I have wanted to read Christina Lauren for ages, and I'm bummed this one didn't work out for me. Maelyn Jones celebrates Christmas every year with her parents and close family friends in a picturesque cabin in snow-kissed Utah. But this year it's ends in disaster because Maelyn kisses the brother of the her long-time crush and the owners of the cabin are going to sell it. This starts a Groundhog Day style loop, where she's forced to relive the Christmas holiday again and again until she gets it right.

Ok. Let's start with the idea that a full grown woman would melt down so hard over kissing the wrong boy and the sale of a cabin that she would disassociate from reality. It's just so childish. She could have been honest with both her crush and his brother about how she felt. She could have come to terms with her magical fairy tale Christmas cabin not being around forever. But, no. These problems are *so tragic* they require supernatural solutions.

What kept me reading this book was the belief that the premise must be more complicated than Maelyn getting with her boring crush. She must be in this loop for deeper reasons. But no! It really is that simplistic. I kept waiting for depth, nuance and emotional investment that never came.

Imagine a holiday trip that goes badly awry. Wouldn’t it be great if the universe would grant you a “do over”? In Christina Lauren’s new book In a Holidaze, Maelyn Jones gets that second chance. The universe sends her back in time to relive her Christmas vacation. The resulting story takes us on a “Groundhog Day” style journey that is quite entertaining.

Every year, Maelyn and her family join the families of her parents’ college friends at a cabin in Utah. The first time Maelyn lives through this holiday, she engages in a romantic mishap that she immediately regrets and that has the potential to ruin her chances at the relationship she really wants. When she wishes for the universe to show her what will make her happy, she wakes up back on the plane five days earlier with an opportunity to fix the error she made. She also has to make sure she does not mess things up worse than before.

The characters in this book are charming, funny, and very relatable. Maelyn starts the story as a woman who is a little lost in life. She doesn't love her job, she is back living with her parents, and she is in love with a family friend that she has known all her life but who does not see her as a romantic prospect. Through her repeated attempts at the Christmas holiday, she learns to take more control of her life. She has good growth as a character. The main love interest is presented as an almost “too good to be true” guy. However, that fact doesn’t annoy me. He is extremely likable as are most of the characters in the book. I cannot really think of one character I do not like. They all add something good to the storyline.

The plot itself is interesting and kept me engaged in the book. The time travel aspect is obviously unbelievable, but I don’t mind it too much since it is the whole premise of the book. It does not distract from the enjoyment of the romance in the book.

The Christmas setting is secondary to the romantic and family relationships, but it provides a nice backdrop. I always find it enjoyable to read about Christmas traditions and activities, and the ones in this book are fun and memorable.

I ended up rating this book 4 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance and the family interactions. The Christmas setting was not kitschy or overdone, which I appreciate. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who love a Christmas romance mixed with a little bit of magic.

A cabin during Christmas sounds like an amazing place to be and it was a wonderful setting for this book. Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a charming story that is perfect for the Holidays. It has romance, laughter, and a cozy winter feeling to it. I will definitely reread this book in December.

Over the years I’ve come to enjoy this author partnership and was thrilled when I received a copy through Netgalley. A few chapters in I knew this wasn’t going to be the book I’d remember them for. I have already read a book, by a different author, just this year about a Groundhog Day scenario. Although there were definitely many differences between the two it felt too similar to the other book and the famous movie. It has some wonderful holiday moments and the bond between this group is amazing, the parents were connected through college and have continued the holiday tradition for 30 years. Mae is going through struggles in her twenties and suddenly she’s caught between two brothers. Although it’s more one brother than the other it’s an issue for her to deal with. She’s under the impression her reason for repeating this holiday is because she needs to act for herself when she’s always the people pleaser. I can appreciate how Mae evolved over her journey and finally earned her dreams, but this just wasn’t the usual Lauren team.

This was a cute book and while I really love Christina Lauren books this was not my favorite. It felt less realistic than others. I liked the premise but the characters didn't stand out to me as much. I also am not a huge fan of time-loop books, but this one wasn't bad. Overall, it just ended up falling a little flat for me this time.

This book is once again, Christina Lauren at their very best! Its impossible to put down, full of all the wonderful things about friends and family, its cozy and christmasy - completely transporting you to the cabin in the mountains, and best of all it FULL of LOVE!

It’s everything you want in a Christmas romcom - family, snow, a cabin, a hot guy or two, some Christmas libations, throw in a little unrequited Love and some Groundhog Day-esque magic and you have a fabulous story that you can’t put down!

This book made me want my own cozy cabin to spend Christmas in (and I hate the snow), what I loved about this book aside from unrequited love (which I love) is that so much of this book was about Mae finding out about what makes her not only happy, but contentment with who she is!

I will for sure be rereading this as the weather gets cooler!

Thank you to @netgalley, @gallerybooks and @christinalauren for the advanced copy of this wonderful book!

This is the fifth book that I've read by the author duo who go by Christina Lauren, and hands down, this one is my favorite of the ones I've read so far. I do think that they are slowly moving away from purely romance-centered plots to the ones that are focused on universal themes of finding one's purpose in life and the meaning of happiness. In this particular novel they also explore the possibility of life being a lot bigger and more mysterious than we know.
Every year for as long as she can remember herself, and even before then, Mae spends Christmas holidays with close family and friends in a remote cabin in Utah. The group is always the same: her favorite people in the entire world, including a man she's had a crush on since she was 13. This year, however, the holiday ends on a soul-crushing note: her parents' life-long friends who own the cabin decide to sell it. In addition, Mae had made an awful mistake of making out with the wrong brother. Theo is the same age as her and they've been friends since they were babies, but Mae has always been in love with his older brother Andrew. The night before the entire party was scheduled to leave, she and Theo had too much eggnog and ended up kissing in the mudroom. Both regretted it, and in fact, Theo refused to even talk to her about it the following morning. Unbeknown to both of them, Andrew saw them together and assumed that they were now an item.

On December 26th, on the way to the airport, Mae is so overcome with grief and disappointment that she sends a silent plea to the universe to show her what would make her happy. What happens next sounds a lot like the plot of the Groundhog Day. Mae wakes up on the airplane on December 20th, on the way to their annual Christmas retreat which she had just lived through. For the rest of the novel, we follow Mae as she desperately tries to figure out what makes her happy and wrap her head around this second chance the universe has handed her.

5 out of 5 stars. I absolutely loved it. It made me laugh and cry. Definitely a new favorite and a great holiday read.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Contemporary romance. A twist on the movie Groundhog Day, Maisie makes a wish to be shown what happy could be, and the universe delivers. Deja Vu.
Maisie has had a crush on Andrew since she was thirteen. Now at twenty six and during the multi family Christmas holiday, Maisie makes her feelings known.

A lovely and engaging romance where deep friendships of a lifetime become more. Emotional and enriching.
Surprisingly, there also seems to be a deeper meaning in the writing: Acceptance of yourself. I say surprisingly because I don’t remember getting a message from this author from prior books. But perhaps I just read past it. It was a good message and fit the storyline.

A few small quotes that made me smile:
“We are now celebrating the small victories.”

“I use the opportunity to give Andrew a warning expression that I can’t seem to hold; it immediately cracks into a smile that feels like sunlight on my face. In my head, Julie Andrews sings and spins on an Austrian mountainside. Confetti bursts from a glittery cannon. A flock of parrots take flight from the top of an enormous tree. I am silvery, glimmering happiness.”
Excerpt from In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I also purchased a copy to share.

I love reading stories by Christina Lauren but I think this might be the best I've read. A cross between zany Christmas movie and the movie Groundhog Day Mae sees a repeat performance of the Christmas Holiday after making a wish on her last day (the first time around).
She is caught between 2 brothers that she has grown up with - one who everyone assumes she should be with and his older brother that she has been in love with since she was 13. Each time she goes back, she tries to fix things - or at least do them differently but different isn't always better.
The situation is touch and go there for awhile before the most happy of Happily Ever Afters happens. It is truly an occasion for happy tears.
I received an advanced copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super fun read and I blew through it. If you liked Groundhog's Day or any of the bazillion movies/TV shows that have used the the repeat-things-until-you-get-it-right trope, you'll enjoy this cute romance that takes place in a cabin over Christmas.

Though not my favorite from Christina Lauren, In a Holidaze is a super cute Christmas romance that I'll definitely be recommending at my library! Maelyn has grown up spending Christmas with her parents and their family friends at a cabin in the snow. She's been pining after Andrew for years, but he's never seemed to see her that way. After a particularly awful Christmas, Mae's family is hit by a car on their way to the airport. When Mae wakes up, she's not in a hospital as she expected--she's on a plane. She discovers that she's been sent back in time to relive the week and fix it.

This is essentially a Groundhog Day-esque Christmas story: Mae repeatedly relives the week of Christmas over and over again. While not a super original idea, this was fun. This book really delivered on the Christmas vibes with snow, sledding, hot cider, and tree farms. I love that In a Holidaze highlighted chosen family.. In terms of diversity, there was a M/M couple as supporting characters, but otherwise no queer & trans characters. Race of any characters was not mentioned.

Overall, this was cute and definitely a solid romance! It's not my favorite Christina Lauren, but I still enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. I think the pacing could have used some work and I have mixed feelings about some of the tropes used in this novel. I'll definitely be recommending this to romance readers who want some holiday vibes!

You ever read a book just because of the author and you don't bother to read the synopsis? Yeah, that was me and this book. I really loved getting caught up in Maelyn Jones life and figuring out what was happening to her! It was an interesting twist and I oftentimes found myself laughing out loud while reading. However, this story was completely endearing and I didn't want to put it down. Maelyn took the time to find herself and what she truly wanted since she kept having do-overs. Life was unexpected for her in many ways, but the sweet love she found was something she cherished! Set around Christmas, this was a delightful holiday read. I can't recommend it enough!

When Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings write a new book I always drop everything to read it. In a Holidaze is a Groundhog Day trope/Hallmark Christmas movie wrapped up in a good old fashioned rom-com. Everything that is great about the season (warm fires, cozy sweaters, the magical possibilities) are in this book. It is a wonderful story of family, friends, and self-growth. Would make a perfect movie. Already casting the actors in my head.

mae is reliving the same holiday over and over as she made a simple plea as to what will make her happy. She has a go nowhere job, she is still living at home and she can't wait for her life to go right. This is so relatable and brings such comfort knowing that we have to look for he happiness and joy in the world surrounding us. A beautiful holiday tale for any hallmark loving romantic.

Not my favorite book. The idea was such a good idea but I just didn’t like how it was written. It had a lot of swearing, drinking, and sex (although not super graphic). Maybe I’m just a prude but none of it added to the story. This wasn’t my kind of book, but if that sort of stuff doesn’t bother you then maybe you would really like this story.

A holiday book from one of my favorite romance authors? Yes please! In this Christmas version of Groundhog Day, Mae is forced to relive her week with family and friends over and over again. The universe decided to take her up on her request to show her what makes her happy. So now she has to figure out if that means a career change, finally take a chance on her lifelong love, saving the beloved cabin or something else.

At this point, a bit of ridiculous is always expected in my holiday rom coms, so the time loop aspect was just another delightful part of the story. It was fun seeing how far through the week Mae would exist before being thrown back in time again.

There is a colorful cast of characters, but Mae and Andrew took center stage. I loved their friendship and the possibility of more between them. Plus, the backdrop of Christmas and the group's holiday traditions make this a perfect cozy winter read.

These ladies know how to write a winner - I read it in one day! It's glorious, magical, romantic, and amazing. I can't fully describe my love for this book!⁠ Just as their other romantic comedy books, In a Holidaze has a little bit of everything readers know and love in a romance book. Add in the holidays and it is even more amazing!
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In a Holidaze has everything I want in a holiday romance novel - longstanding Christmas traditions, friends to lovers romance & angst, hilarious family conversations, snowy vacation setting, and just the right amount of steam! You'll laugh, cry and swoon during this one...at least I know I did.

I don’t normally start my holiday reading this early in the year, but I’m more than happy to make the exception when it’s to read a new novel by Christina Lauren. Their latest collaboration, In a Holidaze,, follows Mae Jones, a young woman who has found herself in a bit of a rut. She’s stuck in a job that’s going nowhere and is currently living with her parents. Mae’s life spirals in an even more downward direction when, at her family’s traditional Christmas vacation at their best friends’ cabin in Utah, two terrible things happen: 1) she drunkenly kisses the brother of the guy she’s in love with, and 2) she learns their friends have decided to sell the cabin.

While Mae is mortified about kissing the wrong brother, she’s truly heartbroken about the cabin because it’s her absolute favorite place in the world and they’ve been coming there every Christmas for her entire life. As they prepare to leave the cabin for what will be the last time, Mae makes one simple wish to the universe: “Show me what will make me happy.” The universe is more than happy to oblige Mae’s request, in its own special way, and Mae ends up somehow reliving this last week at the cabin over and over again because apparently the key to her happiness can only be found there.

I had so much fun reading this book! I’ve always enjoyed the movie Groundhog Day so having that kind of déjà vu, time travel element in the story was such a treat for me. I also really loved Mae and found her entire situation, and particularly her sadness about the potential loss of such a huge family tradition incredibly relatable. I was in her corner every step of the way, hoping she would not only figure out what would make her truly happy but that she would also find a way to convince the family not to sell the cabin.

While I adored Mae, what really made the story such a special read for me was the family tradition and how it brought both family and friends together in such a wonderful way. I loved watching them spend the holidays together, especially all of their often hilarious holiday traditions. They really did become one giant extended family over the years and it was just so heartwarming to read.

And it wouldn’t be a Christina Lauren book if there wasn’t a romance and I was totally on board with the romance in In a Holidaze. Mae’s chemistry with the brother she really is attracted to is undeniable, and he’s adorable, so I really wanted her to figure out a way as she keeps reliving this week to make it work out between them.

If a mashup of the film Groundhog Day and your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie sounds good to you, I highly recommend Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze. It’s the perfect read to get you into the holiday spirit!

Do you like a friends to lovers romance? It's one of my favorites and In a Holidaze didn't disappoint!

When Mae sends out a wish to the universe, "show me what will make me happy", she ends up in a time loop reliving the holidays at a mountain cabin. This is a special place not only for Mae and her family, but her parents best friends and their families. Should Mae risk all that she has for something even more special?

I loved both Mae and Andrew! It was great watching Mae admit her long time feelings and seeing Andrew's reaction. There were fun moments (the sled scene!) and good one-liners that I expect from this author. The supporting characters really rounded out the story. This book had all the feels--making me laugh and cry.

In a Holidaze is a magical and romantic holiday read that I highly recommend!

Christina Lauren is my favorite set of duo authors. I loved this holiday themed, childhood friends to lovers romance read. All the characters were delightful and loved that this book promoted self growth. I felt like I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie while I was reading this book. There are a couple of sappy/cheesy moments, but that was to be expected. I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times. Overall, I highly recommend checking this one out if you love Christmas romance novels!