In true Christina Lauren fashion, this book leaves readers feeling quite content and happy. Just in time for the holidays, our favorite rom-com writers give us a worth Groundhog Day re-write. Only this one just gets juicer and heartfelt as our main character navigates all the twists and turns.

Looking for a light, entertaining rom-com filled with a quirky family and their holiday traditions? Then put Christina Lauren’s <In a Holidaze</i> at the top of your list. The story features 26 yo Mae Jones who gets caught in a Groundhog Day loop while celebrating Christmas with her divorced parents and younger brother. They spend the holiday at their annual getaway with her parents’ college roommates family at their mountain cabin in Park City, Utah. Turns out Mae has had a secret crush on Andrew, the older son of their friends. When she realizes just how miserable she is, due in part to the unexpected time travel, she decides to pursue happiness.

Overall, I really enjoyed <i>In a Holidaze</> despite a couple of issues. I almost put it down after what I found to be a confusing opening. Fortunately, once the story settled in, it picked up and I was glad I stuck with it. There were a couple of threads in the story that didn’t quite click for me (such as Andrew’s brother Theo) but most everything gets tied up neatly and happily in the end.



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this Groundhog Day-esque Christmas themed story. I was worried because I didn't enjoy the last Christina Lauren book I read but this one MORE than made up for it. Mae and Andrew were so cute and this book was full of my favorite thing: witty banter. I also really loved how Mae grew emotionally through the course of the story. After all, isn't that the point of Groundhog Day-ish plots? There were also some very fun scenes involving snow and food and it was just a warm and fuzzy comforting read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

In a Holidaze was a fun, modern, romantic, hot twist on It's a Wonderful Life and Groundhog Day, if the protagonist was a woman stuck reliving her family Christmas vacation with her lifelong crush.

It's as fun as it sounds.

You'll enjoy curling up with this one.

This is a Christmas book written by CLo when what I wanted was a CLo book set at Christmas time. I wasn't a fan of the groundhog's day storyline, which made dual POV impossible. We did get a little bit more steam than their recent standalones, it's not up the Beautiful/Wild Seasons level. This one wasn't for me, but I'll still be picking up whatever CLo writes next.

Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for a copy to review.

Narration: The audiobook is read by Patti Murrin and she does an amazing job!

I was hesitant about where this one was going or if I would like it. You have to suspend belief for a minute and that isn’t easy for me to do but I ended up really enjoying it. It was a sweet and quick story.

A charming story which uses the magic of Christmas.
Centred around three families who have been spending every Christmas together in a log cabin in Utah. At the centre is Mae who has made a romantic blunder, hates her dead end job and has just learnt that the beloved cabin is being sold. Understandably devastated, as she and her family head back after Christmas, she throws a silent plea out to the universe asking to show her what will make her happy. Immediately hit by an oncoming car, Mae finds herself waking up back on the plane, starting the Christmas holiday back again. Trying to figure out what and how, Mae re-lives the holiday until she discovers what makes her happy, with of course hiccups along the way!
A lovely read!

Even though I had an ARC of this, I waited because I wanted to read this when I was in more of a holiday mood. But as it turns out, I didn’t really need to be in a holiday mood. It mentioned the snow and some games or decorations, but nothing specific to Christmas. (Well to me anyway)

Mae is not loving her life right now. She has a job she hates, she lives with her parents, and she is single because she’s done something she can’t really take back. And now she’s also losing her family’s cabin, where they’ve gone to celebrate her favorite time of year for as long as she can remember. But just when she’s about to snap, she wakes up to do the holidays at the cabin all over again. Can Mae make the necessary changes to make sure all these things happen again, but in a way she wants them to?

The number one best thing about this was the humor. I ALWAYS actually LOL whenever I read a Christina Lauren novel. They are HILARIOUS. (Still nothing tops The Unhoneymooners bahaha) This one was also super funny. Even my husband caught some of the audio and chuckled. And he doesn’t think anything is funny.

Also, I wish someone had told me this had some holiday cheer, but it wasn’t filled with it. Like I could have read this before it’s release. I wouldn’t have waited. There was snow and mention of games they play, but for the most part it was focused on Mae and all her crazy (because there was alot). But don’t get me wrong, I would still count it as a Christmas story, but it was more romance than holiday focused I mean.

The characters were great. I loved Mae. She reacted the exact way I thought I might if I were in that situation. It would drive me bat shit if I knew this was happening by everyone thought I was crazy. I have to admit though, I would try the lottery instead of trying to fall in love lol As for her love interest, I thought he was pretty basic. Nothing exactly swoon worthy really happened until the end.

The romance was a bit underwhelming. I thought it was going to go a different way at the beginning, and that’s what I was excited for. But when it finally got to the romance, it went to the cardboard person. I was hoping to see some character development and see how she would realize she’d been wrong all those years. I just think it would have made for a better story. I’m not saying it wasn’t good, but I just think a plot twist could have made it a bit better.

This was a classic Christina Lauren rom-com with a twist of holiday spirit. Full of swoons and LOLs. I would have preferred a different ending, but overall, it was still an enjoyable read.

While the Groundhog Day trope has been done so(!) many times before, even set at Christmas, I liked the characters and the rest of the story enough that it didn’t bother me too much. If the authors weren’t Christina Lauren whose other works I’ve greatly enjoyed, I might not have given it a chance but I’m glad I did. Fun, sweet, good humor, family, and romance - honestly for a cute Christmas read, what more could I want?

Thank you NetGalley, authors, and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book! Christina Lauren has written a winner here. It's a fun little twist to the movie "Groundhog Day". Where a few families go to a cabin each year for Christmas. It's been something they do every year so why change anything right? Or can change be good?

Who doesn't love Christina Lauren or a holiday romance? Put these together with some time travel/groundhog's day fun and you are in for a cute holiday read guaranteed to put you in a jolly mood!

Thank you to Gallery Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was really cute! I enjoyed the love story between the characters. I'm not usually a fan of love triangle but this one was really well written and I was able to enjoy it. If I had one complaint it would be that there too few do-over days. The FMC only went back a few times. I would have liked to see more of her learning and having to go back again. Other than that it was a great Christina Lauren book.

In a Holidaze is billed as a romantic holiday-themed Groundhog’s Day, and I suppose that’s an accurate description, but the repetition of days almost didn’t matter to me. Every year, 26 year-old Maelyn and her family spend Christmas at a cabin with a group of other families, including brothers Theo and Andrew. Theo is Maelyn’s age, and everyone sort of expects they’ll end up together, but Maelyn has been secretly in love with Theo’s older brother Andrew since she was thirteen. The book starts on the last morning of the trip, and Maelyn is regretting drunkenly making out with Theo the night before for the first time after spending another frustrating holiday without telling Andrew how she feels. Driving to the airport with her family, she makes a wish for the universe to show her how to be happy, and she ends up six days in the past on the plane to the cabin with the chance for a Christmas redo.

I’m a huge sucker for the long-held unrequited love trope. I had my own version of that growing up that never went anywhere, so maybe I love the wish fulfillment. The magical element of this book doesn’t make a ton of sense (not that they ever really do—I mean no one explains why Bill Murray was stuck in a time loop, but you kind of get why it happened and why it stopped, which I don’t think I can say about Holidaze), and the magic actually seems to be sort of abandoned halfway through the book. I also didn’t love—or even completely understand—the conflict. But, and this is a huge but, I loved, loved, loved Andrew. I could have read three more books of just Maelyn and Andrew talking. And this is what I love about Christina Lauren books. It’s partly the great banter, but it’s more that they write love stories I finish reading and leave feeling a little broken hearted I can’t be a part of.

Books like this are exactly why I don’t give numerical ratings. I couldn’t rate this one. There’s a lot about it that didn’t make perfect sense and I can see why people might not love it, but I honestly wanted to crawl inside the book and live in it. It was the perfect read to start the holiday season!

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank You Net Galley for the early copy of In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. I finally got around to reading this one and it was perfect for this time of year with the holidays. I didnt feel like it was very christmas-y though, just your normal average holiday time of the year story that is set in the winter months. It doesn't talk about Christmas much at all, its more of a love story that you follow between Andrew and Mae. It was a cute story and I enjoyed the uniqueness about it involving time travel and going back in time to try fixing things and to be happy. That was Mae's wish was to be happy so obviously she keeps going back in time to try fixing things that happened in order to make her happy. Overall it was a good quick read and I am sure many would enjoy this one.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is such a fun and enjoyable holiday-themed book.

I love the movie Groundhog Day and if you haven’t watched it, add it to your list immediately! It’s pretty much the defining measurement of this concept: where the protagonist is in a time-loop of sorts and they experience the same days/events, while the rest of the world is oblivious. And that’s just what happens to Mae. One minute it seems her family is in a horrific car accident and the next, she’s boarding a plane to start the holidays all over again. It’s pretty entertaining as Mae is absolutely confused as hell about what’s going on and I love when she recruits her parents’ hippie friend Benny to help her.

Don’t expect any reasoning about why Mae is experiencing this—just roll with it. Eventually she somewhat adjusts and realizes that this crazy time loop might be helping her lead the life she’s always wanted to all along.

This is a cute, low stakes read that will get you in the holiday spirit.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I was so excited to read my first Christina Lauren book, she had come highly recommended from a friend. To be honest, I was also pumped to read a Christmas book. :) This story was just not my cup of tea. I was a bit confused from the start and just did not see it through. I will try her other books as I heard so many great things!

Cute. Quirky. Romantic. Love scenes that were steamy but believable. A hopeful novel perfect for the holidays but can be read at anytime

I have a feeling I will be in the minority when I say that I miss Christina Lauren's earlier (and sexier) books. I've thought that after reading each of their last five novels -- In a Holidaze included. Now, don't get me wrong, the books are still fun and enjoyable. In a Holidaze takes place during Christmas, where Maelyn Jones' favorite holiday tradition is basically imploding on itself and she keeps having to relive it. (Think Groundhogs's Day.) Her family, along with the other families she's grown up with, have been gathering together for Christmas at a cabin in Utah her entire life and now this may be their last year celebrating there. As they go their separate ways, Mae makes a wish to the universe to show her what will make her happy. The next thing she knows, she wakes up and she's on an airplane bound for Utah again, where she begins the same holiday all over again. As she tries to change things for a better outcome, every new disaster sends her back to the beginning and she has to figure out how to break free of this time loop (which, of course, involves finding true love). I wasn't a huge fan of the time loop concept and that could very well be because real life these days feels like an endless cycle so it didn't resonate with me. I do love reading about holiday traditions and the romance portrayed was sweet. But I found myself just wanting more from the characters, the relationships, and the dynamics between the different families. It was missing something for me.

Do I recommend? If you're in the mood for just a light romance and you love holiday settings, I'd check this out.

In a Holidaze took all the things I love most about Christina Lauren’s contemporary romance and combined them all together to make a feel-good holiday story that had me smiling from start to finish.

Mae and her family spend every Christmas at a snowy Utah cabin with their lifelong friends. But this latest trip ends with much awkwardness (a drunken hook-up with her longtime crush’s brother – ack!) as well as the news that the cabin may be sold. A desperate plea to the powers that be to show her what will make her happy is the catalyst that finds Mae reliving the last week at the cabin again… and again and again… with varied results.

I loved Mae’s story and watching her journey from feeling stagnant in her job, and life in general, to someone who spoke her mind and made bold choices. Rounding out the story was a cast of secondary characters who practically leapt off the page. I fell in love with this close-knit group and all their many Christmas traditions. The romance played out in a way that made my heart happy and feeling completely satisfied. In a Holidaze was the perfect holiday read!

THIS is a great holiday read!

I’m not much for reading Xmas books and (I’m in the minority here) I don’t like Hallmark movies but I loved this.

The perfect combination of Christmas tradition and romance without the toothache inducing sweetness.

She gets a do-over....it’s Groundhog Day Christmas edition.

I would’ve liked a little better insight to why or how it came about...maybe a bit more on the awkwardness her first pass through the day but it was still a fun read