Member Reviews
I’m probably the millionth person to post about this book (#sorrynotsorry) but still wanted to share my thoughts & for it to have a permanent spot on my feed!
I was a little disappointed in CLo’s last two books (liked them, but my standards are high with these two!) so I went in to this one cautiously optimistic. Thankfully, I really enjoyed it! As someone not really reading seasonally this winter/December, it was nice to read a holiday book & ignite my Christmas spirit.
I quickly found myself invested in Maelyn’s conundrum & found it easy to root for her! While the premise is clearly unbelievable, it was nice to suspend belief and just imagine WHAT IF you kept relieving the same day over & had a chance to change things.
I also loved the diversity of the group that assembled at the cabin for the holidays and all of the traditions. Mae’s “family” consisted of people related biologically and not, some from nearby and some from far away, some older and some younger, yet despite the craziness of life, they make it a priority to get together yearly. I love that! I think we’re all reminded this year just how precious time with our loved ones is.
Lastly, I’ll just say everyone needs an uncle Benny in their lives. What a gem!
I think IN A HOLIDAZE would make an excellent movie. If you haven’t read this one and want something light and fun for the holidays, this is it! It’s an easy read and I flew through it.
I absolutely loved it but I went into it with the mindset that I was reading a holiday rom-com. I feel like both film and novel holiday rom-coms are in a league of their own. They don’t take themselves seriously and are all about embracing the holiday spirit. It was a nice brain break to forget about the world and life and all that. My only critique would be that there were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track of who was who until the middle or so.
I highly recommend this for a light hearted, fun Christmas read!
Once again Christina Lauren doesn't disappoint! This one would have been a 5 star, but I was a little disappointed ot having a real resolution to the time travel question. But if you can get past that improbability, the characters and fantastic and the romance is swoony! I will definitely still recommend and would likely read it again!
I hadn't read Christina Lauren before, but now I can understand the hype. In a Holidaze was a fast read that felt like watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, yet the characters' voices felt real even as the situation (time travel) and the idealized holiday vacation with low-stakes problems felt very fantasy (fantastic? fantasy-esque?). It brought back a lot of memories of teenage crushes and family drama--and wishes that all such things resolved so smoothly.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
'Tis the season for silly, light-hearted romance and Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze fits that bill just fine. Mae spends every Christmas with her mom, dad, brother, and her parents' college friends and their families in a cabin in Park City, Utah. It is her favorite place in the world, but this year something has gone terribly wrong. Mistakes are made and it could be the last Christmas they ever spend together when suddenly Mae is sent back to relive it over and over again. Stuck in a time loop that could allow her to figure out what she really wants in life, Mae tries to make everything perfect without losing her mind first.
This book was fun and quick to read. The writing isn't great, but once you've given yourself over to the story, it doesn't matter very much. I've seen a lot of five star reviews for this book and I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it is cute and great for this time of year. Add it to your stack of December reads and let yourself enjoy the magic of the season.
Mae is going through the motions in her life. She’s a bit stuck and she knows it but she lacks the courage to assert her way out of the rut. When her family goes to the cabin that they share with their friends-who-are-family every Christmas, her life gets turned upside down when she makes a huge mistake. An amorous mistake. A cringey, amorous mistake. As she leaves the cabin - maybe for the last time - she asks the universe to show her what will make her happy. The universe answers by making her live the same week over and over until she figures it out. Does Mae have the courage to chase her happiness - and her true love? Or is she doomed to repeat Christmas week for all eternity?
This was my first introduction to Christina Lauren and I enjoyed it. I like Mae as a character and found some of her struggles to be very relatable - unrequited love (or at least unrealized love), being stuck in a job you didn’t want and didn’t sign up for, and going through the motions because you just feel like it can’t be any different. She’s ripe for a shakeup and that’s exactly what she gets.
The book is well written and features a cast of characters who all have their own quirks and challenges, which is something I love in a book. After all, no couple exists in a vacuum and we almost learn more about them from how they interact with those around them than we do how they act when they’re alone.
If you’re looking for a holiday book with relatively low angst that balances humor and heart with a super satisfying HEA, definitely check this book out.
What a super cute, fun, romantic read! I enjoyed the fresh take on Groundhog Day, seeing a chosen family enjoy traditions but also start to break away, and see a friendship blossom into the perfect kind of love! Mae and Andrew were so cute and I love all this little ways he notices and knows her. And the sketch was so incredibly sweet! Plus—everyone needs an Uncle Benny!
This was such a fan holiday read and reminded me why I loved this author duo. I had some lower expectations for this one since I did't loved their last couple of releases but this book was perfect for this holiday season. I loved Mae & Andrews Friends to lovers romance and loved seeing Mae leave her comfort bubble and create the life she actually wanted to live. One thing I will note is that the beginning was a little confusing with the amount of character that were introduces and the pacing, but overall it was a fun quick romance. 3.75/5 stars.
(Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.)
Combine holiday goodness with family shenanigans and Groundhog Day, and you have the sexy and adorable 'In a Holidaze'. This book is perfect reading for this time of year, and also perfect if you need a guaranteed happy ending with a fairly low-angst story.
Mae has moved in with her mother, she is unhappy with her job and worst of all, a cherished family tradition is ending. The Park City house where several families spend the holidays together is being sold. Mae is devastated. On top of all that, she has had a lifelong crush on Andrew, who seems completely and totally unaware of her romantic interest in him.
What will make Mae happy? The story then repeats Mae's week, until she finally can get things right. While not exactly a time travel novel, this part does require a little suspension of disbelief on the reader's part, which is just fine with me! It is the holidays after all, and nothing thrills me like a bit of a time warp story.
This book is a wonderful escape from reality for a few hours. The writing is solid and the characters all warm, realistic and adult. Christina Lauren has a very smart and witty writing style, which made for a lovely holiday read. The ending is so sweet that I can absolutely recommend this for all fans of holiday romance.
The duo behind Christina Lauren has done it again. They provided an entertaining story that kept me reading. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed the time travel aspect. A lot like Groundhog Day. Some of the traditions seemed a little forced and I kept waiting for her to jump time one last time. The ending was satisfying, if a little pat. This is not their best work, but it was entertains and worth reading. My rating: 3 stars
I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. It was such a fantastic, entertaining read that I devoured in two days. I loved the characters snd the story. I have already gifted a physical copy to my friend and will be recommending this book to all. Thanks so much die the chance to review this amazing book.
I’m not a big Christmas reader. The stories are cute and all but it’s not top priority for me to read them. But I have really enjoyed some of Christina Lauren’s other books so I HAD to pick this one up even though it’s Christmassy 🤣
Everything started out fine....until some kind of weird magical trick was pulled and I have no idea if this was supposed to be some kind of sci-fi, magical, Christmas love story. 🤣
THEN it seemed like it was going to be one of those love triangle books. So I was even more confused.
Finally we get to the end, after quite a few weird scenarios, and it just ends. There’s no explanation for the weird magic thing going on. Just all done, enjoy the ending and rest of your day basically.
I’m pretty sure I only kept reading so pieces would be put together but the pieces never got put together. So I’m still frustratingly wondering WHY THINGS HAPPENED THAT HAPPENED.
Does this mean you should read it? Idk. I’m still confused 🤣 If you like being bewildered after reading a book, definitely go for this one.
I am not a fan of Christina Lauren's books, but I was definitely to give them one more chance. And I regret it. This books is boring.
This was my first Christina Lauren book and I absolutely loved it. Cute, cozy, and Christmas vibes are really all one could ask for, and this book delivers in spades. I loved all of the characters, and it was almost like the cabin itself was its own character. The Groundhog Day comparison is rather on the nose, but it's also a trope that I love to see in books. The romance was sweet and gave me all the feels. Highly recommended!
I honestly can't even tell you why this book took me so long to read--It may have something to do with the fact that, even though I love Christina Lauren, I wasn't ready for a Christmas book when I first downloaded this over the summer.
I'll be the first to tell you that I am an idiot. This book wasn't really just a Christmas book. This books was a work of art.
If you think you enjoyed Groundhog Day or Happy Death Day, or any story remotely related to the whole stuck-in-time-repeating-the-same-day over and over again trope--I can't stress enough how well this book handled that.
Mae is just one of those characters that I loved from the very first page. From her stumbling awkwardness that set off the events of the whole book, to the growth that she went through to earn her way to happiness--Mae was delightful.
As well as Mae, there was just a whole slew of characters that wormed their way into my heart. The whole premise of this book is just a large family--some blood, some chosen--who have spent every Christmas together for decades in this amazing cabin, just being a family. These characters are honestly what made this book shine. The love story, the growth of Mae--none of it would have been as successful without them all. That sense of belonging and family and rightness just permeated through the pages.
The love story was the cherry on top for me. Mae knows from page one who she wants--she just has to struggle and bumble her way to that end. And the ride is so tender and so worth the wait.
This is just one of many Christina Lauren books that I've come to love and know that I'll have to re-read in years to come!
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. My review will be available at the link given on 12/19/20.
A charming holiday story! This is another heartfelt novel from Christina Lauren. A bit slow at times (because of the Groundhog Day premise, not the characters or the writing), but nonetheless a fun read.
I always enjoy a Christina Lauren book and this was no exception. I wanted something light and funny and Christmas-y. This book delivered with a very satisfying happily-ever-after. I also enjoyed the Groundhog Day aspect, which gave if a bit of a fantastical feel, though I wish there was a moment where we new for certain Mae was staying put (I was flying through the pages so maybe I missed it). This is definitely a book to cozy up with for the holidays.
This is the first book I've read by Christina Lauren but I plan on reading many more!! I needed a good holiday book just now and this one was perfect!! Groundhog Day done perfectly! At first I was afraid they wouldn't be able to pull it off -- it's been done already -- but their twist to it made reading this book so much fun. I had moments when I literally laughed out loud. Maelyn is hysterical in her "my life suck" kinda way.
Review will be posted on 12/18/2020
Maelyn Jones is twenty six and she's not living the life she imagined. She doesn't love her job, she has no boyfriend, and she lives at home with her parents. Every year she looks forward to spending the holidays at a cabin in Park City along with her family and a group family friends. While in Utah, she makes out with family friend, Theo, despite having a crush on his brother, Andrew, for years. Cue the drama. To complicate matters further, Maelyn finds out that Andrew's family is going to sell the cabin. This is devastating to Maelyn, but she looks forward to this every year and its the one time her divorced parents are together without bickering. While heading to the airport with her family, they get into a horrific car accident. Maelyn wakes up, but not in the hospital. She's back on the plane en route to Park City. It's a do-over in the most Groundhog Day of ways. What will she do differently this time? Christina Lauren's In a Holidaze is a fun holiday tale that has it all: holiday touches, romance, and a major romantic comedy vibe.
Maelyn is pretty much all of us at twenty-six just trying to find her way and dealing with the pressures of the holiday season. Every year, she looks forward to her family escaping to Utah with her parents' college friends and their families. She has harbored a secret crush on Andrew for years, but hasn't said anything to him and things get even more complicated when she drunkenly makes out with his brother, Theo. Once Maelyn gets her Groundhog Day re-do in In a Holidaze, she tries to figure out what will make her happy. Can she finally tell Andrew how she feels? Will that make everything in her life better? More importantly, how does she get out of re-living the same day over and over again?
One reason I really enjoy Christina Lauren's novels is for the snarky humor. The brilliant writing duo can make me laugh out loud like no other author(s) out there. The witty banter feels authentic in In a Holidaze and it feels like you are watching your favorite romantic comedy. Plus, the romance between her characters is always smoldering. Who doesn't need a holiday pick-me-up at this point?
So, if you are looking for a laugh-out-loud and swoon-worthy holiday romance, look no further. Christina Lauren never disappoints!
Honestly, I couldn't finish this one The time loop/groundhog's day thing was not working for me and the main character, Mae, was not someone I was willing to root for. The setting lacked the warm, cozy, winter, cabin vibes. The characters fell flat and Mae's desires for Andrew felt childish. After reading other books by author duo Christina Lauren, I expected so much more. Unfortunately this go-around I quit reading at about 30%.