A Merry Little Meet Cute, by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5

THIS WAS SO GOOD. I was surprised to see an author pairing of Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, but y'all... this duo is phenomenal. I highly recommend adding some spice to your Christmas with this book — it was fresh, funny, and fat- and sex-positive. What else do you need?

A Merry Little Meet Cute is a sweet and steamy holiday rom-com about Bee Hobbes, an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and Nolan Shaw, a former bad-boy pop star in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan is Bee's childhood crush and Nolan is a huge fan of Bee's ClosedDoors account — so of course when they meet, there's an immediate chemistry, attraction and lots of tension.

I loved this book so much. There's bisexual representation from both our (super likable) main characters, a glimpse into the sex work industry, fantastic families and communities that surround the two leads, and a heartwarming story about pushing against the status quo and going after what you really want. This also covered some heavier topics like the negative sides of fame, mental health disorders, and taking care of family members. Nolan and Bee are so cute and they really are perfect for each other.

My only critique (and reason why it's not 5 stars) is that there was too much insta-love for my preference. I understand falling in love quickly, but the two week timeline didn't do it for me. I definitely think there needed to be more time and conversations between Nolan and Bee — something that would push their relationship beyond the immediate attraction level and get to more of the heart of a love match.

That said, I absolutely loved everything else. A running joke throughout the novel is about the "unlikely cross-over of people who watch porn and also wholesome Christmas movies," and it just made me think about everyone who loves romance with spice. I read another review that summed it up perfectly: This is perfect for "someone looking to add a little cayenne pepper in your hot chocolate this holiday season." (You can totally read this year-round, though!)

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This one is out Sept. 20, 2022.

I have to be honest and say I didn’t LOVE his POV. I think the character of Bee would have been strong enough! There were also several scenarios where I wished she gave me more of her. A lot of the novel felt like internal monologue and not necessarily helping the plot. I read this on my kindle, but a few sections felt long just to be long.

Overall, I enjoyed the characters and plot. It had just the right level of spice as well. I do wish it was a smidge shorter though.

I’m not gonna lie, I solely requested this because the FMC is a plus sized sex worker and that is literally it.

Needless to say I was hoping for A Merry Little Meet Cute to be amazing, and thankfully I was not disappointed. Bee & Nolan have wonderful chemistry and the banter between them was great (even when it was a little cringy), plus AMLMC was such a light hearted and fun (a little steamy too) read! I also really loved that Murphy and Simone weren’t afraid to touch on topics like mental health, sex work and sexuality, and the negativity of fame while developing this cute love story.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper for the opportunity to read this early!

*First, I'd like to thank Avon and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I LOVED this book. I was familiar with Julie Murphy for her YA novels, but never actually read any of her's. I began Sierra Simone's BDSM romance Thornchapel series. Their combination was one of genius. Bee Hobbes is an aspiring actress and a successful porn actress with the alias Bianca Von Honey on an OnlyFans-like app called ClosedDoors. Nolan Shaw is an old boy band member trying to clean up his act. By a twist of fate, both of them are cast in a Hallmark-esque Christmas movie, and the sparks fly.

I thought this was well written, and there is so much I cannot wait for Murphy and Simone to explore in this world. Every character had so many sides to them that one novel cannot contain. Murphy and Simone portray sex workers as human beings and not as some caricature that owes their audiences anything. I love the sex positivity and support throughout the novel. Shoutout to both main characters being bisexual and actually going through the male main character's attraction to men rather than just putting a label on him and leaving it at that.

I smell another book coming after this one, and I cannot wait to read more.

Bee Hobbs was a plus-sized adult entertainment worker who dreamed of also acting in main stream projects. She currently worked as Bianca Von Honey in adult films and had a very successful Closed Door account (like Only Fans). She was hired at the last minute to replace the female lead of a new Christmas themed movie for the Hope Channel. The producer of the movie, Teddy, was one of the producers of her adult films who was also trying to add other income streams. The accident that caused the female lead to be recast also caused some of the makeup and costume people to be replaced. Those jobs were replaced by people Teddy knew from his adult films. The replacements' other job industry were to be kept a secret so not as to alert the Hope Channel of anyone who might not fit their "usual" employees.

The male lead was Nolan Shaw. Nolan used to be the "bad boy" in the boy band INK. After the band broke up, Nolan continued to be found as a participant in several negative press releases surrounding celebrity scandals. He wanted to revamp his image and hoped starring in the movie would help to achieve that end.

Bee had a huge crush on Nolan when he was part of INK and Nolan subscribed to Bianca's Closed Door account. They met for the first time when Bee arrived on set the day before filming began. Their interest in each other magnified once they started working together.

The plot was interesting, but there was no way they would be able to keep Bee's alternative life a secret. Plus with the other members of the crew also being from the adult film industry as well, you know there would be some talk about other projects they had worked on or how they knew each other when talking with original cast and crew. The relationship between Bee and Nolan felt flat to me in that there were a lot of steamy scenes, but there wasn't enough just being together and learning about each other. It seemed as though Bee continued to see Nolan as her childhood crush and Nolan saw her as his sexy Closed Door lady. Their relationship moved too fast to be thinking LOVE by the ending of the story. The movie filming took three weeks. I am rarely a fan of instalove. Some of the dialog was cringy as well and I found myself wondering if people really talked like that.

I have posted this review on my Goodreads, Instagram, and StoryGraph accounts.

A Merry Little Meet Cute is a must read 2022 holiday read! Who doesn’t love a plus sized, bisexual, sex positive, Holiday themed rom-com to wrap up the year?! This story centers around a plus sized adult film star and a former boy band member who were cast together in a made for TV Holiday movie. this story line is gold and wrapped me in pretty early on. I can’t say this was my favorite read of the year, but it is definitely a 6/5 star a recommendation for a Holiday read. I will definitely be picking this book up again to get into the holidays later this year.

*Thank you #NetGalley, Avon, Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Julie Murphy book but I love all things Sierra Simone, so when I saw this one, I knew I was going to love it! It’s a story of a plus-size adult film star and a former boy band member in a Hallmarkish Christmas movie. You’ll be rooting for Bea and Nolan from chapter 1! Not nearly as steamy as the New Camelot series or Priest series by Sierra Simone, but that’s not a bad thing…you’ll laugh out loud and you’ll probably blush a little. I’ll definitely be rereading this one in a few months, cozied up on the couch with a glass of wine! I’ll take this story over the ones on Hallmark Channel any day (even though I love them too).

Trying to diversify his income stream from adult film production, Teddy (Uncle Ray Ray) has shifted to producing a Christmas movie called Duke the Halls for the Hope Channel, which is so strict it has morality clauses in its contract. The Duke is none other than Nolan Shaw, bad boy from the boy band INK, who is trying to clean up his act after he was caught with a figure skater and two speed skaters at the Duluth Olympics. The originally cast leading lady for the movie is suddenly unavailable, and when the director pulls a headshot from a folder of Teddy’s its of Bee Hobbes, or Bianca Von Honey as she’s known in the adult film industry where she’s famous as a plus-sized star. Both stars are under strict orders to clean up their image for Hope Channel…and filming is only three weeks, so nothing could go wrong…

A Merry Little Meet Cute is the perfect blend of what may feel like two very different styles. Julie Murphy is best known her YA with characters who possess a strong sense of self-worth even when society tells them they are worth less than their prettier, thinner, or straight peers. Sierra Simone is best known for pushing the boundaries of kink and taboo on the page and giving deep psychological insight into her characters as she puts them through impossible relationship situations.

The plot has a lot of moving pieces and characters, and yet Murphy and Simone expertly take us on a magical Christmas journey and as readers we’re just along for the ride. The tension between Nolan and Bee is outstanding, and when they finally succumb to desire, we are rewarded with delightfully explicit scenes. In tone, the whole book is a little crass and yet charmingly sweet at the same time. It’s also chock-full of one-liners that had me snorting out loud. Both main characters are self-proclaimed bisexual disasters and A Merry Little Meet Cute is sex-positive throughout.

This book isn’t going to be for everyone. For those who love Simone’s taboo, this may seem tame, and for those who love Murphy’s sweetness, this may seem raunchy. And yet, it works really well, and with a light meta touch captures the beautiful Christmas spirit that the screenplay writer of Duke the Halls is going for.

Hilarious romcom worthy of Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone!

Fat rep ✔
LGBTQIA+ rep ✔
Feel-good Christmas story ✔
Sexy smut ✔
Hilarious banter ✔
Happily ever after ✔

Add this book to your Christmas list stat!

One of my MOST anticipated holiday reads of 2022!! This dual perspective romance between two bi MCs was full of heart but also SUPER steamy!!

Definitely not your typical closed door, "clean" Hallmark movie-esque romcom, this book packed a punch featuring Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey), a plus size adult film star who is trying to break into the main stream film industry, and Nolan Shaw, a former Rockstar trying to reform his bad boy image by starring in a wholesome Holiday movie.

Together these two have such sizzling chemistry and can't resist a secret, off-screen romance. What they weren't expecting was to catch real feelings. I really loved the body and sex positivity in this book as well as the excellent mental health rep! Nolan's mother has bipolar disorder and his struggles trying to be a good caregiver really got me in the feels!

This holiday romcom is sure to delight come the season. Highly recommended for fans of Rosie Danan, The summer of Christmas by Juliet Giglio or The close up by Sarah Smith. Much thanks to NetGalley and Avon Romance for my advance review copy!!

A good mix of steamy and romantic, this book will leave you breathless as you read through the book. Great chemistry with the leads and set in my favorite time of year, what more can you ask for?

A cute little story to put you in a merry mood!
Bee is a plus-sized porn actress who is slightly coerced into making her first wholesome movie, a holiday romance with her childhood crush.
Nolan is a former boy-band member trying to fix his bad boy image.
Although light-hearted on the surface, the authors do a good job bringing light to social topics like mental health, sex worker industry, sexuality, fame, and generally learning to love ourselves just the way we are.
There’s plenty of laughs, a little spice, and everything wrapped up in a nice little bow right up to the end!



Thank you to the authors, NetGalley, and publisher for giving me the chance to read this advance copy.

"Happy and formulaic are not incompatible with smart or important" I read this line and felt like standing up and cheering -- cheering for this message, for the book, for all of it.

Bee and Nolan had great chemistry, and it was such a fun take on made-for-tv Christmas movies. The mental health representation was beautifully done, the love for KC BBQ and the Z-Man sandwich, while niche, made my KC lovin' heart so happy!!

Absolutely adored this book and am so thankful for the chance to read it!

This book was the perfect balance of sweet and spice and I simply had the best time reading it.

There was:
*delightful banter (which is always a plus in my mind)
*a hero and heroine I was rooting for from the jump
*interesting side characters (there are so many potential future pairings I hope we get to see)
*mutual pining!

Nolan and Bee had so much chemistry and I loved how passionate they were about their work, their loved ones, and each other. And the fact that they both wanted to pursue something, but thought they shouldn't, and then also couldn't stop themselves - there were just so many moments I couldn't stop grinning. I adore these two dorks in love!

One another note is how much I appreciated the nuance and care these authors took when discussing heavier topics. There was Nolan's mom's mental health diagnosis, the sex worker industry, the negative aspects of fame - it all felt seamlessly done.

This is a holiday romance I would gladly read year round.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Merry Christmas indeed! One of the few books I have found that can actually mix everything very well in the story and still leave you panting with adult scenes. There was a few times that my panties were wet reading the scenes, if only I could be Bee.

In my opinion I am wanting to keep this Christmas theme book to reread and I normally don't keep themed books.

A sweet and happy ever after written by two of my favorite authors! This dynamic duo know what they are doing!

This was a cute read! It was about a former boyband sensation and a pornstar filming a cushy holiday movie together and they end up falling for each other. There were good twists. However, my reasoning for not giving it a 4 or 5 star rating is that it became too repetitive and I wished there was more chemistry between the two characters. Don’t get me wrong, the spicy scenes had PLENTY of chemistry, but, I wish it had a little more “slow-burn” to their love. All in all, it is definitely worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC!

It was weird reading a winter book in the hottest part of the week where I am, but it was a fun read and I think patrons will also enjoy it. I will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

Plus-size adult film star + ex-boy-band member + ridiculous Christmas movie = absolute perfection!

I am not generally a fan of holiday theme books, but how could I ever resist a Christmas romance novel with Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone at the helm?

The characters are hilarious and the sexy scene are just fog up all the windows in the house steamy. Bee is definitely the star of the show. She is witty and smart. She makes hard decisions, even when it's really difficult. And that's hard for most authors to express on the page, and then they make her FAT AND BISEXUAL too? Just take all my money. Make this into a movie.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much fun, and the main characters have a lot of chemistry. I can't wait to reread this during the holiday season!