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I absolutely love sapphic romances. This one is no exception. The romance build up. The friendship. It was all well done. I envisioned hallmark movies and it made envisioning the environment so easy. I like being able to see the scenes in my mind and having that as a type of reference made it nice.
It was cute and fun.
Definitely recommend

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If you have ever watched a Hallmark movie and wanted just a little something more. A little more spice, a little more body positivity, a little more sapphic and maybe a few fart jokes...might I recommend Holly Jolly July!

I went into this expected a light and fluffy, Christmas in July romance and I left swept off my feet. I did have a few giggles along the way. This was just such an interesting and new take on the classic Christmas time romance. The audiobook was well performed and so engaging. I'm hoping this author continues to write rom coms because I am a fan!

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This book was so good! I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The characters were extremely likeable, the plot was fun. The ending was a bit on the slower side for me and I wish there was more of the scheming toward the end.

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4โญ, 2.75๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

Okay this book was so entertaining! I didn't expect to be as invested and binge read it in a single day (which was great, I did like 6 loads of laundry LOL). Mariah and Ellie are both working on a Hallmark-esque movie set for a Christmas romance in the middle of the summer. They are complete opposites....except when they find out they are sleeping with the same guy. Cue record scratch. So they pull a "John Tucker Must Die' and seek revenge. Through this, they get close together and romance buds for them!

Honestly, the mini-plot of the movie was entertaining to follow as well! Ellie and Mariah were both very lovable charaters and I love how their friendship creates a romance!

๐Ÿ’šChristmas in July
๐ŸŽ„Opposites Attract
๐ŸŽฅWorkplace Romance
๐ŸŽž๏ธJohn Tucker Must Die- inspired
โค๏ธLGBTQIA+

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

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โ˜€๏ธ Grumpy / Sunshine
๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ Bi FMCs
๐ŸŽ„Centered around Christmas movie filming
๐Ÿฅฐ HEA
๐ŸŒถ๏ธ Spicy
๐ŸŽ‰ Workplace Romance

This is such a fun concept of a book. Thereโ€™s Christmas in July, fart machines, phone swapping, spicy moments, a ghost?๐Ÿ‘ป. So much to unpack and so little time because I loved every moment of this book and wished it didnโ€™t end. I did listen to the audio and the quality was pure perfection.
Ellie and Mariah are brought together through work but also a mutual situation. And they spend their time planting revenge, getting to know each other, falling in love and making us believe in fate and that good things happen to those who wait.

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SPICY and STEAMY. This was a good book I liked the quirky aspect to this book. I really enjoyed the idea of two bisexuals coming together and pranking a jerk of a guy who strung them both along. However, I felt that it was a little rushed between all of the characters. I felt as if I was only into an hour of the audio when all the spicy scenes were starting. Some of them seemed forced. All in all, it was a solid 3 star.

The audiobook was done by Lauren Sweet and Angelina Rocca. Both of these narrators did a good job. Solid work from both of them.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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I want to start off by saying I read all different romances and the queer ones I read I typically MMC. This was refreshing and different and unique. I read a lot of holiday romances in December and loved the idea of this being in July I was feeling the Holly jolly spirit.
The writing was well done and the loved the idea of home aloning Matt.
All in all a solid read.

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Thank you to Harlequin Audio for this ARC.
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Story follows two female leads, Ellie and Mariah. Ellie is the bubbly actress and Mariah is the doom and gloom make-up artist. Both of them find themselves sleeping with a guy, but when they find out theyโ€™re sleeping with the SAME guy, they set out to seek revenge. And, while theyโ€™re at it, they fall for each other.
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I love sapphic romances, but this one just wasnโ€™t it. It was incredibly immature and childish. There wasnโ€™t a connection between the two female leads. Not enough of one. I donโ€™t usually mind instant love, but it felt rushed and forced. I struggled with the voice of Mariahโ€™s character, too. It just really fell flat for me. and there was WAY too much of the script included in the book. The script was cheesy and awful, honestly. I really wanted to love this.

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Okay, I did not have a sapphic rom-com mixed with John Tucker Must Die on my mind when I went into this read, but I absolutely loved it. I love a revenge plot. Even better if it also happens to be a love story. Ellie and Mariah were both so cute, and they truly should have gone harder to ruin the two-timing POS. I loved the ray of sunshine vs the raincloud. I loved the friends to lovers.

As someone who doesn't really even care for Christmas, this was a very cute, humorous and fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequinn Audio for the access to the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

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The premise was cute, but multiple instances of insta-love between the mains, a very poor handling of substance abuse disorder and the mains committing a literal crime which is acknowledged on page and then they're just thanked for by their victim and go on to become famous meant this one really wasn't a win for me and I can't recommend it.

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I. Am. Obsessed. Grumpy/sunshine bi+ for bi+ sapphic romance??? So good.
I've read quite a few books where one or both of the MCs was a lead actor, but I really liked that Ellie was a supporting character, both in terms of what it meant for her character arc and because it opened up a lot of page time for off-set shenanigans. And shenanigans there were. Adults pranking people is such a hard tightrope to walk, because it can often feel a bit too immature, but it really really worked here.
I also liked that Ellie was actually kind of annoying (not in a bad way, though)โ€”like, I fully agreed with Mariah that she came on too strong, but it worked well.
I loved the narration, too. Ellie was done beautifully, and Mariah's narration, on top of also being amazing, had a timbre I'm unused to in audiobooks but really liked a LOT (and would definitely like to hear more of). Both narrators did a phenomenal job.
I got so excited at the author's note at the beginning that promised both m/f and f/f spice, and it absolutely delivered. Relatedly, I LOVED the sex and talks about it between Ellie and Mariah. SO well done.

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*Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for early copy for review*

This was okay. It felt like there was to much forced comedy in my romance. Normally I enjoy Grumpy/Sunshine pairings, but I didn't really enjoy the motivations and the outcomes for the characters. If you enjoy open door spice and workplace romances like The Hating Game maybe yo should give it a try.

I listened to the audio for this book and did not feel the production added anything to the reading experience. Both narrators did an okay job, but I preferred Mariah's chapters because of the deeper voice she gave her.

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Mariah and Ellie couldnโ€™t be more differentโ€”Ellieโ€™s a cheerful small-time actress excited to film a cozy holiday movie, while Mariah is a no-nonsense makeup artist just trying to get through the shoot in her sweltering Canadian hometown. They clash right away, but things start to shift as they bond over bad hookups, shared heartbreak, and a hilarious plan for revenge when they discover their summer flings are cheating on them. As they scheme Home Aloneโ€“style pranks and grow closer, the sparks between them turn into something realโ€”but with the shoot wrapping soon, they have to figure out if this is just a fling or the start of something more. This was such a cute and joyful read! I loved the fun premise, the slow-burn romance, and the cozy holiday vibes in the middle of summer. It had the perfect balance of humor, heart, and heatโ€”I was smiling the whole way through.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Lindsay & the Publisher for an alc of Holly Jolly July!
Audio Review: I really loved the narrators on this. I think they both brought a ton of personality and warmth to the characters. They narrated in a way that was more like a live action performance of the script than a reading of the book and that really brought my rating up from the 4stars that I gave the earc. I think their performances really sparked some extra joy in my brain. You could hear the mischief and humor in their voices.

Content Review:
What a Holly Jolly good time!

Holly Jolly July is a cute rom com with both f/f & m/f open door spice, lots of quirky Christmas humor, realistic flawed characters and buckets of charm. I really enjoyed the snippets of the movie script and the internal struggles of the main characters about their self confidence, sexuality and self worth. It was nice to see those struggles handled so realistically on page and to see the other main help the other overcome the loud voice of doubt in their heads. The pranks were funny and charming, even if the mmc was a giant douche. Unfortunately the man gave me the ick from the get go so I was more than happy for the fall out between him and the main characters. The f/f smut was amazing and I love that Lindsay didn't shy away from the open door portion of their relationship.

This book was overall just a really cute read. I enjoyed it so much & if you love Christmas time, behind the scenes movie making, longing looks, bisexual rep, open door spice of f/f & m/f variety & friends to lovers, you're going to eat this up.

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Narrators: I thought the dual narrators did a great job here. It was very clear who was speaking when, even when each person had dialogue in the other person's chapters. The narrator doing Mariah's low and almost raspy voice definitely fit her character well, and I thought the narrator who did Ellie had a great handle on her upbeat, perky personality without making her seem one dimensional.

Contents:
This was a mixed experience for me. It is very spicy, with both M/F and F/F spice, which was fairly unique even in a bi4bi romance novel, so that was fun. I generally like how the book handled identity, even if it sometimes belabored Ellie's bisexual awakening in a way that almost crossed over into feeling uncomfy for me re: references to her "experimenting" but ultimately pulled back in a more respectful way. I also enjoyed the little interludes to the very hallmark channel Christmas movie script, complete with its own twist ending! Finally, I liked Ellie a lot. She was ultra-sunshine-y but in a way that was clearly a choice for her in the face of negativity, a hard worker, professional, funny, and unapologetically herself even in the face of almost every other character acting like she is at least slightly less cool for being so enthusiastic.

The downside was, I simply did not like Mariah. I did not like her initially. I didn't like that she wanted a job so badly she lied about being a local to get it, and then acted like she was too good for the job. I didn't like how she was judgmental towards Ellie at first. I didn't like how she didn't want to put in the time and hard work that Ellie put into her career and didn't seem to respect Ellie for having done it. For someone who wants to do film makeup, even if it is monster makeup, to be so disrespectful and rude about a job doing makeup for a film crew, completely dismissing the idea of building her resume with anything that isn't exactly what she wants, and then to be handed everything she wants without that work and to have the ending be like, oh, Ellie finally moved over to "real" film work like indie monster films that Mariah liked instead of the cheesy romance films that Mariah was too good for sort of left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm surprised that a romance author, who surely has heard people talk down to romance books in the same way that they talk down about romance movies, would buy into the idea that moving to LA to do non-romance work instead of working locally on sweet films that she loves is the happy ending. I think, for the majority of readers, that will not really be an issue, but it did bother me.

Finally, I think the slapstick, romcom, home-alone style pranking of the cheating sort-of boyfriend was very funny at first but also went on way too long, and for what purpose? A little revenge made sense and was funny, but he was never going to learn a lesson about lying to people by being tricked into falling into a puddle of lube. I wish that the set up and conclusion of that storyline ended much earlier in the book, maybe even at the halfway point, and the rest of the book just focused on Ellie and Mariah.

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ALC Review
Holly Jolly July by Lindsay Maple
Narrated by Lauren Sweet & Angelina Rocca

This was a super fun story about two women working on a movie set together. They find out that they have been seeing the same guy. Their friendship begins while they decide to get back at him.
I think the most interesting part was the plot of the movie they were working on was interspersed with the rest of the story. It was like getting two stories in one.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Sapphic romance
* Workplace
* Opposites attract
* Friends to lovers
* Grumpy x sunshine
* Actress FMC x Make-Up artist FMC
* Bisexual awakening
* Revenge shenanigans

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4โญ๏ธ 3๐ŸŒถ๏ธ 5๐ŸŽง This was Holiday Rom-Com delight! This is my first book that had both MF and FF in the story line and it was delicious, a new form of why choose, lol. The Home Alone inspired revenge had me cracking up.

Both these characters were relatable in so many ways! Both had pasts that held each other back and watching them grow trust and breaking down their walls with one another was so sweet. Matt the Jack Jerk was something else, cringy and just... *barf face*.

This was my first time listening to Lauren Sweet and Angelia Rocca and I really enjoyed their story telling. Their voices fit the characters perfectly!

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4 stars

Did you watch John Tucker Must Die and wish the girls ended up together instead? Than boy is this book for you. Plus we have opposites attract! Filming a holiday movie! An actor and makeup artist! Overall this was incredibly fun. I do think some of the pranks on the guy didnโ€™t make the most sense in context (Home Alone style felt wrong) and the movie scenes between chapters was too much, I think having just a few wouldโ€™ve been much more interesting than how many there were. Otherwise I had a blast. This was meant for the bi girlies!

Both narrators were fantastic and I think their voices matched the character personalities perfectly!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

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This sapphic rom-com comes in hotโ€”literally and figuratively. The heat kicks in early, with some very spicy scenes just a few chapters in, and the Canadian summer sun doesnโ€™t let up from there. If youโ€™re looking for steamy chemistry set against twinkle lights and fake snow in July, this book absolutely delivers.

I really liked the concept: a holiday movie being filmed in the dead of summer, with the story flipping between the real-life romance and the movie scenes being filmed. In theory, it shouldโ€™ve been the perfect meta mixโ€”but in practice, the jumps between โ€œfilmโ€ and โ€œrealityโ€ sometimes pulled me out of the story. I found myself wanting to stay in the actual narrative between Ellie and Mariah rather than bouncing into the on-screen holiday drama.

That said, the character dynamic between Ellie (sunshine and Santa sweaters) and Mariah (grinchy and guarded) was fun to watch unfold. Their grudging alliance after being duped by their respective love interests turned into something much deeper and sweeterโ€”complete with Home Alone-style revenge and lots of unexpected feels. It was funny, sexy, and full of Christmas spiritโ€ฆ just maybe a bit uneven in execution.

The audio version? It brought so much to the story with just the perfect narrators for each main character. I love when there is more than one narrator as it helps me delve into the story more thoroughly and the narrators for this story matched their characters perfectly in pace and tone. A perfect way to enjoy this story!

If you like your rom-coms spicy, festive, and a little chaotic, Holly Jolly July might just be your kind of holiday treatโ€”even if itโ€™s wrapped in palm trees instead of pine.

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๐ŸŽ„๐‡๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐š๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฏ๐ข๐ž ๐ฌ๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ 
๐ŸŽ„๐’๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ข๐œ ๐‘๐จ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž
๐ŸŽ„๐’๐ฆ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐“๐จ๐ฐ๐ง
๐ŸŽ„๐Ž๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ ๐€๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ

โœจ๐’ฏ๐’ฝโ„ด๐“Š๐‘”๐’ฝ๐“‰๐“ˆโœจ
I was pleasantly surprised by "๐‡๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐‰๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐‰๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ." The story follows Mariah and Ellie, who form an unlikely bond on the set of a Christmas movie. Together, they plot a Home Alone-style revenge on the guy who deceived them.

๐ˆ found the dynamic between Ellie and Mariah fun. Theyโ€™re complete opposites; Ellie is all sunshine and positivity while Mariah is guarded and a bit on the grumpy side. Their friendship was a strong aspect of the story, with hints of romance sprinkled throughout. The alternating chapters between the Christmas movie being filmed and the main storyline added a very unique touch.

๐ŸŽงI also had the chance to listen to the audiobook narrated by ๐€๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐š ๐‘๐จ๐œ๐œ๐š ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‹๐š๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž๐ง ๐’๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ญ. Their performances truly brought Ellie and Mariah to life. Their voices were perfect for the characters they portrayed. If you enjoy a sapphic and steamy romance set against the backdrop of a Hallmark Christmas movie, then youโ€™ll love this story!

Special thanks to ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐š๐ฒ ๐Œ๐š๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿor the physical copy and ๐‡๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ž๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ง ๐€๐ฎ๐๐ข๐จ for the audio copy. All opinions expressed here are my own.

๐‘๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐Ÿ’.๐Ÿ“โญ๏ธ ๐’๐ฉ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐‹๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ: ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐Ÿ’.๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽง

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