Christina Lauren novels are always a hit with me, and In A Holidaze was no exception! I was rooting for the characters from the very start. It was an easy 4 star book read for me, and romance always goes fast! Overall, I had very few critiques of this novel. However, something that kind of bothered me was how fast everything happened. I mean, I know Mae was in love with Andrew for like 15 years, but it was like, "Oh, you're into me? Cool. I love you." It just seemed to be a little convenient. The conflict of the Theo Kiss at the beginning of the book was never really resolved for me. She tells him, he gets mad, and then they're pretty much over it. Also, I kind of didn't like how her uncle just *believed* her when she said she was stuck in a time loop. I mean, I know Christmas Magic and all that, but he accepted it so quickly that I kind of wondered how sane he really was, too!

Overall, I really did enjoy this novel. It was a quick, easy read, and one that I would for sure recommend to someone looking for an easy, happy, holiday novel! 4 Stars from me!!

Can I just say that I adore Christina Lauren? When I am looking for a book to escape into and forget all my worries, they are one of my first choices. This book did not disappoint.
Mae thinks she is going to her families’ cabin in Utah for a family get together for the last time. As she is leaving she begs the universe to show her what will make her happy. She ends up living the same holiday over and over.
This book is heartwarming and funny and sweet and it was just what I needed. This is a perfect book to read with the holidays coming up. Thank you Christina Lauren for helping me forget about everything else for a little while. Thank you #netgalley and #gallerybooks for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Entirely too much fun and exactly the delightfully heartwarming holiday read that I needed in my life, In A Holidaze gives us a friends to lovers romance that is every bit the swoony sweetness I have come to expect from duo Christina Lauren. I was a bit nervous going in since their last book wasn’t a home run for me, but once I picked this gem up, I couldn’t put it down.

Christina Lauren absolutely delivered on the feels delivering not only a sweet romance, but an important lesson on taking action and going after what will make you happy even with the risk of failure. Maelyn starts as a fairly passive character. She isn’t happy with her lot in life but at the same time she takes no steps to change her work or romance situation. After some serious groundhog day time shifts, Maelyn’s character growth truly takes off.

A healthy dose of holiday cheer, authentic/flawed characters, all mixed with a sprinkling of secret crushes and pining for Andrew, and we have all the ingredients for a great romance. With a relatively low steam level and a comfortable level of tension between Mae and Andrew, their romance felt comfortable even though it was a relatively short read. It made this read feel like a cozy blanket.

I loved the romance between Maelyn and Andrew, but by far my favorite part was how lively and rounded every character, no matter how small a role, felt. They each had quirks and flaws that made the family feel familiar. It was like watching an old home movie rather than meeting new characters!

In A Holidaze is definitely going to be a book I revisit when I’m in the mood for an uplifting holiday read! Absolutely one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year!

I had a hard time getting invested in the main female character from the beginning. The stakes seemed very drummed up and low. However, it is still a fun, light read.

Yesterday we woke to snow. SNOW! That means I admit defeat, turn on a Hallmark Christmas movie, and embrace the happiest season of the year.

I curled up under a cozy blanket and found myself easily absorbed in the newest Christina Lauren novel. This is the story of Maelyn Jones and her pursuit to find what will bring her happiness. She finds herself in a groundhog day situation when she relived time and time again, her annual family vacation. She must figure out how to break this vicious cycle, and perhaps find her true love on the way.

This had all of the makings of a perfect holiday romance. It had Lauren's quirks and charm with bits of romance. I can't recommend more. Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This is available everywhere now.

I'm not ready for winter but am oh so ready for the Christmas spirit. This was the perfect story to get that started.

Mae makes a wish to be shown what will make her happy - only she has to accept it. In the meantime, she is stuck cycling through the same first days of the Christmas holiday, with only her "uncle" sharing her secret that she's reliving the days and trying to change the way the holiday ended the first time around. Each time she makes it a little longer and then is back on the plane arriving at day one, once again. A time warp is how I'd describe it as no one else seems to notice - not her parents, her siblings, or the best friend. Until she figures out what will make her happy, she's gets a "do over."

This was an interesting read, a unique concept. A romance, with bits of humor, holiday cheer and HEA. Wouldn't we all like a "do over" once in a while?

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

This was a fun read that reminded me a lot of the movie Groundhog's Day. I loved the characters, although at times it was hard to keep them all straight, and I loved the premise of the book. This is a fun read that will put anyone in the holiday mood!


On their yearly trip to the cabin Maelyn experiences some things she wished she hadn't. And when it all comes to an end, she finds herself back on the plane headed to the cabin again. No one else is experiencing this, and everyone thinks she's crazy, but after a few false starts, Maelyn ends up living a life she only dreamed of.

I received an ARC of the book via NetGalley, but this review has my own opinions.

I think that this book was just the thing for my break from my dark thrilling reads! It was well written, funny, and even had some Groundhog Day within! I loved the characters, found the story unique, and well written! If you are a fan of Groundhog Day themes, funny and fun romances, and Christina Lauren, then you’ll enjoy this book! The romance aspect was done well, and while a bit out of reality with some parts thrown, still realistic and unique as well! I definitely would recommend to many, as I think it’s even great for those who enjoy darker reads, to give the mind a bit of a break!

Will buzz around and use lower Amazon reviewer number on release date!

The first half of this book went great, things were happening, you are trying to figure out what the end game is and then the story gets stuck in the mud and comes out a few times to keep you from just giving up but at the end I guess you could say they got their HEA but at the same time I was disappointed in the story I was hoping to get on the "groundhog Day" theme. This was a bit convoluted and I am not sure if I ever really got the reason for the time loop (which was a lot less trips than Bill Murray had). So I am possibly being too critical but I wanted the story I was promised in the blurb and that is not the story I got sadly.

"It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions."

It's been a long time since I've read a Holiday Romance story that I loved from start to finish. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I caught myself laughing out loud, sniffling in sympathy and sighing through sweet moments while I was reading this book.

I'm not familiar with Christina Lauren's writing, but the blurb convinced me to give this book a try. I was especially curious about Mae finding herself reliving the same holiday all over again.

Of course, I enjoyed the holiday spirit the author infused throughout the story, the different activities and traditions the characters participated in and the funny moments and one-liners exchanged.

Although there were many secondary characters introduced in the story, each and every one of them added something to Maelyn's adventure. Be it words of wisdom, a new perspective on past events or lending a supportive ear -- each character that Maelyn interacted with made an impact. I enjoyed seeing her relationship with these people evolve as she continued to re-live the week, but most of all I loved that I got to experience Maelyn's growth throughout.

And we can't forget the romance! There were swoon-worthy moments and some deeply emotional ones between Maelyn and Andrew. Their romance was slow to come but their connection jumped-off the page. This made reading their journey from friends to lovers that much more enjoyable.

All in all, In a Holidaze is a brilliant story of romance, familial relations and the magic of the holidays. An awesome read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.

It would be a pretty apt analogy for me to say that reading this book was like eating a peppermint kiss. Like Maesie, I enjoy indulging in the seasonal candy. There's a simplicity to the flavor that brings comfort: sweet cream, and a clean aftertaste.

In a Holidaze carries that same flavor profile. My overall impression upon finishing the book was that I had consumed a sugary holiday treat, all wrapped up in a nice bow. The romance is fluffy, the characters are endearing, and the story remains enduringly optimistic. In short, I ate this up.

There isn't much to object to here. As I've learned to expect from Christina Lauren romcoms, the writing is solid, the humor is charming, and the story's appeal for love is affectionate and convincing. The plot itself treads the familiar ground of Christmas classics, those warm tales of self-discovery in the name of Christmas Spirit. You know what you're getting with this book, and it's like being wrapped up in a cozy blanket.

I will say, I was pleasantly surprised to have so much spotlight shined on the unwaveringly sweet Andrew as a love interest, rather than have him being dismissed as nothing but a foil for his Misunderstood Player brother. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: there aren't enough Softbois™ in romcoms, and I will always celebrate every instance of one I get. I will be a one-woman campaign for the gentle souls to get the attention they deserve.

Which is why it came as a shock to me that I couldn't fully enjoy Andrew as a love interest. My problem was, in fact, the opposite issue I normally encounter: there was too much focus on him. Because of Maesie's lifelong crush on the man, her attention remained solely on him, which ended up making Theo feel like the neglected underdog. Now, it's not like this caused me to turn back on my moral standing re: softbois (no, I'm not being dramatic). However, I just can't help but think that there is much more potential to be unearthed than the totality of what's shown of Theo and Maesie's relationship. Maesie spends so much of the book ignoring Theo's attempts to spend time with her that it's impossible not to want her to pay attention to him instead of Andrew.

For me, the book seemed to fall slightly short of the mark in this same way in a few areas. Theoretically, I get exactly what I want, but the execution doesn't fully satisfy me.

Here's the thing: unlike Maesie, I don't consider peppermint kisses to be a perfect holiday candy. To me, they exist in bite-size portions for a reason. Eat too much, and the sweetness becomes cloying. The fresh aftertaste is too mild and short-lived to sustain heavy doses, and the more you focus on the peppermint, the more artificial it tastes. Similarly, if I linger too closely on the details of the book, they sometimes start to feel heavy-handed and inorganic.

Maesie's avoidance of Theo makes sense logically, but the longer it goes on, the more it nags at me, especially given that her avoidance necessarily prevents the reader from getting to know Theo's character better. It makes Theo feel more like an innocent bystander to Maesie's slight rather than someone whose actions have led to a fractured relationship.

The premise of the story itself is charming and a good vehicle for Maesie's character development, but the further the book took the premise, the more dissatisfied I felt with the direction it took in being chalked up to magic/a Christmas Miracle rather than being weaved into the story's world-building.

And yes, Andrew is a sweetheart, but something about the way that's portrayed doesn't quite strike me as authentic. His way of cheering Maesie up when she's panicking upon reliving the holiday trip is to pretend as though she doesn't know anyone and give a rundown on everyone in the cabin. It's a cute enough gesture he makes to cheer her up, but the approach seems like such a disconnect from the situation at hand that I don't quite understand why he chose to go about calming her down in this particular way. In the end, the Brief Family History feels more for the benefit of the reader than for Maesie herself.

The bigger issue at hand that this speaks to is a lack of development of characters as fully realized people, outside of Maesie. Case in point: the inaccessibility of Andrew's thought process and, as a result, my inability to fully click with the relationship between him and Maesie. I can believe her feelings for him, seeing Andrew through her eyes and hearing about her long-standing crush on him. On the flip side, I'm not tuned into the way Andrew thinks and works, and I don't fully get the pull he feels for her, to the point where he's falling hard within 2-3 days. Again, in theory, this is understandable due to their decades of friendship. In reality, I don't think Andrew's character is explored enough for this to feel right to me. His actions feel more like going through the motions than a natural progression of events.

In the romance department as a whole, none of the big gestures drew much emotion from me because of this disconnect. I didn't feel as though the actions were emotionally grounded in a shared experience, and so even though the characters were overwhelmed by these gestures, I only accepted that the acts were meaningful because the recipients deemed it so, not because I did. This detachment I felt also extended to the main conflict of the last act - I understood that the drama mattered to the characters, but I didn't actually feel that invested in it. And in the end, we get our happy ending, but the achievement comes across a little more like a fact than a feeling.

This isn't to say that this shortcoming ruined the book for me or that I deem the writing to be a failure. Ultimately, this was a relatively minor flaw that didn't tarnish my overall enjoyment of the book. Even if the bigger romantic gestures were a slight miss for me, the small moments were lighthearted and adorable. My Softboi™ Andrew might have felt a bit stilted, but he was still a sweetheart I can root for. The premise might not stand up to the deepest of scrutiny, but it achieves its purpose and delivers a nice, wholesome holiday tale.

In the end, if I treat In a Holidaze like a peppermint kiss, then I honestly can't complain. It's sweet with a nice, clean ending. I can't give the book too much of my attention before my enjoyment of it starts to wane, but no one ever said there's anything wrong with indulging in small doses. That's how I savor it best anyways.

A quick, entertaining read that is heartwarming and happy. Mae and her family get together every Christmas with close family friends at a cabin. The twist in the book is that Mae is experiencing a Groundhog Day type of Christmas, where she finishes a day or two, and then wakes up in the same plane ride at the beginning of Christmas vacation. Mae has always loved Andrew, who seemed unattainable, while both Mae and Andrew’s mothers thought Mae would get together with Theo, the younger brother. More could have been done with the twist, as it seemed to tie up quickly, but it was fun to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I always enjoy Christina Lauren's books, and while this isn't a bad book, I just found it ok.

My biggest issue with the book is the main characters, Maelynn and Andrew. They are both likable characters, but I found it hard to believe that they were 26 and 28. Emotionally and maturity wise, they seemed to be about 18 or 20 tops. It felt very much like a novel about undergraduate college age kids and not people well into their 20's. I know there are not a lot of years between 20 and 26 but generally people gain a decent amount of maturity in those 6 years.

With the grousing bit over in my review I would say the story in the book is just ok, and the romance itself is just ok. Cute but nothing terribly interesting or engaging. I really didn't care if the couple stayed together or not by the end of the book.

I honestly wouldn't recommend reading or not reading this book. It's not bad, but it's not great either.

I was invited by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster to read In a Holidaze, by Christina Lauren, in exchange for an honest review. These two authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings have done it again – created a wonderfully funny and loving romantic comedy in a delightful Christmas setting.

Maelyn Jones (aka, Mae) is unhappy with life, in a “nowhere job” and just made a huge, albeit sexy, mistake. Her family and another vacation together at Christmas, and for years, the two families have expected Mae and their son Theo to get together. Mae is interested in Theo’s brother, Andrew, but after having a bit too much to drink, she stumbles into the arms of Theo.

Amazingly, she gets a “do over”. Welcome to Ground-Hog-Day-all-over-again. When Mae thinks what she does won’t matter, because of all the do-overs, she begins living as her authentic self – and finds she is much happier. Lesson learned for all of us.

If you liked their previous rom-coms, among them, The Honey Don’t List and The Unhoneymooners, you will love In a Holidaze.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

Only a few things that were probably caused by that evil spell correction on everyone’s computers, an occasional missing word, several split infinitives.

A Book about a Woman , her Family and Friends who spend christmas together. Suddenly she has to relive the days again and again until she finds true love and knows how her life is ment to be.

This is a book I’ve been wanting to read since it hit my TBR via Netgalley. Life got in the way, but I was so glad to finally get to meet Mae and see her adventures.

This is a great combination of Groundhog Day and Christmas Vacation. It was interesting to see Mae figure out the world’s message to her - I don’t want to give much away, so you have to read the book!

There is a large cast of family in Holidaze, but the authors do an excellent job of focusing on the key players and the emotions involved in moving everyone forward.

A little time travel light and two brothers. Christina Lauren does what they do best--a light romp--this time at Christmas time. It was a cute if a little silly at times but it was a perfect no brainer reader for a vacation or winter break.

Christina Lauren is an auto-buy author for me and this book showcases why. There was humor and heat and it was the perfect holiday romance! I can't wait to read what C-Lo puts out next!

Maelyn Jones finds herself in a mistletoe mishap. Spending the holiday in an idyllic snowy Utah cabin has been the highlight of Mae’s life. Returning every year with her parents, their college friends and all their offspring as one big happy family brings traditions that cannot be matched. Games, challenges, sleigh rides and egg nog by the fire, memories she holds most dear to her heart. Time has marched on and the kids aren’t exactly kids anymore. Both Maelyn’s longtime (very handsome) young crush and his brother pull quietly on her heartstrings causing mishap and mayhem. When she begs the universe for another chance Mae is granted with a Groundhog Day repeat until she gets it right. Hilarious, romantic, heartwarming drama that brings family and friends together to celebrate the magic of the holidays. Sometimes the gift of truth has to be unwrapped to be revealed.

Mae, Mandrew and Theo are life-long, childhood friends whose relationships have changed as their lives in adulthood have as well. I love all the relationships on every level of the group. Mae and Benny are a riot! I think that everyone will take a moment to think about what they need to be happy.

I've absolutely loved every book this duo has written and will continue to anticipate every release in the future.