Thank you to NetGalley and Julie Christianson for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐

That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss was my first Julie Christianson book and will not be my last. This romance is the perfect beach read or book to listen to by the pool! From the moment you meet Liv and Hudson, you will love these characters. Their charming personalities and undeniable chemistry make it impossible not to root for them. Their story unfolds with a playful spirit, proving that sometimes the most unexpected paths lead to the greatest discoveries...and that sometimes dares are worth taking!

I listened to the audiobook and must say the narration by Andy Harrington and Amanda Friday was excellent!

This was so cute and cosy I listened to this arc on a 3 hour road trip then back again.
It kept me awake and smiling it was an easy listen the narrators did a great job.

Olivia, was fired from her job and has no where left to go apart from home to her mums and big mamas house. The small town where everyone knows eachother and everyone is related and family.

Hudson broke up with his girlfriend and decides to leave an unfulfilled job with his dad. His found a job and the beach side inn.

Together they go back for similar reasons but both want the same job.
After a few years ago Olivia kisses Hudson on a date and has been mortified about the situation when Hudson abruptly tells her no.

So how awkward can the next meeting be!

It was great the plot was great, the character on point!
Big mama is defo my fave!

If you want small town romance, an intrusive family, close door romance, lighthearted and not complicated this is for you!

Thank you netgalley and dreamscape select for the arc in exchange for an honest review

SHORT SYNOPSIS:
After being passed over for a promotion, Olivia moves in with her grandma to figure out her next steps. When she hears that the Beachfront Inn is hiring, she immediately throws her hat into the ring, only to learn that they already hired some. Someone she kissed on a dare. But was rejected by.

MY THOUGHTS:
Hudson and Olivia. I love them. This was filled with banter and swoony moments and makes for a perfect summer read. Both characters had a lot of growing and learning to do, and they had beautiful character arcs on their own, which made their love and relationship that much better. Hudson truly seeing Olivia, was so sweet.

Amanda Friday and Andy Harrington are the narrators on this one. And they truly brought Hudson and Olivia to life. A lot of times audiobooks, and even dual narrator audiobooks will alternate narrators based on the chapter. What I loved about their narration is the fact that when Hudson spoke (even in an Olivia chapter), Andy narrated that and vice versa.

Julia Christianson is a new to me this year author and I’m looking forward to continuing my backlist read of her books.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND:
🏝️Small beach town
2️⃣Dual POV + Dual narrators
🔥Forced Proximity
🫂Found Family
⛈️Summer storm

That Time I Accidentally Kissed My Beachfront Boss is cute, predictable, and full of sunshine — exactly what you’d expect from a small-town beach romance. The setting is dreamy, the main characters are charming, and the side characters add some fun depth (especially if you’ve read the previous books). It’s definitely a comfort read with all the familiar beats, but still manages to feel sweet and engaging. Nothing groundbreaking, but it delivers exactly what it promises.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars
Rated R for language (more than four F-bombs), mild sexual content, and adult themes.

📖 Bookish Thoughts
Unfortunately, this one didn’t work for me. Both the FMC and MMC came across as quite immature, which made it hard to connect with the romance. I also struggled with the female narrator’s voice throughout the audiobook. It just didn’t land for me and made the FMC’s personality feel even more grating. While the male narrator had a smoother delivery, the MMC’s character didn’t leave a great impression either. His “secret” about pretending his mother was dead for years felt bizarre and unnecessary, and it really took me out of the story. It honestly gave me the biggest ick.
This book had potential, but it just didn’t deliver for me personally.

What You Can Expect
• Sworn-off relationships
• Forced proximity
• Workplace romance
• Small town setting

🗓 Pub Date: June 4, 2025
🎧 Thank you to Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.
📖 Final Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (2.75 rounded up)

That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss is a delightful escape into the world of second chances, small-town gossip, and slow-burn romance. Julie Christianson delivers a charming, closed-door romantic comedy that had me smiling from start to finish. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the “forced proximity meets workplace romance” trope is executed with just the right amount of tension and tenderness.

What really made this audiobook shine for me was the dual narration. Andy Harrington and Amanda Friday bring Hudson and the heroine to life with warmth and personality. Their performances added depth to the characters and made the banter and emotional beats feel even more authentic. It felt like I was right there at the Beachfront Inn, rooting for these two to finally get it right.

The story balances humor and heart beautifully, and while some plot points were a bit predictable, the emotional payoff and feel-good vibes more than made up for it. It’s the kind of story that leaves you feeling cozy and content, perfect for fans of clean romance with a lot of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this sweet and satisfying audiobook!

Liv Macoy is part of a very large family and is a triplete. On a dare she went up to Hudson Blaine and kissed him. Which he totally blew her off. A year later Liv finds herself unemployeed and living with her mother and grandmother when she runs into Blaine at the beachfront hotel. Liv was looking to apply for the manager position only to find out that Blaine has gotten it. The more time that they spend together as Liv is helping out with marketing and social media accounts the more they have feelings for each other. Will Liv break her rule and finally fall in love. Even though I didn't read or listen to the other books in this series I was still able to follow along. This is a clean romantic comedy that anyone would love. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Julie Christianson for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook.

I enjoyed listening from chapters one through three. But chapter four took me by surprise. The MMC’s comments about the FMC just rubbed me the wrong way. He didn’t want to “date” her because of his previous history with her. And by history he meant the FMC choosing another guy over him during a wedding (they were not even dating at that time or even friends; they just flirted and the FMC chose another groomsman to pair with), and continues to say “I can tell she changes guys like she changes outfits”. What a misogynistic chapter. I had to DNF once I heard these because I just can’t get past.. It’s 2025 and there are a ton ways to portray how one character dislikes the other for the sake of the plot. But it should never be misogynistic.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.

That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss by Julie Christianson ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

vibes:
saving the small town business together
not relationship material MMC and FMC
triplets
duet narration audiobook
marketing and PR girlie
no language or spice
favorite quote: "I think we're all probably just a little bit messier than anyone ever knows."

Don't let this cover and the title fool you, this was a five star audiobook for me! It's so sweet and funny with great characters with depth while keeping the tone fun.

These two are saving a beachfront resort in their small town. Guys, the FMC is a triplet, which is already fun, and she's in the marketing industry which was my field before I became a stay at home mom several years ago, so I love to see that in books.

This is a duet narration, which means that the male narrator speaks all of the male characters' dialogue in every scene, and vice versa. It's a superior way to consume audiobooks. Hooray! I enjoyed the male narrator (5 stars) and I mostly enjoyed the female (4 stars) but a couple things bothered me and took me out of the story. Not very many though. I would still recommend to all romance readers.

If you want all the summer vibes, banter, flirting and forced proximity, this one is for you!

Add this one to your summer TBR.

That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss is a cute small-town romance—funny banter, great chemistry, and characters you can’t help but root for. Julie Christianson nails the slow-burn tension between the heroine and her charmingly off-limits boss, all set against the dreamy backdrop of beachy Abieville. This story is a minimal spice story that could almost be used for YA. While predictable, it's adorable.

Even if you haven’t read the first two books in the series, this one works perfectly as a standalone. It’s light, feel-good, and totally bingeable. If you like romantic comedies with depth, sass, and a side of sunshine, you’ll love this one!

3 stars. I think there is potential for this book to be a 3.5 or 4 stars, but it just didn't hit that high for me.
I didn't hate the book, but I also didn't love it.
It was a quick read, I loved that about the book. This would be a beach read that I would read after I read all of my other books and needed another one.
The setting and premise was cute.
There are some trigger warnings - so make sure you read the description well - abandonment and parental death.
The beginning of this book starts out great, but I would say 30-40% into the book, I could not engage as much anymore. The story was written at such a slow pace that I could not keep myself actively engaged enough. However, I know myself, and I do not do well with slow burn, so if that is your thing, you will like this book.
Olivia and Hudson were pretty well developed and relatable. Chemistry was good. There just wasn't much complexity to them.
The plot structure was well done, but the pace killed me. Specifically, the second half of the book.
I will say, I have not read the previous two books, but I thought this read well as a standalone. I didn't feel I was missing any pertinent information that was essential to the plot of this book.
Overall, decent read, could use a change in pace during the second half of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Happy Reading!

This was fine. It held my interest on audio and I was glad that there wasn’t a ton of drama but that also made it a little slow for me. I liked Hudson and Olivia as characters and the romance was cute. It got a little cheesy with the books/library but I also feel like I have seen that in a lot of books lately so I may just be tired of it. I do love the big family aspect of this series and seeing all the triplet/sibling connections plus characters from other books reappearing. I sense another book coming for Darby because there is definitely more to the story with her boyfriend.

I like dual point of view and I thought both narrators did well. This is almost like a full cast because the male narrator also reads his dialogue parts when it is her point of view and vice versa. I don’t always love that method but it worked well for this book.

I received an a copy of this audiobook via NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Kisses

I loved this story. Olivia grows so much and finds her true calling while Hudson learns to trust himself and to trust in love. This wasn’t quite enemies to lovers but in the same vein with forced proximity. It was a fun novel with all the markers of a rom com.
The narrators did a fantastic job, the voice acting was really good and the editing and pacing was good.

Forced proximity
He falls first
Flirty feels
Dual POV

Dual Narration - Amanda Friday & Andy Harrington
Great voice well narrated

A fun and lighthearted quick listen. I loved all the flirty banter. Well written and easy to follow. Definitely recommend

This book was just okay for me. I felt that the book was fun but also made me cringe in several places. I was not a fan of some of the family dynamics. It was funny but was not a book I found myself totally immersed in. The narration was great. I love others more from this author.

This is sweet, easy to listen to love story. The family connection was entertaining. I enjoyed both Olivia and Hudson’s characters. I did feel the story was a little on the longer side but still enjoyable.

Fun banter between the two main characters!

One of the best of the series! There's a wonderful dynamic between Olivia and Hunter. Both with vulnerability, and a sweet sense of protectiveness between the two. The book and the audio were thoroughly enjoyable!

Hudson and Olivia have both had life changes and are struggling to find themselves. They each end up working together at a beachfront inn.

This was an enjoyable audiobook. 4 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable read! I listened to it on one day! It’s not everyday you read a book and the female main character is a triplet! I loved the dynamics of Olivia’s family especially with the cousins and the closeness. The family dynamics in this book were so real even the ones that were hard to read especially Hudson and his mom. I really enjoyed Olivia as a character she really is everything. She’s attractive, kind, thoughtful, smart, and I loved how she stood up for herself and took a risk at the beginning of the book. Olivia and Hudson were cute and I enjoyed reading about them coming together following a failed kiss 2 years prior. It felt natural and realistic. If you are looking for a sweet summer romcom to read I recommend picking this one up. Don’t be scared that this is a book theee I have not read the first two but I have now added them to my TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape for the audio ARC!

4 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this audio. The FMC voiced annoyed me some but it was still good. I enjoyed the MMC tho. It flowed nicely.

The story tho was super cute!! I really enjoyed it.