BOOK REVIEW: A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

A spicy little holiday romp.

I’m always up for a fun little holiday rom-com, and since I was hearing a lot about this one, I figured I’d give it a go. I loved the premise of an adult film actress trying to crossover into the realm of a Hallmark Christmas movie. I mean, I admit, I indulge in a nice Hallmark movie marathon every now and then during the holidays. Of course, here it is called the Hope Channel, but it’s the same thing - cheesy, formulaic family friendly movies.

I automatically went to one of my favorite movies, Love, Actually, when I was thinking about what this book might be like, but this story only dealt with one cast of characters. Bee, aka Bianca Von Honey as she is known to her online fans who subscribe to her ClosedDoors account, happens to know the right people at the right time when they become desperate for a new female lead for the upcoming movie Duke the Halls. Before she knows what is happening, Bee is on a flight to Christmas Notch, Vermont to film a holiday movie alongside her ex-boy band crush leading man, Nolan Shaw whose reputation is currently a dumpster fire.

With additional crew positions being filled by members of the adult film industry, there are many entertaining scenes, comments and innuendos. The dramatic irony is top notch and that just adds to the humorous interactions between the two film words. As well as impacting Bee and Nolan’s very similar, but very personal non-negotiable rules while they are in Vermont - don’t get personal.

Going into this, I figured that there would be some steaminess. I mean Bee has sex for a living as a prom star, but I did get to a point where I felt that the steamy scenes were overwhelming the entire plot. If they weren’t having sex, they were talking about sex with just little pockets of the real life issues and conflicts that actually made these characters more real. 

I loved the idea that they were both trying to change their reputations and the professional careers that they were pigeon-holed into. We see all the time how actors and actresses are typecast into movies and never seem to be able to play any other type of role. This is exactly what Bee and Nolan face; however, they both have very different and very personal reasons that motivate them.

The setting is picture perfect for a holiday movie. This is the first rom-com book that actually has a map!  I love books with maps. Anyway, Christmas Notch is an active, albeit small, town that is Christmas all year as their primary economic industry is to bring in film crews for holiday movies throughout the year. Streets and buildings and even the local strip club all have holiday inspired names. The descriptions of the town were detailed and effectively painted the picture of this perfect little slice of Christmas. 

Multiple POVs is one of my favorite structural features in books. Alternating between Nolan and Bee, we are able to see into the personal lives of each allowing those side conflicts and stressors to develop their characters. Both have self doubt and fear and so much riding on this movie being a success; however, both hide their secrets from everyone as a means of self-preservation.

I looked up at him, his lips just a breath from mine. “I love you too, Nolan. I love you in the dark. I love you in the light. I love you everywhere.”

Between the two characters, I connected more with Nolan than I did with Bee. However, the societal issues that are presented in the book are real. Bee is a plus size actress, and as readers, we get a glimpse into the challenges she faces in the movie industry and life based on her size and her career choice. People are judged in our world for every little thing possible. It’s like a game to find something to criticize someone for. I hate this about our world. I never understand why we can’t all just accept each other. Acceptance doesn’t mean you have to agree, but it means that you realize and appreciate that the world is a better place because everyone brings something different to it.

Nolan on the other hand has the pressure of caring for his family. He is trying to fix his reputation from a scandal for the sole purpose of making sure that his 16 year old sister has a normal teenage life and his mother, who suffers from Bipolar disorder, has the health insurance and care she needs. These sides of the characters are what made me want to keep reading. I wanted to make sure that there was indeed a happy ending.

The secondary characters ensured that the stories of Bee and Nolan were able to collide. With Teddy, Gretchen and Pearl leading the charge with the production of the movie, they provided the connection between the adult film world and the wholesome world of the Hope Channel. Teddy is, after all, an adult film producer trying his hand in a mainstream movie along with Bee. Without Angel and Luca, this book would lose about 42.5% of the enjoyment factor. I wanted more of them and their sassiness.

The ending was everything that I wanted, and I am so grateful for that. 

Where does it land on my bookshelf?

The middle shelf. It wasn’t my favorite holiday read of the year, but I didn’t not like it. I liked the hidden private challenges of the characters’ lives, and I appreciated the inclusion of some important social topics. There was just too much time spent on the superfluous aspects. The secondary characters saved it, however. Even Nolan’s little sister was great in the few scenes we got to interact with her. Lesson to be learned is to never trust a stripper who takes a picture of you! If you are looking for something a little different in the realm of holiday rom-coms, this isn't a bad choice. Besides, it has a map!

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