Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - A Holly Jolly Ever After

Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone

8 reviews

rhiannon814r's review against another edition

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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

4.75

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downsophialane's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A mid-book

surprise baby

is always going to get a lot of people offside, and I'm sure the authors wre aware of this (Sierra Simone in particular famously prefers to polarise her readers rather than play it safe). I thought this twist worked quite well for the heroine's post-purity culture journey. Winnie's subsequent distance and, yes, the miscommunication throughout stems logically from her purity culture trauma and Kallum's established flaws as a man who had never needed to step up and grow up. I understand miscommunication can be frustrating for some readers but honestly this seems like a good example of that trope to me... They're not just stupid, it comes from their own misconceptions and backstories... Exactly as miscommunication happens in real life!

I was a little disappointed that apart from one fleeting mention that she still has a "connection" with God, there is no mention of Winnie's relationship to her faith (beyond the purity culture imposed upon her) but that's a me thing; this isn't another Priest so I won't review it like it was trying to be.

Can I say, these epilogues from Teddy's POV are a stroke of genious because all I want is more from him!

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meganlafo's review

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funny hopeful 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

4.5

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rachminick's review

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funny hopeful inspiring medium-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

4.25

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring 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

A delightfully sexy and utterly Christmassy romance that lovers of Hallmark, spicy Rom-coms and cinnamon roll love interests are going to Devour!

Set in Christmas Notch, A Holly Jolly Ever After follows Winnie Baker, the squeaky clean Hope channel actress still recovering from the scandal of her public (and rather messy) divorce. And Pizza mogul/ former boyband member, Callum Lieberman, as they co-star in the Hope Channels’ new business venture: Hope After Dark. Which sees the pair co-starring in an all new, sexy Christmas movie called Santa, Baby.

Having loved A Merry Little Meet Cute soo much, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy of its sequel/ companion novel as soon as physically possible—especially when I found out it would follow the pizza loving sweet heart,Callum. And, having done so (a massive thank you to Sofia for sending me a copy btw) I’m glad to report it’s just as sizzlingly swoon-worthy (and unputdownable) as its predecessor!

Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone’s unique styles of writing work so well together, and I love how seamlessly they blend humour and spice into such a heartfelt (yet chaotically sexy) read that I couldn’t help but emotionally invest in.

Continuing with the themes of double standards, sex and body positivity (first explored in book 1), Murphy and Simone also expertly delve into subjects, such as reputation, double standards, self worth and the harmful (media led) societal pressures that affect the way we see ourselves and our bodies. Which as a plus sized reader is something I really appreciated.

It was also really great to finally see some plus sized male rep which I feel is still something of a rarity in the genre (though if you have any recs do be sure to let me know.)

I loved our protagonists, who were both really well developed and full of soo much depth. And the romance was off the charts good! If you enjoy a well written and fabulously steamy romance then you’re gonna absolutely love Winnie and Callum’s on (and off set) interactions.

Winnie, having spent her entire life doing “the right thing” in an effort to keep a spotless reputation has found herself tarnished regardless, so exploring her shame around sex (due to her strict, faith based upbringing) and the role public perception plays in objectifying/policing women’s bodies was really interesting.

I was instantly endeared to her, and loved seeing just how much progress she made in unlearning soo many of the harmful perceptions she grew up with.

Callum, our MMC (and Winnie’s love interest) was also really adorable, cinnamon roll of a character, currently dealing with lifelong insecurities surrounding his weight and former career as the least popular, “fat” member of boyband INK. I really enjoyed getting to explore into a male POV surrounding the public perceptions and pressures that men in the public eye may also face.

His patience and support (of Winnie) was soo heartwarming and I loved how genuinely kind and patient he was in helping Winnie to unpack all that trauma. Plus, his corny pizza related puns added the perfect comic relief to the tenser, more emotionally charged scenes.

Overall, a sizzlingly satisfying, Santa-filled Rom com that’s bursting with festive sexiness (and pizza related puns) to offset the tenser, more emotionally charged scenes. I absolutely loved it! Just be sure to check TWs beforehand.

Also, a huge thank you to Sofia Saghir for the stunning finished copy.

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pisces1_1318's review against another edition

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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

4.5

This was my favorite book in the series. I loved how the authors tackled purity culture and the shame people feel. I definitely can relate to how Winnie felt.

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emmas_bookshelf's review

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funny 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? Yes

3.5

Thank you so much to Avon for the copy of this book! I loved the first Christmas Notch book, A Merry Little Meet Cute, and was so excited to read this! Kallum is a former boy band member turned Kansas City pizza king. Winnie is a wholesome Hallmark actress who needs to rehab her image after getting divorced while also trying to shed the purity culture she grew up in and trying to figure out how to do things for herself. When they are cast in a steamy Santa movie, things heat up fast! I thought the first half of the book was great, and it was very steamy. Also, as a Topekan and wanna-be-Kansas Citian, I loved all the KC and Royals love in this book! 💙

🚨SPOILERS AHEAD🚨

This book has a surprise baby. My absolute least favorite. 🙅🏻‍♀️ The book has a part 1 and part 2 and part 2 is a major tonal shift from part 1. It’s all oriented around the surprise baby. It also kinda dragged. Really disappointed tbh, although it was better than most surprise baby romances I’ve read. BUT WHY.

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uranaishi's review

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

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