The Book:
A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone (Christmas Notch #2)
Published: October 10, 2023 by Avon
Date read: September 3, 2024
The Characters:
Kallum and Winnie
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this site.
The Christmas Notch Series
A Merry Little Meet Cute
A Holly Jolly Ever After
A Jingle Bell Mingle
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Kallum Lieberman is the funny one™. As the arguably lesser of the three former members of the boy band INK, he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame and then moved home where he opened a regional pizza chain called Slice, Slice, Baby! He’s living his best dad bod life, hooking up with bridesmaids at all his friends’ weddings. But after an old one-off sex tape is leaked and quickly goes viral, Kallum decides he’s ready to step into the spotlight again, starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel.
Winnie Baker did everything right. She married her childhood sweetheart, avoided the downfalls of adolescent stardom, and transitioned into a stable adult acting career. Hell, she even waited until marriage to have sex. But after her perfect life falls apart, Winnie is ready to redefine herself—and what better way than a steamier-than-a-steaming-hot-mug-of-cider Christmas movie?
With decade old Hollywood history between them, Winnie and Kallum are both feeling hesitant about their new situation as costars…especially Winnie who can’t seem to fake on screen pleasure she’s never experienced in real life. She’s willing to do the pleasure research—for science and artistic authenticity, of course. And there’s no better research partner than her bridesmaid sex tape hall of fame costar, Kallum. But suddenly, Kallum’s teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface and Winnie might be catching feelings herself.
They say opposites attract, but is this holly jolly ever after really ready for its close-up?
My Review:
Thank you to @netgalley and Avon for this gifted copy.
The beginning of A Holly Jolly Ever After was hysterical, steamy, and everything I wanted. I laughed out loud so many times and highlighted so many hilarious quotes. I love the “help me find my sexuality” trope. These scenes were so hot! I also loved how Winnie confronted trauma from her oppressively religious upbringing and previous relationship. We love a book that kicks purity culture in the pants!
I didn’t love the turn the second half of the book took (the conflict could have been entirely avoided with some simple communication!), but I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. I certainly wasn’t expecting Winnie’s medical issues (tw for moms who have experienced miscarriages or near-losses pregnancies).
The ending was a bit abrupt–I wish the ending had a little more of Winnie and Kallum’s happy ever after. Maybe we’ll get to see a bit more of them in the next book, though?
I enjoyed this opportunity to return to Christmas Notch and can’t wait to go back for the next book! Julie and Sierra make quite the team.
Follow me on Bloglovin’!
