I got received an early copy of the audiobook on NetGalley to review. The audiobook was so well done. The narrator was so easy to understand the way her voice switched between characters was so well done it almost felt like this was multiple narrators. I would definitely pick this audiobook up again so fun!!!
I loved how fun this story was not only was it heart warrant meaning but it was also a bit healing. The parts where she was apologizing to the different Santa Claus’s was hilarious.

“you go first,”
“no, you were here first,”
“listen, if you’re an adult with your own money and you still need to talk to santa, you definitely need him more than me.”

the fake santa apology tour is a fun holiday romcom !!! it features birdie mae, a writer who seems to have had a few relationships with santas… but she’s over it now ! the last few christmas have been terrible since she lost her dad. things are about to change when she runs into the one who cursed her as a child, nicholas the hot bartender lookalike.

i had already read the novella last year but on audiobook format was so much cooler !!! i loved the narrators especially on the epilogue :( and everybody should definitely read it before christmas. 18 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY !!!!!!

a huge thank you to netgalley, dreamscape team and julie olivia for this alc !!!!

The Fake Santa Apology Tour follows Birdie Mae and Nicholas in this very cute and spicy Christmas novella! We start off with Birdie Mae at 11 years old trying to get her Christmas letter to Santa… a mall Santa that is. A nearly 18 year old Nicholas is an elf working for that very same mall Santa and helps young Birdie Mae get her letter into Santa’s pocket. I can’t lie, it’s very sweet. Except… that same day Nic tells Birdie Mae that she will eventually hate Christmas and causes her to believe that Christmas is cursed for her forever.

Fast forward about 20 years and we have Birdie Mae, all grown up, into men who look way too much like Santa, a spicy Christmas Santa author with a broken heart and traveling to a Christmas-y town to try and write her next novel. Only problem? She meets a very hot Santa. Oh, the problem is that he just so happens to be Nicholas, yup. The same one.

I really enjoyed this Christmas novella! I appreciated the storyline having substance. Reasoning behind people’s actions that truly made sense. Julie Olivia has always done an amazing job at writing storylines and character choices so I’m not surprised by this.

By now you probably know I love Julie’s books. So having the opportunity the review this ALC was *chefs kiss*. The narrators were great, very immersive! The book? Duh, it was amazing. Would I listen again? Yes, I would. Would I tell a friend? Yes, I definitely would. Yet another lovely Christmas book checked off my list!

Thank you PenPalPR, Julie Olivia and NetGalley for this ALC. 💖

4 ⭐️’s

This was such a fun and festive read! I love Nick and Birdie Mae so much! Though this was a novella, it felt as full and developed as a whole book! I cried at the epilogue (in a good way). I love everything Julie Olivia writes and that will never change! I really liked the audiobook!

This was so incredibly fun!! I laughed so much it was really funny, sweet and incredibly cute!

The characters were fantastic , the romance was great! It wasn't too spicy which I appreciated.

I loved the writing! I will absolutely be reading more from this author ASAP!

Audiobook was lovely!

A really fun Christmas novella with a spicy Santa twist. Our FMC has a thing for Santas meaning she only dates men who look like Santa or play. This story is fun and silly. A great during the holiday season

I'm living for Christmas romances right now and this one was a winner for me. I loved the characters and the town.

The narrator for this was great and kept me in the story.

The Fake Santa Apology by Julie Olivia is so cutesy, spicy, holiday-y, and bantery and it should def be on your holiday novella audiobook list! It's like a Hallmark movie where a woman only dates men who dress up as Santa at Christmas and she runs into a mall elf from her past (who is a ginger turned gray fox who is named Nicolas)!👀 This really just put me into SUCH a silly, goofy, holiday mood and I loved listening to it so much! Let me just say, I listened to this while writing a finance project paper for a class and it took the sting and pain out of 2 hours of writing! That should be a trophy award! 😂
This as such a fun holiday novella and it was really entertaining and made me feel the holiday spirit! Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for an early copy of this audiobook! Especially so I could start getting into the holiday!🥳

The Santa Age-Gap Kink has me ho-ho-ho-ing in joy! Lol, Don't worry—it's not a grandpa age gap; the fella greyed out early in life, and both of the main characters are middle-aged. Yay!

Birdie Mae loves to sit on Santa's lap—many Santa's laps because she has this thing that I can't spoil. This book is cheesier than a holiday charcuterie board (in the best ways), with jokes so dirty and sweet they’d have the elves giggling in the workshop and keeping my cheeks clenched tighter than Santa squeezing down a chimney. This made it perfect for the side plot that jingles in the background.

When I say I was glued eyes and ears to this book, I mean it. I was listening to the audiobook during work and had to stop (my work) because it had my full attention, and even my ADHD brain couldn't multitask!


Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Author Julie Olivia, for the opportunity to review the audiobook for The Fake Santa Apology Tour! Every word within this review is my own personal thoughts and opinions.

3-3.5 stars
It's a cute short read (or in my case listen) and great to read this time of the year. As it was short it didn't get into too much depth and there were a few quite spicy scenes. It was a sweet story, and I really liked how Birdie Mae was there for her family, and how her relationship with Nic progressed.
I enjoyed it but definitely not my favourite Julie Olivia book.

✅️ small town
✅️ cute banter
✅️ naughty and spicy
✅️second chance
✅️ childhood trauma
✅️ Santa, Santa and more Santa

This was a perfect novella! This was naughty and nice with just enough spice. Julie, girl this book was funny, heartwarming, and definitely put me the holiday spirit. I had never read a book with this concept but it would me wonder how I would deal with Santa drama if I was in Birdie Mae's situation? Especially after see the sexy Target Santa. This was an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s!

The worlds that Julie Olivia writes are so fantastic- this is no different! The Fake Santa Apology Tour is a book that’ll spread Christmas cheer throughout you and have you wanting to go to the mall to see Santa! Birdie Mae and Nic will make you swoon! I loved the concept of the story as well as how well it’s written- it made me laugh, swoon, cry, kick my feet! And listening to the audiobook enhanced the story for me!

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape and Julie Olivia for the audio ARC for my honest review!

This book is like spicy Hallmark Christmas movie made into a book. I really enjoyed listening to this book, narrated by Isabelle Turner. The book starts out in Birdie Mae’s past when she was a child. Her history with Santa’s past is definitely colored. Her Apology Tour was hilarious. Her running into her past, Nick, was fun and their interactions were definitely interesting. If you’re looking for a fun, holiday, for adults only book then this is a great one to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was wonderful! I loved her different voices and tones. The story was a novella so short, sweet and spicy! Perfect for a quick read that is still well written and enjoyable.

All the Christmas vibes in this book and a silver fox Santa Look alike! Love all the cozy small town vibes in this story. I found it fun, light hearted and funny. I did not know Santa Spice was a thing!

Audiobook is perfectly narrated by Isabelle Turner. She did a great job brining the feelings and emotions to this story. She did a great job voicing the male characters too.

Loved this one last year when I read the ebook, and jumped at the chance to listen! The narration really brought the story to life and did a great job overall. No complaints here! Only wish this was a longer book (I know, I know Christmas novellas are great too) but I would love to see these characters again!

4.5 stars. I love Christmas novellas. I love Julie Olivia. I love an audiobook in my ears when I’m in my office to keep me company. This was a perfect combo of all three to welcome me back to work post-vacation.

Isabelle Turner did a great job with the narration. She had great emotion, inflection, and timing for the humorous moments. Her pitch for the Nic and other male voices was well done and not in any way distracting as can sometimes happen for me. I thoroughly enjoyed her performance.

As for the story, it was a great mix of emotion, comedy, and slow-burn heat. Birdie Mae was delightfully quirky and endearing with an interesting backstory. The way it influenced her Santa…fixation and the subsequent apologies she felt compelled to deliver took something that could’ve been surface level silly and gave it depth. Nic’s role in everything and the way their relationship developed was very sweet to me. The two of them also had great chemistry and banter.

Thank you to Pen Pal PR and Julie Olivia for the ALC!

3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

Ugh I just love Julie's writing style, I've only read one other book by her but I always feel a sense of home with her books. They're comforting and just feel so nostalgic. This book was unlike any other holiday read I've read and I really loved the whole storyline. Super holiday packed from start to finish, with a little dash of spice in between to keep things interesting. The banter was so good and I just thought it overall was so funny. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is because it just felt a little slow and while I know this is a novella I just felt it took a while to get to the overall ending. Still a good fun read, read it if you're looking for something to read for Christmas and get you in the spirit.

The Fake Santa Apology Tour is the perfect holiday treat! It's a quick, delightful, - but spicy read. Julie's way with words never fails to impress. The story of Nick and Birdie Mae is perfectly genuine.

The audiobook is easy to follow & the narrator is fantastic. I breezed through it in under a day!

Make room for it on your Christmas TBR!

I don’t usually venture into age gap romances, but I’m glad I tried this holiday themed one. It was pretty quirky and cute. Even though the MCs know one another from their past, I wouldn’t call it a second chance romance— that implies that there was an inappropriate romance or attraction between them, which there was not. To be honest, the description had me on my toes, expecting something gross and inappropriate. I’m glad it never came, but I think I would’ve enjoyed the book more if I hadn’t seen the book description implying a “rekindled” flame.

Narration was nicely done and kept me engaged. Overall, worth picking up if you’re looking for a quick holiday read that’s a bit silly but touches on some serious issues.