4.5 stars! I loved this book!

If you do not like spice-heavy books, "A Merry Little Meet Cute" by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone is NOT the book for you. It is *raunchy*...and I loved every second of it!

The story revolves around Bee, also known as Bianca von Honey, a plus-size adult film actress/ClosedDoors (ie: OnlyFans) superstar who gets roped into starring in a Christmas film by Teddy, who runs the adult film company Uncle Ray-Ray's where she works. Teddy is trying to break into the "normal" entertainment industry by producing said film for the wholesome Christian network the Hope Channel. Her main male co-star is going to be Nolan Shaw, a washed-up former boy band pop star in desperate need of work so he can help out his mother and sister. Nolan's agent gets his foot in the door with the Hope Channel starring in "Duke the Halls," hoping it will help rehabilitate his former bad-boy image. Little does Bee know that Nolan is her number one fan on ClosedDoors, and little does Nolan know that Bee has been obsessed with his former boy band INK since she was a teenager. Their attraction to one another is palpable and instantaneous. Unfortunately, they have both been told by their agents to "be good," and both of them have to keep the real reason they are in Christmas Notch shooting a Christian holiday film on the down low. Can they navigate this ticking time bomb and expand upon their rapidly growing feelings and lust for one another?

"A Merry Little Meet Cute" is sexy, smart, silly, fun, and full of witty banter. It's a darn good read! I cannot wait to read Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone's back catalogs because these ladies know how to write top-tier steam! Whoooooa nelly, this book is seductive! This story has a lot to say about women in the adult film industry, the devastating nature of superstardom, reinventing yourself when no one will take a chance on you, and staying true to who you are despite what you might present to the public. Bee and Nolan have SUCH good chemistry with one another. I was in insta-love with their insta-love. It's like they were made for each other. Their backstories kept me hooked from page one. The supporting players are also fantastic additions to the plot, including Teddy, Gretchen & her wild and out-there wife Pearl, Sunny (Bee's best friend), and Luca and Angel. I loved the fat representation, loved the bisexual representation, loved the mental health awareness and the care and understanding for those who suffer from it, loved the fluffy snow-covered romance, loved the Christmas themed *everything* (including a strip club!), loved the positive outlook on sex/sex for pleasure/sex work, LOVED the steaminess, loved the Christmas cheer, loved the juxtaposition between naughty and nice. This book is one red hot Christmas delight!

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Avon for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

When the partnership between Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone was announced, I thought it was a bit strange, as they write completely different types of books for completely different audiences. However, the concept sounded cool, and I was prepared to go in with an open mind. The result, A Merry Little Meet Cute, ended up completely blowing me away.

Stylistically, it feels seamless, as the best collaborations do. There are elements of what both authors are known for in the narrative, from nuanced fat rep that discusses and unpacks fatphobia without the lead overly internalizing it to well-written and executed steamy moments, complemented by a message of sex positivity.

Bee spoke to me immediately. I love the concept of a fat woman involved in the porn industry, as it counters much of the messaging I’ve heard most of my life that fat women like me should be ashamed of our bodies, or that we aren’t desirable. I felt for her as her producer put her in a tough spot of having to try to live a double life, but ultimately it leads to her really proving what she has to offer and that she’s a multifaceted talent, even if the public isn’t initially ready to see that.

Nolan is a wonderful hero, and I love how his narrative complements Bee’s. He’s doing this movie as a sort of image rehabilitation from his bad-boy boy band past, as well as in an effort to provide stability for his family, given he hasn’t had lucrative work since his former manager took off with his and the rest of the band’s money. He instantly recognizes Bee, and has long been fascinated by her work in porn, and contrary to (genre) expectations, respects her for it immediately, even if they need to keep any romantic entanglement between them secret. He does have a bit of growing to do, as he doesn’t realize that while both of them are criticized and picked apart in the aftermath of shit hitting the fan, she’s the one who bears the brunt of it, due to the ingrained societal misogyny and fatphobia.

I love what this book is doing, providing a steamy, but fun alternative to the lower heat holiday romances that populate shelves and screens during the Christmas season, and contributing to reducing the stigma around the porn industry. If you enjoy steamy romance, you won’t want to miss this one.

“A Merry Little Meet Cute” was everything we love about Julie Murphy but with an added, dirty twist!

We meet Bee, and adult film star who is given the opportunity to star in a Hope Channel Christmas movie! While she is excited about the prospect of expanding her film credits, she is nervous the wholesome Hope Channel will discover her deep dark secret!

Enter Nolan Shaw, ex-teen-heart-throb. Nolan is trying to clean up his act and hopes that staring in a Hope Channel film will help fans see that he isn’t the bad boy he once was! He quickly learns this mission will be nearly impossible when his favorite adult film star enters stage left as his CO-STAR!

Will Bee and Nolan be able to pull off a career changing movie?

Internet famous porn star Bee Hobbes gets cast in a family friendly Hallmark style Christmas movie. Starring opposite of her is bad boy boybander Nolan, who needs the job to support his mom. Both are told by respective managers to behave and keep their names squeaky clean. However, when they meet, there are sparks, and they find it hard to stay apart.

I expected a cute Christmas romcom here, but this book was a lot more sex and a lot less romcom. It felt imbalanced too me - there wasn't enough chemistry or scenes outside of the bedroom that I really cared about their relationship. I also didn't find the sex scenes very sexy. I'm all for a steamy scene, but these were not it for me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book - it was so much fun and a great way to start reading holiday books published for the 2022 season!

Bee Hobbes is a well known porn star with a large following on an OnlyFans type platform. Her sex and body positivity have earned her a following but she’s anxious to dip her toe into traditional media when she gets the opportunity to do a Hallmark-esque Christmas movie. Her costar is former boy band bad boy, Nolan Shaw, the star of Bee’s teenage fantasies. Both Bee and Nolan are out to build new and different careers while also trying to keep their secrets in the past.

The chemistry between Bee and Nolan is hot. What else would we expect from the woman who brought us Priest?? (There’s a church scene in this book that is easily in my top five sex scenes now. OMG.) The instalove is definitively strong especially when the whole book only takes place over about two weeks. My biggest complaint with this book is that Bee felt one dimensional. There’s such care taken to be cool about her sex work that it felt like the only aspect of her personality. Well that and she’s fat. Nolan never fails to remind her of how soft she is which got to be grating after time.

There are great side characters which potentially set up for future books. I’d love to see what else this duo writes together!

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨
A Merry Little Meet Cute
By Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

When I attended the Harper Collins Canada Fall preview for Influencers, I got the chance to watch Murphy and Simone speak about this up coming book! What I heard had me intrigued, to say the least!

This book was 🔥 ….and I was all for it! I read it so fast and couldn’t set it down!

This one drops on September 20th!! When you’re freezing cold this Winter, grab this book,it will definitely heat you up 🥵

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Spice factor:🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶/5

Huge thanks to @harpercollinsca and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

#bookreview #amerrylittlemeetcute #hot #spicy #hccinfluencers #bookinfluencer #bookrecs #readthisbook #sohot🔥 #🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 #bookreviewer #netgalleyreads #canadianbookstagrammer #canadianbookcrew #readthisnext #addtotbr #toohotfortheholidays #books #booklove

Okay, here’s the set up: Nolan Shaw, a notorious former boy band member with a bad boy reputation is in image clean up mode when he signs on to do a Hopeflix (think Hallmark Channel) Christmas movie with one of America’s most wholesome actresses. After a freak accident at UnFestival (think Burning Man) renders the star and several key crew members unable to participate in the movie days before production, quick decisions must be made.

Enter Teddy Ray Fletcher (secretly known for Uncle Ray-Rays porn production studio) who is trying to diversify his income stream and keep his past and his new venture with the Hope Channel completely separate. At a harried airport meeting hours before production is set to begin, Teddy accidentally hands over the resume for one of his most successful adult stars, Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca von Honey) to the film’s director, who is immediately drawn to Bee but unaware of her current career. Knowing Bee’s intense desire to branch out into more mainstream film and his inability to sway the director towards a different choice finds Teddy reluctantly giving in. While he’s at it, he sends over a few other crew members from Uncle Ray Rays to fill in the rest of the gaps. How hard could it be to keep all of this a secret for a three weeks on a film set?

Everyone is sworn to secrecy and Bee and Nolan are forced to make promises to be on their best behaviors by their respective managers. However, sparks immediately fly when Bee, who happens to be holding a decade long crush on Nolan and Nolan, who is one of Bianca von Honey’s most dedicated fans on ClosedDoors (think OnlyFans) meet for the first time on set. Nolan has to hide his increasingly aggressive erections while pretending he doesn’t know that Bee is Bianca and Bee has to pretend like she isn’t losing her actual mind every time he looks at her. If the Hope Channel finds out about Teddy or Bee they’ll almost certainly drop the film, cutting off Teddy’s new income stream and Bee’s chances of branching out. If anyone finds out that Nolan is aware of who Bee actually is, it’ll ruin his attempts to clean up his image and cut off his new desperately needed income stream. Should be fine.

Narrator - It was not fine.

Listen, is this scenario believable or feasible in any way? Absolutely not. Did that bother me? Not even for one moment. I devoured this holiday treasure in two sittings. A Merry Little Meet Cute is ridiculous in all of the best ways, steamy and queer as hell, super sex positive, body positive, and absurdly swoon worthy. We had two chaotic bisexual leads with fantastic chemistry, a hilarious and rich cast of side characters, and a story that I would absolutely love to see adapted to film. This one brought me a lot of joy and is the perfect read for any time of year. Thanks so much to Avon for the opportunity to read an early copy. A Merry Little Meet Cute comes out on 9/20 and I sincerely hope this is the beginning of a very long partnership between Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone.

Having read Julie Murphy's YS books, the content of this work was a bit of a surprise. The story is, in essence, another retelling of Cinderella albeit with an unusual twist. Instead of being a victimized stepsister, the main character, Bee/Bianca feels ostracized for being overweight and because she is a sex worker. Her Prince Charming is a 'bad boy' singer trying to revitalize his own career.

The theme of many of Murphy's book has to do with weight. and this book does as well. It's fairly predictable, as Cinderella stories are.

Loved this--combined the vibes of Rosie Danaan's The Roommate, Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert, and...something else I can't remember right now. Maybe Alexis Daria's You Had Me at Hola?

Dual POV narration is quite well done.

Sweet, smart, size-friendly, funny, sexy AND sex-positive...

A Merry Little Meet Cute will give you Hallmark channel in December vibes with spice. It doesn’t follow the same pattern as most romance and the third act breakup resolves itself fast and it’s different than other Christmas storylines which is entertaining.

Enjoyed that Bee had an amazing support system in her moms and bestie. Nolan was little boring in a way and I enjoyed the secondary male characters more.

This co-written book is not your typical sweet little Christmas story or meet-cute. It's nice and naughty and everything in between. A quirky cast and crew invade a small Hallmark-style Christmas town and bring secrets and potential for scandals

Nolan Shaw is a broke, fallen, bad boy from ex-boy band fame who needs a new start and gets cast in a squeaky clean holiday movie to rebrand his image. He has made mistakes but wants to be a better man and take care of his family. But things get complicated when he realizes his new ingenue of a leading lady is really his porn star crush.

Bee Hobbs is a sassy, smart, witty, body and sex-positive, plus-sized porn star who has her own popular online channel under another name. She is equally excited about this new mainstream opportunity and worried that her other identity will get out.

Is it fate or a disaster that Nolan already knows all about her online identity and had as much of a crush on her as she did on him during his band days? Unfortunately for them, it might be meeting the right person at the wrong time because they both are supposed to be on their best behavior, fly under the radar, and protect the family-friendly reputation of the movie and the network. But the chemistry between them is undeniable and the fact that they actually like spending time together is equally as dangerous. And if their secrets come out and their worlds collide, it could ruin everything. It's a quick and dirty holiday mess in the making.

This is a forced proximity, secret, holiday romance with plenty of hitches, heat, humor, and heart. They have quite a few issues to deal with and a lot of eyes watching. The scenery is both quaint and has some pockets of debauchery. The side characters add fun, drama, and even more diversity. This is a sugary sweet story within a story that has some edge. I hope that some of the side characters get books because there were interesting especially his boy band mates, Kallum and Isaac as well Luca, Angel, Teddy, Steph, and Maddie.

A Merry Little Meet Cute is everything that I want in a holiday romance. Don't let the cutesy cover fool you. This has all the smut that you've come to expect from Sierra Simone. This was her first time c0-authoring with Julie Murphy and it was a match made in heaven.

Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. She is contacted by the owner of the porn studio who is trying to diversify his brand by making sweet holiday romcoms on the Hope Channel. There's been an emergency and he needs a new star for his film Duke the Halls. Bee decides this might just what her career could use to transition to more mainstream films. The only catch is that no one can know about Bee's background. Bee meets her co-star Nolan on set. He instantly recognizes her from her adult film work. She's been his fantasy girl for years. She knows Nolan from being the bad boy bander of her childhood. They both have so much to loose if a relationship is discovered but their chemistry is undeniable.

This book was so much fun! I cannot gush about this book enough. I loved all of the body positivity. Nolan has fantasized about Bee for years Their chemistry is initially lust motivated but it's her genuineness that keeps him interested. And he is definitely interested. The world building of Christmas Notch Vermont is perfect. It sets the stage for a holiday themed movie set. I'm a sucker for those holiday romcoms and the way the movie is described with its absurdity is so on par. Details like the North Pole Club with strippers named after the reindeer and horses named Whitneigh Houston had me cracking up. This was my first book by Julie Murphy and I'm looking forward to reading more from her. Sierra Simone is always a good time in my book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone, and Avon Harper Voyager for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #netgalley #sierrasimone #juliemurphy #avonharpervoyager #amerrylittlemeetcute

This was such a wonderful holiday romance without an over abundance of Christmas thrown at you.

With two bisexual characters with their own secrets, this was a fun, hilarious read. As a reader who lived in Kansas City for years, I loved the BBQ references, long live the Z-man.

Nolan definitely has that book boyfriend material down pat, and though he made a few questionable decisions, you can just tell he was trying his hardest to do the best for his family. The way he worships Bee is undeniable.

Bee was an absolute delight, and I will forever love these two authors for having a fat heroine that loves herself. This book is sex positive, and takes the reader into the life of a sex worker, who ends up in a Hallmark-like movie. You can only imagine the shenanigans that occur in this book.

I am already crossing my fingers for additional books following some of the side characters we were introduced to!

Hallmark Christmas Movie Meets OnlyFans

📖Book: A Merry Little Meet Cute
⭐️Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏼Author: Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone
📚Genre: Romance
🗏 Pages: 412
💕Tropes: Celebrity Crush, WorkPlace Romance, Get it out of our systems, Forced Proximity
⚠️Warnings: Mental Illness, Body Shaming, Death
🔖Readability: 4/5 italic font
🥇First Line: "I think six bottles of flavored lube might be overkill," I told Sunny.

Things to expect:
✨Plus-size Representation
❤️Sex-work Representation
💞Bisexual Representation
💛SPICESPICESPICE
🪴Personal Growth

What happens when an adult film star is cast as the wholesome hallmark Christmas movie lead? A Merry Little Meet Cute follows Bee, a famous closed-door app creator (like only fans) that wants to be something more. When she is given the opportunity to star in a rated G Christmas film with her childhood celebrity crush, bee jumps at it. Nolan is a former childhood boy band star that has had issues with the spotlight and requires a significant image change and money. He can make it through the movie without causing any issues, as long as he has his favorite closed-door app creator Bianca von Honey. What could go wrong? Not Bee being Bianca Von Honey. This novel is SPICEY with a capital S. It is not for the faint of heart, and the cover is deceiving. Some of my favorite quotes are:

"I don't think I've ever seen a headshot with nipples before."

"You once did a sex scene on a jet ski. With a life jacket on"

"I lock eyes with the women I'd jerk off to more times than I could count."

"I always said sex was my cardio, but this worked too."

And these are just before page 50. I loved every second of reading this. The body and sex positivity are chef kiss, and I adored how the authors weren't scared to write about a culture that is so looked against. The only issue I had was that it seemed like if you weren't sex-positive, you were wrong. Besides that, this novel was a 10 out of 10. Best things in the corn department and needs to be on everyone's read list.


Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the advance reader copy in exchange for

First of all, I never want to see or smell gingerbread lotion again in my life after this so jot that down.

Secondly, this book had a super fun concept that I just don't feel like the authors delivered on. The pieces are all there but the characters often felt like caricatures rather than people and the dialogue was Too Much more often than not. Bee and Nolan, our two leads, each have POVs and tbh their inner monologues didn't really feel like very distinctive voices.

Some moments are genuinely funny and I am always here for subverting some Christmas tropes but ultimately this one just didn't land for me.

Thank you @avonbooks for AMLMC. Don't let this cute book cover fool you, this is one fun steamy rom com. This romance between Bee and Nolan is off the charts with their instant attraction from Bee's crush on Nolan as heartthrob from a boy band to Nolan being a fan of Bee's work on an adult subscription site.

I love both of the reasons for changing their image and how it impacted their attraction. The supporting characters were a lot of fun too and I hope there will future stories of these characters.

This was wayyyy too edgy for me and my shop 😅
It did make me laugh though!

Dnf at 20% unfortunately. I felt too clueless about porn and couldn’t follow all the references to it

What happens when an accident forces a Hallmark like channel to unknowingly, "accidentally" cast an adult film/sex worker as their lead for this wholesome vanilla Christmas movie? Surely she can keep her past work affairs under the lime light... right? Did I mentioned that her boy band dream crush not only is her costar but also an avid follower or her adult work? 😜
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The represenation in this book was outstanding! LGBTQ+, mental health awareness, sex workers, plus size, you name it and all were portrayed beautifully!
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Being set in a small christmas village allowed this book to really go over the top with Christmas theme, which I found adorable, clever and even more laughable. The overall writing was witty and charming.
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Bee was strong, charismatic and funny. Nolan had me swooning as he tried to take care of his loved ones. The dynamics of the adult film crew had me... laughing all the away 🎶⛄️ (eh eh see what I did there!? I couldn't help myself)
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This is the cheeky sexy charming rom-com (sprinkled with some nice spice) you need to get into the christmas spirit this season! 🔥⛄️
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My only grudge if any, is the constant mention of lube and a suitcases of toys they didn't get a chance to specifically use in the story.
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PS: Does Angel and Luca need their own book? Yes, they do! I need an explanation for that epilogue behavior! I honestly wouldn't be mad having a book for each supporting character because they were all amusing!

Delightfully unusual rom-com

Bee and Nolan were terrific together, even if one has to suspend disbelief just a bit to buy into their "trying to keep things secret" while not showing much restraint at all in where and when they allowed their frisky sides to shine. I loved the fact that they both had celebrity crushes on each other, and the humor sprinkled throughout kept the story from getting bogged down under the threat of exposure.

Their HEA was terrific, if somewhat predictable (as most of these "hope the public doesn't find out" stories go) and I enjoyed the way it incorporated secondary characters as well. It's a fun read, and one I recommend if you're looking for a light, frothy holiday rom-com. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I was surprised by this one and enjoyed it more than I expected to! The sex-positivity was nice to see, especially that Bee wasn't being shamed for her sex work or expected to leave it behind. Bee and Nolan were both fun characters that I enjoyed getting to know more throughout the story.