What a fun and entertaining Christmas read! Equal amounts spice and cheese, A Merry Little Meet Cute is the Christmas story you didn’t know you needed!

Things I liked :
* Sex positive
* Plus size rep
* Over the top Christmas themes

While I really wanted to love this one, there was just a few things that fell a little flat for me. I found the story to feel a little bit dragged out in the middle and even though Bee and Nolan had amazing sexual chemistry, I just didn’t quite feel like we got to see their emotional connection as deeply.

If you’re looking for a classic heartfelt Christmas story, this one may not be for you. But, if you are looking for a light and funny Christmas read that’s full of smut then, A Merry Little Meet Cute is exactly what you may be looking for!

Overall the story was a quick and fun holiday read and I did enjoy it!

If you're ever looking for a holiday steamy romance read, then this book is the one. It’s the perfect holiday theme yet steamy romance to read as well. It has the perfect combination. It’s not too steamy from what others are saying. It’s the typical romance book with steamy scenes. It won’t shock you.

Bee is more than ready to change her career path when she gets a big opportunity to film a holiday romance movie that’s not porn. It may shock some people, but Bee is a plus-size porn actress as the main character in this book. I don’t find it shocking. I think everyone is entitled to do what they want as long as they are safe and consensual with each other and with others. And I find it liberally true that Bee wants to step out of her comfort zone and explore other options. It also doesn’t hurt when she gets to co-star with her childhood crush, Nolan.

Nolan has been through the wringer in his personal and professional life. He is more than willing to fix his professional life when he gets a big opportunity to film a holiday romance movie. He just needs to keep his hands to himself. It won’t be easy when his co-star is his favorite porn star online. It’s hard to fight his attraction with her. But he has more at stakes when his mother's health is declining.

4.5 ⭐️ What a combo; Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone have brought out the best of each other with their dynamic duo writing in A Merry Little Meet Cute. This book gave everything I was hoping for with Murphy’s sarcasm and wittiness and Simone’s sexually charged encounters with seamless storytelling. This is also a narrative I have never seen before in a romance, and boy did it deliver! All it takes is the perfect chemistry between two seemingly mismatched leads for the up-and-coming squeaky clean Hope channel’s new holiday movie to get the story moving.
Bee Hobbes, known to her ClosedDoor fans as plus-sized adult film star Bianca von Honey, is cast as the lead in Duke the Halls after a freak accident leaves the movie’s producer (himself a name in the adult film industry) desperate for immediate replacements for the lead amongst other roles. Knowing she will be cast with her boy-band childhood idol and crush Nolan Shaw, Bee is nervous about making a good impression while also keeping her other career tightly under wraps. But unbeknownst to her, Nolan does know who “Bianca” is and has in fact been a paid subscriber to her page for quite awhile.
Nolan himself is attempting to cure his bad boy image by appearing in the super sweet and chaste Hope channel movie after a few incidents have left him without many prospects for a future in singing or acting leaving him without a way to take care of his mother and sister. The dual perspective between Nolan and Bee from their meet-cute all the way up until they each admit who they are to one another is perfection. Bee and Nolan have undeniable attraction for one another, but it’s from over the course of several years and from afar. Seeing them learn about one another as real humans to so well written, taking them beyond their career images.
A Merry Little Meet Cute LIVES in the judgment zone and forces the reader to face his or her own prejudices about the adult film industry and sex workers because Bee defies any preconceived notions a reader could possibly have. Likewise, Nolan’s whole career has been in the spotlight and the reader is asked to consider how we judge everything read in the media about those who live in the limelight. But this book does not dwell on tough topics because it is so funny! The town of Christmas Notch is a nod to all things ridiculously Christmas, the staffing and production team for Duke the Halls is a combination of porn crew meets Hallmark-like casting, and there are so many tongue-in-cheek adult references that just made me laugh out loud. Will Bee and Nolan be able to make this movie without anyone finding their little secrets? Will they be able to act on their physical attraction without ruining the movie’s squeaky clean image? Readers will delight in this sweet, sexy, laugh-out-loud story that will definitely put you in the Christmas Spirit. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. And a big thanks to Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone for teaming up to write this fun Christmasy story.

A merry little meet cute sounds so cute and sweet, and while there are some cute and sweet moments it’s also a lot more intense than the title suggests. This romance is hot, heavy, and will have you fanning yourself.

I think if you loved The Roommate you would love this book. I loved the body positive, sex positive aspects, and even the disaster bisexual reps (their words not mine), and these two are just so hot and steamy together! While set up like a Christmas book and even at Christmas time, you could truly read this anytime!

In A Merry Little Meet Cute, a plus-size adult film star is accidentally cast in a wholesome Christmas movie alongside a former bad-boy pop star attempting to revamp his image. Both are trying to stay out of trouble (Bee so that her career as a porn star is not found out by the family friendly network and Nolan so that he can have the image reset he is hoping for), but as sparks fly between them, it becomes harder and harder to hide their romance from others.

I loved the message behind this of owning your sexuality, and that everyone (not just those who fit a wholesome mold) deserves a magical Christmas and love. Talk about an empowering and feminist take on those holiday movies from a certain channel that we all know and (at least I) love. I loved all of the important topics this tackled: not jist sex positivity but also body positivity, mental health, tabloids, and biphobia. Each of these topics was handled with such care and really added to the story.

The romance was amazing…so steamy and the chemistry between Bee and Nolan was off the charts. And they had some very sweet moments together as well. I loved them as a couple and how they each fangirled and fanboyed over each other in their own ways.

This was another winner to keep in mind for your holiday reads this year!

Thanks to Avon Books for the advance copy!

This was such a cute holiday romance, but don't let that and the cool have you fooled! This one has its steamy moments. I enjoyed seeing how all of this played out. The pining for your celebrity crush part was so entertaining when these two ending up working together! This was just a fun holiday read and I'm glad I picked it up. I will probably do a reread in December!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) (I just want all my friends to be ready for a little interaction with the porn industry but not much really).

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Let’s just say steamy, spicy holiday romcom! If that’s your thing, I bet you’ll want this!
🤩 Lusty steam in all the right places and yet all the other feels too—laughs, love, and longing.
🤩 Christmas movie making setting—Christmas Notch, Vermont is holiday romcom paradise.
🤩 Two worlds collide: the adult film industry and the clean holiday film industry.
🤩 Plus a bit of a third world: celebrity trope! Nolan is a former bad-boy pop star.
🤩 Unique, fun, and funny side characters. One of my few book highlights gives a spectacular sneak peek of this: “He nodded vigorously. “Oh, Uncle Ray—Teddy—has already been very clear that if I am to do costuming for Duke the Balls that I have to be, like, as vanilla as an insurance adjuster.” I giggled as his forehead tightened with confusion. “Oh. I thought that—you do know it’s called Duke the Halls and not Duke the Balls, right?””
🤩 The love and care these MCs have for and from their families is the perfect heart for heading into the holiday season.
🤩 Gorgeous (inside and out) plus-sized representation from our female MC Bee Hobbes.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Absolutely Nothing! Except, I do wish I had more notes. It was the perfect back-to-work week escape from stress. I read it in bed every night that week and so—no notes.
🤩 It will be the perfect holiday season escape you need!

Oh my gosh, I ADORED this book. It’s the perfect combination of spice and character. The idea of a porn studio producing a certain kind of Christmas romance movie (you know what I’m talking about) is brilliant. It’s hilarious and I loved Bee and Nolan. They absolutely spark together and it’s a joy to read. It talks about sex work, the double standards of fame, celebrity in the digital age, and fatness in the public eye. This is the holiday raunch-com.

I’m usually not a fan of insta-love romances, but this one was really cute. This book had a lot of funny and steamy moments. I really enjoyed the queer and plus size representation. This didn’t really feel like a Christmas-y story, or was a story that happened to take place during Christmas. Overall, a fun read and I’m excited for this series to expand. Thank you Net Galley and Avon for this ARC.

Do not let the cover deceive you because this book is in the naughty list. Like seriously, I came here expecting cute Christmas romcom, and this was everything but that.

Now, here's why I rated it 3 stars. The first half of the book was amazing. I loved the jokes, the chaos, the banter, and overall, everything. It was a bit spicier than what I'm used to, but I was ok with that. The second half was a different story. It changed to a slower pace, the banter was barely there, and basically the things I liked were gone. Another thing is that there is a particular scene (that I will not spoil), that made me uncomfortable and I had to skip that.

But, I have to admit that I loved the diverse characters, the talk about body image, the descriptions of the scenery, the whole Christmas atmosphere.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Thanks to the publisher for the complimentary hard-copy ARC & the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone *is* very very cute (sorry) & just an overall positive read where people support & love each other. Then factor in the steam (sex in a church, anyone?) & you have something that is wholesome & love affirming & also pretty darn dirty.

Adult performer Bee Hobbes is offered the chance to act in a Christmas Hallmark-ish movie but she has to be careful that no one realizes she’s actually adult film star Bianca von Honey.

But her costar & former boy band member Nolan Shaw recognizes her right away bc he’s a huge fan.

He keeps her secret & when the sparks finally ignite, the book went up in flames & I grabbed my fire extinguisher .

The steam in this book is stellar. But I think what really makes the book stand out for me is how much respect the leads have for each other, their total lack of judgement, their support for each other’s goals & wishes, & just how harmonious they are, in bed & out.

It really felt to me like this couple is going to go the distance.

The support didn’t just extend to the leads either. There are so many loving secondary characters, so many people rooting our precious & libido-happy leads on.

Other things I love? Their confidence & maturity, the body positivity, the bisexual rep, how you can tell how much Nolan has grown since his boy band days (but how he still likes to have fun), & the funny mix-up when the other adult film employees show up to work the Hallmark-ish movie set.

This is a great time!

4.5⭐️. Out 09/20.

CWs: a former revenge porn attempt. Some fatphobic members of porn community. Reference to a previous death. Mother is bipolar.

[ID: a white woman wearing a red dress holds the book in a greenhouse.]

This book will tick very many boxes for many different readers making it a must read.

A Merry Little Meet Cute is a fabulous balance of romcom hilarity and super hot interaction between the main characters.

Not only do we have an exciting storyline with eclectic characters but we have positive representation of many minority groups, most especially our plus size, porn star FMC.

Centred around the making of a Christmas movie, this is highly readable. However, don't be surprised by the missing sickly sweet, matching sweaters holiday cheer. It's so much more than the picture that this evokes.

A must read for anyone who likes hawt humour!

**4.5 stars** I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this read!

This was the most funny, heartfelt romcom I have read in so long.

Why did I love this?
Bee was a plus size character and the inclusion was written so well. Plus both the FMC and the MMC were bisexual.

The stakes were high for both main characters in this book but the joy and cheer of being surrounded by Christmas in Christmas Notch, Vermont was felt through all the tension.

It was honestly the most wholly enjoyable book I’ve read in a while.

I loved the chemistry between Nolan and Bee. And the spice was just so amazing.

This book is perfection. I adored the way it handled plus size, bisexual, and sex worker positive representation while still being enduring and Christmas sweet. This combo of authors is an instant must read for me from now on!

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed this book! It had a really unique storyline and it sucked me right in. The book was a fun spin on a holiday book/Hallmark-Esque movie with a former boy band member and an adult film star. I also love the former/child celebrity crush trope in a book and this did it well. Bee and Nolan had a lot of chemistry and I was very invested in their relationship.

I really loved Bee’s character. She was so unapologetically herself. It was so great to see positive plus-size representation in a romance book. Nolan was a man obsessed before he even met Bee, which I love to see. I loved seeing the relationship he had with his family as well. The side characters also added a lot to the story and I hope we may get to see more of them in future books.

Knowing the conflict of their relationship, I was just waiting for it to all blow up and I feel that it could have happened a bit earlier so that we got to see more of Bee and Nolan in a relationship post-conflict.

This is a fun book set in a Christmas themed town where a Christmas film is being made. Think Hallmark or Lifetime movie, and a quaint New England town.

This wasn't the same as every other Christmas romance book, which made it even more enjoyable to me. These authors are perfection on their own, and together? MORE PLEASE.

I'm going to need to know what happens with Kallum, and Isaac, and especially Teddy & Steph!

Will definitely read more if this becomes a series.

Spicy. Like 3 1/2 peppers worth.

Oh! And I loved the reference to the Monks of New Skete. I was impressed that I got it. ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Short Review: Body positivity, embracing your sexuality, and a little bit of Christmas magic. Seriously, what's not to like? All the stars.

"...I love you in the dark. I love you in the light. I love you everywhere."

Long Review: What else can I say? I loved this sweet little book. I loved the message that no matter who you are, how you look, where you came from, or the mistakes you made, you are an amazing human who MATTERS. Not to mention, the chemistry between Bee and Nolan is so sizzling hot I don't recommend reading this book at a busy airport ;). Phew. The sexual tension is real, people.

Get this one on your holiday MUST READ LIST.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥

This is not your typical love story.

Bianca Von Honey has been given a new assignment. She is to star in a feel-good historical holiday romance that involves time traveling on the Hope Channel. Definitely a change of pace for the curvy beauty who normally works in the adult film industry. The only drawback to this change is that she must keep her current job and identity a secret, thus creating Bee Hobbes, up-and-coming Hollywood starlet.

What she did not bank on is being paired with Nolan Shaw, the former member of boy band INK and Bee's childhood idol.

Nolan has his own set of secrets. He is struggling to make a comeback to provide for his mom and sister, and he is on thin ice with his manager because of his bad boy image. This movie is his last chance, so he is vowed to celibacy. Unfortunately for him, the woman of his closed-door fantasies is now his leading lady. Can he keep his vow, and can Bee keep her secret?

This is definitely not your regular celebrity secret romance. I absolutely enjoyed the body positivity and the unconventional road to a happily ever after. Bee is definitely a boss. I love her confidence and self-awareness. I adore that Nolan embraces that completely and wholeheartedly. Their chemistry was on par; it felt natural for two people who have adored each other from afar prior to their actual meeting.

There were a few things that took me away from the full experience. For two sex-positive people, this was not quite as spicy as I expected. Their scenes seemed more aligned with the Hope Channel, which is unfortunate. I also found that it was hard to follow Nolan's drama because there was a lot going on and I felt like it required some mental gymnastics to get everything sorted out.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone, Avon and Harper, and Netgalley for providing an ARC. **

A VERY MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE – Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-063-22257-1
September 20, 2022
Romantic Comedy

Christmas Notch, Vermont – Present Day

Teddy, a porn movie producer, is trying to shift his career to mainstream television movie making, but his first project is in danger of not being made after his lead actress and other crew members suffer accidents that sideline them from filming. Desperately needing a lead actress for a film that starts shooting in 48 hours, Teddy enlists the services of his leading porn star, Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey), and orders her to Vermont. But she must not tell anyone on the set what she really does, or Teddy might lose the contract he has with the squeaky-clean Hope Channel.

Bee enjoys her job as an adult star and is very popular on the fan site which is similar to OnlyFans. Flying out to Vermont for the movie gig, she’s looking forward to taking her career in a different direction, especially since the male lead opposite her will be none other than former boy band member Nolan Shaw, her teenage fan crush. But Bee is warned by Teddy that she can’t reveal to anyone, including Nolan, who she really is. Filming starts out great, including a hot kiss between the two stars, but Nolan soon reveals to Bee that he knows who she is—and that he is one of her biggest fans.

Nolan is trying to rehab his sunken career to help support his mother and sister. But he needs a squeaky-clean rehab after his bad boy antics ruined his music career and income. If the Hope Channel finds out that Bee is Bianca, a popular porn actress, they will torpedo the movie. After Nolan let it slips to her that he knows who she really is, they both agree to keep it a secret—but they can’t stop the mutual attraction that is brewing between them. As readers suspect, secrets have a way of coming out into the open.

There are multiple characters in A VERY MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE that helps make it a funny tale, but it is the main characters, Bee and Nolan, who make it work. Bee is unabashed about her porn career. Even while in Vermont, she continues to make and upload videos that are available to her fans. At first, she doesn’t realize that Nolan is one of her subscribers until he accidentally blurts it out. The fact that he knows who she is only turns her on even more. Her teenage crush likes what he sees in her! It doesn’t take long before they’re sharing a few illicit kisses…and more. Can they keep their affair a secret? Teddy had warned Bee that she would be blacklisted if she got into any sexual escapades while filming the movie. They are walking a tightrope.

A VERY MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE is a fun romp that seems like it could be part of a movie. Bee is a plus-sized porn star and loves sex. Nolan isn’t the bad boy despite his reputation. He is, however, one to be protective of others, including his mother and sister. Getting the leading man part in the movie will hopefully lead to more “clean” roles. But discovering that the producer and lead female star are from the “dirty industry” has him worrying about what will happen if the press finds out. But his attraction to Bee may end up “outing” the whole movie. Will that happen? Find out by picking up a copy of A VERY MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE.

Patti Fischer

A sweet fun romance that I just loved! A perfect feel good read on a dreary day! Always a huge fan of sierra Simone!