The smuttiest holiday book I’ve ever read (and it also made me cry)!
A Holly Jolly Ever After is coauthored by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone. It is the second book in the Christmas Notch series. Kallum Lieberman and Winnie Baker both live in the public eye. Kallum was a band member, a sex tape member, and now a pizza mogul. Winne was a teen favorite, a Christian actress, and a fall from grace. Now, despite both their families’ protests, they are staring in a sexed up Christmas movie together.
This book has all the heart, just like all the best romance novels. Its main characters show significant character growth, and their relationship is 100% believable. It tackles purity culture, difficult family dynamics, and the strain of public opinion. With all the sex and the real talk, this book is a found family gem.
Other Romance Gems
- Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen – cozy vibes, Chinese traditions, and a family curse
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – NASA dreams, queer relationships, and I cried
- Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi – young adult, Asian American lead, and I cried
- All Consuming by Jaci Burton – firefighters, hot sex, and found family/adoption
***Spoilers***
Winnie grew up in peak purity culture. Watching her grapple with publicly becoming a sexual figure and announce a pregnancy while privately learning to enjoy her body and trying to mend her relationship with her parents made me feel very seen. It was done in a raw and honest way. It allowed for multiple things to be true, such as wanting to have a relationship with her parents but refusing to accept their behavior. I was both disgusted and grateful to see the arc of her parents showing up, being supportive, and then trying to take her baby. That is real. Adoption can be wonderful, but it is also often a messy business that enables the people with power to stay in power.
Winnie’s path to a real relationship with Kallum felt all too real. It questions how society expects men to act, how individuals expect men to act, and what partners actually need from men. It was hopeful to see how Kallum changes not only how he acts with Winnie but also with others in his family to show that he is willing to take responsibility and that he cares about being present.
The side characters are a hoot. Murphy and Simone have created a whole world with characters that I am ready and willing to read about. I haven’t read their first book and I plan to now. While this book was fully the smuttiest of romances, in the end it was a found family book. Kallum welcomes Winnie into his family. Both Winnie and Kallum find family with those that they work with creatively. It shows the power of finding others while also grieving what we should get to have and then creating it for others.