The beginning of A Holly Jolly Ever After was hysterical, steamy, and everything I wanted. I laughed out loud so many times and highlighted so many hilarious quotes. I love the "help me find my sexuality" trope. These scenes were so hot! I also loved how Winnie confronted trauma from her oppressively religious upbringing and previous relationship. We love a book that kicks purity culture in the pants!

I didn't love the turn the second half of the book took (the conflict could have been entirely avoided with some simple communication!), but I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I certainly wasn't expecting Winnie's medical issues (tw for moms who have experienced miscarriages or near-losses pregnancies).

The ending was a bit abrupt--I wish the ending had a little more of Winnie and Kallum's happy ever after. Maybe we'll get to see a bit more of them in the next book, though?

I enjoyed this opportunity to return to Christmas Notch and can't wait to go back for the next book! Julie and Sierra make quite the team.

I loved the first half of this! I loved that Kallum was such a golden retriever with a heart of gold, and I loved Winnie's journey.

All the miscommunication and drama of the second half of the book did get on my nerves by the end and kind of ruined it for me.

Winnie Baker used to be America's Sweetheart, starring in a wholesome family sitcom as a teenager. Now that she's ended her marriage, she's struggling to find work and herself. She's always done the "right" thing, been the good girl, but she's not sure she wants to be that person anymore. Kallum Lieberman is a former boybander from the group INK, and he now lives a quieter life as the owner of a pizza chain in his hometown of Kansas City. When the opportunity arises for the two to star in a spicy adult Chrismas movie, they agree, with a lot of apprehension. Winnie just can't get comfortable filming the more racy scenes, so Kallum offers to tutor her. Can they maintain their strictly professional relationship, or will they find their holly jolly ever after together?

This type of book is not my typical read, but after the hype for A Merry Little Meet Cute (which I couldn't get my hands on through Libby, too many other people wanted it), I wanted to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! The story is adorable, very Hallmark but **spicy**. I love love LOVE Julie Murphy, and now I am a fan of Sierra Simone too. I hope they continue to team up to write more lovely holiday romances <3

I received this arc courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

Kallum may not be the INK member everyone falls for, but he's the one before 'the one'. When he lands a role to work with Winnie Baker now his chance to be 'the one' but can Winnie overcome her purity culture and embrace her true self?
Love Christmas Notch and hope to get more of this series!
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

What's the opposite of a slow-burn? This book is super spicy and a lot of fun. Great to see the interfaith representation!

4.5 stars. A very merry return to the world of Christmas Notch. This time our costars are Winnie and Kallum. She's a buttoned-up good girl trying to rehab the image her ex-boyfriend has besmirched in the press. He's the former boy band member who owns a popular local pizza chain. Together they're about to make a very NSFW holiday movie in a charming little town. Hijinks ensue.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I really liked the previous installment in this series but this one fell a little flat. You can tell two authors wrote it and not in a good way. The first half of the book is great, it definitely started out as a 5 star for me but around the 60% mark it all went downhill very quickly and for very little apparent reason. It's also incredibly long for also very little reason? Overall it was just fine as a reading experience but frustrating because everything wrong with it seemed to be an easy fix (just cut out the last 150 pages).

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

I enjoyed this read a lot. Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone have written another fun romance! I liked how this one featured someone exploring themselves and sexuality later in life, as I feel this is something that happens to more people than we think. My biggest criticism of the novel is the surprise pregnancy. I was wary when I first read it, thinking it could just be used as a plot device to draw the characters apart and then back together. I didn't really appreciate that part of the story, but I did like that the authors did include some nuance to this plot line, but discussing options and exploring the reactions of more than just the main characters. Overall, a recommended read and purchase.

Christmas Notch is the place to be once again! I love this place, the movies they make there, and, of course, the peeps in the movies. Which this time is Kallum, former member of a boy band (and Nolan’s bestie) and Winnie, former virtuous family-friendly star. They are on two different levels (life experience-wise) but it’s so much fun reading their journey together. Sexy, spark-y, and tons of chemistry. Not to mention the humor & fun that’s always comes from Sierra & Julie. A must read & an add on to the re-read list!

Pros: The main characters, Winnie and Kallum were interesting and I appreciated how they each had their own unique backstories. I really liked that Kallum was a bigger guy (it’s still rare to see a fat male romance character) but that his body wasn’t a focal point of the story. Winnie’s purity past was fascinating and I think Simone and Murphy did a great job in showing the effects of religious trauma and how hard it is to unlearn things from your past. Like the previous book in the series, the town of Christmas Notch was adorable and for the most part, the supporting characters were great. I also believed the attraction between Winnie and Kallum and appreciated that the second half of the book focused on how to make a relationship work between two people who are very different.

Cons: Where to begin? The writing was kind of a mess, with characters popping in and out as if we, the reader, were supposed to know their backstories. The first half of this book was GREAT and then the second half went completely off the rails. I didn’t mind the surprise (not so surprising) twist half-way through, it was the other stuff that I didn’t like. The rewrites and different ending for the movie out of nowhere? Winnie’s parents just coming back into her life all of a sudden? Her ex-husband showing up? None of it felt cohesive. And don’t get me started on Winnie’s narcolepsy which is mentioned a few times but has no bearing or significance to the story whatsoever. What was the point?

Another fun, very sexy Hope Channel book!! I loved bring in this world, the small town where they film, and with some returning characters! I hope there's a third!

I always have the absolute best time reading a Sierra Simone or Julie Murphy book and this did not disappoint! It's the perfect story to pick up around the holidays if you're looking for a fun and spicy story!

read if you like:
- Sex Lessons
- Forced Proximity
- Disability rep
- former boyband member
- actors in love
- accidental pregnancy

Pack your bags this holiday season, it's time to head up to Christmas Notch, Vermont.

The holidays are not complete without a book from this dynamic duo. A cast of characters that will melt your heart, leave your heart fluttering, and craving pizza for days.

A romance full of inferno level heat, angst, tension, and a ton of emotional baggage that needs to be addressed before Kallum and Winnie can finally find a happy-ever-after.

There is nothing better than a story that tugs at your heart as characters navigate through their family shenanigans, deal with unrealistic expectations, and unexpected desire that could change lives.

Get ready for a steamy treat this winter season. I can't wait to read more from these amazing authors.

Holy moly, I did not read the synopsis well enough to expect this book! It was a lot hotter and a lot steamier than I was prepared for, but it was excellent! I really, really enjoyed this book, and will be looking for the first book in the series right away. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

While this book does have one of my least favorite tropes, it does a marvelous job of keeping the reader engaged. I was excited to return back to the small town and the film making process with a little forced proximity. The characters are endearing and it makes one want to root for them. The will they, won't they was well played out in this title!

I really enjoyed this book up until about 70%. There are spoilers in this review, so proceed with caution.

This book includes the dreaded accidental pregnancy trope which usually drives me crazy. However I found myself unbothered by it this time around because it wasn't too soon after that our couple recovers from their previous conflict and decides to be together and have the baby. Then not too long after there is ANOTHER conflict that I found widely unnecessary for several reasons. This conflict centered around Kallum being too drunk and immature in the moment and Winnie having a near miscarriage that felt like it could be very triggering for some. (The baby ended up fine!)

Anyway, after that conflict I kinda lost interest in the book. While I did enjoy the way things wrapped back up at the end, I would personally have loved this book if it wrapped up after the first conflict instead.

The second book in this series is once again a wonderful read. It is such a fascinating concept of combining the sweet earnestness of a typical Hallmark movie with the raunchy, ribald smuttiness of romance novels. I had the privilege to meet the authors at OLC and learn of these novels. I read both of them as soon as I could, and I really think they are a great addition to the Romance genre!

I loved the first book in this series, but A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER is all sex and no relationship. I could go on and on about all the ways these characters didn't have a relationship outside of hot sex, but I can probably sum it all up by telling you this: these two exchange "I love yous" and get pregnant and the hero doesn't even know the heroine has narcolepsy. In fact, as far as the reader knows HE NEVER FINDS OUT, epilogue be damned!

This also had no Holiday Romance charm or story-lines besides that Kallum and Winnie are actors in a holiday movie so they are sometimes in costume. Otherwise, no holiday magic.

A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER has a lot (read: A LOT) of seriously steam sex scenes and it also has a really good exploration of religious trauma and purity culture. But this book has almost no other storyline.

If you didn't read the first book you will be seriously lost. A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER does not succeed as a standalone.

Overall, I was stupidly disappointed by this book.

2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I liked this book a little bit better than the first book in the series. I’m a sucker for anything boybandish so I loved that they continued the series with another INK member in the lead. I also really liked Kallum and Winnie’s relationship and that we got to see more of its progression than we did for Nolan and Bee.

Not super heavy on the Christmas vibes though. I think you could easily read this anytime of the year.

Good spice level.

If I don’t get an Issac/Addison book out of this series I’m going to be heavily annoyed.

I have been so enamored with the whole concept of Christmas Notch and the amazing writing combination of Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. This series always gets me feeling wintery-festive and delivers lots of hearts and laughs. A Holly Jolly Ever After delivers plenty of heat, tons of heart, and a surprisingly complicated and unexpected story.


It was so great to be back in Christmas Notch, a Hallmark movie lovers Christmas town wet dream….the filming home of wholesome style movies and also of the network’s more naughty movies…those with ACTUAL wet dreams…the “after dark” sexy type. The focus of this Christmas Notch adventure is the love story of the unexpected pairing of Winnie Baker, wholesome good girl, and burly Kallum Lieberman, pizza-man and also self-published amateur adult film star. Quite a combination indeed. Winnie is recovering from both a divorce from a cheating ex and also trying to overcome the lingering phantom of her super conservative upbringing. How better to rebuke all the trappings of her life than ditching nice movies for naughty? Kallum is full of his own contrasts. Forber boy band star, blossoming pizza titan (with a delightfully punnyily named pizza chain), AND now unexpected sex-tape star. His dad-bod and new smutty stardom make him the perfect smexy Santa…and makes him Winnie’s co-star in her big adventure.


This book had a lot I liked. I loved the carefully and thoughtfully done depiction of a character unpacking the impact of Christian purity culture. This had both moments of levity but also moments of depth and impact as Winnie explores her sexuality, struggles to embrace parts of herself, and to find her true identity after so long she was told by others (her parents, her religion, her network) who and what she should be. But after so much repression and denial this isn’t easy, especially when paired with the misogynistic obsession with purity and her family’s blame of her for her marriage failing. This was gently done, realistic, and really compelling.


Like others have pointed out, the two parts of this book felt disjointed, and at times even thematically contradictory. I actually take no issue with the trope that shows up in the second half of the book. I enjoy it. But I do think that in conjunction with the powerful (and important) themes of sexual empowerment and sexuality that the plot device in the second half almost reinforces the exact culture the first half of the book seems to rebuke. Of course I enjoyed seeing Winnie navigate this season of her life…and learning too that the impacts of sex, even here they are literally the very warning flag of purity culture, aren’t as they seem. BUT, it definitely has a big impact, especially on her and Kallum, and I found myself disappointed with the character arc after the beauty of the first half. It felt like two different stories thematically and in terms of character, even if each part was interesting to me. I liked both elements, I really did, it just felt like two different stories versus a cohesive one.


But I love this world- it’s fun, it’s sexy, its crazy, and I do love these characters, and I love starting Christmas each year with a smutty, sensational, and salacious visit to Christmas Notch.