me in right away, as I of course had my own crushes on boy band members growing up so I loved that element of it. Nolan was perfect in that and I loved that HE loved how much Bee was a fan of his lol.

Great book, spice factor is HOT! Would definitely recommend.

I'm going to preface this review by saying that:
A) I typically go into a book blind
B) I've never read a Sierra Simone book, and
C) the only book I read from Julie Murphy was her YA If the Shoe Fits.
As such, I had zero expectations of the amount of steam and a heroine moonlighting as a hallmark sweetheart away from her normal job as an adult actress. But, really, with that cover, can I really be at fault?? Yes, I'm laughing at myself right now. Covers these days rarely seem to hint at the level of sweet or steam.
I don't think this book is necessarily steamier than any other in it's subgenre, however the constant barrage and mentions of it makes it seem so. The most interesting point to this story is that both MCs were so convinced they wouldn't be caught. Yes, I'm smirking at this too.
I loved that the heroine, Bee, is a plus-sized woman full of confidence and charisma. That alone had me rooting for her and hoping her attempts would be successful living a double life on camera. Her vivacious personality was such a highlight!
Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

4.5 stars I received an eARC for this book, but I decided to buy the audio and the hardback book (at the authors' book signing!!) I listened to the audio when it came out on Sept 20th, then finished up reading and listening. I'm so happy that they did a dual POV. The story was so good with Nolan and Bee's own voices.
Bee is plus size but is way more confident than Nolan.
Nolan has a lot going on at home with his mom and sister. He gets overwhelmed at times.
Somehow I knew that I would like this RomCom. There's some serious issues to think about and talk about. Bee is a porn actress that gets cast in a mainstream TV Christmas movie. Nolan is a former bad boy -boy band start who's trying to make a come back after a sex scandal involving a much beloved Olympic athlete.
Joy Nash narrates for Bee (YES, I said Joy Nash !!) Sebastian York narrates for Nolan.
The supporting characters are funny. I did have trouble keeping up at first, but did get them straight after a while. I would love to read/listen to this again. I'm so glad that I have the book and audio.
The ending and epilogue felt natural to their characters.
This cover makes it seem like a Christmas book, but this is a character driven any time of the year story .

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, Julie Murphy, and Sierra Simone for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

This was definitely one steamy book! It was a quick, easy read with likable characters. I liked that it was sex and body-positive. I have been a Julie Murphy fan because of her young adult/middle grade books, so this was definitely a departure from what I've come to expect from her. This is more like a fun vacation read.

** Thank to Netgallery and the publishers for a free review copy for review. All opinions my own. **
Julie Murphy is one of my favourite authors. And this book was absolutely brilliant and I love Sierra Simone's smutty scenes.

The fat-positive, mental health rep, and sex positive rep was AMAZING. There needs to be more books like this, and I absolutely loved it. I hope there will be another story in this universe with another couple because that would be amazing.

Overall, I was able to finish this book in 2 days, and it was such a great read, even during spooky season as Christmas books don't have a place right now.

Highly recommend. I will be looking into Simone's books too as well to see if I am interested!

What happens when a plus-size adult film star lands the lead role in a squeaky clean Hallmark-esque holiday movie opposite a former boy-bander trying to rehabilitate his bad-boy image? You get a 𝗔 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗖𝗨𝗧𝗘, a romcom that's a lot less "Holly, jolly Christmas" and a whole lot more "Horny, porny Christmas" and I mean that in the best way possible.

Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone have created a laugh-out-loud, sex- and body-positive story that I'm sure will offend some readers (the title and cover don't exactly prepare you for what's to come) but it's as nice as it is naughty (and it definitely gets naughty!). I loved every page of this heartwarming and seriously steamy book which features thoroughly believable leads and a quirky cast of secondary characters whom I wish could each get their own book. I hope this duo plan on collaborating again soon because I haven't had this much fun getting to a happy ending in a while (pun intended).

Thanks to Avon Books for the copy to review.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, Julie Murphy, and Sierra Simone for this ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Who doesn't love a book about a Christmas movie? The premise of this book is unlike anything I have read before. I mean Bee Hobbs is a porn star and is now making family-friendly Christmas movies! She is cast along side her celebrity crush, Nolan Shaw. And let me tell you, their chemistry is AMAZING! I also loved and appreciated the body positivity. This is such a good book. A steamy Christmas book is exactly what I needed.

2.5* rounded up

Since this was about 200 pages longer than it should have been and really didn’t grab my attention, I’m not going to waste time crafting a well-written review. In no particular order, here are my thoughts on this forgettable book.

Interesting, albeit very far-fetched, premise, but a little slow start and never got up to speed.

I like the body positivity angle and support for sex workers, but struggled with the idea that two people who are looking for ways to restore or expand their career options would constantly put themselves (and an entire movie production) at risk to satisfy their lust. It speaks to both characters’ immaturity that they couldn’t keep their hands off each other for a 2-week shoot.

Totally unrealistic to think that they’d be able to get away with hiding their connection to the porn industry, foolishly thinking that viewers of a Hallmark-like movie channel wouldn’t also be porn fans. Between that and Nolan’s past experience with a nasty celebrity gossip columnist, did they really think they’d avoid exposure?

The reaction Bee, Nolan, and Teddy received from the director and screenwriter was unrealistic. Despite personal feelings, movie-making is expensive, and I’d assume that those in charge would do anything to protect their investment. In the same vein, it was also ridiculous that Nolan’s choice to answer his phone during filming was tolerated, especially since the director didn’t know the reason behind it, nor should it matter. Nolan was really self-sabotaging, yet he got away with it.

Given that one of the co-authors is Sierra Simone, I expected a really deep, passionate connection between the protagonists, but their relationship was really just surface-level and lacking sexual tension. The plot wasn’t strong enough to support the too frequent, somewhat tepid, monotonous sex scenes.

Is there a reason that the epilogue focused on Teddy? Seems so random, especially since scenes like this are often used to set the stage for a sequel, but Teddy and Steph make a very odd and not particularly appealing couple.

Overall, this was a big disappointment, especially coming from 2 authors I generally enjoy.

This book was great and so full of steam and hilarity that I couldn’t put it down. Sierra Simone has, once again, proven why she is a one click author for me. This was such a fun and spicy holiday story with hysterical laugh out loud moments.

Bee Hobbs is a plus-size adult entertainer that goes by the name Bianca Von Honey and has just been given her fist shot at a mainstream movie career with the Hope Channels latest feel-good Christmas flick. Nolan Shaw is ex-boyband and bad boy trying to rehab his career and Bee’s teen crush. He immediately recognizes Bee as her number one fan and subscriber. With all the heat and desire between the two it’s harder to stay family-friendly off set and are soon sneaking off together. With the outside forces threatening to expose both Bee and Nolan they have to decide if the feelings they each have towards each other are truly worth their future careers.

This book was such a fun take on the traditional holiday rom com and I hope we get to see more of these characters in the future. These characters (though fictional and celebrities) were the kind of people you would want hang within real life … maybe at The North Pole *wink* Both Nolan and Bee know who they are and (for the most part) are comfortable with themselves and I love that. Bee is beautiful, funny, and has a heart of gold while Nolan is absolutely stunned by her.

When I saw this book was set in (fictional) Christmas Notch, Vermont I knew I had to read this one as I love (IRL) Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont and I was not disappointed. Everything about this cute Christmas themed Vermont town is adorable and funny. I went into this book blind and hadn’t read either of the authors before. And I was pleasantly surprised, the book was not overly christmassy - the characters are actually more or less supposed to miss Christmas because of the shooting schedule for a new Christmas movie and have a Christmas backdrop. Both main characters are trying to pivot their careers and both try to not have their past overshadow the wholesome family Christmas movie they are shooting but Bee the female main character is actually a female porn star and Nolan has a boy band background that took a nosedive after a scandal so now everything needs to be scandal free but the attraction between the two is palpable … can they make it work without destroying their chance to infuse their careers with something new and different.
This book was very sex positive, read steamy, and very body positive - it was great to see.

Essentially this book follows Noah Shaw, former boy band member who got a real reputation for being a bad boy, and Bee Hobbs, also known as Bianca Von Honey, famous porn star, as they try to keep a squeaky clean image while filming a traditional Christmas movie in a super cute and Christmas-y town in Vermont. Challenging their need to keep things squeaky clean is the fact that they are extremely attracted to one another.

I really enjoyed A Merry Little Meet Cute. The plus size representation was an utter delight. I loved how Noah was so attracted to Bee and that he was into her even before meeting her in person. I loved the big gesture in this book, when so often they don't work for me, because it really felt like an appropriately sized response based on the precipitating need for it. I loved the Hallmark vibes of this Christmas movie the two of them were filming. I cannot wait for more from Murphy and Simone in this universe because I think that they will all be delightful. Also the sheer amount of queer representation was really great and lovely. I really hope both of the other boy band members find love in the next books!!

This book absolutely blew my mind, stole my heart, made me chuckle like a maniac and left me in dire need of an ice-cold drink as I was swooning. Sinfully clever and wickedly smart, Bee and Nolan's story is an effervescent blend of charming, cute, sweet, funny, dramatic, fiery and heart melting that you might be inclined to think simply can't work but trust me it does beautifully, and all with a sassy, tongue-in-cheek attitude that I found just plain irresistible! It might not be the holiday season yet but start celebrating early and treat yourself to this fun romance because you totally deserve it.