I wanted to like this book. I wanted to feel the holiday cheer! Instead, all I wanted to put it down and DNF it. The story is a bit disjointed, in that I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to root for until nearly 200 pages into the book. Mariah is unlikeable, and Ellie is insufferable. And putting them together just didn’t feel right. There was soooo much dialogue around “Does she like me?”, but not enough around the side story with Mariah’s parents, her obvious baggage, and Ellie’s own past experiences. Even the spicey scenes weren’t enough to save the plot. My favorite part was the movie script - where is that book?

Book Review: Holly Jolly July by Lindsay Maple

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this advanced copy!

Set on a Christmas movie set in Chilliwack, this rom-com follows Ellie, a bubbly method actor, and Mariah, a horror-loving makeup artist. Their personalities clash at first, but things get interesting when they realize they’ve both been seeing the same man—Jax, aka Matt. Cue the hilarious revenge plot!

As sparks fly between Ellie and Mariah, they navigate new feelings, past heartbreaks, and family tensions. Packed with humor, heart, and holiday magic, Holly Jolly July is a fun, well-written sapphic romance that’s equal parts sweet and spicy.

Before I get into my review of “Holly Jolly July”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the eARC!

Sometimes you just need to read a Christmas(-ish?) book in the middle of March. This book was so funny, it had me laughing out loud in the middle of a coffee shop.

Ellie and Mariah, the duo that finds out they’re sleeping with the same man, decide to get “Home Alone” level revenge on the man.

This book was seriously a blast, sweet and spicy and also had its fair share of emotional moments.

I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen. I hope to read more from Lindsay Maple in the future!

This was a fun twist on a classic Christmas romance. Set on a movie set in July, we get all the feel good feels of a small town, hallmark Christmas movie, with elements of opposites-attract, revenge on a cheating ex, and familia drama. A perfect escape from reality for Christmas, Christmas in July, or really any time of year.

The second half of the novel flew by for me, and I wish I’d been able to see more of their relationship between the wrap of filming and the epilogue, but overall, this was a highly enjoyable read and I’d recommend this novel to someone looking for a Christmas-themed romance with a mix of drama, humor, and friendship.

Holly Jolly July was so lovely and refreshing. As a bisexual woman, I feel seen. And so Canadian! It was really quite delightful. A nice departure from the usual romcom structure while maintaining all the charm. Will definitely be using this for book club!

One of my favorite things about reading is impulsively picking up a book on a whim and absolutely falling in love with it. That was this book for me. I adore Christmas—probably as much as Ellie does in this book—but even I was a bit unsure about reading a book centered around Christmas in July. However, it works unbelievably well for this story.

While not technically a holiday romance, the book centers around the making of a holiday film in July. It features so many of the elements that make me love holiday films and books: the leads are a Christmas Connoisseur and a Holiday Grinch, there are plenty of heartwarming Christmas moments, and the festiveness is beautifully tied to themes of healing and forgiveness. Plus… there’s even a hilarious holiday side quest for revenge on a cheating ex—one that would make Kevin McCallister in Home Alone exceptionally proud.

I adored how this romance progressed. It was swoonworthy, sweet, and spicy. It even made me fall more in love with the Grumpy/Sunshine trope—I loved that dynamic between Mariah and Ellie. This book made me cackle (you’re never too old to read about a fart machine prank!) and cry happy tears. My heart was so full after reading it. It was a tremendously good time. All the stars.

Holly Jolly July was a great book to dip my toes into sapphic romance. Absolutely loved the character development of Ellie and Mariah. Their stories tugged on my heart and gave me all the feels.
The movie script excerpts were veryyy on point with Hallmark movies… with an unexpected twist 😉 which was a fun addition to the book.

Ellie + Mariah

-sapphic romance
-workplace romance
-friends to lovers
-grumpy/sunshine
-actress x make up artist
-christmas in july
-bisexual awakening

there is honestly a lot going on here, from the unlikely friendship of these two completely opposites, to their revenge plot schemes together, to the chapter layouts & that whole story, that make it so unique & also very intriguing!! i was hooked from the start to find out how this was gonna go down & what that screenplay story was!! & can say i was surprised in multiple ways!! i loved their story & found myself super sad that it was over!

This is a sweet take on the Christmas Romance genre. If you are looking for a fluffy summer f/f romance and don’t mind a few m/f scenes at the start this could be a great read for you.

That said, for me this one fell short in a few areas. I struggled to see the growing attraction between the main characters. Their friendship made sense, but I just wasn’t drawn into their romance. This might be because the “pull home alone style pranks to teach the fuckboy a lesson” just never sat right with me. I was clear from the beginning that Matt/Jax was never going to learn his lesson because Ellie and Mariah aren’t clever enough to come up with a plan that would actually hold him accountable. I also felt like the pacing was off - too slow - but it’s possible this is just because the story didn’t resonate for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I liked how this felt like A Merry Little Meet Cute but sapphic and somehow even funnier. I truly enjoyed getting to know Ellie and Mariah along with all the cute funny side characters. It felt like a Hallmark movie but in a good way.

This was such a cute book!

If you're looking for a cute sapphic book with all the bisexual energy, this one really hits that spot.

I was a bit confused at the beginning of this book, not going to lie, but I think it's because I read the blurb and didn't think it was going to turn the way it did.

However, once the story really began, it was cute, yet predictable. I loved the grumpy/sunshine aspect of this book, and the fact that the revenge plot was ultimately harmless.

Overall, I had a really fun time reading this book, and if you are a fan of Christmas movies, then you're going to love this one!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a great romance with a fun premise! I really liked the slow burn, and the relationship-building between Ellie and Mariah felt realistic. The sex scenes were well done, and I thought it was refreshing to see the characters work through their intimacy slowly. Mariah wasn't just a magical answer to Ellie's relationship/hesitancy with sex!
Mariah's relationship with her parents added to her character and I liked her descriptions of masking.
In terms of drawbacks, I didn't really care for the interstitials with the movie script. These parts just took me out of the story and felt a little jarring.
Aside from those elements, I had fun reading this!

Loooove - okay, solid 4.5z heeeear me out. This is such a fun book. Who doesn’t love Christmas in July! As someone pointed out too… I’m not against bi pairings, etc. obviously but I def thought this was more of a wlw narrative. I reserve the right to change to 5 stars since that’s honestly my only downfall.

“Holly Joly July” by Lindsay Maple is a romance novel featuring Ellie and Mariah who are both in a Canadian city to film a Christmas movie in July. Unbeknownst to them, they end up seeing the same guy. When they discover the truth, they team up to seek revenge and end up falling for each other instead.

If you’re looking for a book with spicy M/F and F/F scenes, this is the perfect book for you! I personally had to gloss over the former but I can see how this is probably a rare occurrence in the romance novel world. I enjoyed the silliness in the revenge and the opposites attract romance in the relationship between Ellie and Mariah.

The premise is a fun and unique idea for a romance novel, and I enjoyed reading something a bit different. The inclusion of pieces of the script from the movie they were working on was an interesting idea but the excerpts were super cringy (probably intentional, but it caused me to wince every time).

Overall, “Holly Jolly July” is a cute, sweet, and funny book, especially once you get past the f*ckboy and get to the chemistry and romance of Ellie and Mariah. The book combines humor and the realness of people and relationships well.

Christmas in July? ! Yes please! I just finished Holly Jolly July. It was a fun read that will keep you reading until the end.

I liked this! It wasn't my favorite read of the year, but it was a really cute read with fun drama and characters. However, I do think the description was a bit misleading. While there was a main sapphic romance, there was a little too much male presence for my liking. Which is fine, but for my personal liking I might've not picked it up if I knew...but I am glad I read it!

This was such a fun story! I loved Mariah and Ellie both. Ellie is an actress, Mariah a make up artist. They don’t like each other at first which is always a fun way to start a romance! It was hot, romantic, funny, and cheerful!