This was fun and cute! Not nearly quite as steamy as some of their other books but definitely cute. I love books with large family vibes and this book does not disappoint in that department. The romance is great and I love the dash of magical realism. A few things could've been more developed, primarily the relationship between our MC and Theo, but overall I really enjoyed this!

3.5 Stars

Maelyn Jones cherishes the holidays spent at the cabin she grew up visiting with many dear family friends. But, this Christmas, everything is about to change... over and over again...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a Holidaze was a funny and rewarding read about Maelyn, the woman who gets a second chance to turn her life around.... maybe a third chance, too. Mae has been in love with Andrew Hollis for as long as she can remember, so when she kisses his brother, Theo, instead... all Mae can think of is how much she wants a complete do-over of the entire holiday season...

Mae has been sporting a crush on her childhood friend Andrew in which he seems to painfully has zero idea of. But when Mae's life is upended into a Christmas version of Groundhog Day... she has got to figure out where she went so wrong in her decision making... or suffer her vacation for all of eternity... or close to it.  

I really enjoyed this book, and the writing was, as always flawlessly engaging. Mae and Andrew's HEA was quirky, unique, and packed with fun and emotional moments along the way. And while I appreciated this read, I did feel like the romance suffered at the mercy of such an ambitious plot. While interesting and well done, I tend to not love such a busy and, at times, convoluted storyline, and I would have adored some more time dedicated to the actual romance... and some sexual tension or more heat between Mae and Andrew added in for good measure. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

Okay so, if you’re looking for a cute holiday romance to get you in the holiday spirit- look no further. This book was über cute. I loved all the home-y vibes to it, and how down to earth it all was. One thing I didn’t love about it, was that there were so many characters in it. The beginning of the book felt super chaotic and I didn’t really get to know who was who until a little bit further into the book. Even now that i’ve finished it, looking back, there were characters who didn’t play a super significant role to the main story.
Also, I have never seen Groundhog Day, but I do know the premise behind it. I think that this story, Maelyn & Andrew’s, would have been just fine without that Groundhog Dayesque feature. It just seemed to add a lot of drama and ultimately, it just seemed unnecessary.
I also have to address this- when I go into a CLo book- I am fully expecting, like, some steam. This book was severely lacking in the steam department. We got one sex scene, and it wasn’t detailed whatsoever and was once in like two seconds. I was disappointed. I don’t know if that was intentional, if they thought that adding a heavily detailed steamy scene to this holiday romance would take away from the feel-good magic, but I would have loved to have had a steamy sex scene between Maelyn and Andrew. Just sayin’. Maelyn had been waiting, what, 24 years to get in his pants? It felt about that long for me as a reader, too.
What I did love about this book, though, was how much it reminded me of my grandparents cabin at Christmas time. I think everyone has that one special place that they have a lot of great family memories and traditions when they were a kid. Growing up, I loved when my family got together at the cabin at christmas. I’m from Wisconsin, so there was always fun outdoor Christmas activities to be had. From snowball fights to walking across the lake and finding ice fishing holes, I loved all that Christmas had to offer up at that lake. We would play games and watch old time Christmas movies and overindulge in Christmas cakes and cookies. I loved that whole vibe of this book, and I definitely wish that my lake house growing up had involved a cute older boy who wasn’t related to me. Because I could hands down see myself in some of the same situations Maelyn found herself in, if there had been.
The ending to this book was also so freaking cute and had me smiling like an idiot. It is a very pleasant escape from your reality, and it will have you believing in all that fun Christmas magic that you haven’t felt in years.

Thank you so much, Gallery Books & Netgalley for the gifted E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 1/2 STARS! I just finished this book with a happy sigh. Oh, my heart needed this!

Mae is at her family's vacation cabin for their annual Christmas trip with close friends and family. After a alcohol/fueled make-out with her childhood bestie she is left with how to best navigate her own life, from her unsatisfying career to her non-existent love life, to her decades long unrequited crush, to her cringe-worthy drunken kiss. But then life hives her a chance (or many chances) to find happiness.

This is one of those books that can be a bit all over the place at the start and you're not sure if you can stick it out (this is my sole reason for subtracting a half a star from my rating). Trust me: STICK IT OUT. After you get towards the middle it will all start coming together and, by the end, you will be completely in love with this book.

This story is both sweet and steamy. Meaningful and funny. Quirky and unforgettable. The minute you finish you'll think to yourself, "I should start over and read it all again".

RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I received an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Well, I’ll read anything CLo put their names on, so I jumped into this one without knowing much about it.

I liked Mae. She feels stuck in her life and it was easy to root for her in that aspect. Andrew seemed charming, but we only saw him through Mae’s POV, so it felt a bit skewed. The entire family dynamic was fantastic and Benny was easily one of my favorite parts of the book.

Plot wise, it was meh. The time loop thing had potential, but instead of the tension I expected, it was repetitive...and then it just fell away without another mention. The romance seemed a bit telling, not showing. I mostly just wanted these two to have a little more of a meaningful conversation.

Overall, it was a quick and easy read with a great epilogue. Sadly, it’s not really a book that will stand out in my memory.

**Huge thanks to Gallery Books for providing the arc free of charge**

This review was originally posted to the Goldilox and the Three Weres blog.

4.5/5 Stars

As someone who religiously watches the movie Groundhog Day every year on February 2nd with her best friend, I knew I would be reading this book as soon as I heard the premise of the story and the words time loop popped up. Y'all, there aren't near enough time loops in fiction, in my opinion, let alone in the romance genre. So it's not at all unexpected that I went into this book excited, with high expectations, and with more than a bit of trepidation. I'm happy to report that I just read my favorite Christina Lauren book yet.

In a Holidaze was fun, campy, hilarious, heartwarming, and sexy all at the same time. Everything about this book worked for me. The romance! The time loop! The family dynamic! The location! The Christmas/holiday setting! The Christopher Walken puns! I loved it all! I will say that this one straddled the line between Women's Fiction and Romance splendidly although I will say that it veered more on the Women's Fiction side of things more often than not.

I loved the main character Maelyn and her crazy extended "made" family! All the secondary characters made me want to add myself to the gang at the Hollis family cabin. I kind of want Benny to be my adoptive uncle too. I loved that the time loop happened in response to Maelyn making a last minute wish to find what would make her happy. It was fun to see Mae break out of her shell, so to speak, and take chances and make changes she wouldn't have if she hadn't gotten stuck in a time loop.

The romance was sweet and sappy once I got on board with the love interest Mae chose. There is a slight love triangle thing going on at first and it's the only thing I have a complaint about. It's actually probably something that won't even occur to other people but I kept thinking as I read that something was going to happen where Mae would go back and choose the other guy. And it kept pulling me out of the romance aspect of the story. Once I convinced myself that that wasn't going to happen, I was all in with the relationship developing how it did.

I seriously can't rave about how much I loved this book enough. It's about finding what makes you happy and clasping on to whatever that is with both hands. I do think it's one that is better to go into the story a little blind so I don't want to say too much about the plot or the romance. It's definitely one that I'm going to add to my holiday collection and work into my yearly holiday book TBR. It made me want to have Christmas in October which is high praise coming from someone who has a strict no trees or Christmas music before Thanksgiving policy.

If you're looking for a sweet, heartwarming story with a side of time travel, this book is what you're looking for. Go read it and then come back and chat with me in the comments. I'm going to go find a mug of hot chocolate to drink while I contemplate finding my holiday cheer a little earlier this year.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

I fell in love with Christina Lauren's writing with The Unhoneymooners, and they became my instant-buy author with In A Holidaze. It gave me all the feels with Mae trying to figure out her Groundhog's Day/time travel Christmas adventure. I wanted this family of friends to be real so that I could spend every Christmas season with them! I LOVED the chemistry and history between Mae and Andrew (Maisie and Mandrew). I honestly never wanted this story to end. I usually do not reread books, but so far, The Unhoneymooners and In A Holidaze are ones I want to relive every year! 

Get your copy tomorrow and fall in love with Mae and her crazy beautiful holidaze adventure. 

Thank you @netgalley and @galleybooks for an ARC for an honest review. #netgalley #galleybooks

When life is not what you thought it should be....just hit the reset button! In Christina Lauren's newest feel good title, Maelyn Jones's life sucks. But it's coming up quickly on Christmas and she's going on a nostalgic holiday trip with her father and brother. It's been a family tradition since she was small but this year is different, her parents are divorced, her mother remarried and a host of other personal miseries cast a different light on her holiday spirit. This holiday is exactly what she needs to raise her spirits....only it doesn't quite work out that way. So, on the way home, Mae challenges fate to show her what happiness should be....and fate accepts the challenge, rewinding Mae's Christmas holiday every time she gets it wrong.

While this premise is most famous in the movie Groundhog Day, the author does an excellent job of resetting our unlucky in love and everything else protagonist. After a few resets, she actually begins to enjoy herself and figure out what she's supposed to achieve to stop the daily rewinding of her heart. This is a really fun, entertaining, feel good story that will cause a HUGE sigh when you turn the last page. An absolutely winner in the seasonal romance category.

This book is such a delightful breath of fresh air and rom-com lightness. Even when the stakes are high and emotions run rampant, there's this knowledge that Christina Lauren will work things out in such a way that there will be happiness all around that just keeps me turning the pages.
It's a basic premise in the style of Groundhog Day in that the lead, Mae, gets thrown back in time to repeat the same day over and over until she figures out what makes her happy, but the way that different sides of her and the rest of the characters get revealed is what makes this special.
Andrew is a little too perfect to be real and I feel bad for poor Theo, but there's some magic in the charming way that CL writes that somehow makes it so that you walk away from this book completely satisfied.
Definitely one of the sweetest books by CL, and definitely one I recommend.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the early read!

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Oct. 6, 2020

In A Holidaze was a really cute read, I read this in less than a day. The author was new to me but she wrote a very good book. This was a light and easy read, and it helped to bring my stress levels down. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Guess who’s back, back again???
Christina Lauren!!
After Twice in a Blue Moon and The Honey Don’t List being a little bit disappointing, I’m not going to lie, I was pretty nervous about this book.
I am ALWAYS denied on Netgalley for Christina Lauren books, so I was so excited to be approved for this one! And EVEN MORE excited when it turned out to be fantastic, and just like the Christina Lauren novel’s I loved.

Maelyn Jones visits Utah every year with her family and family friends that have become a second family to her. When she hears that the cabin is going to be sold she is devastated. On the way home she pleads to the universe to just be shown what will make her happy… What follows is a the Christmas Vacation version of Groundhog Day.

This book is fun, witty, and full of holiday cheer. Such a welcome read after reading a ton of heavy stuff last month.
It does throw you directly into the story, so the first 2-3 Chapters, you get a little lost… I promise, just stick with it, it all clears up and makes sense soon.

This is my first Christina Lauren novel and I had such a fun time reading it. How the authors incorporate all of the characters and their general interact and dialogue made me laugh out loud in public, more than once. A wonderful holiday romance, just in time for the Christmas season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced copy.

I actually didn't read the blurb before diving into this eARC, and omg, I'm so glad I didn't! What a FUN surprise!!!! I'm still not quite sure how I missed the setup, since it's in bold text in the description—truly, wtaf, self?—but Mae's time-travel felt fresh (despite it not being original) and really gave this story something different and special ... a sort of spark that I felt was missing in THE HONEY-DON'T LIST.

Besides the romance, which was really solid with some great chemistry, this chosen family that has brought together the hero and heroine, and the cabin they're all gathered in for the holiday were so well-developed. I could easily see this one being adapted for film. (I want Taika Waititi to play Benny!)

I don't know if it was my mood this year or what, but IN A HOLIDAZE really hit the spot for me. The story is cozy, heartwarming, and just the right touch of quirky fun.

RATING: A-/B+ (4½ stars)

Note: I received a review copy of this title courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Thanks, Gallery Books!

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a lovely holiday romance that sweeps you away. A story that gives you all the good feels. This new book is definitely for the fans of Groundhog Day as the main character gets stuck in a similar loop while celebrating Christmas with her family and friends. A wonderfully written romance that is sure to leave you wanting more.

4.5 stars

Do you ever meet a new book character and think, “wow are they writing about me?” That’s how I felt about Mae. She doesn’t like change. She doesn’t like putting herself out there. She doesn’t finish her drinks (probably my husband’s least favorite thing about me). However, I did not grow up with the man of my dreams.

Aside from Mae, I loved every single character in this book. There are a lot of friends in this group but I enjoyed each part they played and their own unique personalities and pasts together. And, obviously, Andrew is super dreamy.

As cozy as this book made me feel, I was nervous too! How many times will she go back to day one? Things are going well now. Will she still get sent back again?

I didn’t love how it wrapped up so neatly. I could’ve used a bit more of an explanation but that’s my only complaint.

This is the Christina Lauren book I’ve been waiting for. It reminds me of a more grown up version of The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han mixed with Groundhogs Day. If you couldn’t tell, I loved it.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Christina Lauren is a popular writing duo, and I wanted to try one of their books for a while. In a Holidaze is the first book I got a chance to read. It's a Christmas romance with a Groundhog Day vibes. I am not a fan of the Groundhog Day movie, so I was surprised and how much I enjoyed In a Holidaze. It's a fun, lighthearted, friends-to-lovers rom-com that will transport you to a wintery, festive setting, and it's perfect for the holiday season. I would read more books from these authors.

I really enjoyed this sweet book set at Christmas time. It’s very Hallmark movie-ish which is fine by me at the holidays. Mae and her family and family friends spend Christmas week together at the cabin every year. It’s special for all of them and they have done the same traditions since Mae has been alive. This year something happens and Mae finds herself repeating the same week over and over. She is single, working a job she hates and living at home with her parents at 26. She makes a wish for the universe to show her what would make her happy. She’s been in love with her parents best friends son Andrew since she was 13. Is the universe trying to tell her to go for it?

I don’t love a groundhogs day story line but this was not as redundant as some others I’ve read. I enjoyed the characters and the relationships they have with each other. I enjoyed the love story even if I knew how it would play out.

The premise of the book was quite promising. I enjoyed how Mae got to relieve her Christmas vacation a few times until she basically got the courage to do what she wanted and to hell with the consequences because it'll all reset soon - right? Wrong. After she reset for the last time, it felt like a completely different book where Mae learns to take control of her life and what she wants - with a few obstacles but even though the groundhog thing is mentioned a few times, it really doesn't come to play as much in the second half of the book. A bit weird but not bad weird if that makes sense.. I liked the characters - especially Benny and I liked how the storyline played out. Overall a cute holiday read.

I adored In a Holidaze. It is definitely one of my top three Christina Lauren books.
Mae is regretting making out with her friend Theo at her family's holiday get together, especially when his older brother Andrew, who she's always been in love with, finds out. As the family is leaving they find out their friends are planning to sell their winter cabin so everyone is sad and upset. Mae's family is in an accident on the way back to the airport. When she wakes up, the vacation hasn't happened yet. She's on the plane with her family on their way to vacation.

I was a little nervous about the groundhog day format, but it was so well done. I would've liked a little more wrap up at the end with her time travel, but I still loved this book. I

couldn't put it down and would've read it in one sitting if I could. I loved the slow burn of Andrew and Mae's friendship and it reminded me at times of Love and Other Words. I love how Mae really focused on being true to herself and that is when the timeline stuck. Thank you to Gallery books, Netgalley and Christina Lauren for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

I will update with the link when I share my review to my instagram page.

I cannot emphasize how much I loved this book. The perfect single-sitting read to get right into the holiday spirit at the earliest sign of fall, In a Holidaze is exactly what I've come to love and expect from Christina Lauren and then some.