A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone was a perfect steamy holiday romance. I'm glad I read this in July because this one would melt snow, WOW! I loved everything about this. Bee is a pornstar who is the replacement leading lady for the Hope Channel (Hallmark equivalent) new Christmas movie. Her leading co-star is Nolan, Bee's childhood boy band crush. Nolan is also a huge fan of Bee's (Bianca Von Honey) pornstar work. The chemistry is off the charts, and I was here for every sliding moment!

This book was delightful and body positive since Bee is a plus-sized star. I did not want this audiobook to end. The narration was fantastic, and I highly recommend adding this to your reading list! Happy Christmas in July, everyone!

Thank you, Avon and Harper Audio, for my complimentary copies.

I aggressively loved this book.
I loved all the characters. I love that our MC is a PLUS-SIZE porn star, and the Love Interest is a BISEXUAL POP STAR.
The dialogue was *chef's kiss*
Sunny was a gift. The sex was HOT.
I went ahead and pre-ordered.

As a plus sized person, I absolutely appreciate the body positive thread in this book. Not only body positive, but sex positive! I was expecting more spice knowing Sierra, but this is a romcom after all!! It was sweet and spicy and it was a great read. I would absolutely recommend this to any romance reader!!

Love a body positive book. That being said, this was good, but lacked something for me. Don't get me wrong I love these authors other books, especially Simone, but idk this just fell flat a little bit. Good spice, good sweet moments and good conflict resolution, just idk.

Oh Holy Night. This book was better than Christmas morning. I laughed so much, felt the tension and enjoyed every scene between Bee and Nolan, and loved all of the side characters. At times I was a little taken aback by how much of a fantasy Bee was to Nolan, but I guess she had also had all of those same fantasies about him when he was in INK, so I guess it worked itself out. I also loved how diverse all the characters were, their acceptance of Bee’s sex work, and I just wanted to be on set for this entire film. Also, praises for another Sierra Simone church scene. Overall, loved this book, wanted to stop right before the shit hit the fan, but pushed through so my babies could have their happy ending (no pun intended).

A cute, yet spicy, festive read. This book is a must read for every rom com fam who likes their books more on the hot side.

I absolutely love how these characters are written and the way their journey develops throughout the book.

This is a very body positive, inclusive book which I believe has a little bit of something for every reader.

This book is already one I’ve started recommending to friends who I know will love this book.

The story of Bee and Nolan is so sweet, an easy read, and

Hallmark after dark, YES PLEASE.

When I found out that Julia Murphy and Sierra Simone were teaming up for a holiday steamer, I knew I had to read it early!

Bee is a pornstar who embraces every single curve of her body. She is ready to mix business into the game when Teddy calls her that he needs her to play the titular role in Duke the Halls. [Think Hallmark movie channel] NO ONE can know what she does behind the scenes.

Nolan is the bad boy rockstar for now spilt up INK. Needing to support his family and change his image, he signs up to play the Duke in Duke the Halls. He cannot screw this up, both literally and figuratively.

What comes next is a merry little meet cute, lots of spicy fun and some holiday cheer.

I really enjoyed the body positivity shared throughout the novel. Everyone was accepted for who they were with no questions asked. The side characters and loose ends make me hope for more from Murphy and Simone for many more holidays to come!

Thank you Avon Harper Voyager and Netgalley for my earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

4 stars

This is definitely not your mother's Christmas book. In A Merry Little Meet Cute, Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone turn the clean seasonal romance on its head to prove once and for all that everyone deserves a holiday happily ever after.

I have to admit that despite enjoying books from both of these authors separately, it wasn't until the 30% mark or so that this book started to win me over. A lot of the exposition felt a bit too overly quirky for my taste and some of the early interactions with Nolan and Bee made me worried that this book would toe the line towards fetishization. I should have known better as Murphy and Simone manage to deliver a very sexy romance where the walls between fantasy and reality are broken down, leaving room for a true relationship to unfold.

Was it a bit lighter on the Christmas than I would have liked? Absolutely. Did I wish that we had gotten maybe a little more varied smut considering all of the buildup? Yes. Did I still have a wonderful Christmas-in-July time while reading this book? 100%!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

What more can I possible tell you that this amazing blurb doesn't already! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be, and so much more! Take the spice you get from every word Sierra Simone ever puts on paper, and the young innocence from Julie Murphy, and you get an amazingly raunchy made for TV Christmas town turned porno, essentially! In book format. These two write so well together and have created such an amazing world and brought in so many amazing and quirky side characters, I simply adored it.

In this book, we follow plus size adult film star Bee Hobbes and former boy band heart throb Nolan Shaw. When Bee is selected to star in the next made for TV Christmas movie on one of the most wholesome networks ever, and Nolan is cast alongside her to help fix is tarnished reputation, nothing could have prepared them for the fire that would ignite between them on and off screen. He recognizes her from her other life and tries to keep it a secret that he knows who else she is on the other side of Hollywood.

Once the two come together, their passion for one another is only heightened in the fact he’s been a fan of hers for years and is anxious to act on his every fantasy. I love seeing someone in a plus size roll be so desired by someone that you would never stereo type with her in the real world. It added for an extra element we just don’t get in books or on screen and it was much needed.

I loved getting to read this book by these two and see how Julie even came out of her shell in her writing and how far she’d take things, compared to her other work. Sierra has made an amazing influence on her, co-writing partner and I can’t wait to see what these two do next.

Christmas in July continues to take on new meaning after this book. A Merry Little Meet Cute is delightful. I’ve read Julie Murphy before but not Sierra Simone. Together they created a funny, very steamy, holiday romp that pokes fun the Hallmark channel and Christmas stereotypes. There is almost a checklist of representation, bi-sexual main characters, lesbian moms, other queer characters, plus size lead, sex workers and mental health worries over a bi-polar family member.

Bee Hobes is offered her acting dream job of being the lead in a Christmas movie for the Hope Channel. It is to be filmed during a few weeks in picturesque Christmas Notch, Vermont. The town is used movie for locations so much they never take down their holiday decorations. The male lead is Nolan Shaw. He was her teen boy-band crush and she still has posters of him in her childhood bedroom. Nolan needs to redeem his image so he can make money to support his mom and sister. Bee’s secret is she is also Bianca Von Honey a plus size porn star. Bee is hoping this will open the doors to more mainstream acting roles. The sizzle between Nolan and Bee is snow melting hot. But neither can afford for there to be problems on the set.

So many things were funny and tongue in cheek over the top. There is a real sweetness to Bee who loves her professional work. Her best friend and moms are wonderfully supportive and loving. The book takes on more serious topics too. Pointing out worse aspects of media and creations of false narratives. It also shows the unfairness in how women are treated differently by the press and social media for scandals. The celebration of the bad boy vs. the slut shaming of the woman. This is a insta-love story but who can blame Bee for getting to be with her fantasy guy and vice-versa. Maybe it takes a Christmas miracle to believe they can have lasting love after a few weeks. I really enjoyed the epilogue to give the senses of the potential HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

An incredibly sexy and playfully fun holiday romance, this charming novel by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone SIZZLED! I loved the positive mental health, body and sexuality representation as well as the laugh out loud humor and wit displayed by the characters. It had all the comforting elements of a traditional Christmas love story but with a uniquely fresh and fun take that I'm sure readers will find just as charming (albeit outrageous) as I did. A must read of the 2022 holiday season! Thank you so much to Avon Romance and Netgalley for my copy.

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone was a delight to read! A wonderful blend of humor and heat all with a charming Christmas backdrop.

Our heroine is Bee Hobbes, a sweet and sexy adult film star who is recruited last-minute to be the leading lady in a Christmas movie à la the Hallmark channel. She'll be playing opposite Nolan Shaw, the teen idol of her dreams who is trying to comeback from his bad boy image. They each have their own reasons for needing to keep their reputations squeaky clean, meaning that Bee's career in porn under her alias Bianca Von Honey has to remain under wraps. This naturally leads to hijinks aplenty.

Bee isn't the only recruit from the adult film industry (a few other crew members were called in last-minute as well) which led to some truly laugh out loud moments for me. Something about the costume director not knowing why assless chaps wouldn't be appropriate garb for this plain vanilla Christmas movie really tickled me. The book is filled with these kinds of moments, which really bring out the humor.

Something I really appreciated was how queer many of the characters our. Our leads, Bee and Nolan, are both casually bisexual, in that it isn't a big deal for either of them. Bee has two moms (who are adorable) and there are several other queer characters/side relationships. It was just nice to see so much representation.

This book also had a lot to saw about sex work and the adult film industry, and the double standards present when discussing male or female sexuality. And I haven't even mentioned that Bee is plus size, which adds another layer of complexity to how she is treated both inside and outside the adult film industry. I think some readers will wish this was more straight raunch and less social commentary, but I thought it was a great balance and appreciated the substance with the sex.

My secret hope is that this is going to be a series where we'll get to see the other boyband members fall in love...fingers crossed a Christmas miracle occurs and there's more to come!

Ehhhh I loved parts of this and then other parts just didn’t do it for me. It promised a lot of steam, especially with Bee’s career choice. However, more fade to black scenes than steamy scenes.

Maybe it was just a bit too long and if it was condensed it would have felt a bit more complete.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an unsolicited copy of A Merry Little Meet Cute, but it may have been better suited for a reader with a little more Christmas spirit. I tend to channel my inner Ebenezer Scrooge and find it difficult to muster up some yuletide joy. Christmas isn’t as fun when you have to buy your own gifts as a single adult. My favorite holiday is St. Patricks’s Day, where it gives me an excuse to pinch others and blast Celtic Thunder through my speakers. AMLMC didn’t work for me and it felt like a Christmas present wrapped by two separate people. The paper was too short and they used too much tape. This book was co-authored and it was very obvious. Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy were wrestling for the narrative like it was an oiled-up cage match.

A Merry Little Meet Cute felt disjointed to read because I could almost pinpoint when the authors switched places. Murphy’s sections were the Hallmark-esque scenes the book was actively trying to parody while Simone provided the huffing and puffing steam in the back of a Cadillac. Surprisingly, Simone’s spice was a welcome respite from the inundation of unfunny jokes and weird power dynamics throughout the novel. Our couple were obsessed with each other despite never physically meeting in person. Our hero was a former bad boy popstar and the heroine was an adult entertainment darling. I mean, Nolan was subscribed to her Only Fans offshoot page and didn’t tell her when he was receiving the spicy content she made while on the film set! It gave me the ick for these individuals to invest heightened fantasies of each other and try to transition into a normal relationship. It didn’t sit right with me and I couldn’t get that element out of my head while reading.

While this was the equivalent of receiving coal in my Christmas stocking, I will relent that it was a unique premise. A Merry Little Meet Cute brings two unexpected actors together to film a cupcake cute film perfect for the Hallmark channel. Every reference was easily identifiable and I didn’t have to think hard to understand what they couldn’t say under copyright laws: Only Fans, Hallmark, and Nolan’s mishmash of AJ McLean/ Donnie Wahlberg. I’m so honored to have received this advanced copy, but I’m unfortunately going to have to regift this Christmas present. I’m sure I would have enjoyed this book more without the winter wonderland motif and my Humbug attitude. We need a good Arbor Day romance or another underrepresented holiday that isn’t quite so merry to make me enjoy this meet cute.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6wrFUFy4zVLd0La

This was such a fun and sexy holiday rom com! I alternated between the audiobook and ebook, but loved both of the narrators. I love books that have alternating points of view and feel like we get more of the story that way.

This was of course, steamy, but I also enjoyed how Nolan and Bee were so easily drawn to each other and that they’d both previously had a thing for the other despite not meeting before. I enjoyed the story despite having a hard idea what would happen in the end. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and think it’s perfect to get you into the holiday spirit! It was funny, sexy and even a little sweet at times!

I thought this book was ok overall. I liked the twist on classic Hallmark Christmas Channel. But otherwise I found it to be a little slow. Thank you for the arc.

Well this was a fun Christmas read. I loved the chemistry between these two. I absolutely love my Christmas movies, so you take the making of one and add in a p*rn star and the bad boy of a boy band and you’ve got yourself one entertaining story.

It's Christmas in July! I loved this book. I chose this book as I was browsing NetGalley because the cover is super cute, I saw that the female main character is plus size (which I can relate to), and I have loved everything I have read by Sierra Simone. I knew the spice would be VERY good! Spoiler alert - the spice did not disappoint! I have never read any Julie Murphy books. I went in blind with this book, as I do with almost everything I read.

Bee, the female MC is a plus-size porn star with a secret desire to break into the mainstream, and Nolan is the bad boy pop star looking to change his image and make some money to support his family. Mishaps lead to them being leads in a Hallmark style "Hope Channel" Christmas movie. The setting is the typical made-for-TV Christmas movie scene - literally EVERYTHING is Christmas themed. There is even a Christmas themed strip club! The supporting characters are witty, sweet, and provide a ton of good banter in A Merry Little Meet Cute. Some themes include - Sex positivity, LGBTQIA+, mental illness, grief, fat phobia, sex work shaming. I loved the way this duo of authors dealt with all of these themes.

I enjoyed the duo of Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy's. There are so many great side characters that I hope this becomes a series. Give me more Sunny, Teddy, Steph, Luca, and Angel! I loved them all! If you're looking for a sexy, steamy, witty, insta-love romance A Merry Little Meet Cute is for you. Think - Hallmark with lots of sex!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC of A Merry Little Meet Cute.

Every acceptance/we need to be ok talking about this trope that there is; all action-packed into one book. The bisexual bad boy? Check. Larger than life porn star trying to hide her background to go wholesome? Check. Two moms? Check. Lesbian power couple? Check. Porn studio owner with a heart of gold? Check. Small town Oregon guy just trying to make it in LA and be his fabulous self? Check. The bi-polar mom and casual incredibly enlightened thinking about how meds and mental health work? Check.

Also, I had Bye Bye Bye stuck in my head the entire 3 days that it took me to read this book. So. There’s that.


#AMerryLittleMeetCute #NetGalley

This book definitely lived up to its title-- it was cute, it was sweet, it was funny, it was simply so delightful! It brought me Christmas in July and I thank it for that.

I enjoyed the inclusive narrative that was both body and sex positive. It was a very empowering story that allowed both our leads, Bee and Nolan to shine equally. But I must admit I do play favorites and so much of my love went to Bee-- I loved her spunk, confidence, vulnerability, and how she held on to her agency in every facet of her life. Her entire character is so inspired and so lovable. I already miss her!

I did have some qualms with the book. As wonderfully sex positive the narrative was, sometimes it seemed all there was between our leads was lust and sex. They were physically intimate, but I never fully bought into their emotional intimacy. This was disheartening at times because I adored their chemistry so much, but I wish we had more of a love story between the two. My other qualm was the dialogue, sometimes it went so hearty with current pop culture references which I've never been a fan of as I fear it can really age a book.

Nevertheless-- I was so endeared to our leads and their story. The ending was one of my favorite parts, as I left the story feeling happy and satisfied. I definitely recommend this one!

I am so looking forward to the next story by these co-authors; in fact, I believe one (or two!) of the supporting characters' within this story may be headlining their own next. Which I'm 100% here for!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.