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

Maybe this was a right book, right time situation but I absolutely adored this book! Huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an eARC.

"Everything smelled like sex and coffee and Christmas, and it was heaven."

That pretty much sums this book up. You have two authors - one who writes straight steam, and the other who writes more tame romance - teaming up to bring us the perfect mix of holiday romance and where-did-my-water-bottle-go spice. Pure dehydration when our heroine Bee and hero Nolan finally do the deed. Plus you have the most delightful collection of side characters - so much endless love for Luca, Angel, Sunny, and even Teddy - all set in the perfect Christmas town nestled in the snowy lands of Vermont at Christmas-time. This was just *chef's kiss*.

What I loved:
- Standing ovation fat rep! Far too often fat rep feels fetishized, Murphy and Simone did an amazing job having our heroine be fat, but not having our hero want her because of her fat. He just wanted her. Which we love. And OMG the scenes around this were moving.
- Queer rep to the max. Lesbian moms, bisexual (actual bisexual) MC's, queer side characters. We stan!
- The North Pole strip club. Look, I said I would never go back to a strip club after the one and only time I've been and left with stripper sweat caked on my glasses from when the male stripper who was old enough to be my dad hugged me, but for the North Pole and Christmas themed dancers, I might make an exception.
- Actual communication. YAS! Is there anything hotter than two grown ass adults in a romance novel actually using their damn mouths for something other than multiple orgasms but instead to communicate their actual feelings to each other? The answer is no, there is not.

There was so much more that I loved. This was sweet, and steamy, and hilarious and I love, love, loved it! My only gripe is the insta-love. I don't feel that there was enough emotional connection developed for our characters to profess love for one another after two weeks. But everything else was so enjoyable I can almost overlook that. I am so damn excited that this is going to be a series! Can't wait!

Funny and sexy. A light read for the holiday. If you don’t like graphic sex scenes this book may not be for you. The storyline is great.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up
3.5 🌶

As soon as I saw the cover and authors, I knew I had to get my hands on this! A Merry Little Meet Cute is Julie Murphy's and Sierra Simone's first book collab! And it is a Christmas Book! I adore holiday books and am so happy to have read this because I’ve been missing the holidays! Christmas in July!!!

short summary:

Bee Hobbes is a porn star with a big ClosedDoors platform (like OF). She is cast as one of the leads in Hopeflix’s Duke the Halls, a family Christmas movie, and cannot wait to start her acting career. She’s told not to mention her current occupation because of the backlash she’ll receive. She absolutely cannot hookup with any of her coworkers. Little does she know, her coworker/ co-star is THE Nolan Shaw. Her celebrity crush; the same one she’s had pictures of on her walls since she was a teenager.

Nolan Shaw is a former INK star (a boy band, 1D vibes) and was deemed the group's bad boy. However, his career has been going downhill since he had a couple of scandals after the band broke up. He finally has the opportunity to clear his name when he is cast as a lead in Hopeflix’s Duke the Halls. He has to be on his best behavior and cannot mess up. Little does he know, his coworker is THE Bianca Von Honey from ClosedDoors. The same one he’s been subscribed to for years.

Once they set their eyes on each other, their attraction is INSTANTANEOUS and absolutely steamy! Could they put aside their attraction for the movie? What could go wrong?

thoughts:

This was such a fun book to read! I adored the plot; whats not to love about the MCs filming a Christmas movie together!! It adds a lot to their tension, mainly because of the forced proximity! The setting adds a lot to the romance! I love the small town romance aspect, but not just any small town, one of the small towns we see in Hallmark movies! Honestly, the whole book was one (extra) spicy Hallmark movie, and I loved that!

Bee and Nolan had a lot of chemistry, which I enjoyed (and the smutty scenes)! I really liked that they both had crushes on each other and were nervous. It was so cute!! I adored Nolan’s character development; seeing his growth throughout the book was great! Bee is a QUEEN! She’s confident, unashamed of who she is, and knows her worth! I loved her so much!

Something I really enjoyed and appreciated about this book is all the body positivity and sex work positivity. They’re not topics I often see together in books, and I adore the authors for writing about them!

Overall, a fun and extra steamy Christmas rom-com with lovable characters! Definitely read if you like:

→ Christmas romance
→ Forced Proximity (coworkers)
→ Dual POV
→ Instant attraction
→ Steamy romance
→ LGTBQ+ reps
→ Plus Size fmc
→ Explicit open-door romance


Thank you, Netgalley and Avon and Harper, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! <3

This was the cutest book! Bee & Nolan definitely brought the heat to this cute Christmas rom-com! A Merry Little Meet Cute has dual POV, bisexual main characters, a plus size heroine, all the christmas vibes, great spice, cute swoony moments, and so much more!

Don’t let this cute cover fool you because the inside is spicyyyyy! I really enjoyed this story, the characters were so easy to love, and I loved the plus size representation with Bee’s character! Everything was so well done! Hoping some of the side characters will get their own books! 🤞🏼
For a fun, cute, and spicy read this should be on everybody’s holiday TBR!

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for this ARC!

*thank you netgalley and avon for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was cute, fun, and I enjoyed it. It's not a new favorite but if you're looking for a body positive romance with plenty of representation this is for you.

I loved the story line, the romance was sweet, and I really loved the characters and everything they stood for.

I don't have a lot of bad things to say except that something in the writing didn't fully resonate with me or suck me into the story line. I found myself skimming through parts and just ready to get on with it instead of ruminating in the characters' minds for so long.

I wouldn't turn this one away if you're looking for a cute Christmas romance but it's not topping my list of romance favorites.

I truly enjoyed this Christmas in July book🎄😎. Anything written by or with Sierra Simone is a must read. Uncle Ray Ray needs to recruit porn actress Bianca von Honey after a mishap with crew members and a Wooden Tusk 😂where she joins ex pop star Nolan Shaw from INK for a wholesome family Christmas movie. Enter Bee Hobbes and some additional staff members. Of course that’s where the fun begins. What could possibly go wrong or right for that matter? Laughed more than few times. This was a fun read. All the side characters were amazing. Would love stories on the rest of the INK boys.

I knew this title was for adults when I requested it (because of Julie Murphy!) but I still had to remind myself that the sex scenes were okay after a decade of reading young adult titles. Not just sex scenes, but SEX SCENES! While those are always enjoyable, I was only so-so on the romance. Loved both Bee and Nolan, but I had a hard time suspending disbelief that anyone thought this was somehow going to slip under the radar. And <spoiler> the fact that they trusted the stripper to not sell those photos? C'mon! </spoiler> And for an online and film porn star, Bee seemed especially naive in thinking that the Hallmark movie crowd wouldn't contain any of her usual fans. Obviously, I was distracted by that plot point. But the rest of the story is a fun romance with two great main characters surrounded by a whole host of other back up players.

When you think of a Hallmark-friendly holiday romance you probably aren't thinking of a porn star and a disgraced boy band member, but that's exactly what A Merry Little Meet Cute delivered. From the first chapter, I was laughing out loud at this truly unique and wonderful concept. This book was funny, sexy, and quirky all in it's own right and I recommend everyone add it to their holiday wish-lists this year. While I am normally not one to celebrate Christmas in July, I am glad I picked this one up. I loved the humor and the female empowerment this book brought to an industry traditionally dominated by men. This book is perfect for fans of Talia Hibbert and Rosie Danan's Shameless series!

Porn star and subscription sex worker Bee accidentally cast in a wholesome Christmas movie alongside her childhood crush, former naughty boy band member Nolan. What could possibly go wrong?? Nolan quickly realizes Bee is the girl he’s been fantasizing about for years as he is one of her number one subscribers on ClosedDoors!

I loved the concept of this book - especially that both MCs were chaotic bisexuals. There was so much funny banter, and the supporting characters were absolutely nutty and hilarious. The perfect Christmas romcom.

Without getting too spoilery, the book touches on slut shaming, devaluing sex work, fat shaming. I really enjoyed it. My one issue is there was a random scene where Bee suddenly becomes self conscious with her body when during the whole book she’s been a badass plus size queen. It really did not fit in to me. I love my plus size MC to love themselves like I love them.

I am a huge Julie Murphy fan, and I was so excited to read this book. I love that is is so inclusive, not only with the body positivity that I've come to love from Julie's other books, but also LGBT+ inclusion and positive sex worker inclusion. In this story, Nolan Shaw is a former boy band singer with a bad boy past and Bee is a porn star who is looking to make a space for herself in mainstream media. They end up as costars for a Christmas movie on the Hope Channel (think Hallmark). I enjoyed the romance in this story but I found that a lot of the issues that develop between Nolan and Bee happen because of poor communication, especially from Nolan caring so much about his image, although Bee does tend to think the worst despite not having reason to. I also didn't care too much for Sunny, Bee's best friend. She was fine when she was still in LA, but once she arrived on set, she annoyed me with how much she judged Nolan and thought the worst of him. Also, I felt that the story went on for too long, and there were some scenes that could have been cut. I also don't understand the title or cover of this story at all. There isn't really a meet cute; they both know of each other before they meet and they meet by the director introducing them to each other. The cover is also very cutesy compared to the steaminess of the content in the book. Regardless, I did enjoy the story and would recommend it if you want a fun, spicy Christmas story with good inclusion.

*I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was SUCH and exceptional read. I loved the small town, the kooky cast of characters, the widespread queer rep, and just the overall vibe. Bee and Nolan were such amazing lead characters. I was compelled by their personal stories and their romance throughout the book. I enjoyed the healthy conversation around sex work and sex positivity (and also the sex scenes) and I also appreciated the fat representation as well. It was good to see Bee get her story and a leading lady with a fat body and no hesitations about herself.

Steamy, Bi-rep
Plus-size 
Adult film star and the former bad-boy pop star

Wow this was so steamy!

These two were in love with each other's personas but don't realize it. The tension as they tried to be professionals was intense.

They are shooting a Holiday Movie called Duke the Halls for the Hope Channel to improve their reputation. I would totally watch it. But as usual Hollywood and there paparazzi wants to dig everything up and talk about people's personal lives!

This book was so steamy! 🔥🥵🥵

But seriously why are people so into shaming women about their bodies and their choices over size and use. How does this effect your life personally? On a scale of 1 to FO , who cares about the internets opinion.

I believe that everyone deserves chances to change their life.

Thank you avonbooks for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

*Thank you @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Hallmark after dark is right! If you’ve read any reviews for this holiday romance or have read Sierra Simone before, you’ll know to expect the steam. Yet, the sweet, cozy moments are there, too.

Bee and Nolan don’t know that they already know each other when they get cast for a family-friendly Christmas movie set in an idyllic winter town.

There’s a plus-size adult film star heroine and two disaster bisexuals at it again!! I really loved this one and am glad I read it for #HollyJollyJuly

⚠️CW: mention of death, fatphobia, revenge porn, slut shaming

I loved Julie Murphy's Dumplin' series, so I was excited to pick this one up. But it wasn't very merry and there wasn't a meet-cute. It just wasn't the cute, quirky rom-com I expected. I didn't like any of the characters and I skimmed the last 40% of the book just to get through it.
This was a miss for me and I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

Christmas is my thing, it's my favorite holiday ever; so when I saw this cover/book in NetGalley, I had to requested because c'mon! I want that Christmas in July feeling. I will give a 4 stars to this story because sometimes the characters felt "meh", like flat, but overall, the story is good.

One thing I loved is FMC is plus size and I am a plus size woman, so I love love that in a romance book story. For me that I'm used to read spicy/smut books, this was a surprise because I didn't expect this Christmassy romance book to be THAT spicy!... However, I didn't care, I like the smut. lol

Thank you so much NetGalley and Avon for giving me the chance to feel the holiday in July.

DNF @ 25%. (Usually I don't star DNF'd reads, but NetGalley requires it. So, one star for the adorable cover, and one star for the abundant queer and fat rep and sex positivity.)

This book was both explicitly horny and also too boring to read. The characters felt flat, and I couldn't really believe that "indie porn darling goes undercover to film a chaste Christmas movie" would ever be able to be kept a secret—especially if half the crew knows her from porn and she's regularly posting Only Fans-esque content while on set. After reading spoiler reviews of how awful a main character behaves during the third-act conflict, I'm glad I didn't try to slog my way through.

not to be like 'this is the book that the roommate thought it was' but um. yeah.

Anyways. This was such a fun time! We jump right in and there are like 12 scandals ready to destroy everyone's careers which is always a fun time. I loved the contrast with the Hopeflix people and the Uncle Ray Ray's people. I was having a blast until the characters got together and then it fell a bit flat for me.

Overall, this was a great read and I hope Julie and Sierra write something else together.

I could not let Christmas an July pass without reading a Christmas-y book! 😉

When an adult film star is cast in a wholesome RomCom Christmas Movie, opposite former teen boy bander, what could possibly go wrong?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved that both Main Characters had crushes on each other. And their was a lot of body positivity going on, with Bee (FMC) who is a plus size adult film star, trying to keep her adult film career under wraps.

It’s a really cute Christmas story and with Bee being an adult film star there is a lot of sexual talk and a lot of laugh out loud moments.

Mix in some Christmas (movie) magic and it’s an all around great read!

Melli's Book Breakdown
💚 holiday romance
❤️chrismas romance
💚actor romance
❤️former boy band MMC
💚Plus sized FMC
❤️Dual POV