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fanboyriot's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Read For:
š¬ Insta Love
āļø Holiday Theme
š« Annoying Characters
šChristmas Movie Filming
š¤¢ Overuse of Holiday Lotion
I bought the book on accident (confusing it for a different book with a similar cover) I didnāt notice until I was home and live too far from the bookstore to return it. So this was a spite read if Iām being honestā¦ and I hated this book. Where was the āMeet Cuteā in this book because donāt remember reading one? It wasnāt even a Christmas book either it was like the whole title was a lie or joke or something.
Merry ā
Little (418 pages) ā
Meet Cute ā
It was so cheesy and the characters gave off that whiny YA kind of vibe even though it wasnāt a young adult book. The first person point of view made it feel so one dimensional and flat. It was really difficult to care about what happened. I hated everyone the longer I read.
I have never read good fat rep in a book so I didnāt think this would be the exception. You want to normalize fat characters then please stop bringing up all the fat talk, mention it and move on. You donāt need to bring it up all the time. As a fat person itās super annoying to read about it as if these characters arenāt just normal people at the end of the day. Iām here for the inclusion but my gosh you donāt have to make it their only personality point.
I have no idea how this was 418 pages because it takes half the book for anything slightly interesting to happen, and even then itās pretty boring. It dragged out for no reason, but Iām so happy to note all the times the one character jerked off with gingerbread lotion so thanks for ruining that holiday scent for me. And donāt get me started on who uses lotion in the damn shower?! That should be a crime.
On that note it was super weird that Bee was way too over sexualized to the point Nolan kept using her porn name in his head all day the time. It like she was just an object the entire time.
āYou can take the girl out of the sex work, but you canāt take the sex work out of the girl.ā - (Chapter 18, Page 249)
Like what did I just read?
Nolan was so damn annoying and there was more chemistry between Bee and a random stripper than him if Iām being honest. They were just horny. There was zero romance and Iām not sure how the authors thought romance and sex are that same thing but here we are.
Sure there were things like mental health rep, LGBTQIA+ rep, body and sex positivity, sex work and each of these were written so poorly. For example when Bee was bisexual and in the porn business. News flash most people in porn are bi (or gay for pay), why is this so shocking?? Girl on girl is literally fetishized all the time and itās treated like Bee is the only bisexual porn star.
How was the done so badly?! I knew I wouldnāt like it because it seems very heterosexual (even with bi characters) but my gods, this was so much worse.
So in conclusion this book was awful and felt like banging my head against a concrete wall.
Release Date: 20, September 2022
POV: Dual, First Person
Spice: š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø (mentioned nearly every page)
Rep: Bi (MCs), Trans (SC), Bipolar (SC)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Cursing, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Biphobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
Minor: Grief, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Homophobia
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
While there were some discrepancies and inaccuracies in the story telling, as well as a few glaring grammatical errors, I loved the love story in this book and it made up for the weird shit that was wrong with the writing. I loved the normalcy of porn and sex-positivity written into this story as well as the body-positivity and mental health support. This book made me laugh, it surprisingly also made me cry, and it made me think of the best parts of any romance Iāve experienced or witnessed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexism, Homophobia, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Outing, Body shaming, and Misogyny
littleflowerfairy's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Bullying, and Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Sexism
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Vomit, and Death of parent
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
āEverything smelled like sex, and coffee, and Christmas, and I didn't want it to end.ā
ā½ A Merry Little Meet Cute is a fun, steamy Christmas Romance! I loved the premise of a Hallmark-type Christmas movie being secretly produced by the owner of a porn studio who accidentally casts one of his clients in the lead role! The potential for chaos was there from the beginning, especially as part of the cast and crew gets in an accident and has to be replaced with his own people who have never worked in a traditional movie before. The setting of Christmas Notch was also nice, it's a festive small town that is often the set for Christmas movies and consists of appropriately themed stores and streets! š The writing was witty and fun, so I had a good time reading this!
ā½ Bee is an adult film star under the name of Bianca Von Honey, but now she wants to branch out! She's proud of her work and ClosedDoors Account (something like OnlyFans), but dreams of acting in a mainstream movie. Her producer Teddy gives her the chance to do so, but no one can know that she does porn, as the Hope Channel is known for its squeaky-clean image. I really liked Bee as I felt her passion for expanding into acting, but also her sex positivity and pride for her job. As a plus-size performer, she knows the fatphobia of the industry too well, especially coupled with the misogyny that's also present.
ā½ Nolan is a former boy band idol ... but now he's broke! He has a reputation as the bad boy, but he's trying to clean up his image. Despite his rough edges, I liked the love he has for his family and how he's doing his best to use the Christmas movie in order to be able to support them better. It was nice to see the close bond with his family and how he tried to be there for his little sister Maddie and his mother, who is struggling with bipolar disorder. He loves Bee, but knows that dating a porn star could very well be the end of the revival of his career!
ā½ I really liked the romance, Bee and Nolan had some great chemistry! I liked that it wasn't only Nolan who was a secret fan, but also Bee who used to moon over him when he was in the boy band. The fact that they were both hiding a parasocial crush that turned into real attraction made their dynamic feel more even! I personally liked the balance between their more steamy scenes and also them getting to know each other. There was some slight miscommunication at times, but having a dual POV really helped it not get too frustrating!
ā½ The book felt slightly too long though! With over 400 pages it's on the longer side for a Romance and at times the pace slowed down, so shortening the book slightly would have helped. It was also a bit disappointing that there was so much talk about Bianca's toys and the lube she specifically brought in her suitcase ... yet it never gets used in any of the sex scenes.
ā½ A Merry Little Meet Cute is a fun, steamy Christmas Romance! I loved the premise of a Hallmark-type Christmas movie being secretly produced by the owner of a porn studio who accidentally casts one of his clients in the lead role! The potential for chaos was there from the beginning, especially as part of the cast and crew gets in an accident and has to be replaced with his own people who have never worked in a traditional movie before. The setting of Christmas Notch was also nice, it's a festive small town that is often the set for Christmas movies and consists of appropriately themed stores and streets! š The writing was witty and fun, so I had a good time reading this!
ā½ Bee is an adult film star under the name of Bianca Von Honey, but now she wants to branch out! She's proud of her work and ClosedDoors Account (something like OnlyFans), but dreams of acting in a mainstream movie. Her producer Teddy gives her the chance to do so, but no one can know that she does porn, as the Hope Channel is known for its squeaky-clean image. I really liked Bee as I felt her passion for expanding into acting, but also her sex positivity and pride for her job. As a plus-size performer, she knows the fatphobia of the industry too well, especially coupled with the misogyny that's also present.
ā½ Nolan is a former boy band idol ... but now he's broke! He has a reputation as the bad boy, but he's trying to clean up his image. Despite his rough edges, I liked the love he has for his family and how he's doing his best to use the Christmas movie in order to be able to support them better. It was nice to see the close bond with his family and how he tried to be there for his little sister Maddie and his mother, who is struggling with bipolar disorder. He loves Bee, but knows that dating a porn star could very well be the end of the revival of his career!
ā½ I really liked the romance, Bee and Nolan had some great chemistry! I liked that it wasn't only Nolan who was a secret fan, but also Bee who used to moon over him when he was in the boy band. The fact that they were both hiding a parasocial crush that turned into real attraction made their dynamic feel more even! I personally liked the balance between their more steamy scenes and also them getting to know each other. There was some slight miscommunication at times, but having a dual POV really helped it not get too frustrating!
ā½ The book felt slightly too long though! With over 400 pages it's on the longer side for a Romance and at times the pace slowed down, so shortening the book slightly would have helped. It was also a bit disappointing that there was so much talk about Bianca's toys and the lube she specifically brought in her suitcase ... yet it never gets used in any of the sex scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Body shaming, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief and Medical content
wilybooklover's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
This was cute, but it was waaay too long and felt a bit lacking in emotional connection for me. It was hard for me to suspend disbelief that anyone in this book actually thought the lead actress and producer being in the porn business would never get out. It also wasnāt as hot as I expected it to be given the premise. So many references to kinks and toys and lube but barely any of it used on page!
It was quite enjoyable though and I did love the sex (and sex work) positivity, body positivity, and how virtually everyone was queer, including the two leads.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Biphobia, Medical content, and Sexism
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual harassment
allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
Hereās a classic case of the cover NOT indicating whatās inside. With Sierra Simone as one of the authors, I expected a lot of spice. But I wasnāt familiar with Julie Murphy and when I looked her up I saw a lot of YA. Hmmm. Even with the blurb I just couldnāt be sure. Well, if youāre here for the spice you can rest assured itās there! And thereās no doubt Sierra Simone is involved when an altar is involved in the spiciness.
There is a lot to love about this book; Body positivity, sex positivity, destigmatizing sex work as well as various mental illnesses. I was overjoyed that Nolan didnāt just meet full-figured Bee and fall in love after getting to know herā¦he had already known who she was and was extremely attracted to her before getting to know her. I know, I know, usually we want them to love whatās inside and not just outside. But so many times when the woman is bigger she doesnāt get to be the object of sexual desire right off the bat.
The cast of characters is amazing! Not only is Bee, an adult film actress, a last-minute recast of the starring role in a sweet Christmas movie, but some of the crew are also last-minute stand-ins from the adult film industry. Yet it all has to be hush-hush, which is hard to do when the wardrobe department doesnāt understand what is wrong with ass-less chaps. There are copulating cats, strippers with reindeer names, and a movie script without an ending. These characters were so much fun and I am happy weāll be seeing many of them again in future books.
There were a few problems. One Iāll note because it was a glaring mistake to my born and bred Michigan eyes: It is referenced many times that the Olympics where a scandal happened with Nolan was the Duluth Olympics. While this is a fictional occurrence as the Olympics havenāt been held in Duluth, itās still a real city in a real stateā¦which is Minnesota. There is a line about eating bad tuna tartare in Michigan. Little mistakes like that, which donāt make a difference to the story as a whole, make it hard to trust the story overall and I donāt love that feeling.
Overall, this is a hot, fun, touching, and inspiring story with some great grovel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Grief and Misogyny
stephaniezd's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Very cute story, easy read. Well written. Reached outside the normal tropes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
immovabletype's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use and Fatphobia
Minor: Grief, Alcohol, Biphobia, and Death
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i really liked this book at the start. the plot is interesting, the characters are great, and it was pretty funny in my opinion. however, towards the middle it just started to drag. it was just too long for what it was. i started to find myself getting so bored and not wanting to continue reading because it just felt way way too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Alcohol, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Grief, and Mental illness
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Outing, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Bullying, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Biphobia, Body shaming, Death, and Homophobia