Love. Love love. A quick and quaint read. Was a joy to read and a page turner. Thank you.

I read each book in the series and they were awesome

I always love when Murphy and Simone team up because they blend so well together. Their stories are the perfect blend of dirty and rom-com vibes. They're always a winning team and I look forward to their books.

A Merry Little Meet Cute is a decidedly more spicy and sexy read than the typical holiday fare. It's like if the adult film star couple from The Holiday had a storyline. And, it's by a dynamic duo of authors. It's definitely worth checking out if you want something a little more naughty that still has a lot of heart.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars. Hmm, this holiday romance between pornstar Bee and former boy band star Nolan meeting on the set of a Hallmark-style Christmas movie was cute enough and certainly spicy, but maybe 100 ish pages too long?

I liked that the authors had a clear intention of sex positivity and showing sex work as real work. I liked the juxtaposition of a porn star and a crew of porn staff pulling off the chaste holiday romance (even though the plot of Duke the Halls sounded truly bonkers). I liked Bee and Nolan and their chemistry. I think Nolan's mom's bipolar disorder was not entirely done well-- a sensitivity reader may have helped.

Honestly, it made no sense that Bee didn't have a plan for when the porn cat got out of the bag with the Hope Channel. Assuming viewers of holiday romance movies and porn viewers are two circles of viewers that don't overlap is naive at best.

Read if you enjoy:
- fat woman rep
- Bi for Bi 😍
- small town Vermont Christmas town setting
- Christmas movie setting
- medium to high spice
- a cast of chaotic porn support staff trying to pull off a cutesy Christmas movie
- sex work as real work
- grappling with purity culture

This is a cute story about a sex worker and a former pop-star filming what is basically a fictional version of a Hallmark movie.

Yes, the story is sex positive, sex worker positive, sex industry positive. Fat positive. Features two bisexual main characters.

But the subtle commentary on how expensive health care/health insurance is, and how the characters try to deny themselves what for themselves to keep jobs so that they can afford health insurance for themselves or family.

It's really not more than a few throwaway lines, but it might cause a person to think what jobs they might take to keep/afford health insurance.

I'm going to go download the ebook between two of the secondary characters, and hope I read that before next year. And I look forward to book 2 in the series which comes out in about two weeks. Hopefully I'll read it before it's a year out.

A MERRY LITTLE MEET CUTE just recently came out in paperback, so if you didn't want to lug around a hardcover book, now would be a good time to get the book.

I requested this ARC because I loved Julie Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits last year. I’ve never read anything by Sierra Simone before, but I know from BookTok that her writing is ✨spicy✨ so I had to see how their two styles worked together. It did not disappoint.
I absolutely loved the Christmas town setting and holiday references. You would think a holiday-themed strip club or gingerbread line would be a little over the top, but it worked so well. I also loved how positive this book was about body and sex. Bee was completely comfortable with her size and career choice. Her size was just one aspect of who she was, not her entire person, and although she kept her job secret for the majority of the book, she never felt shame for working in adult film. More importantly, her love interest never made her feel shame for either of these things either, which was a major green flag.
Bee and Nolan’s relationship was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. The fact that they were both each other’s celebrity crushes was adorable, and their chemistry and banter were off the charts. Also, they were both bisexual disasters, which I am a total sucker for.
If you’re looking for something that captures the spirit of a Hallmark Christmas movie but is smutty as hell, A Merry Little Meet Cute is a must-read. Simone and Murphy’s writing flowed so seamlessly that I honestly couldn’t tell it was written by two people. I loved the world they created and can’t wait for more in this series.

I was so excited for this book due to the unique holiday premise. However, the execution was just not there and I'm sad to say it!  


I do appreciate NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.

This book was not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way! From looking at this cover, I was expecting a cute and warm holiday read, and then I read the excerpt and loved how completely wrong I was and how the premise of this book is nothing like any other holiday romance I've read! This book is jam packed with SPICE and dives into a positive narrative about sex workers and some of the ins and outs of those in that field. This was a refreshing holiday romance and I'm looking forward to reading Julie and Sierra's next book!

Playing a little catch up in my backlog of holiday books this month. I was excited to pick this up as I have heard about how good & spicy this book is -more so lately as a second book by these authors has also just been released. I reallllly loved the concept of a porn star breaking into more traditional film rolls- and in the process, falling in love with her childhood celebrity crush. As a plus size woman myself, it was refreshing to read about main character who looks like me. And Nolan? Girl the way he talks about Bee and how beautiful her body is? Perfection. I enjoyed following their story. The spice was also 100%

One critique that I will give is that it did get kinda cheesy and I was frustrated with the lack of communication when it came to the conflict.

Teddy has a problem. He’s producing a movie for the pristine Hope Channel, a holiday movie that is being shot over Christmas. He has less than three weeks to complete filming in Christmas Notch, Vermont. And his leading actress has had to pull out of the film at the last minute. And when he was talking to his director Gretchen about a replacement, she noticed someone who caught her eye. Gretchen insisted on her, a voluptuous edgy actress she’d not seen in anything before. So he called up Bee Hobbes and asked her to star in the Hope Channel movie he was producing, Duke the Halls.

Technically, Bee worked for Teddy already. But she worked under for his Uncle Ray-Ray production company that also produced movies with a quick turnaround. But those were adult films, and she starred in them as Bianca von Honey. Now, she’s Bee Hobbes, a young actress with a squeaky clean reputation, or the whole project would be scrapped. And she really wanted to make this movie, especially since he costar is none other than Nolan Shaw.

Nolan Shaw was a member of the boy band INK, the bisexual bad boy who squandered a lot of his earnings before his sketchy manager took off with the rest. Now he’s living in Kansas City and working at a local theater. His mother struggles with her mental health, and he didn’t want to leave her alone with his younger sister Maddie, who is still in school, but filming Duke the Halls is his first step in rehabilitating his reputation and proving he can be a responsible performer. Plus, he could really use the money for his mother’s health care.

Nolan is committed to keeping his head down and his nose clean. But then he finds out that his costar, Bee Hobbes, is the same woman who haunts his fantasies as well as his phone. He is a subscriber to her ClosedDoors account, and meeting Bianca von Honey in person is almost enough for him to forget about why he’s there. Almost.

And then they kiss.

The first scene they film is toward the end of the movie, where the duke and the time-traveling runaway bride declare their love for each other and kiss. And the kiss is far hotter than either Bee or Nolan expects. Or maybe they did expect that, as Bee was a fan of Nolan back when he was in the boy band and she was in high school, and Nolan is a fan of Bianca.

Now all they have to do is keep filming this chaste film for a channel known for its modesty, with a producer who makes adult movies and a script with no ending (the screenwriter, Gretchen’s girlfriend, can’t seem to figure out that last line about what Christmas means), in a town that doubles as a set for holiday movies. Everything has to be by the book. Unsullied. Squeaky clean.

So no one can know when Bee and Nolan start hooking up in secret.

And that’s when Dominic Diamond, the reporter who destroyed Nolan’s career the first time, shows up to town.

Will Bee and Nolan be able to survive all the forces trying to keep them apart? Or will they find their own happily ever after after all?

A Merry Little Meet Cute is an extra spicy holiday rom com with lots of laughs and lots of very hot love scenes. The characters are likable, smart and compassionate and accepting. The juxtaposition of the adult film industry insiders working on the Hope Channel movie offers lots of room for hijinks, but there is also a respect for all lifestyles.

I listened to A Merry Little Meet Cute, with Bee’s chapters narrated by Joy Nash and Nolan’s chapters narrated by Sebastian York. I thought both of them were perfect in their roles, bringing these characters to life, with all their snark and intelligence. However, there were scenes that would make listening to this book awkward in public, so that’s something to keep in mind as you listen.

I loved A Merry Little Meet Cute. I thought it was engaging and charming, and it offers a different perspective on holiday shenanigans and those holiday movies on that greeting card channel. It is extra spicy, so prepare for those ghost pepper moments (or maybe I’m just used to vanilla rom coms). But this book is lots of fun and filled with life and laughter.

Egalleys for A Merry Little Meet Cute were provided by Avon through NetGalley, but I bought the audio book myself through Chirp.

I always go in blind on my reads and basically only know the title, genre, and cover for my reads! Do not let this cover make you think this is some sweet little Christmas story because it’s not! It’s a STEAMY Christmas read and I’m so here for it! Forbidden romance, workplace romance, and so much more in this one! I loved how inclusive this story was! Yay for a LGBTQ+ Christmas book!!

A wonderful wintertime romance with a plus size main character and a former member of a fictious boyband! This had great steamy romance scenes and an engaging story of dealing with life problems.

A Merry Little Meet Cute came out in 2022, but I finally got around to reading and reviewing it in October 2023, preparing for the authors’ second in the series. Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for the NetGalley ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, and my apologies for not getting to it sooner!
I don’t know why I put it off for that long - it was a fun, spicy book! The premise is great - a producer of adult films wants to branch out from that indutry and gets hired to produce a Christmas movie for a religious channel. When one of the stars is forced to drop out because of a scandal, Teddy the producer accidentally shows the director a headshot for one of his female nude models. The director insists on hiring her, and Teddy ends up hiring other behind the scenes personnel from his adult film gigs. The male star, who needs to redeem his bad boy image, recognizes the female star, as he’s been a subscriber to her adult film videos for awhile, but he hides this knowledge from her. Many hijinks ensue, but all in all it was quite a fun read (which I partially listened to via audiobook, too).

I mean who does not love a Hallmark and a spicy book? Julie and Sierra deliver 100% of the time. It is so fun to see how the different characters deal with the different situations they are not used to. Make sure to read this book immediately

I tried reading this and just could not get into it for some reason. I think it might just be the timing so I’ll try again closer to the holidays. The length for a rom com was intimidating a bit, but I think I was just surprised.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
Cute Rom Com about a plus size porn star who branches out in a Hallmark Type movie with a former child star who is a fan of her work. Its fun spicy read. Totally recommend!

Meet cute with lots of spice!

An ex boy band member meets a current successful porn star on the set of a sweet romantic Christmas movie.

There are fun secrets like, Bee was a big fan of Nolan’s former boy band and Nolan is a fan of Bee’s current work.

Bee was offered the position as a lead in the Christmas movie at the last minute. At the point of the first kiss their chemistry is off the charts. For success of their careers and the movie they must keep their relationship a secret. A fun circle of family, friends and staff on the movie set makes for a crazy adventure.

This is my first read by Julie Murphy. Sierra Simone is one of my always read authors.

This was a fun book and I enjoyed the characters. I like that the fmc was a sex worker who liked her work and the mmc had no issue with it. My one issue with the book was the predictability of the third act conflict and how it went down.

Spoiler: I don’t understand how they expected the secret to stay secret. It’s not like people wouldn’t be able to search her face online or that some of her fans might accidentally see her on the movie. It kind of felt like a plot hole to me.

"A Merry Little Meet Cute" captures the essence of the holiday season and the joy of finding love when you least expect it. It's a heartwarming and uplifting story that's perfect for curling up with a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy evening. Murphy and Simone have created a perfect little gift of a story for those looking for a dose of love and holiday cheer.

I was hooked from the prologue of Merry Little Meet Cute, which hilariously sets the scene without even including our two leads. A producer is trying to diversify his portfolio, but his foray into the squeaky-clean Christmas genre seems destined for disaster. With filming just around the corner, one of his leads and a chunk of his crew come to (hilarious) harm at a music festival. He's been determined that his new venture not intersect with his secret production empire, but a suitcase mishap leads his Christmas movie director to cast a porn star as her new yuletide lead.

Bee is proud to be a sex worker, but that doesn't mean it's the sum of her aspirations. Starring in a Hallmark-esque Christmas movie for the puritanical Hope Channel could be the start of a career that makes her younger theater kid self sit up and take notice. She all but gave up that dream when it became clear that a fat woman wouldn't be considered for all kinds of leading roles. This new opportunity to turn those expectations upside down is marred by the need for secrecy. If someone finds out about Bee's background, it could not only mess things up for her role in the production but also cut short the beginning of a promising new career. Part of Bee's enthusiasm for the role is thanks to her co-lead-- a washed-up boy band bad boy who needs to resuscitate his image. Nolan's manager ran off with the band's money and then a "gotcha!" style paparazzi blogger made him persona non grata... particularly in figure skating circles. His solo career tanked, and he still has a mom and sister to support. He needs a comeback badly. Nolan's new manager assures him that kicking off an acting career on his best behavior for a network that specializes in a narrow definition of moral uprightness is the perfect move.

Both Bee and Nolan have been strictly instructed to keep their sexual appetites on lock until filming is done, or their reputations could tank. But both leads are familiar with the other's previous work... and the chemistry is palpable. Nolan was Bee's teenage fantasy complete with bedroom posters and fan fiction. And Nolan is in the top tier of Bee's subscribers, avidly consuming her content as a balm for difficult times in reality. The fact that both are fans of the other makes it a celebrity romance without an awkward power imbalance. For those who like their romances spicy, know that this book ~delivers~. Our protagonists are confident and voracious, not afraid of expressing what they want and then acting on it. Their relationship necessitates secrecy and features one of my favorite brands of idiocy, "Let's just get it out of our systems."

The Christmas vibes are adorable. There are Christmas-y images that match the setting at the beginning of each chapter. Filming takes place in a quaint town whose carefully cultivated aesthetic makes it a hotspot for the Christmas movie industry. Bee and Nolan star in a movie about the meaning of Christmas, except the screenwriter isn't actually sure what that is. A time-traveling story about a duke and a runaway bride is meant to be classic Christmas romance fodder (it kind of is), but it turns out Bee isn't the only person from the porn industry called in to fill an emergency vacancy. Among many hilarious situations this creates behind the scenes, a costumer seriously suggests assless chaps for Nolan's duke, and a prop master uses a suspiciously high frequency of double entendres. I laughed out loud as these two film worlds collided spectacularly.

It's near impossible to rank the excellent things about this book, but easily in my top five is the prevalence of queer folk everywhere. Bee has two moms. The director and screenwriter are a sapphic couple. An Achillean romance develops between two members of the crew as a fun side plot. And best of all, both leads are bi and proud. It's not just a splash of rainbow paint to seem inclusive. Bee talks to Nolan about how his being out as a teenager in the spotlight helped her see herself growing up. And Nolan acknowledges that the fact he fit the stereotype of a bi person made it easier for him to be out than other people in the industry (being a cis white man sure helped him along, too).

This romance is funny, sexy, merry, and heartfelt. Both characters' families and friends play significant roles, rounding out a full plot. It's an empathetic, human tale that's sex-positive, affirming of mental health struggles, and centers a fat woman who lives in a fatphobic reality but embraces her sexuality in the face of her haters. Absurd scenarios exist easily alongside sweet ones, crafting a fun experience that really did sprinkle me with some Christmas spirit. Romance readers looking for their next steamy holiday read should snap this up ASAP. Thanks to Avon for my copy to read and review!