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Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'
A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone
11 reviews
jourdanicus's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
HOT N SPICY
This was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the sequel. I think the topics were handled well by the writers. I usually like a romance where the conflict is outside of the lovers, rather than between them, but I found myself wishing for a little more tension (not the sexy kind) between the two MCs whenNolan reveals that he knows that Bee is Bianca Von Honey. The way it happened made me think it was going to play out to be more of a conflict between them, but it was seemingly just brushed off.
Other'n that I liked it. I'm a sucker for "celebrity crush fantasy come true" romances. Also, as someone on the asexual spectrum idk if people are that horny in real life but it's fun to read about LOL
OH AND this book handled having bisexual main characters (especially the male MC) THE BEST of ANY romance I've read recently! It was A+!
All -ist and -phobic content warnings are from parts of the plot, not any wrongs committed by the authors.
This was a fun read and I'm looking forward to the sequel. I think the topics were handled well by the writers. I usually like a romance where the conflict is outside of the lovers, rather than between them, but I found myself wishing for a little more tension (not the sexy kind) between the two MCs when
Other'n that I liked it. I'm a sucker for "celebrity crush fantasy come true" romances. Also, as someone on the asexual spectrum idk if people are that horny in real life but it's fun to read about LOL
OH AND this book handled having bisexual main characters (especially the male MC) THE BEST of ANY romance I've read recently! It was A+!
All -ist and -phobic content warnings are from parts of the plot, not any wrongs committed by the authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Fatphobia
Minor: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Biphobia, and Abandonment
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
mels_reading_log's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I totally judged this book by its cover, just expecting another fluffy Hallmark Christmas story and I was very surprised when I learned the plot. A former boy band bad boy and a porn star have to convey a sweet and family friendly image while filming a Hallmark type Christmas movie. Such a fun idea, I love it. Bee is amazing, I adore her confidence, her personality and drive and I love that she is a proud plus sized woman who is gorgeous and unapologetically herself. Iām however not Nolanās biggest fan, I didnāt think his plot line made sense and I just think he was cheesy. I get that he was a big fan of her work but I felt like he was living in the fantasy of her and not really her. I didnāt find their love believable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use
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
chandlerwood's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I like this book the most when I stop thinking critically about it. It had a really strong start for me and I LOVED the first 50% or so. At that point, the plot really started to drag to me, the side characters started grating on my nerves, and the miscommunication plot conflicts felt contrived and not believable.
My biggest gripes are:
1) the treatment of Kallum's sex tape leaking. You would think characters well-versed in sex work and consent would have a better take on this than encouraging people to watch the sex tape, congratulating the victim of the leak on his "performance", and being obsessed with his "dad bod". I hated how the book completely glossed over this invasion of privacy, and Bee and Nolan just made it about them. I especially hated Bee's comment about how her life is just one giant sex tape and that's why she didn't feel that bad for him. Uhh except you consented to the public consumption of your "sex tape". Kallum didn't. There was no real sympathy from anyone which felt disingenuous and not realistic given every character's own personal experiences.
And 2) the last 30% of the book just missed the mark for me. I expected Nolan and Bee's relationship development to feel more earned than it did, and looking back on the book as a whole now feels like Bee was just a sex object to Nolan for the majority of the book. The conflict of Nolan allowing Steph to release that truly disgusting PR statement and him acting blindsided that Bee was upset by it, especially coupled with the fact that these people only met two weeks ago, did not make the grand gesture of him professing his love for her on TV feel like he actually earned her forgiveness, much less that he actually loved her. I think the authors failed to develop Nolan and Bee's actual feelings for each other outside of sex and their own past fantasies of one another. I believe that they like each other, but did we really see them fall in love? Did we really even see them get to know each other at all?
Overall, I had a good time reading this book. I just didn't find the emotional payoff as gratifying as it could have been.
1) the treatment of Kallum's sex tape leaking. You would think characters well-versed in sex work and consent would have a better take on this than encouraging people to watch the sex tape, congratulating the victim of the leak on his "performance", and being obsessed with his "dad bod". I hated how the book completely glossed over this invasion of privacy, and Bee and Nolan just made it about them. I especially hated Bee's comment about how her life is just one giant sex tape and that's why she didn't feel that bad for him. Uhh except you consented to the public consumption of your "sex tape". Kallum didn't. There was no real sympathy from anyone which felt disingenuous and not realistic given every character's own personal experiences.
And 2) the last 30% of the book just missed the mark for me. I expected Nolan and Bee's relationship development to feel more earned than it did, and looking back on the book as a whole now feels like Bee was just a sex object to Nolan for the majority of the book. The conflict of Nolan allowing Steph to release that truly disgusting PR statement and him acting blindsided that Bee was upset by it, especially coupled with the fact that these people only met two weeks ago, did not make the grand gesture of him professing his love for her on TV feel like he actually earned her forgiveness, much less that he actually loved her. I think the authors failed to develop Nolan and Bee's actual feelings for each other outside of sex and their own past fantasies of one another. I believe that they like each other, but did we really see them fall in love? Did we really even see them get to know each other at all?
Overall, I had a good time reading this book. I just didn't find the emotional payoff as gratifying as it could have been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Fatphobia
nbreezy17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
livermoresweetheart's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
<b> A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone </b>
<b>PoV:</b> First person, past tense, dual pov
<b>ToN (Type of Narration):</b> Dual by Joy Nash and Sebastian York
<b>Audio book length:</b> 11h
<b>Genre and Sub genre:</b> Romcom, Christmas
<b>Location:</b> Christmas Notch, Vermont; Arlington, TX; Los Angeles, CA
<b>Time(s):</b> Current/Contemporary
<b>Tropes:</b> Secret identity, secretly dating, famous
<b>TW/CW's:</b> mental health, body shaming, misogyny, biphobia, chronic illness, alcohol, drug use, medical, medical drama detailed, grief, death, death of a parent, sexual harassment, ableism, domestic abuse, vomit, bullying, panic attacks, stalking
<b>Language Rating:</b> 5/5
<b>Sex Rating:</b> 5/5 <b>graphic sex warning:</b> oral, spanking, desecrating of a religious alter (a Sierra Simone specialty)
<b>Representation:</b> LGBT+
Synopsis: Bee Hobbes (a.k.a. Bianca Von Honey) a successful plus-sized adult film star with a huge following online has been cast last minute to step in to fill a role for another star who got sick at a hot yoga retreat. Many other adult-film workers were also brought on when a bunch of workers were hurt at a burning-man type venue, because the director is āgoing straightā and rebranding from the adult film industry to the very family friendly industry. Beeās co star will be the former boy-band pop sensation she has been madly in love with since her teen years.
All of the adult-film workers have been asked to keep their pasts quiet so that the director can make this squeaky clean family movie. Except that the workers spend their after hours at places like The North Pole, and getting drunk at the local bar, all spouting their mouths off about themselves, and everyone already knows who they are anyway.
Nolan Shaw has some skeletons in his past that he is trying to bury, and is hoping to do so with this fluffy family movie. And he was on track to do so.. Until his sex idol Bianca Von Honey waltzes onto the set, and now Nolan wants nothing more than to put his hands all over her every chance he gets. He has been following her ClosedDoor account for 6 years now, heās a top tier member! Now he is trying to hide his feelings for Bee, when the reporter who ruined his career comes waltzing onto the Christmas set, snooping around for the new scoop, hoping at every turn that Nolan will live up to his bad boy rep.
This book was full of funny one liners, and a few well written scenes, but it seriously needed a heavy handed editor and possibly a rewrite. The premise was great, but this book could have been amazing if it had gone through a few more editing processes! Here are some things I hated-
-The words āgingerbread lotionā is used no less than 11 times. And if I have to ever read that again in this context I might be sick. Gross.
-The reader is lead to believe toys would come into play WAY more often than they actually did, and I for one was quite disappointed that the fun trunk was never utilized.
-The horrible euphemisms need to stop. Like. Right. TF. NOW. Now, I get it, we donāt want to use the same words over and over, that is repetitive and boring! But when you describe ladybits as a āwellā and her cl*t as a āneedy buttonā, it makes me think of the big, red āeasyā button on the staples commercial that one can just press and org*sms just occur. In our dreams, ladies, in our dreamsā¦
-Honestly, the way Nolan keeps talking about Beeās body as if it is his to own, just because he paid for a subscription to it for the past 6 years makes me really sick. In fact, they both have these weird fascinations and infatuations with each other as objects and not as people, and that is super cringy.
-I love a good plus-size FMC or MMC! Seriously, make all the characters plus size! But there is a difference between subtle hints that the readers can infer from, and the constant reminder that yes, she is in fact over weight. That is what we hear. All.the.time. The inner dialogue is about the size. The characters mention the size. Everything revolves around the size (like, her not fitting into any of the dresses, or the chairs, or things were made for skinny people, etc etc etc)
-I also love a good story about business women (and for that matter, good business practices, and ethical managers and businesses) but again, every few sentences all the book talked about was how Bee was a p0rn star. We hear ya, she, and the others, worked in the adult-film industry. Loud.and.clear.
-Again, I love books with good representation! But every few sentences it talked about how Bee had two moms. She was OBSESSED with having two moms. We RARELY hear about any of the other characters' parents, why is that? Why is it so important we know that Bee has two moms? Did you know Bee had two moms? Bee has two moms. Two moms. The two moms Bee has. Two moms had Bee. Two moms. One mom, two mom.
-We are told over and over how Christmassy this Christmas town is. From the snow, to the silly street names, even to the āNorth Poleā pole dance/strip club with strippers with reindeer names. Clever? Maybe. Or maybe just over the top.
I love Sierra Simone, I have read all of her work! And I love Julie Murphy, I have read most of her work! This is the first time I have been *meh* about their books. I have more to rant about, but 2 pages is more than enoughā¦. After all of this, though, I do hope they write two more books. I'd love to have books about Kallum and Isaac. BUT ONLY if the editing is done SO MUCH BETTER!!
<b>Audio book review:</b> The audiobook narrators were good. Sebastian York could read me the childhood story āThe Night Before Christmasā and it could sound sexy. He is probably the only reason I listened to this book as long as I did.
**Audio book notes do not change my GR/SG book rating, it is only here for reference. This entire review is also cross posted to Amazon and Audible**
https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/
<b>PoV:</b> First person, past tense, dual pov
<b>ToN (Type of Narration):</b> Dual by Joy Nash and Sebastian York
<b>Audio book length:</b> 11h
<b>Genre and Sub genre:</b> Romcom, Christmas
<b>Location:</b> Christmas Notch, Vermont; Arlington, TX; Los Angeles, CA
<b>Time(s):</b> Current/Contemporary
<b>Tropes:</b> Secret identity, secretly dating, famous
<b>TW/CW's:</b>
<b>Language Rating:</b> 5/5
<b>Sex Rating:</b> 5/5 <b>graphic sex warning:</b>
<b>Representation:</b> LGBT+
Synopsis: Bee Hobbes (a.k.a. Bianca Von Honey) a successful plus-sized adult film star with a huge following online has been cast last minute to step in to fill a role for another star who got sick at a hot yoga retreat. Many other adult-film workers were also brought on when a bunch of workers were hurt at a burning-man type venue, because the director is āgoing straightā and rebranding from the adult film industry to the very family friendly industry. Beeās co star will be the former boy-band pop sensation she has been madly in love with since her teen years.
All of the adult-film workers have been asked to keep their pasts quiet so that the director can make this squeaky clean family movie. Except that the workers spend their after hours at places like The North Pole, and getting drunk at the local bar, all spouting their mouths off about themselves, and everyone already knows who they are anyway.
Nolan Shaw has some skeletons in his past that he is trying to bury, and is hoping to do so with this fluffy family movie. And he was on track to do so.. Until his sex idol Bianca Von Honey waltzes onto the set, and now Nolan wants nothing more than to put his hands all over her every chance he gets. He has been following her ClosedDoor account for 6 years now, heās a top tier member! Now he is trying to hide his feelings for Bee, when the reporter who ruined his career comes waltzing onto the Christmas set, snooping around for the new scoop, hoping at every turn that Nolan will live up to his bad boy rep.
This book was full of funny one liners, and a few well written scenes, but it seriously needed a heavy handed editor and possibly a rewrite. The premise was great, but this book could have been amazing if it had gone through a few more editing processes! Here are some things I hated-
-The words āgingerbread lotionā is used no less than 11 times. And if I have to ever read that again in this context I might be sick. Gross.
-The reader is lead to believe toys would come into play WAY more often than they actually did, and I for one was quite disappointed that the fun trunk was never utilized.
-The horrible euphemisms need to stop. Like. Right. TF. NOW. Now, I get it, we donāt want to use the same words over and over, that is repetitive and boring! But when you describe ladybits as a āwellā and her cl*t as a āneedy buttonā, it makes me think of the big, red āeasyā button on the staples commercial that one can just press and org*sms just occur. In our dreams, ladies, in our dreamsā¦
-Honestly, the way Nolan keeps talking about Beeās body as if it is his to own, just because he paid for a subscription to it for the past 6 years makes me really sick. In fact, they both have these weird fascinations and infatuations with each other as objects and not as people, and that is super cringy.
-I love a good plus-size FMC or MMC! Seriously, make all the characters plus size! But there is a difference between subtle hints that the readers can infer from, and the constant reminder that yes, she is in fact over weight. That is what we hear. All.the.time. The inner dialogue is about the size. The characters mention the size. Everything revolves around the size (like, her not fitting into any of the dresses, or the chairs, or things were made for skinny people, etc etc etc)
-I also love a good story about business women (and for that matter, good business practices, and ethical managers and businesses) but again, every few sentences all the book talked about was how Bee was a p0rn star. We hear ya, she, and the others, worked in the adult-film industry. Loud.and.clear.
-Again, I love books with good representation! But every few sentences it talked about how Bee had two moms. She was OBSESSED with having two moms. We RARELY hear about any of the other characters' parents, why is that? Why is it so important we know that Bee has two moms? Did you know Bee had two moms? Bee has two moms. Two moms. The two moms Bee has. Two moms had Bee. Two moms. One mom, two mom.
-We are told over and over how Christmassy this Christmas town is. From the snow, to the silly street names, even to the āNorth Poleā pole dance/strip club with strippers with reindeer names. Clever? Maybe. Or maybe just over the top.
I love Sierra Simone, I have read all of her work! And I love Julie Murphy, I have read most of her work! This is the first time I have been *meh* about their books. I have more to rant about, but 2 pages is more than enoughā¦. After all of this, though, I do hope they write two more books. I'd love to have books about Kallum and Isaac. BUT ONLY if the editing is done SO MUCH BETTER!!
<b>Audio book review:</b> The audiobook narrators were good. Sebastian York could read me the childhood story āThe Night Before Christmasā and it could sound sexy. He is probably the only reason I listened to this book as long as I did.
**Audio book notes do not change my GR/SG book rating, it is only here for reference. This entire review is also cross posted to Amazon and Audible**
https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Bullying, Drug use, Sexual content, Biphobia, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Medical content, Medical trauma, Grief, Death of parent, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Mental illness, Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
anniesbookpicks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia and Sexual harassment
decklededgess's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
trigger warnings: mental illness, physical injury mention, poverty, sexual harassment, cyber bullying, sexual content, stalking mention, alcohol, anxiety and panic attacks, fatphobia
I am a big fucking fan of romance books featuring sex workers in an incredibly positive light and unabashedly discussing sex work coexisting with long term relationships. I feel like some romances demand that the person who does sex work stop after getting in a relationship which feels so incredibly manipulative in books. Thankfully we have zero manipulation in this book. But as a disclaimer, better opinions on this rep work come from people with firsthand experience with sex work so take my opinions here with a grain of salt.
Bee and Nolan were really superb main characters. Their chemistry jumped off the page from the get go and each character individually had so much charisma and personality that even individually they were stellar leads to follow throughout the book. The writing for both POVs was seamless and while I was easily able to tell which co author wrote which character/scene, I felt like the narrative voices were beautifully complimentary and transitioned without a hitch.
The expanded cast of characters in this little Christmas film set town were also supremely fun. I appreciated how all the side characters also had vivacious personalities and lives outside of the main story that had me salivating to read their stories.
This whole book was delightfully engrossing, sexy, and tooth achingly sweet. LOVE. Can't wait for more in this series.
I am a big fucking fan of romance books featuring sex workers in an incredibly positive light and unabashedly discussing sex work coexisting with long term relationships. I feel like some romances demand that the person who does sex work stop after getting in a relationship which feels so incredibly manipulative in books. Thankfully we have zero manipulation in this book. But as a disclaimer, better opinions on this rep work come from people with firsthand experience with sex work so take my opinions here with a grain of salt.
Bee and Nolan were really superb main characters. Their chemistry jumped off the page from the get go and each character individually had so much charisma and personality that even individually they were stellar leads to follow throughout the book. The writing for both POVs was seamless and while I was easily able to tell which co author wrote which character/scene, I felt like the narrative voices were beautifully complimentary and transitioned without a hitch.
The expanded cast of characters in this little Christmas film set town were also supremely fun. I appreciated how all the side characters also had vivacious personalities and lives outside of the main story that had me salivating to read their stories.
This whole book was delightfully engrossing, sexy, and tooth achingly sweet. LOVE. Can't wait for more in this series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Stalking