A cute little story about a girl with a thing for Santa. There was a little spice but I was hoping for more.

Super cute! I love all that Julie writes! She always has a way to add in that 90s nostalgia!

I loved the premise here, it was a refreshing break from the standard Christmas novella that all blend together 😂 it was spicy, charming, swoonworthy… just the whole package!

This is a must add to your holiday TBR! Thanks so much to Julie & Pen Pal PR for this gifted early audio copy! The audio was clear and easy to understand even when I listen at 3x speed! The narrators brought these characters to life perfectly!

This was stinking adorable and I would highly recommend as a Christmas novella! The past connection and the way their stories intertwine are such a sweet element in this story! Five stars!

The Fake Santa Apology Tour is the perfect holiday rom-com for anyone who loves their Christmas cheer served with a side of laughs and a healthy dose of chemistry. After yet another breakup with a fake Santa, our heroine finds herself snowed into a small-town winter wonderland. The twist? The local bartender is none other than Nicholas Ryan—a blast from the past.

Nicholas is the ultimate silver-fox Santa stand-in: charming, rugged, and full of surprises. Their banter is electric, the tension crackles, and the story strikes the perfect balance between humor and heart. The audiobook adds an extra layer of magic with stellar narration that perfectly captures both the humor and swoony moments. With laugh-out-loud moments, snowball-fight-worthy banter, and some steamy holiday magic, this novella delivers a festive escape that’s impossible to put down.

If you’re a fan of quirky characters, second-chance romance, and Hallmark vibes with a spicy twist, this book belongs on your TBR.

Ehhhhhh….. I know all Christmas romances are cheesy but this I think may have crossed over the line a little into just odd. I think Birdie Mae taking Nick home after, FIVE DAYS???? And introducing him to family as her bf? Kind of ruined it for me. But the spice was good and the audio narrator was great!

Thank you NetGalley and Julie Olivia for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook.
This was a funny and also surprisingly emotional quirky little romcom perfect for the season. It was a fun way to get into and stay in the holiday spirit.

*Thank you to Pen Pal PR and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest review*

Okay, the concept of this book is bananas in the best way. Put frankly - Birdie Mae has a Santa fetish. But you know what? Nick is one hot Santa and this book was freaking fun! From the Santa apology tour to a little bit of kinky holiday sex, I was laughing and squealing throughout. And it's a novella, so you'll fly through it. Easy good time Christmas romance.

4.5 ⭐️ read!

Thank you to Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for an ALC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second Julie Olivia book and she has become an auto buy author for me! She writes the coziest romance stories, that are always so warm and fuzzy.

I loved that the whole premise of this Christmas novella was so unique, because this time of year it sometimes feels like the same story being rewritten over and over.

Birdie Mae and Nicholas having a chance encounter in the small town of Saint Rudolph, twenty years after they first meet is how the story begins. And Nicholas takes Birdie on a journey to meet all the local Santa’s as she apologizes and is able to make amends with choices she’s made in the past. As I said, I really liked how unique this storyline was, and the hints of nostalgia sprinkled in were too good. I loved the nod to the Furby Craze of 1999, and fear of the millennium striking. Also their epilogue was just so perfect!

Overall, I highly recommend adding this one to your holiday romance TBR! I listened to the audiobook and it was fantastic!

I got received an early copy of the audiobook on NetGalley to review. The audiobook was so well done. The narrator was so easy to understand the way her voice switched between characters was so well done it almost felt like this was multiple narrators. I would definitely pick this audiobook up again so fun!!!
I loved how fun this story was not only was it heart warrant meaning but it was also a bit healing. The parts where she was apologizing to the different Santa Claus’s was hilarious.

“you go first,”
“no, you were here first,”
“listen, if you’re an adult with your own money and you still need to talk to santa, you definitely need him more than me.”

the fake santa apology tour is a fun holiday romcom !!! it features birdie mae, a writer who seems to have had a few relationships with santas… but she’s over it now ! the last few christmas have been terrible since she lost her dad. things are about to change when she runs into the one who cursed her as a child, nicholas the hot bartender lookalike.

i had already read the novella last year but on audiobook format was so much cooler !!! i loved the narrators especially on the epilogue :( and everybody should definitely read it before christmas. 18 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY !!!!!!

a huge thank you to netgalley, dreamscape team and julie olivia for this alc !!!!

The Fake Santa Apology Tour follows Birdie Mae and Nicholas in this very cute and spicy Christmas novella! We start off with Birdie Mae at 11 years old trying to get her Christmas letter to Santa… a mall Santa that is. A nearly 18 year old Nicholas is an elf working for that very same mall Santa and helps young Birdie Mae get her letter into Santa’s pocket. I can’t lie, it’s very sweet. Except… that same day Nic tells Birdie Mae that she will eventually hate Christmas and causes her to believe that Christmas is cursed for her forever.

Fast forward about 20 years and we have Birdie Mae, all grown up, into men who look way too much like Santa, a spicy Christmas Santa author with a broken heart and traveling to a Christmas-y town to try and write her next novel. Only problem? She meets a very hot Santa. Oh, the problem is that he just so happens to be Nicholas, yup. The same one.

I really enjoyed this Christmas novella! I appreciated the storyline having substance. Reasoning behind people’s actions that truly made sense. Julie Olivia has always done an amazing job at writing storylines and character choices so I’m not surprised by this.

By now you probably know I love Julie’s books. So having the opportunity the review this ALC was *chefs kiss*. The narrators were great, very immersive! The book? Duh, it was amazing. Would I listen again? Yes, I would. Would I tell a friend? Yes, I definitely would. Yet another lovely Christmas book checked off my list!

Thank you PenPalPR, Julie Olivia and NetGalley for this ALC. 💖

4 ⭐️’s

This was such a fun and festive read! I love Nick and Birdie Mae so much! Though this was a novella, it felt as full and developed as a whole book! I cried at the epilogue (in a good way). I love everything Julie Olivia writes and that will never change! I really liked the audiobook!

This was so incredibly fun!! I laughed so much it was really funny, sweet and incredibly cute!

The characters were fantastic , the romance was great! It wasn't too spicy which I appreciated.

I loved the writing! I will absolutely be reading more from this author ASAP!

Audiobook was lovely!

A really fun Christmas novella with a spicy Santa twist. Our FMC has a thing for Santas meaning she only dates men who look like Santa or play. This story is fun and silly. A great during the holiday season

I'm living for Christmas romances right now and this one was a winner for me. I loved the characters and the town.

The narrator for this was great and kept me in the story.

The Fake Santa Apology by Julie Olivia is so cutesy, spicy, holiday-y, and bantery and it should def be on your holiday novella audiobook list! It's like a Hallmark movie where a woman only dates men who dress up as Santa at Christmas and she runs into a mall elf from her past (who is a ginger turned gray fox who is named Nicolas)!👀 This really just put me into SUCH a silly, goofy, holiday mood and I loved listening to it so much! Let me just say, I listened to this while writing a finance project paper for a class and it took the sting and pain out of 2 hours of writing! That should be a trophy award! 😂
This as such a fun holiday novella and it was really entertaining and made me feel the holiday spirit! Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for an early copy of this audiobook! Especially so I could start getting into the holiday!🥳

The Santa Age-Gap Kink has me ho-ho-ho-ing in joy! Lol, Don't worry—it's not a grandpa age gap; the fella greyed out early in life, and both of the main characters are middle-aged. Yay!

Birdie Mae loves to sit on Santa's lap—many Santa's laps because she has this thing that I can't spoil. This book is cheesier than a holiday charcuterie board (in the best ways), with jokes so dirty and sweet they’d have the elves giggling in the workshop and keeping my cheeks clenched tighter than Santa squeezing down a chimney. This made it perfect for the side plot that jingles in the background.

When I say I was glued eyes and ears to this book, I mean it. I was listening to the audiobook during work and had to stop (my work) because it had my full attention, and even my ADHD brain couldn't multitask!


Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Author Julie Olivia, for the opportunity to review the audiobook for The Fake Santa Apology Tour! Every word within this review is my own personal thoughts and opinions.

3-3.5 stars
It's a cute short read (or in my case listen) and great to read this time of the year. As it was short it didn't get into too much depth and there were a few quite spicy scenes. It was a sweet story, and I really liked how Birdie Mae was there for her family, and how her relationship with Nic progressed.
I enjoyed it but definitely not my favourite Julie Olivia book.

✅️ small town
✅️ cute banter
✅️ naughty and spicy
✅️second chance
✅️ childhood trauma
✅️ Santa, Santa and more Santa

This was a perfect novella! This was naughty and nice with just enough spice. Julie, girl this book was funny, heartwarming, and definitely put me the holiday spirit. I had never read a book with this concept but it would me wonder how I would deal with Santa drama if I was in Birdie Mae's situation? Especially after see the sexy Target Santa. This was an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s!

The worlds that Julie Olivia writes are so fantastic- this is no different! The Fake Santa Apology Tour is a book that’ll spread Christmas cheer throughout you and have you wanting to go to the mall to see Santa! Birdie Mae and Nic will make you swoon! I loved the concept of the story as well as how well it’s written- it made me laugh, swoon, cry, kick my feet! And listening to the audiobook enhanced the story for me!

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape and Julie Olivia for the audio ARC for my honest review!