DNF at 20%

I think this was a me problem, not a problem with the book. There’s a lot going on in this book with the FMC being an adult film star with an OnlyFans-esque account unexpectedly cast in a wholesome holiday movie and keeping that side of herself under wraps and the MMC being an ex-boy band star caught up in a sex scandal and trying to change the narrative by doing this movie. You’d think all of these things would be enough to keep my interest but I was bored. Neither of the main characters captured my attention and the side characters were a LOT, especially the ones from the adult film world trying (unsuccessfully) to keep their work experience to themselves.

I kept abandoning this, trying to come back to it and not succeeding. So, instead of being miserable and pushing through, I decided to call it quits.

Rating: Loved It, 4.5

A Merry Little Meet Cute is an adult, holiday romance novel in which Nolan, a washed up, bad-boy, pop star, and Bee, a plus-size, porn star, both attempt to make a new beginning for themselves on a squeaky clean Hallmark-esque Christmas movie. Obviously, romance ensues.

I thought that this had the potential to be so fun, so I requested it, and it honestly was so much better than I expected. I think that what surprised me was the depth of the characters underneath the funny rom-com type packaging. It gave me the Hallmark movie vibes I came to it for, but didn't have the super cheesy aspect of those that make me groan. The characters were really well-written in my opinion. I will say that they did read somewhat similar, and there was one time where I went into the chapter and had turned the page before I realized that we were in the opposite person's head. But honestly, that didn't bother me too much because I thought both characters were funny and it was entertaining to be in their heads.

The subplot where we examined each character's motivation for breaking into the Christmas move market was the best part of the story in my opinion. Nolan's mom is revealed to have bipolar disorder, and after their dad died things got really difficult for the family. She has difficulty finding medication to manage her disorder for long periods of time, and the balancing of the meds is really difficult. There is a conversation between Nolan and his mom in which they talk about the guilt that she feels in being able to be productive some of the time but not hold a job. And this really resonated with me and my family's situation. I thought it was a lovely moment and honestly is probably what bumped it up from a 4 to a 4.5 star read.

And then I loved how diverse this book was both our MCs are bisexual, Bee has lesbian mothers, many of her friends are queer, Bee herself is fat, and none of these characters were reduced to that single element about them. They just happened to be fat and queer and living their best life. There was a plot point around some of it, but it was never the sole basis of the plot.

The spice: I was somewhat taken aback at first by how explicit some of it was, but I realized that I signed myself up for that. It ended up being so fun. I enjoyed how sex positive it was, and I thought that it was a perfect level of spice. Side note: I'm not sure if this is a typical romance thing, but I HAAAAAATE when they say things like "I want to taste your sex". Like I feel like that just makes things weird. But other than that, definitely enjoyed it.

Overall, I loved this book and would definitely reread at some point. I highly recommend if you're looking for a fun, holiday romance that has a good amount of spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. A Merry Little Meet Cute releases on September 20, 2022.

#AMerryLittleMeetCute:⁣
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Thank you so much @avonbooks and @harperaudio for the gifted copies. ⁣
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“I learned that love was sticking around and believing in someone even when it felt impossible”⁣
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I know I promised I wouldn’t post a lot of holiday reads until Oct, but I’m sorry, this just CANNOT wait. A Merry Little Meet Cute is everything. The book gods realized how mediocre August was and decided to bless me with banger after banger. AMLMC bangs harder (pun intended) than Rudolph’s hooves on the roof.⁣
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We have Bee (adult film star) and Nolan (ex boyband bad boy) starring in a Hallmark type holiday movie. They’re both holding secrets as to why they need this film to go off without a hitch. They’re both big fans of each other (Nolan’s posters are on Bee’s wall.. Nolan is a loyal subscriber at the Honey Pot level of Bianca von Honey’s ClosedDoors account) Should they pine for their new co-worker, or keep it strictly professional?⁣
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This book had my tinsel in a tangle with its grip y’all. I loved all the characters and just wanted a HEA so bad. Their chemistry, the banter, the sex positivity, body positivity, mental health rep, all of it was amazing. I did the audio when the kids weren’t around and Joy Nash/Sebastian York combo was perfect. They delivered on pacing and emotion, along with the grit in the smut scenes. Highly recommend, but make sure you’ve got headphones just in case 😉⁣
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Listen, the way I want all of these characters to have a book is a tribute to the writing. Give me a novella of Isaac and Brooklyn before, I want Kallum, Sunny, and Angel to alllll have books. ⁣
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Yes, there are “people who liked cheerful holiday shit and unabashed raunch” peoples is me, I am peoples. This book was made for me. This might be… wait for it.. the first 5 golden rings (you have to sing it) of 2022. 10000% #MellieClaus approved. A Merry Little Meet Cute is out 9/20!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Sierra & Julie’s team for hooking me up with my first Christmas-themed ARC!

RATING: 4.75/5 SEXY SUGAR PLUMS

I knew getting my hands on an ARC of this book would make my summer. Truly, nothing sounds better than reading a Christmas book in August when all I want is a little snow. Sierra Simone is one of my very favorites and Julie’s book Dumplin’ became the Netflix comfort movie of my dreams and feeds my Dolly Parton-loving soul. It’s safe to say that when this collab was announced, I was all-in without knowing more than the basics.

Hallmark movies hold a very special, gooey place in my heart. The concept of an adult film actress starring opposite an ex-boyband member in a purely-PG TV film is obviously not what you’ll see on their channel, but I prefer some spice with my sugar so…

Bee and Nolan know each other, but they’ve never actually met. He’s a fan and avid subscriber to her work, and she still has posters of his teenage face in her childhood bedroom. The meet-cute is indeed very cute (I’m a huge sucker for a mutual crush that is so strong that both people are just completely decimated by it) as the pair are forced together on a tight filming deadline- set to film all through the big holiday.

Bee wants to try out mainstream work, and the opportunity she’s gotten is one she couldn’t expect or prepare for. Keeping her Bianca von Honey alter-ego under wraps is the only kink in her plan. Nolan, once a big-time singer with a bad-boy image, has fallen from grace and needs this chance to repair his image once and for all. These motivations are pretty titillating to someone like me who is constantly reading life-or-death situation books and stress-drinking iced coffee, because it’s believable and yet the audience knows they can work it out.

I had a wonderful time reading this book- from the cozy setting to the sizzling corset scene (you’ll know the one), the authors knew how to make the two characters connect and then deepen that physical connection. I was really intrigued by all the characters’ interactions, from the main couple to the sidekicks that I’m hoping to see more of in the next book. My only gripe is not getting to know them juuuust a little more, but I’m very much a character-driven-and-obsessed reader and Sierra Simone eternally spoiled me with the Thornchapel series (if she sees this review I hope she knows I sobbed when I finished the series because I was “leaving my friends,” as I told my girlfriend who was seriously concerned).

TLDR: Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone really brought me ALL the gingerbread lube-vibes I could ever want in one book. For someone who loves tension and emotional torture in my romances, this book was such a great relief for my brain and my heart. Definitely can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series!

This is a super lovely, sexy and thoughtful twist on a holiday romance. Nolan is trying to rehab his bad boy boy band member image, and Bee is trying to break into mainstream movies from her successful porn career, and they both need to play it cool and keep secrets to do it. And that never works.

Highlights:
Bee is a gorgeous, fat woman with a successful online platform plus many movies to her pornstar name, and she is prepared to deal with with the rejection of Nolan and others based on her body and her background. She loves herself and her body, but she knows how cruel people could be, and in a sexy twist, Nolan is one of her top tier subscribers. Her being his literal dream girl is so fun, especially because as he gets to know her, she becomes a real person with depth that he comes to love.

Nolan is trying to clean up his image so he can make enough money to support his mom, who has bipolar disorder, and his teenage sister. Bills are coming in, and his local job just isn’t cutting it. He loves them so deeply, and worries about being so far away from them for the filming, but makes it clear that his mom is incredible, doesn’t deserve anyones pity, and he is proud to be her son.

The Christmas town setting in Vermont is fun, and the mix of movie magic space and small town that caters to that is charming. Throw in some porn industry wardrobe, gaffers, and other crew members mixed in with the wholesome production company and there are some very funny moments.

Overall, I liked this one a whole lot, it’s charming and makes some great points about a lot of different topics. It was missing something that I can’t define that would have popped it up to 5 stars for me, but I still highly recommend it.

I am looking forward to listening to the audiobook, "A Merry Little Meet Cute" by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. I am a huge fan of Julie Murphy's other books. Since I was gifted the audiobook on Netgalley, I will post my review for the title on that Title Feedback. Thank you, thank you!

This was such a fun, spicy holiday romance! I love reading romances with fat MCs and Bee didn't disappoint. I can't count the number of times I literally laughed out loud!

I have enjoyed Julie Murphy's books in the past but I think this one just wasn't for me. It was just little too much for me who went in expecting a cute, cozy Christmas novel. (I hate having to give stars on this one and wish there was a Amy Poehler-esque Good for You, Not for Me button to hit.)

A steamy Christmas book that could be read year-round!

For a book about with a porn-star protagonist, this book wasn't very sensual. There is plenty of sex, but it's mostly on the periphery. Most of the adult content comes from the jokes and the characters' back story.

The writing was super clever and witty. I laughed so often that I can confidently classify this as a true rom-com.

I loved the intelligent conversations and outlook about sex work and adult actors. So refreshing.

Our main couple were fans of each other's work before they ever met in real life, and I like that.

The main drawback for me was the grand gesture. This is a very specific pet peeve of mine, but I dislike when the protagonists are celebrities and they do a grand gesture, it doesn't work for me. Public grand gestures are rough generally anyway. That moment needed to be more private, since most of the conflict between the two characters was their public persona and image.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly September New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺-𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘻?"

Fair warning, my friends: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 😂

A RECIPE FOR A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE:
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1 part plus-size adult film star
1 part former bad-boy boy bander
2 cups of wholesome Christmas movie about a Duke and a time traveling kindergarten teacher
A dash of close proximity
A HEAPING mound of spice 🌶
A scoop of bi-sexuality
And 1 Happy Ending (pun intended)

But in all seriousness, it was definitely a little higher on the spice level than I typically prefer, BUT, I thought it was a great read - and as a curvy girl myself, I truly appreciate the representation.

Thank you Julie, Sierra, @avonbooks, @harpervoyagerus and @netgalley for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review! ❤

A Merry Little Meet Cute is my second novel by Julie Murphy and the first by Sierra Simone. I can sometimes be hesitant to read novels by two authors as they can sometimes feel disjointed, but these two authors created a very enjoyable tale. As the weather is still hot outside, it was nice to read a cozy Christmas story set in the gorgeous location of Christmas Notch, Vermont. The concept of this story sounded unique and entertaining, so I was excited that this story delivered on my higher expectations.

The story is dual perspective and follows our two main characters. Plus-size adult film star, Bianca (Bee) Hobbes, who performs under the pseudonym Bianca Von Honey on ClosedDoors (an Only Fans-type site) and works for adult film company, Uncle Ray Ray’s. When the company decides to expand their industry and begin making Christmas movies for the Hope Channel (a Hallmark-style one), Bee wants to take part. She ends up with a role in the movie “Duke the Halls” and will play opposite her teen crush, former member of the boyband INK, Nolan Shaw. As Bee needs to separate this new role from her former one, Nolan is also hiding a secret as he is a superfan of Bee’s ClosedDoors channel.

Nolan is trying to improve his public image from his former “bad boy” one while Bee is proud of who she is but is fearful others may judge her and fire her from the movie. The two characters meet and have instant chemistry as they each are secretly huge fans of each other. While the two of them get to know each other, it was difficult to comprehend if they truly matched or were just head over heels at the beginning because of the images they had of each other as fans. Their physical chemistry was very apparent from the start, but it seemed that there were not enough emotional intimacy going on between them. There was some between them, but, for me, it was overshadowed by the physical side. Without more emotional connection, for me, it came across that the two were euphoric and in love because they finally were with their idols instead of their actual selves.

The story features great body positivity and sex positivity. While there are many novels that feature sexual relationships and plus-size/fat main characters, it is rare to find the actual sex industry mentioned or even adult toy usage. Bee’s confidence and comfort with herself as a fat individual was well-written and realistic. As a plus-size reader, I loved how this was represented in the writing. The two main characters had great interactions with the secondary characters, with some positive and some negative. There were obstacles the characters had to deal with and I enjoyed that there seems to be room to expand this into a series featuring some of the secondary characters!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, Avon, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

In this newest romance from Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, Hallmark holiday movies meet OnlyFans content when a last minute casting change takes place. Bee Hobbes, an adult film actress, and Nolan Shaw, a former boy band bad boy, are both playing outside of type, but their chemistry is dynamic both on and off set. Both main characters are relatable and endearing, and the story skips along at a pleasant pace.

Bee is a porn star ready to try something new and be the lead actress in an upcoming Christmas movie alongside her childhood celebrity crush, Nolan Shaw. For Bee, the only thing is no one can know that she works in porn, especially the network and for Nolan, this is his chance to try and clean up his image.

When I saw that Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone were writing a holiday romance, I knew I had to read it! This book has good representation such as LGBTQIA characters, and a plus sized heroine. The story is very sex positive and there is a reoccurring discussion of mental health awareness/bipolar. I genuinely enjoyed all of the characters, and some of the side ones were actually my favorites (looking at you Luca and Sunny!). The story is centered around the production of a Christmas movie and even though Christmas time is happening during this same time that's not what this book is about. This book didn't really make me want Christmas and I think because of that, it fell a little flat for me.

This is not your average Hallmark feel-good Christmas movie – in a good way! Take an adult film star, her industry pals and a former pop star crush, shake them up in a snow globe and you have A Merry Little Meet Cute. This steamy, charming read takes us to a movie set in Christmas Notch, Vermont, where Bee finds herself cast in her first leading role with former boyband heartthrob Nolan, who both must harness in their promiscuous tendencies for the PG-rated Hopeflix Network. It was so much fun to see different characters and careers portrayed in a Christmas book, and the supporting cast made for some enjoyable, laugh-out-loud moments.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone an advance copy.

I feel so torn, my expectation was a fluffy, maybe a little ridiculous, sweet story full of awkwardness and some mishaps. That's sort of what this is. It's not very light, Nolan has some heavy family issues that weigh things down a bit. There is some cute, flirty, awkward banter that I love .The Christmas themed strip club, Angel and Luca, and Sunny are exactly the absurd content I picked up this book for. While it (of course) has an HEA the journey there was a little more difficult than I was expecting.

The cute cover on this one fooled me! I was not expecting such a spicy romance!

However, it was highly enjoyable and I sped through it. The characters were clever and had me constantly laughing. It was also a perfect read for Christmas vibes at any time of the year.

I absolutely love Julie Murphy and her novels. I have never read any Sierra Simone books, so I am unable to speak on her previous novels. I think this book definitely could have a big fan base. I love the idea of a Christmas film being made storyline and I love the sex-positivity and love for plus-size women. However, I am not a fan of the gratuitous dialogue. Some people may like it but it’s just not for me. Like I said, I love the sex, but the descriptions and over-the-top dialogue just took me out of the story.

I also feel like Bee and Nolan had absolutely no chemistry except for the sex. It didn’t feel like they was anything happening to solidify their feelings outside of the sex, which was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, sex is an important aspect to a relationship, but that is all they had. I wanted more outside of the bedroom.

Overall, I thought it was just alright. I was so excited for this story and expected more.

"Cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone - a steamy plus-size holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn't ask for more. But when Bee's favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he's making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee's career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.

Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan's promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he'll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.

But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he's a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel's execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan's singing career comes snooping around - and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.

And if Bee and Nolan can't keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor."

Not ALL my Christmas reading can be about murder, sometime one needs a nice steamy romance.

A match made in steamy heaven, A Merry Little Meet Cute is an extremely fun (and steamy, did I mention steamy?) romance novel by romcom queen Julie Murphy and new-to-me Sierra Simone. I can't wait to see what this pair creates moving forward, and I'm so excited for romance lovers to get their hands on this early holiday release.

The story follows Bee Hobbes, who is a very confident, successful, and charming woman who has just been cast in a family-friendly holiday film (a change from her repertoire of very popular adult films that she has starred in over the years). She is cast alongside Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member with a supposedly sordid past and a heart of gold that is buried deep beneath the surface. Honestly -- could it get any better? The heat between these two is off the charts right from the first meeting, and there is never anything but a very fun mutual pining between the two.

I would absolutely watch Duke the Halls if it was released on Netflix (I'm a Jewish gal with a real penchant for bad christmas hallmarky movies). Both of the protags have families they care deeply about and that we get to see throughout the novel, and while I would usually love an expanded cast, I felt like some of these areas are where the book dragged a bit. Regardless, this is a great match for those folks that like to start their holiday decoration shopping at Target in October, and who have been humming "All I Want for Christmas is You" in their sleep. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.