A frothy, festive, and feel-good holiday romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously—but still delivers an emotional payoff.

Short and sweet! I really enjoyed this story. It is open door for a scene or two, so just a heads up. It was a fun listen! I especially loved that they had a past. Nothing crazy (she was 11 at the time) but they changed the trajectory of their lives by meeting. It was sweet and swoony!

This was a sugary sweet story. The sheer amount of Christmas cliches and euphemisms thrown in would make any Santa proud. Honestly, I can see this being turned into a Hallmark movie, just without the half pepper spice rating.
Bernie was cheeky, and that was about all she had going for her. Oh, I did love her relationship with her sister.
Nic was fine. Your standard silver-foxed heart throb MMC. Nothing about him really stood out.
The romance was meh overall. You can't do too much in 170 pages, but it was insta-lust which turned into insta-love within the 3ish days they knew each other.
The overall story was fine.
2.5/5 stars rounded up.

Audiobook is very well done and I enjoyed it just as much this time around as a reread.

The premise is super silly with our FMC only dating guys who play Santa, but there is a whole lot of healing and growth that happens as she works her way towards our MMC who is like a silver fox Santa, but doesn't actually portray Santa during the holidays.

I LOVE Julie Olivia, but this one was not it for me. The FMC got on my nerves, and it did not give me holiday vibes. I highly recommend her Never Harbor series though!

“The Fake Santa Apology Tour” is such a delightful listen, perfect for the holiday season. Julie Olivia crafts relatable characters and the storyline is engaging. It has the perfect balance of lighthearted moments and deeper emotional themes. I loved Birdie Mae and Nic, highly recommend this!

This was an absolute blast! I laughed so hard; it was genuinely funny, heartwarming, and adorably cute!
The characters were amazing, and the romance was delightful! I appreciated that it wasn't overly spicy.
I adored the writing style! I will definitely be exploring more works by this author.

LOVE LOVE LOVED this!! So festive, and the audio was so fun to listen to on my road trip heading to see family for the holiday season!

This is a cute concept of a story, but there were too many moments when the age gap bordered on questionable. Pacing was also lacking on this one and could have benefitted from more editing.

I was hoping this book would be holly jolly but it fell short. The main character only dates Santa which is very odd. It did have some laugh out loud parts but not for me.

Thank you to Julie Olivia and PenPal PR for this gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I know it is past the Christmas season but with the cold weather still here in Illinois I figured I would still post my review because what better way to beat the winter blues than with a heartfelt rom-com.

I will start by saying there is some spice in the book but like If It Makes You Happy it's minimal and well done. I also feel like the audiobook narration was well done and helped bring the story to life.

This was an interesting take on Christmas love where the FMC only dates fake santas around Christmas and then breaks up with them after. This story is really about facing what you're afraid of and healing in the process of forgiving. With the help of the person she least expected it from MMC who cursed her Christmas from childhood she has to face the holiday curse once and for all if she wants to move on with life and find love. This was a quick but heartfelt story and full of humour to help cut the tension.

This book has it all:
🌲 Holiday romcom
⛪ Cozy, snowy small town
🔥 Age gap
🤞🏼 Forced proximity
🫶🏼 Opposites attract
💕 Hallmark vibes

#julieolivia #thefakesantaapologytour #netgalley #netgalleyreview #romcombooks #spicybooks

i love this steamy little christmas novella so much! it was a fave last year when i read it and now that it's on audio!? YES PLEASE. i really enjoyed the relationship between Nicholas and Birdie and seeing them be fun and silly together. nothing better than a snowball fight in a holiday romance if you ask me

I absolutely loved this cute and quick Christmas read. It’s fun, sexy, quirky, and silly in the best ways. Would highly recommend for a quick holiday read! The audio narration was excellent and engaging.

I couldn’t put this down! So adorably perfect!
Julie Olivia nails it every time! The cross of funny, sweet and that perfect slow burn hits each and every time! Hands down a book to be read every holiday season!

DNF about 20% in. The narrators voice irritated me and I couldn’t bare it any longer. The story wasn’t terrible in the beginning but when we got into the storyline after their “meet cute” during childhood, I couldn’t take it serious anymore. Why is she an erotica writer…. Also the age gap made me kind of uncomfortable.

📚 ALC Review 📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Live Now!

Last night when I got the email that I received this ALC, I dug right into it!

I absolutely loved this! It was a cute Rom-Com Hallmark holiday book. If you want a cute, light, and fun holiday book, this is it!

When an elf tells Birdie Mae that he will help her get her letter in Santa pocket. Only to tell her as she leaves, that she will grow to hate Christmas. Which sets off the curse.

20 years later, their paths cross and the cruse is still going strong. She takes a vacation to a small town only to cross paths with none other than a hot younger Santa. Which turns out to be Nic.

What to expect:
🌲 Forced Proximity
🌲 Opposites Attract
🌲 Holiday Romance
🌲 Small Town
🌲 Dual POV

If you love a good Christmas romcom, look no further! Birdie Mae and Nic were both delightful, funny, but had depth and substance.

Birdie Mae had a bad mall Santa experience as a child, followed by the loss of her father, has taken away her love of Christmas. But not of fake Santas. They are her jam. She dates them and abandons them - her romances as fleeting as the holiday season. She's a also romance novelist who may use those Santa encounters to her advantage.

A recent breakup has her delaying her usual trip to inspire this year's book, and is pushing close to Christmas when she heads off on her trip.

Nic is the local bartender at her destination. He loves Christmas, hates fake Santas and is a bit of a silver fox Santa himself. He and Birdie clash at first, but sparks start to fly! Their interactions and banter were perfection and, while it does have real and sad moments, this book is a wonderful, uplifting holiday story that will make you laugh, and make you cheer for Birdie and Nic to get together!

Absolutely insane and yet still has some depth and spice?? Still really sweet?? Truly Julie Olivia can do no wrong apparently. The audiobook was so easy to listen too and was done so well. I felt like I just never took out my headphones I was so into the story.

The Fake Santa Apology Tour was the perfect fun quick Christmas audiobook for a one day listen! The plot felt new and fresh and I enjoyed it being relatively trope free!

I chose this book because I thought the concept sounded cute. While it was an enjoyable and fun read in the moment. It was also sadly forgettable. It's been a week now and nothing has stood out as memorable.