Reviews

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone

magnolia_reading's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

3.5

Sierra Simone is one of those authors that I will always pick up. This book fit two prompts for me and was totally adorable. It’s lighthearted and funny. It’s all about self discovery (maybe a theme for me this year) and second chances. 3.5 ⭐️

marra_1420's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 ⭐️ This book. The MMC was fantastic. The only reason it lost half a star was because the FMC bugged me in the last 25% of the book.

mycatsnameistofu's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I loved the characters individually but I didn’t see much chemistry between the two of them. It seemed mostly attraction, but once again the found family is immaculate.

sabrams_010's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted sad 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? Yes

2.5

laurentalevski's review against another edition

4.0

Child actor Winnie Baker agrees to star in a steamy Christmas movie but she has never reached completion in her life and is scared about how to deliver on camera. Enter Kallum Lieberman, former boyband member, major playboy with a wild sex tape. Winnie knows he has the experience to help her with her 'research' and not to mention he also single handedly ruined her image. The major curveball is that he has always had a crush on her.

THE SPICE IN THIS HAD ME BLUSHING! They were both fun and complex MC's to read about with INSANE chemistry. I loved seeing Winnie grow and stand up to the people trying to bring her down it absolutely broke me to see her suffer the way she did. We give purity culture the biggest middle finger in this one and it filled me with so much joy. The way the second part threw me through a loop I was not expecting, I think the later part of the book with not be for some people thats for sure but I enjoyed it.

Tropes: spicy coach, forced proximity, disability rep, former playboy
Triggers: religious trauma, cheating ex, divorce, purity culture, controlling parents

suzyq436's review against another edition

1.0

DNF 62%

Not only does this story veer into the worst romance trope to ever exist, it does it in a careless, lazy fashion with no finesse.

The surprise pregnancy trope? Really?!? Not only that, you're in your second trimester and everyone knows BUT the father?!? WTF. And we're still supposed to believe this is a romance? Oh you doubt that he would want to put up with you when five pages ago he declared his love for you?

This book can go jump off a cliff.

feliciasrose's review against another edition

I'm really mad about this. FMC was unbearable and barely relatable to me. She only got fucking worse and worse. I hated the MMCs family, they treated him like shit. And acting like  a grown man who runs his own very successful business is unreliable makes no motherfucking sense. He's at most immature. I just can't deal with the fact that another 30% of this fucking book would be ragging on him and not this bitch who therapy honestly isn't working for. My god this mad me so fucking angryyyy. I knew I should have DNF'd earlier on. I didn't like the purity culture talk. I did find it somewhat interesting, but it was not captivating enough and it did not supply enough for me to feel connected to the female lead. It felt like she was constantly pointing to the MMC having bad character when it seemed like she honest to fucking god never asked him anything of significance. She assumed he wanted casual - even after he asked her out on a MFing date UGH and she assumed that he was basically a pice of shit user who just thought so little of her despite the many times he articulated to her how he thought she was perfect the way she was. I just, what the fuckkk. Clearly I'm unhappy. I know it'll be a 2 star read. No fucking need to finish this blasphemy.

becksgoesbookish's review against another edition

2.0

Just no. Great narration can only go so far

maggieogara's review against another edition

3.0

3.5⭐️Super fun follow up to merry little meet cute! I love how different Kallum and Winnie were than Nolan and Bee but just as lovable. The

laylalouslibrary's review against another edition

2.0

I have a few bones to pick:

1) Why did Kallum keep saying Winnie’s full name so often? Very weird
2) Did she actually tell him she had narcolepsy or did that just get pushed aside?
3) Kallum’s pizza obsession made me cringe a lot and reminded me of that point in time between 2012-2015 where pop-punk music and pizza were everything on tumblr.
4) The first part was okay but then it all went to pot within two days. A GODDAMN PREGNANCY TROPE?

This was enough to put me off but this book was gifted to me and it felt rude to DNF it when someone else had purchased it for me