Such a quick, fun, and cute Christmas novella! I haven't really been in the holiday spirit this year but this was perfect for the mood I've been in. It was a little outlandish (complimentary) and silly and just the right amount of emotional.

Nick was hot and the audiobook was so well done! Definitely add to your holiday tbr 🎅🏻

firstly, I love a Novella! Secondly, the Santa jokes were on brand and the spicy were giving "here's some spice but make it Christmas". Really enjoyed this one.

=-)

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio copy in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Okay but like, why was this adorable and sad all at once?

Birdie once believed in Santa, but at eleven years old she meets someone who changes everything. Now, believing herself to be cursed, she writes Santa romance books and only dates Santa lookalikes. But she's just run into Nicholas Ryan again. And this time he, too, looks like Santa. But buff.

Birdie is interesting. All the built up emotions surrounding Christmas and repressed feelings/memories give her this strange obsession with Santas. But she's just another person dealing with her own childhood trauma and it makes her so relatable. Not that I like santas or anything, more relatable in that it's understandable how she's been dealing with her unresolved issues. Nicholas is a sweetheart who deserves everything. He literally helps Birdie get over her trauma in a way that's adorable and amazing. The two of them together had amazing chemistry and were so perfect for one another. It got just a little spicy, but overall is was sweet. The writing was great, the narrator was great, I definitely recommend this book as a light, short, holiday-themed novella that's sure to bring a smile to your face.

I always enjoy a Julie Olivia book! I read this two christmas seasons ago and forgot how fun it is!

I loved Birdie Mae and her unplanned Santa apology tour.

Nicholas is so sweet and I loved their chemistry. How did I forget there is a Christmas light scene?!

The audio was fantastic. I enjoyed the narrator.

This was such a cheesy Christmas story with Birdie Mae having a thing for Santa Clause. The banter between her and Nick was funny and I loved how they reconnected from her childhood and that he wanted to help her get over her Santa issue. There were a few spicy scenes, but I did not think they were too much.

This was my first book by this author. Loved that it was only a little over 3 hours. Short holiday reads are perfect for this time of the year. Very cute and funny Christmas story.

I thought Nick and Birdie Mae had such a cute and funny meet cute when they were kids and loved how they were able to meet once again. I enjoyed their relationship so much and thought they complimented each other so well!

Throughout the book you get hints as to why Birdie hates Christmas but when she finally told Nick, my heart broke for her and her family.
I adored Cooper and the relationship Birdie Mae and Nick both have with him. He may not be a major character, but I still loved him and all of their interactions together.

I enjoyed the plot, the banter between Nick and Birdie Mae and the other characters and there’s just the right amount of spice! I loved the voice narrator and thought she did an amazing job with all of the different voices.

This book is perfect to get you in the Christmas spirit! Julie Olivia is excellent at what she does - I’ll read anything from her!

This book has a small town romance, excellent banter, and tons of Christmas puns🎅🏻 the narrator was perfect for this (and I’m very picky about narrators!). I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick Christmas audiobook 💖

Thank you Julie Olivia/team for the ALC!

Let me start this off by saying, have you seen the Target Santa commercials?! This was adorable and such a fun, unique take on a Christmas romcom! I will admit, at first I wasn't sure how I felt about reading a story where the MMC has a thing for santas, but this was fulled with fun banter, spicy hot scenes and just the right amount of feels.

It has:
✨small town romance
✨banter
✨age gap
✨Christmas puns.

Narrator Review: The narrator was fabulous and it made the book even better in my option!

Thank you Julia and team for my ALC.

The Fake Santa Apology Tour is a fun and pretty silly holiday novella! Novellas like this work a little bit better for me when they're pretty spicy. While this one did have spice towards the end, there was just a lot going on and I wasn't necessarily super in the mood for the silly premise at the time I listened.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’ve only read a few of Olivia’s previous releases (a couple of the Honeywood theme park ones), which I liked. I definitely need to read more of her titles! I enjoyed this one and it reminded me that I keep meaning to go back and pick up all her other titles, which I’ve already purchased several of…

The Fake Santa Apology Tour was short (not quite novella short), and a quick and easy read, but it sure packed in a lot in those few pages! It had a lot of drama and emotion, which I definitely didn’t expect from the blurb I breezed over.

Birdie Mae had a traumatic experience as a child, which all began after an encounter with delivering a letter to Santa at age 11, and meeting Nick, who assisted her in her stealthy delivery to the mall Santa. After the terrible life that followed, she only dated fake mall Santas, until the day she happens to run into “him” again, across the country in the most unlikely place and situation. She has to figure out how to forgive him, apologize to the fake Santas she dated (not them, but stand-in substitutes), and forgive her traumatic past... and Nick, who she always blamed for everything.

A beautiful story, extremely unique and unexpectedly emotional, steamy and fantastic! Definitely a great recommendation for the holiday TBR. I’m glad she’s finally had it released in audio, even if it took a few years. Narrated by Isabelle Turner, I enjoyed this new-to-me voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the advance listen copy. This is my honest opinion.

I am on the fence either way this one. I liked the writing and the characters but the romance was a little off for me. I had a hard time getting the image of an old Santa out of my head. Great narrator.

📚 The Fake Santa Apology Tour by Julie Olivia
🎧 Format: Audiobook
🎙️ Narrated by: Isabelle Turner
📕 Genre: Novella, Contemporary Romance
📖 Read: December 2024
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

‧₊˚✧ 𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑺 ✧˚₊‧
ꕥ Small Town
ꕥ Holiday Romance
ꕥ Snowed In

This didn't quite work for me, but I liked the writing and there were a few funny moments. For a novella, the plot was a bit complicated and very weird.

I didn’t mind the narration, I thought that was pretty well done.

Overall, this had cute moments, but at the end of the day it was kinda forgettable.

𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴: 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥.𝘢𝘯𝘥.𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨/

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and Julie Olivia for giving me the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is one of my favorite holiday novellas!
It's so unique and fun.

I read the ebook last year and was excited to listen to the audiobook.
🎧 audiobook thoughts - Isabella Turner did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. Her narration added to and enhanced the story for me.

📖 story thoughts:
I totally adored this Christmas novella 🎄
The banter was spot-on and it was just super fun overall!

I definitely wouldn’t call this a second chance romance , since Birdie Mae is 11 when they first meet 😂 I love that they both had such an impact on each others’ lives without even knowing it.
While it’s nearly impossible they’d actually meet up again like they did, I loved Nicolas & Birdie Mae’s history & present stories.

It’s a challenge to tell a full story with a novella, but this one got it right!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my #gifted ALC.

3.5 stars

A cute Christmas Novella with some cheesy moments.

Birdie meets Nick briefly as an 11 year old trying to sneak a letter into Santa’s pocket at the mall. An encounter she’ll never forget.

Years later she’s heading to a Christmasy small town looking for inspiration on writing her newest spicy Santa book. She encounters Nick again and her world is briefly flipped upside down.

I loved the chemistry between Birdie and Nick. They each carried emotional baggage that had affected their past relationships and I loved watching them work through it together.

Her apology tour was a little cheesy for me.

Romance Content: 2 Open-door scenes

Thank you Net galley for this advanced copy. I expected a cute Christmas story with the title and cover but the story didn’t hook me in. It has a Groundhog Day feel and a tad too graphic for me. The story line was cute just not for me.

This was an enjoyable holiday themed novel. I thought the narrators did a wonderful job bring the story to life. I thought the author did well tackling deeper emotional trials while maintaining levity.

I love the time of year when Christmas novellas drop!
The Fake Santa Apology Tour was a cute, quick listen and I enjoyed it. However, it definitely felt like a Hallmark movie which I know some people are super hesitant about (but not me!) I wish the chapters had varied in perspective but I understand why they didn't; that's just a personal preference.
It was definitely something fun and light-hearted. I'd recommend it to anyone trying to get in the Christmas spirit (especially if you like the idea of a flirty bartender but make him look like a hot Santa.)

Thank you to Dreamscape Select and Julie Olivia for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review!

this audio was cute cute cute! I love Julie’s writing style. it’s all the vibes of a Christmas shortie. whimsical and sweet and steamy! loved it.

3 Stars I don't think I've ever heard the word "Santa" so many times lol The Fake Santa Apology Tour is a fun holiday novella and one of the most interesting Christmastime stories I've read. I liked the characters, but because it is a novella we didn't get too much into their backgrounds. I would've loved to have explore more about why Birdie Mae had a love of Santas and for more time to see them fall in love since it was rather quick. A fun read!