This was a really cute listen with some laugh-out-loud scenes. Unlike other holiday novellas, this one has more of a slow burn plot.

Birdie Mae goes to a small town for her annual winter writing retreat. Little does she know that she has picked the place where her childhood grinch is. They end up having instant chemistry and Nick is just Birdie’s type: older, twinkling eyes, and a white beard. He ends up taking Birdie around town to visit different Santas where she takes the chance to use them as conduits to apologize to her exes.

The narrator, Isabelle Turner, does a fantastic job nailing all of the lines. I had a lot of fun listening to this audiobook. It felt zippy and the jokes landed.

Absolutely recommend this rom-com.

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

This was such a perfect quick Christmas read. Julie did a fantastic job at giving us so much with such a short story (154 pages). The story line was so cute and I loved the story and how she brings the main characters together. She definitely made me want more. If you want a fun quick Christmas read, with a spicy chapter, I would recommend reading this book !

This was so so cute! The way these characters were all together and it’s a Christmas cover really sold me! This was a cute rom com and I devoured it

Small town, second chance, slightly odd holiday story with the happy ending I read this genre for. Birdie Mae has a thing for Santa’s, short term relationships, the love family, and a while lot of weirdness going on in her head. She used to love Christmas and then her world changed after a visit with a Santa. She meets Nic and they each had very different experiences of the meeting. Years later they meet and we go along their funny journey to their happily ever after. It was well narrated.

The Fake Santa Apology Tour presents an interesting premise for a Christmas book - our heroine has a Santa kink but all she can think about is a Grinch she has history with. This had the potential to be cute and fun, but for me it didn't land and just came off as tacky and juvenile. But if you're looking for a Santa-filled, somewhat spicy, enemies-to-lovers insta holiday romance, this may be the quick listen for you.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select for gifting me with an ALC to review! All opinions are my own.

Absolutely adorable and hilarious, the narrators crushed it! I love Julie’s writing style so I was laughing lots and when the slow burn caught fire it was so worth it;)

3.5 🎄

Une petite romance de Noël qui reprend les codes du genre, tout en proposant un petit twist, avec cette fameuse tournée des pardons (qui interviennent d'ailleurs assez tardivement dans le récit).
L'héroïne déteste Noël depuis l'âge de 11 ans, et sa façon à elle d'exorciser ses démons, c'est de sortir avec des faux père Noël puis de les larguer. Elle se retrouve coincée dans un bled qui a tout du cliché des petites villes Hallmark et tombe sur le mec à l'origine de sa détestation de Noël, un mec qui déteste lui aussi Noël.
C'est une histoire assez courte mais bien équilibrée, avec pas mal d'humour et de jeux de mots, ainsi qu'une belle évolution du personnage principal féminin.
La version audio est sympa, la comédienne donne vie à l'histoire et aux personnages, c'était bien sympa !

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!