I admit to being deeply intrigued by the idea of middle grade/YA/Disney retelling Julie Murphy teaming up with my favorite queen of Smutsville, Sierra Simone, for a book about a porn star in a Hallmark-style movie. The whole idea pretty much made my brain cells melt from overexertion trying to picture the result. The verdict? A Merry Little Meet Cute is a sweet-as-pie, sexy-as-sin, laugh-out-loud, delightful cocktail that highlights the best of both authors. Barkeep, please give me another - and make it a double!

The premise is this: Bee Hobbes works as a porn star and runs her own, very popular OnlyFans-type site under the name of Bianca Von Honey. Nolan Shaw is a former boy band member who took his bad boy image a little too far and ended up tanking his career. Both end up as the unlikely stars of the wholesome Hope Channel's next Christmas movie, Duke the Halls. Bee is keeping her Bianca persona a secret on set for obvious reasons, and Nolan is trying to rehabilitate his image to get his career back on track. The problem? The chemistry between the two is so immediate and overpowering that everyone watching them shoot their first kiss scene is treated to much more than a mere stage kiss. As is the way of rom-coms, hilarity, hijinks, and hanky-panky ensue.

I adored Bee and her confidence, her body positivity, and that she is profoundly proud of the work she does. Nolan is so loyal and committed to his family that I just wanted to wrap him up in a great big hug. I was thankful that these two acted as adults with actual communication skills, so that when all hell breaks loose, they are able to put the pieces back together in a mature way. But a note to the authors: if you're going to reference a suitcase full of sex toys, you'd better use them on the page! Also, I want books for every single one of the supporting characters.

I recommend A Merry Little Meet Cute for those who like their Christmas stories to be a little bit naughty, and to anyone who wants to know what the true meaning of Christmas is.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise was cute - a porn star accidently cast in a Hallmark-type holiday heart-warming romance. But, eh. I got about a quarter of the way through, and just stopped. I still think the premise is cute. And I love books with body positivity and strong female leads. Maybe I am more of a prude than I care to admit. But this just isn't a breezy, contemporary, meet cute.

I liked the writing style - great dialogue and witty ripostes. I will look for more from this author.

Well my holiday reading started off very spicy and I am here for it! I love that Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, two of my favorite authors, collaborated on A Merry Little Meet Cute. This story was like a Christmas Hallmark movie with a dash of the adult film industry thrown in. And I LOVE that we have a plus size FMC. This needs to be the norm for romance novels. I love how confident Bee came off and the sexual tension between her and her teenage crush Nolan Shaw just had the steam coming off the pages. I honestly wish this was an actual movie because I would watch it this holiday season. I will be telling all my friends that they must add this one to their holiday TBR. Many thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was the perfect balance of everything I love in a spicy romcom and everything i love about cheesy hallmark movies! It had the over the top Christmas setting and names, but with a spicy flare I’ve never seen before in this setting! The characters were absolutely hysterical and I found myself laughing out loud constantly.

I totally fell in love with Bee. From how she embraced her body and her career in sex work to how she knew exactly what she wanted in and out of the bedroom and refused to settle for less. Nolan’s broody reformed bad boy yet total simp for Bee vibe was the icing on the cake. He wanted her and had zero issues making it known. I felt like they had such a mature relationship and communicated what they wanted and how they felt which I really loved for them.

I got a little stressed halfway through just waiting for everything to blow up and cause issues for them, so the middle dragged a bit for me, but overall I loved the book! Bee is an absolute icon and I can’t express how much I loved her representation as a plus size woman and a sex worker. The side characters also added SO much to the story and I can’t wait to learn more about them in future books.

I loved the entire premise of this book. Bee is a plus-sized porn star, trying to go main stream on a movie that is supposed to be wholesome, so the producers can't find out she's a porn star. Nolan is a former boy bander, who was Bee's teenage crush (and still is), trying to rehab his bad boy reputation. Both have a morality clause in their contract. Nolan figures he'll just watch his favorite porn star for relief instead and it turns out that it's Bee's alter ego, Bianca van Honey. What could possibly go wrong?

This book is explicit. It doesn't take these two long to get together and get together they do. Many times.
Have a fan at the ready. You're going to need it. If you've read Priest, I have a feeling you'll appreciate a scene in the book. ;)

My one qualm with it was that for a couple trying to be careful and hide their relationship, they really did a bad job of it. They'd say something about being careful and then they'd do something that would be a way of easily getting caught. And it'd have me rolling my eyes.

Overall, I enjoyed it. I was expecting something super steamy and funny with low angst and I got it. It was a fast read and a fun read. As a plus sized woman, I appreciated the body and sex positivity of it. I'd also love to see Sunny get her own book because I loved her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

4.25 Stars

When Hopeflix Christmas movie star Winnie gets injured at a Burning Man-esque festival, someone has to step in to star in the latest movie, which also happens to be starring reformed boy-band bad-boy Nolan Shaw. And that someone is Bree Hobbes, aka Bianca Von Honey aka famous porn star. Oh my stars.

Y'all this was cute. Like a Hallmark/Netflix Christmas movie, you know where it's heading and the book does not even try to stray from that one whit - but it uses the classic rom-com formula to it's advantage while making some great commentary about the strengths of the genre. And oh yeah, the romance is pretty romantic, y'all. Eyebrows eyebrows. So yeah, my review for Julie Murphy's first adult book basically boiled down to "but where was all the sex?" and um, I do not have the same complaint about this book. I believe Sierra Simone is a romance author and I thought the sex scenes were pretty hot. I also liked the characters - Bree and Nolan are both sympathetic and you'll definitely find yourself rooting for those two crazy kids (who are in their early 30s, actually). The book is funny and warm and a little queer and it's...everything you'd want from a Christmas porn? Lol. It is like a Netflix Christmas movie with like, a lot of sex. And I have to say, even though this isn't necessarily my preferred genre, I really enjoyed it.

Netflix! Grab the Nicola Coughlin (maybe Vanessa Hudgens can be Winnie?) and the intimacy coordinators from Bridgerton and hop to.

4 stars Goodreads and 5 stars Netgalley - I really liked it and will be widely recommending it.

THIS WAS INDEED A VERY MERRY (AND CUTE) MEET CUTE!!!!!

This kinky little Christmas rom-com was so fun and had me laughing my booty off!! Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) is a adult film star who is accidentally cast alongside her childhood boy band crush, Nolan Shaw. What her and her producer are hoping is that no one will recognize her from her other platform since this movie is for a veryyyyy family friendly channel and it’s a Christmas movie, it’ll work right?!

But Nolan immediately recognizes Bee because… HE IS BIANCE VON HONEYS #1 FAN.

The story follows these two as they begin to film and as their burning chemistry starts heating up around them! The problem? They both need to be SQUEAKY clean as this movie is a fresh start for Nolan, and a dream for Bee.

Boy, was there was indeed some steam!!!! I expected no less from the queen Sierra Simone, but my goodness Julie Murphys writing definitely surprised me in the best way! It was my first of her books and I can easily say I’m a fan!

I am obsessed with Bee’s moms and her bestie, Sunny! There was some amazing side characters and I can’t wait for more books from these two authors! Y’all need to add this one to your Christmas TBRs!!

Spice: 🌶🌶

Indeed a "cute" story. It started a little slow for me as the plot was set up - how a porn star ended up filming a holiday movie for a hallmark-like channel. But once the action started with the two main characters, the story picked up and the book was hard to put down. A truly enjoyable story with the happy ending I want to see in a romance - especially a holiday themed one!

I received an advanced reader copy of A Merry Little Meet Cute from Netgalley.

This is a spicy rom-com about porn star/sex worker Bee who unexpectedly lands a role in a Hopeflix (think Hallmark Channel) Christmas movie opposite Nolan, a former boy band member who is working to rehab his bad boy image. Bee is told to keep her Bianca persona under wraps, and Nolan is told to keep it in his pants. Let's just say, that doesn't happen.

What I liked most about this book is that Bee is unapologetically and REALISTICALLY plus-sized. I've read books with plus-sized main characters where it felt like a small detail that was tacked onto the character. In this story though it's woven into the writing and feels very well done and authentic. Same goes for the sex worker part of Bee's character. The story was very sex-positive and supportive of people in that industry.

I thought the whole spicy Christmas book in general was kind of brilliant, and I'm wondering why there aren't more out there.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much where my appreciation for the story ends. The book has dual POV between Bee and Nolan, and honestly I could have done without Nolan's POV entirely. He was supposed to be a bad boy trying to clean up his image, but being in his head you see right away he's a nice average dude. Nothing really gave off bad boy to me. The story about the Duluth Olympics drama felt forced, like it was thrown in as a detail to be like, "see, he's a bad boy," but I was never sold on his reputation. I would have preferred to be kept in the dark and learn about his character from Bee's perspective slowly over the course of the book. Having both POVs also really cuts down on the sexual tension TBH. You know from the get-go that they've both been obsessed with each other for years, so there's very little build-up to their connection.

Also, holy side characters, Batman. There were far too many side characters, I kept forgetting who was who. Teddy. Sunny. Pearl. Gretchen. Steph. Angel. Kallum. Isaac. Jack. Luca. Nolan's mom and sister. Cammy. And more, I've just forgotten their names again again again.

One more complaint I'd like to lodge: why in the world did they mention Bee's suitcase full of sex toys over and over again if they weren't going to come into play at some point??

Read this if you're in the mood for:
-celebrity romance
-dual POV
-spicy romance
-Holiday romance
-coworker romance
-Plus size representation
-LGBTQ rep (both MCs are bisexual)

Honestly Sierra Simone can do no wrong. This was my first book by Julie Murphy and I really enjoyed it! I loved Bee and Nolan's chemistry. Their banter was just too good! It was such a fun holiday romcom!

This book is far more steamy than I anticipated it being. I have a co-worker that fast forwards through anything on the page when she's listening to an audiobook and I told her that this is probably not the book for her because she would miss most of the novel that way. That being said - I thought it was a fun book for the right reader. If you are only familiar with Julie Murphy's writing- this might be a departure for you content-wise.

This steamy Christmas romance was a delight to read. A porn star and a former boy band singer cast in a Christmas movie for a Hallmark-like channel attempt to maintain a squeaky clean image even as things heat up behind the scenes. I loved how casually queer this book was, with two bi leads and numerous LGBTQ side characters. A great holiday romance.

This ended up being the perfect summer read, but definitely had me craving the holidays. I love Julie Murphy's novels, and this was my first delve into SIerra Simone's writing, but I couldn't tell you where one author ended and the other began, except for the arguments of Texas vs. Kansas barbeque!
Bee and Nolan were layered, likeable characters, and I loved the comedic effect of having people from the porn industry share inside jokes, sometimes unknowingly. Sexy and fun, I can't wait to read this, again, curled up by the fire with a mug of gingerbread coffee to keep me warm. ;)
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this eARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Wow this was so unexpected, fun, and CUTE!
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Bee and Nolan are hollywood-star crossed lovers, Bee with her “ClosedDoors” account and Nolan with his bad-boy-turned-good pop sensation reputation. They both venture to Vermont to star in a Hallmark-esque movie to reshape Nolan’s reputation and give Bee the shot at an acting career. Things get funny when Nolan and Bee meet and Nolan quickly realizes that Bee is actually Bianca Von Honey, the ClosedDoors star that he’s been, well, you know, jacking off to for the last few years.
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Their chemistry is immediate and intense, and not before long, the two are sneaking off for quickies, secret kisses, and lots of uncommunicated pining. Their not-relationship puts the whole movie, Nolan’s newly minted reputation, and a whole host of other things at risk. Will they get their Christmas happily ever after?
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Things this book did well - diversity in a variety of ways, discussions of mental health, and vanilla spicy scenes with some fade to black. What could’ve been better - side character development, tension between the two love interests, and wrapping things up a *wee* bit quicker.
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Was this groundbreaking? No. Did it have some dialogue that felt a little elder-millennial cringey? Yes. Do I still think anyone who loves Tis The Damn Season by Taylor Swift, Hallmark movies where the guy always gets the girl, or figgy pudding should read this? Abso-freaking-lutely. If re-reading scenes where Nolan worships Bee’s body puts me on the naughty list, then so be it.

Christmas is July anyone? It was for me at least, since I got to read an ARC of Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone’s A Merry Little Meet Cute this month. Which I’m going to be honest, wasn’t even on my radar (shh I’ve been slacking), but landed in my inbox anyways, and I’m exceptionally happy that it did! The premise is a budding plus size adult industry star gets her mainstream acting chance when they need a last minute replacement for a two-week Christmas movie shoot, filming over the actual holidays. Of course no one can, or would even dare, to connect her to her OnlyFans identity. Too bad her new costar has been a loyal subscriber for years. Of course shenanigans ensue and the ball gets rolling. This book took me by complete surprise and I really was here for it! I loved the entire cast of characters, and the chemistry between Bee and Nolan was electric. I also enjoyed the fact his entire steamy story took place in the basic equivalent to Santa’s Village, aka the most pure, idyllic Christmas town. Anyways, if these authors ever decide to team up again (a sequel for Kallum??), I will definitely be picking that book up.
4.5/5 stars

*Thank you to Avon for providing me with an eARC. All thoughts are my own.*

I really adore these authors so I was super excited they were working together in a Christmas romance! I really love how they had a plus sized woman as our heroine! It’s my fav! This book was so fun, witty, sweet, steamy, and all the holiday feels! Bee and Nolan are perfectly matched! Bee is out main girl who is in the adult film business. She really likes it but also want to do acting. So when she is offered a part in a family Christmas movie, she takes it but knows that her identity must be kept secret! Nolan is our ex boy band bad boy trying to revamp his rep. He gets placed as the hero in the family Christmas movie along side Bee. These two actually find they have a lot of lust and chemistry between them. Though both have to be good….but do they really? Nolan is really a sweet bad boy and Bee is so fun! I loved them as a couple! This book was such a steamy delight!

Sadly, this is a no for me.

I love Sierra Simone’s writing, it is my first time reading anything from Julie Murphy. The cover and blurb are very intriguing and promising. However, the book falls flat, I was so bored and yes, Nolan and Bee have chemistry and tension, but it was only because they were each other’s crush and nothing else, there was also too much inner monologue and nothing was happening.

Bee Hobbes gets a role in a Christmas movie for a family friendly channel, the Hope Channel. She is over the moon when she discovers her co-star is an ex-boyband member Nolan Shaw, who happens to be her childhood crush. Unfortunately, Nolan recognizes Bee from her other career as an adult film star. Nolan and Bee start sneaking around, but unfortunately, so does a snooping reporter. The reporter works to uncover who Bee really is, which could ruin the whole movie for everyone.

This book was so much fun! There was plus-size rep, bi rep, and just an all-around sexy story. And who wouldn't want to bang their boyband crush?

Christmas came early this year. I absolutely loved reading A Merry Little Meet Cute. It can be hard, sometimes, to find funny, fierce and relatable plus-size FMC’s and this book delivered 🙌🏽 I’ve already preordered the audiobook, that’s how much I loved it.

The story is centered on Bee Hobbes, a plus-sized adult film star, & Nolan Shaw, a former teen boyband heartthrob. Together, they are the main characters in a family friendly Christmas film. This way this played out was fantastic and funny, they had great banter and strong chemistry.

The way the author was able to include body positivity and sex positive empowerment felt both natural and necessary. For me, it flowed seamlessly with the characters and story. Bee was such a relatable and inspirational character. She’s fierce and confident but also vulnerable, she has a great sense of humor. She knows who she is and what she wants.

This was such a fun holiday rom-com, I definitely recommend giving it a read!

Thank you Avon Books for my copy of A Merry Little Meet Cute. All thoughts are my own!

It’s no secret I read A LOT of holiday books each season. I’m always on the lookout for ones that pack the holiday vibes but hold the Hallmark Cheese, so when I heard about this collab between Sierra and Julie I immediately requested a copy. And it did not disappoint!

If you like your holiday reads on the spicier side, you will not be disappointed about this Rom Com starring an adult film actress and a former boy band bad boy set in an idyllic, cozy town of Christmas Notch, Vermont.

Synopsis:

“Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.” —Goodreads

What I Liked:

The Holiday Vibes—So cozy and I loved the setting of Christmas Notch, Vermont. We stayed at the Christmas Farm Inn and Spa in New Hampshire one year and it feels very similar.

Sex Positivity + Plus Size Rep—I always love to read about women who take control of their sexuality. Even better when it’s a woman with curves!

The Concept—Maybe it’s because I’m an actor, but I’ve been so attracted to books about filming the cheesy Christmas movies. It was so fun! And I love a reformed rake. Nolan was adorable.

What Didn’t Work:

Act I Pacing—It was a bit of a slow opening but once things heated up, the story took off!

Character Authenticity: 4/5

Steam Rating: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

Fatphobia, mental illness, biphobia, revenge porn