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texashippie's review
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Sexism
sydapel's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Another book that was absolutely right what the doctor ordered leading up to Christmas! I liked how sex work and sexuality and fa culture was handled in this, and I'm incredibly impressed by how cohesive the writing feels especially with two authors coming from different backgrounds. Made me want to winter in Vermont again, and super excited to see where this series goes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
fanboyriot's review
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
cozycritiques's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
āAnd then, there it was: the collapse of all my gingerbread-infused effort. With a single kiss from Bee, all my control burned away, and my body stirred for her. I was going to have a problem hiding my response after this, but that didnāt stop me from deepening the kiss, from holding her tight as she explored my mouth with a soft, sweet greed. Iād figure out what was going on later.ā
- A Merry Little Meet Cute
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: Holiday Romance, Celebrities (Porn Star, Actors, Former Musician), Forced Proximity, Secret Identity, Hidden Relationship, Image Rehab, Small Town, Childhood Crush
Representation: Plus Size, LGBTQ+ (Bisexual)
Spice Scale: š¶š¶š¶š¶
CW: Mental Illness (Bipolar Disorder), Fatphobia, Body Shaming, Sexism, Medical Content
I requested this ARC because I loved Julie Murphyās If the Shoe Fits last year. Iāve never read anything by Sierra Simone before, but I know from BookTok that her writing is āØspicyāØ so I had to see how their two styles worked together. It did not disappoint.
I absolutely loved the Christmas town setting and holiday references. You would think a holiday-themed strip club or gingerbread line would be a little over the top, but it worked so well. I also loved how positive this book was about body and sex. Bee was completely comfortable with her size and career choice. Her size was just one aspect of who she was, not her entire person, and although she kept her job secret for the majority of the book, she never felt shame for working in adult film. More importantly, her love interest never made her feel shame for either of these things either, which was a major green flag.
Bee and Nolanās relationship was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. The fact that they were both each otherās celebrity crushes was adorable, and their chemistry and banter were off the charts. Also, they were both bisexual disasters, which I am a total sucker for.
If youāre looking for something that captures the spirit of a Hallmark Christmas movie but is smutty as hell, A Merry Little Meet Cute is a must-read. Simone and Murphyās writing flowed so seamlessly that I honestly couldnāt tell it was written by two people. I loved the world they created and canāt wait for more in this series.
- A Merry Little Meet Cute
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tropes: Holiday Romance, Celebrities (Porn Star, Actors, Former Musician), Forced Proximity, Secret Identity, Hidden Relationship, Image Rehab, Small Town, Childhood Crush
Representation: Plus Size, LGBTQ+ (Bisexual)
Spice Scale: š¶š¶š¶š¶
CW: Mental Illness (Bipolar Disorder), Fatphobia, Body Shaming, Sexism, Medical Content
I requested this ARC because I loved Julie Murphyās If the Shoe Fits last year. Iāve never read anything by Sierra Simone before, but I know from BookTok that her writing is āØspicyāØ so I had to see how their two styles worked together. It did not disappoint.
I absolutely loved the Christmas town setting and holiday references. You would think a holiday-themed strip club or gingerbread line would be a little over the top, but it worked so well. I also loved how positive this book was about body and sex. Bee was completely comfortable with her size and career choice. Her size was just one aspect of who she was, not her entire person, and although she kept her job secret for the majority of the book, she never felt shame for working in adult film. More importantly, her love interest never made her feel shame for either of these things either, which was a major green flag.
Bee and Nolanās relationship was the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. The fact that they were both each otherās celebrity crushes was adorable, and their chemistry and banter were off the charts. Also, they were both bisexual disasters, which I am a total sucker for.
If youāre looking for something that captures the spirit of a Hallmark Christmas movie but is smutty as hell, A Merry Little Meet Cute is a must-read. Simone and Murphyās writing flowed so seamlessly that I honestly couldnāt tell it was written by two people. I loved the world they created and canāt wait for more in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Mental illness and Medical content
kloughlin's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Sexism, and Biphobia
flyingryndeer's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Vomit
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
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
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