A feel good story with multiple twists, laugh out loud moments and genuine human dialog.
This was a good book, and I liked the building of the characters, the little moments that snowballed (yes Christmas pun) into the big story.
I found the small roadblocks the characters faced were realistic, handled well, and navigated in a way that seemed like people would actually handle them.
This is a great way to move into an LGBTQIA+ book without a lot of fear, the details were approached in a way that was not overwhelming, or overly detailed for those new to same sex intimate moments.

This was a playful and spicy romance with a ton of heart and humor. Set against a well-drawn film industry backdrop, it delivers both on drama, hijinks, and fluttery feels.

I loved the dynamic between the grumpy bi lead with a complicated past and the sunshine-y character who is her total opposite. They start off bristling with tension but by the halfway point, they're catching feelings and I was cheering them on.

There were so many spicy scenes in ALL flavors. I skipped past some that weren't for me, but appreciated the sex positivity and bi for bi rep. Highly recommended for a lighthearted, steamy, emotionally satisfying summer read! I've recommended this one already to friends who can handle the heat level.

the way this was so good and cute and adorable and laugh out loud funny. definitely would recommend for a romance reader!

Thank you to Lindsay Maple and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Oh yall I absolutely loved this book! A Christmas feeling sapphic romance perfect for the beach?! I'm in heaven! First we meet Ellie, who's giving strong always the bridesmaid never the bride energy right out the gate. Pigeonholed as a Christmas movie supporting actress who strongly believes in method acting, she's living her best Christmas life in the dead of summer. Think watching Home Alone with a cup of hot cocoa under the Christmas tree with the AC on high.

And Mariah. A snarky makeup artist trying to find her big break in the movie makeup biz, and just so happens to be back home in her small town to shoot said Christmas movie. She's bringing all the black cat/grumpy vibes and I love her for it. After finding out they're both dating the same guy, they come up with a plan of revenge. Hijinks ensue, and sparks fly. This was one of the best sapphic romances I've read in awhile! The banter. The storyline. The spicy scenes! After such a strong debut, Maple is going places. I'm just glad to be along for the ride!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

first of all, thank you to netgalley and the author for letting me read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

i was very excited to read a bi4bi book that was sapphic, so i jumped into it very happily! i love a good grumpy x sunshine trope, and the fact that they were teaming up against a fuckboy made it much sweeter.
i liked how ellie and mariah grow during the events of the book, how they feed off of each other and learn how to become the best version of themselves; but (this might be my mariah side jumping out) the speed with which they develop feelings for each other felt like it was a bit too much, and the epilogue was a bit too cheesy for me.

overall it was a fun, lighthearted read and there's nothing wrong with that!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for this E-Arc. All opinions are my own.

Holly Jolly July was such a such a great beach read! We meet Ellie who is a supporting actress in a Christmas movie being shot in a small town. A bubbly Christmas movie veteran who's never been the leading actress, she tries her best and absolutely loves the holiday. Working makeup is Mariah who is back in her hometown after a few years away. She is trying to break into the movie world and brings the black cat energy.

Going into the story I was curious on how everything would be handled. The answer is funnily and in a cute way. Mariah and Ellie find out their crushes are cheating on them and hijinks ensue bringing them together. I thought the spice scenes were well done and I appreciate their candor with each and other and communication through the book. Communication is a major theme in this book with many situations being resolved in a believable way. I appreciated the ending and was cheering during the epilogue.

I recommend this book this book if your looking for bi-girl energy and want a fun read of two girls letting their revenge plot help find who they are along the way.

This book is a great little summer escape and perfect for those of us that read holiday romances in the summer. Our leads have fantastic chemistry and their banter is so sweet. I absolutely love how their initial friendship is set up without developing into competition. I eagerly await to see what Lindsay Maple writes next.

very well written romance with some good vibes but the script excerpts in the middle were a little bit meh. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This was like an LGBTQ+ Hallmark movie, or a fun, cheesy romcom, which was perfect for pool reading! Mariah and Ellie meet on a small town movie set, where Ellie is trying to be the best supporting actress ever and Mariah just wants to do make-up anywhere else. They soon connect over a shared problem and work to solve that problem while also getting to know each other in fun and silly and real ways. This was sweet and fun!

Wow! An unexpected love for me; but i mean the classic holiday lover x grinch who fall in love (and make it sapphic?!). What isn’t to love! While this isn’t holiday centered in terms of the time of year, we have two characters who meet creating a holiday movie in the middle of summer, falling in love the most perfect way. This is spicy, sweet and overall a great time with characters who progressed in a realistic way; while giving us all the laugh, tears and moments to be giddy.

I wanted to like this book. I wanted to feel the holiday cheer! Instead, all I wanted to put it down and DNF it. The story is a bit disjointed, in that I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to root for until nearly 200 pages into the book. Mariah is unlikeable, and Ellie is insufferable. And putting them together just didn’t feel right. There was soooo much dialogue around “Does she like me?”, but not enough around the side story with Mariah’s parents, her obvious baggage, and Ellie’s own past experiences. Even the spicey scenes weren’t enough to save the plot. My favorite part was the movie script - where is that book?

Book Review: Holly Jolly July by Lindsay Maple

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this advanced copy!

Set on a Christmas movie set in Chilliwack, this rom-com follows Ellie, a bubbly method actor, and Mariah, a horror-loving makeup artist. Their personalities clash at first, but things get interesting when they realize they’ve both been seeing the same man—Jax, aka Matt. Cue the hilarious revenge plot!

As sparks fly between Ellie and Mariah, they navigate new feelings, past heartbreaks, and family tensions. Packed with humor, heart, and holiday magic, Holly Jolly July is a fun, well-written sapphic romance that’s equal parts sweet and spicy.

Before I get into my review of “Holly Jolly July”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the eARC!

Sometimes you just need to read a Christmas(-ish?) book in the middle of March. This book was so funny, it had me laughing out loud in the middle of a coffee shop.

Ellie and Mariah, the duo that finds out they’re sleeping with the same man, decide to get “Home Alone” level revenge on the man.

This book was seriously a blast, sweet and spicy and also had its fair share of emotional moments.

I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen. I hope to read more from Lindsay Maple in the future!

This was a fun twist on a classic Christmas romance. Set on a movie set in July, we get all the feel good feels of a small town, hallmark Christmas movie, with elements of opposites-attract, revenge on a cheating ex, and familia drama. A perfect escape from reality for Christmas, Christmas in July, or really any time of year.

The second half of the novel flew by for me, and I wish I’d been able to see more of their relationship between the wrap of filming and the epilogue, but overall, this was a highly enjoyable read and I’d recommend this novel to someone looking for a Christmas-themed romance with a mix of drama, humor, and friendship.

Holly Jolly July was so lovely and refreshing. As a bisexual woman, I feel seen. And so Canadian! It was really quite delightful. A nice departure from the usual romcom structure while maintaining all the charm. Will definitely be using this for book club!

One of my favorite things about reading is impulsively picking up a book on a whim and absolutely falling in love with it. That was this book for me. I adore Christmas—probably as much as Ellie does in this book—but even I was a bit unsure about reading a book centered around Christmas in July. However, it works unbelievably well for this story.

While not technically a holiday romance, the book centers around the making of a holiday film in July. It features so many of the elements that make me love holiday films and books: the leads are a Christmas Connoisseur and a Holiday Grinch, there are plenty of heartwarming Christmas moments, and the festiveness is beautifully tied to themes of healing and forgiveness. Plus… there’s even a hilarious holiday side quest for revenge on a cheating ex—one that would make Kevin McCallister in Home Alone exceptionally proud.

I adored how this romance progressed. It was swoonworthy, sweet, and spicy. It even made me fall more in love with the Grumpy/Sunshine trope—I loved that dynamic between Mariah and Ellie. This book made me cackle (you’re never too old to read about a fart machine prank!) and cry happy tears. My heart was so full after reading it. It was a tremendously good time. All the stars.

Holly Jolly July was a great book to dip my toes into sapphic romance. Absolutely loved the character development of Ellie and Mariah. Their stories tugged on my heart and gave me all the feels.
The movie script excerpts were veryyy on point with Hallmark movies… with an unexpected twist 😉 which was a fun addition to the book.

Ellie + Mariah

-sapphic romance
-workplace romance
-friends to lovers
-grumpy/sunshine
-actress x make up artist
-christmas in july
-bisexual awakening

there is honestly a lot going on here, from the unlikely friendship of these two completely opposites, to their revenge plot schemes together, to the chapter layouts & that whole story, that make it so unique & also very intriguing!! i was hooked from the start to find out how this was gonna go down & what that screenplay story was!! & can say i was surprised in multiple ways!! i loved their story & found myself super sad that it was over!

This is a sweet take on the Christmas Romance genre. If you are looking for a fluffy summer f/f romance and don’t mind a few m/f scenes at the start this could be a great read for you.

That said, for me this one fell short in a few areas. I struggled to see the growing attraction between the main characters. Their friendship made sense, but I just wasn’t drawn into their romance. This might be because the “pull home alone style pranks to teach the fuckboy a lesson” just never sat right with me. I was clear from the beginning that Matt/Jax was never going to learn his lesson because Ellie and Mariah aren’t clever enough to come up with a plan that would actually hold him accountable. I also felt like the pacing was off - too slow - but it’s possible this is just because the story didn’t resonate for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I liked how this felt like A Merry Little Meet Cute but sapphic and somehow even funnier. I truly enjoyed getting to know Ellie and Mariah along with all the cute funny side characters. It felt like a Hallmark movie but in a good way.