My dear bookish friends,
Today’s review is of my first Christmassy read this year, and it was a straight up 5 star read which made me so happy! It turned out nothing like I imagined it to be from the cover and title (don’t be fooled by their tame and cutesy appearance!), but I’m not complaining lol. It was quite steamy at times, but I loved that it was so meaningful and really had heart above all.
If you are looking for a funny, cute, romantic read that will get you in the holiday spirit and will make you feel all wrapped up, cosy and warm, this might be the book for you!
The Blurb
Cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone—a steamy plus-size holiday rom-com about an adult film star who is semi-accidentally cast as a lead in a family-friendly Christmas movie, and the former bad-boy pop star she falls in love with.
Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) has a successful career as a plus-size adult film star. With a huge following and two supportive moms, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favorite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he’s making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction.
Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than childhood crush Nolan Shaw, an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan’s promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and mom.
But things heat up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoors account (oh yeah, he’s a member). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get trickier when the reporter who torpedoed Nolan’s singing career comes snooping around—and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee.
And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.
My Review
Plus-size adult movie star Bee Hobbes (aka Bianca Von Honey) gets cast as the leading act in a family-friendly Christmas film – but no one can find out who she really is or it will ruin her new career-path. And not only that, her co-star is no other than her biggest crush since she was a teenager, and he can’t find out about that either! Bee certainly has a lot to lose, but does her super cute, former boy band co-star Nolan, too?
I absolutely loved this book! I got it because I loved the title and the cover (and because it was a Kindle deal lol) and kind of went into it blindly, and I was surprised about the turns it took, but oh my, I loved it so much! I loved the body-positive, size-inclusive, feminist message in this book, and I loved that the main character was so real. She was self-confident, she loved herself just the way she is, but she was also vulnerable and sometimes scared and honest, and that was a really nice change to the picture-perfect, kickass, strong, and invulnerable heroines of so many other books. I mean Bee was definitely kickass and strong too, but also so much more than that.
I also loved the growing relationship between her and Nolan. Their banter was cute, and I loved when their was tension between them, because it got more and more sizzling as the chapters went on. They had such amazing chemistry, it was almost palpable! It was super fun that they both have been secretly crushing on each other for years and years – but they were so good at keeping that secret. No wonder they turned out to be great actors!
What I also absolutely adored was the tiny village in Vermont where the movie was set. They stayed in a Christmas themed hotel (omg, can I please move there?) and the tiny village with the festively decorated Christmas market and the snowy lanes were such a perfect backdrop for this book. Even though I take Christmas and my festive season very seriously (lol), I loved the tongue-in-cheek way the author made fun of the cheesy Hallmark movies that I love so much. Sometimes the book had me laughing out loud, it was so entertaining!
It was so nice to see that both Bee and Nolan were so concerned with their own careers, but then again as we found out more about them, we also learned that both were such family-oriented people and I absolutely loved that. Former bad boy and boy band star Nolan would do anything for his little sister and mother, and he was trying everything he could to keep their private lives that – private – and change their life for the better. I also loved Bee’s two mothers – they were so supportive and caring, it was heartwarming to read about them!
If you like a book with great body-positive and LGBTQ+ rep, a book that is both cute AND steamy, Christmassy in a classical and very modern and different sense, then A Merry Little Meet Cute is the one for you! I hope this author duo will bless us with many more adventures like this – I LOVED it! Also, the word ‘meet cute’ will forever remind me of one of my most favourite Christmas movies, The Holiday (if you know you know), and that gives this book an extra point on top (not that would need it, but…).
Obviously, 5 stars from me!
Thank you all so much for reading!
xoxo
-
Funny, cute, steamy, romantic - would give more stars if I could!
