Really enjoyed the first half of this in particular, but the second half gets less good with overly complicated and flimsy obstacles and backstory.

3.5/5

I am really, really sorry but I could not finish this book. It was just too raunchy for me -- I wanted to like it and I was interested in the storyline but there was too much graphic masturbation and other kinds of sex (and I'm not a prude) for me to stay with it.

Fun and flirty, this is a wonderful 5 star collaboration of two very talented authors.
I highly recommend this book, as well as their individual works, and I hope this won't be their only coauthored story.

I really enjoyed this book. I have not read any books by either of these authors, so I was glad to try something new. After reading about the authors, I can really see how their characters are reflected in the author's own backgrounds. Sierra Simone is from Kansas City, which is also where I am from, so I really appreciated all the 'local' callouts. It was a pleasant surprise. I liked the story line and banter back and forth between the two main characters. I will definitely recommend this to my friends, especially my Kansas City friends.

I was so excited for this book! The premise is that an ex-boyband popstar is starring in a Hallmark Christmas movie with a fat pornstar (except nobody can know she's a pornstar and this is all an accident) ((and the she just so happens to be his favorite pornstar)) so like there is a lot that intrigued me. They're both trying to make their acting careers take off and there's a lot in the balance for both of them if it doesn't happen.

Unfortunately, the book stays pretty surface-level relationship-wise. The two MCS are interested in each other on sight of course but then the insta-love hits hard and fast which I personally don't like. The characters also read very young to me which kept confusing me since they are both possibly in their 30s? The books is very sex-positive but just talking about how you have a suitcase full of sex toys and never using them and then having some vanilla sex? I wanted more from all the promise this books hands out.

The book is fairly long but it almost seems like too many issues are brought into it. There's a mental illness storyline, fatphobia, sex work and all that entails in the world, fame and privilege or every kind, LGBTQIA issues, both our MCs are bi disasters, etc. All of this is shoved into about one week of story? The characters don't really have time to know each other and honestly the first time they fuck I was AGHAST!

Even with all of this, there's a sweetness throughout the book that I truly enjoyed. The supporting character friends (as always) make the book and the MCs have some moments that I swooned over. I liked that the authors tried to really make this a book with a lot of intersectionality while still understanding the privilege of each main character and showing the support and condemnation of the world based on so many different aspects of personhood.

This is a fairly quick read for the page-count and it's perfect for those looking for a holiday romance in the upcoming months!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy seamlessly team up in A Merry Little Meet Cute, a Christmas rom-com with enough steam to power Santa's sleigh. Plus-size adult film performer Bee Hobbes' producer is covertly attempting a career pivot to family-friendly Christmas films and when the lead actress for his first movie is suddenly unavailable, Bee is unexpectedly cast in her first mainstream role. Her costar is none other than her teen crush, former boy band member Nolan Shaw, who happens to be a huge fan of hers. Both actors--known to some as bisexual disasters--need the shoot to go well, Bee to build a career for when she retires from adult entertainment and Nolan to pay his mother's medical bills. Can they resist their attraction, keep Bee and her producers' other professional endeavors secret and make some movie magic?
A Merry Little Meet Cute is a big hearted, frequently hilarious romance with the character-driven writing Julie Murphy is known for and the emotional depth and searing eroticism of Sierra Simone. This body-, sex-, and sex work-positive story manages to be sexy, funny and even whimsical at times, indulging in physical and emotional intimacy while maintaining tension throughout. Readers will be grateful that the authors have neatly set up sequels, because A Merry Little Meet Cute is the perfect gift for any time of year.

Bee Hobbes gets the role of a lifetime, starring in a Christmas-themed romcom alongside her teenage crush, the disgraced ex-boy-band member Nolan Shaw, who is working to revamp his image and restart his career. The thing is, though, Bee already has a successful film career - in porn, acting under the name Bianca Von Honey, a fact she needs to keep secret from the super conservative movie production company, or she and Nolan will both face the consequences.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. I'm new to romcom reading and have a decidedly non-Christmasy attitude in general, so A Merry Little Meet Cute was my first-ever Christmas romcom, and omg it killed it. The body positivity. The sex positivity. The super steamy business. This was such a fun book and I'm so happy I read it. I haven't read anything by either author before, and I clearly need to look up Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone's backlists and get to work. 5 giant twinkly Christmas stars.

Even though I loved the premise and body positivity in this book, something just felt amiss. There is good representation to certain topics, but not things that most people can necessarily relate to. I didn’t find myself getting attached to either character and ended up DNFing about halfway through. I was really hoping this would be a fun Christmas read, but sadly it misses the mark. I am only rating based on what I did read.

Pub date: 9/20/22 (out now)
Genre: romance (insta-love, brush with fame, secret romance, bisexual MCs)
One sentence summary: Adult film star Bee is cast in a Christmas movie with her childhood crush, Nolan Shaw, and they'll both have a hard time keeping things PG on the film set.

Reader beware: this book is far spicier than the cute illustrated cover indicates! I liked both Bee and Nolan - they are both self-proclaimed "bisexual disasters" - and their big personalities were so fun. Insta-love is not my favorite trope, but I felt like they made sense together! Their efforts to be squeaky clean on the Hallmark-like movie set were entertaining and comedic.

My main criticism of this book is that it felt about 100 pages too long - IMO, 400+ pages is too long for a romcom. But I still enjoyed the read, and it was a fun Christmas-y story! 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

This was fun, spicy and cute! I didn't expect anything less from these two authors. I loved the characters especially Bee. Knocked a star off because I thought it was a little to long at parts.

I was desperately curious to see how Sierra Simone (scorching hot) and Julie Murphy (who I knew from YA and one closed door Disney book) would do together. And we definitely get the scorching hot set in Christmas town.

I started off strong with this, but it became kind of stressful because you know the other shoe is going to fall eventually. It's more a matter of who will drop it and how hard will it hit. It took me a long time to finish it because I just wasn't motivated.

Sex positive, good fat rep. Recommended if you want a Hallmark Christmas movie to star a former boy band bad boy obsessed with his plus size secret porn star co-star, and don't mind the stress of knowing it's all going to fall apart before it's put back together.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise is super fun. There was plenty of balance in the story as well. There were plenty intimacy, spice, and humor. I did have difficulty connecting with the characters, but it didn't have a huge effect on my enjoyment of the story. There are plenty of laughable moments. I really liked Bee. She's smart, funny, and her self acceptance is absolutely wonderful. She embraces her body and makes no apologies for her work in sex films. I also liked that she was self assured and knew exactly what she wanted for herself in and out of the bedroom. Overall, a fun read with a wonderful lead, strong humor and just the right amount of spice for my liking.

I really like the concept of this one and was so excited to read and review it. When I started reading, I had to restart this book several times. I'm not sure why, but I was just NOT understanding it.

As I got in to it, it was ridiculous, sarcastic and abusurb (but, in a good way!) It was more steamy than I expected for a book called 'Merry Little Meet Cute' (which is probably on me, it's literally about a porn star haha). The premise was good, I liked the bi representation and overall thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Super loved this sexy little book.

Here’s what you get:
*Christmas cheer
*Hallmark meets steamy romance
*Great FMC
*Instant attraction
*A fun plot

Definitely recommend.

Laugh out loud funny, explicitly sexy scenes, and a town that I want to live in year-round. Can't wait to read more romances taking place in Christmas Notch.

A bubbly, super cute and sweet romance that I finished in one setting. Adored the casual fat rep, the spiciness, and all the holiday references. A must read!

Not your typical Christmas story, but a fantastic read!!! I love Nolan Shaw, the bad boy from the boy band INK, and Bre Hobbs is the porn star who dreams of being more. When they are both cast in a wholesome Christmas movie, things are bound to heat up!
This is a book that I couldn't put down once I started. A must read for any romance lover!
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

3 stars. This was an okay read for me, not great. A Merry Little Meet Cute is not particularly merry or cute. This is a standalone book and is Bee and Nolan's story. Bee is a porn star with a separate "only fans" type side gig who has decided to dabble in regular acting when a lead role abruptly opens in a Christmas Hallmark-like movie. Nolan is a former boy band member with a bad boy reputation that has signed on to be the male lead in the film. Bee doesn't want anyone on the film to find out about her career as Bianca Honey, but when she and Nolan meet he immediately recognizes her as he is a huge fan. Sparks fly between them, but Bee is worried about being found out, while Nolan is trying to repair his reputation and look squeaky clean. Still, they can't stay apart from each other. They have to figure out a way to make things work between them so they can be together.

This story was not bad. It is sexy and the premise was cute with potential. But I had a hard time with the non-monogamy and unsafe feeling, which is not my preference in romance. There is so much talk of attraction to many other people that it took away from the romance between Bee and Nolan. I did think they liked each other, but I found them to be somewhat immature and not possessive or monogamist enough for my reading taste. They were just okay characters to me and I wasn't sure they were committed to making their relationship last. Every person in the book is gay or bi, which I found unusual. I thought this was going to be a cute, fluffy holiday rom-com based on the cover, but I found it to be more angsty than cute.

Overall, this was not my favorite Holiday book and not what I was expecting based on the cover. Still, if you are a fan of non-monogamy, it might be a good book for you. That's just not what I like to read when I read romance.

What I Liked: This is one of the most sex positive, main-stream romances I’ve ever read, something that was expected given the synopsis of the book, but never the less very welcome to see in a large romance release. The characters talk openly and honestly about the sex trade profession, there are conversations about body positivity, gender equality, and realistic expectations about fame, celebrity, and privacy. When the main character is a porn star (and one of the authors is Sierra Simone) I expect a certain level of smut and sex and was NOT disapointed. Bee and Nolan have some very hot sex and lots of it. Without giving too much away, I like when the conflict in romances feel real and not contrived or something that could be solved by a simple conversation between the H and h. In this book, Bee and Nolan face real-life issues and while they could handle them better, their issues weren’t drawn out or idiotic. Murphy and Simone have already stated their intention to make this a series and as such have filled this book with a multitude of side characters, so many that I think they could easily write ten more books and still have a few characters left. So it’s a credit to their writing abilities that every character felt fully realized and that I liked them all enough to want to read their own books.

What I Didn’t Like: I expert a certain degree of unbelievability in my romances but the characters in this book speak in a way that is completely over the top. Some of the phrases they used were so ridiculous it pulled me out of the reading. No one talks in real life like how some of these characters talk.

Who Should Read It: Fans of both of the authors will really enjoy this book (although Julie Murphy fans may be shocked by the graphicness of the sex scenes!) Anyone who likes Hallmark Christmas movies but wishes they had more sex will also love this book.

Review Wrap Up: Despite a few minor issues, I really enjoyed this first collaboration between Murphy and Simone. The representation felt natural and not forced while also feeling realistic to the real world. Bee is a fantastic romance heroine and Nolan is a swoon-worthy hero. I recommend this sexy and funny book

I loved this!!!! A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE is a sexy holiday rom-com packed with heart, heat, humor, fat positivity, sex positivity, queer joy, and all the small town festive coziness.

A fat porn star and a former boy band member come together (pun intended) to play opposites in a Hallmark-like Christmas movie? And they are both bisexual and fans of each other’s work???? Sign me up! This book was just as fun (and steamy) as its set-up. I loved both Bee and Nolan as leads, and the story’s dual-POV was executed very well.

I look forward to more books set within this world. I hope Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone continue to collaborate, as this was A HUGE WIN for steamy rom-com lovers (like me)!