This is the first Book I have read by Christina Lauren. I originally picked this because, I wanted to be one of the first 100 people to be able to read this right away from Netgalley. I am glad i did because I have nothing negative to say about this book. Even though it is a holiday romance book, I think everyone should read this now. There is so much going on in this world, I think this would be a great distraction.

It was funny, heartwarming, romantic, and an easy read. It had an Back to the Future feel to it. I loved how it ended. I think Benny is my favorite character. He is like hippie protective father to Mae, and understands her well. I am so grateful that Netgalley let read this in exchange for an honest review. I can definitely see myself reading more of Christina Lauren's books in the future

I loved this. I love all Christina Lauren novels, honestly, but this one seemed extra special.

The premise is darling, and I really enjoyed the large and extended family involved in this book. There's something about a family like that that just warms my heart, I guess it's my longing to be a part of one?

The characters were well developed, you rooted for them to succeed in their lives, and I just didn't want the book to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Make no mistake, this Is indeed one of those sappy Christmas romances that come out in droves before the holiday season reflecting what everyone wishes Christmas was like, as opposed to reality. The difference? It’s written by Christina Lauren. Meaning you get their by now expected great characters, laugh out loud situations and bit of life wisdom all wrapped up in a very enjoyable, romantic story. Read it and be happy!

Quirky, cute and utterly enjoyable. I laughed out loud. Adored all of the characters. Just a fun, light story with a happy ending. Definitely reading more from Ms Lauren.

This is a cute romance but, having read other things by the duo, I feel like it could have been so much more. I loved the concept of a found family doing an annual trip, and the notes of family that Christina Lauren do were good and enjoyable, but the romance itself was just kind of... meh. I've always been fond of the 'fall in love with their childhood friend' trope, but in this case, it didn't really feel earned? The pacing jumped from way too slow to way too fast, and the Groundhog Day element was abandoned pretty early on. To be honest, it would be a great Hallmark Christmas Movie, but in terms of a great romance novel, I found it to be just mediocre.

It was when I saw The Unhoneymooners being advertised heavily that I was first introduced to Christina Lauren. I shared that book with all of my friends and slowly, but surely, we devoured as many books as we could get our hands on. When In a Holidaze appeared on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read and review it. All I can say is it doesn't disappoint!

Maeyln Jones and her extended family spend every Christmas celebrating the holidays at the cabin, a beautiful, but older, home her crush's parents own. Every person that comes to the cabin each Christmas is connected in some way. Lisa, her mother's best friend in college is mother to Theo and Andrew. This Christmas is a little different. When her and Theo kiss (and then Theo ignores her the next morning), she finds out Andrew caught them. Which is embarrassing. Her years long crush on Andrew seems pushed aside in a matter of seconds because of a minor make out session with Theo. The news comes out that Lisa and Ricky are selling the cabin and this was the last Christmas the gang would spend together. Devastated by the news, everyone begrudgingly leaves at the end of the holiday to go home. The Jones family is hit by a car and Mae wakes up on a plane, reliving the events of the week all over again. Seeking the universe to show her how to be happy, she arrives at the cabin again, determined to get things right this time. But how long will it take her? And is she sure that what she thinks will make her happy truly will?

While the beginning was a bit of an info dump with the large cast of characters, the story quickly begins to pick up when Maelyn, albeit unconventionally, starts getting things right. It takes her multiple resets of the same week, but the time comes when she may have gotten it just right and she'll do anything to hold on to the version of the week that seems almost too perfect. It's that version of the week that is everything Christina Lauren does well. It's simultaneously sexy, moving, and upbeat as it can get. I definitely look forward to anything else Christina Lauren writes and this early Christmas novel falls right under the list of great romantic comedy reads.

I'm just such a fan of Christina Lauren books. I know what to expect, and they never disappoint me.

Reading a book about Christmas in August was my favorite way to spend a few hours. This is the story of Maelyn who is at a Utah cabin with her family and another few families who've spent Christmas together for ever. The book starts off as a Groundhog's Day trope which really worried me because I've read several books this year where the main character gets to re-live the same day and none of them were executed well so I got really worried.

But as it turns out she only gets to re-live a small number of times here and there's something new and fun in each instance. So it's not the main focus of the book, which for me, was a good thing.

This is a story about how it pays off to be yourself, to go after the things that make you happy and to take chances each and every time. Life is short and don't compromise your joy because you're too scared.

It's fun, funny, inspiring and sweet. Everything I've come to expect from Christina Lauren and they deliver again in this wonderful holiday novel.

With gratitude to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I got the email that this was a "read now" selection for the first 100 members and I was actually in time to get it: I usually realize it too late. And after loving The Unhoneymooners, I was eager to read the newest from Christina Lauren. It sounded cute: a Christmassy romantic Groundhog Day.

Maelyn Jones is in crisis mode. At twenty-six, she just had to move in with her parents, she's disappointed with her job, and she just made out with Theo. But it's his brother Andrew with whom she's in love.

But worst of all, the place she loves the most, the cabin in Utah where she spends her Christmases with her family and closest friends, is going to be sold. Good bye, holidays. On the ride home to the airport, she's lamenting this fact and praying to the universe to bring her happiness when a truck crashes into the side of the family car. Suddenly Mae is on the plane to Utah--the same one she was on a week before, where she begins the Christmas break all over again. And with one "hilarious" disaster after another, she's back on the plane to do it all over again. Mae has to figure out how to stop her time traveling to secure her kiss under the mistletoe once and for all.

Ok, so this was a nice "change of pace book." It will most likely put a smile on your face if you like Christina Lauren's novels and are a fan of happy holiday romances. It's definitely a feel-good story and who couldn't use that right now?

Unfortunately, at the same time, it was saccharine overload. Everyone was just so perfect and Mae just adored everyone so much and the cabin is the most perfect place in the universe and yes, we are beat over the head with how absolutely perfectly sweet and gorgeous and precious Andrew is. It was way too repetitive. And I had to remind myself that Mae and Andrew were 26 and 30. This read entirely like YA. It did not have the witty banter or maturity of The Unhoneymooners.

That being said, I was glad to read it even if it didn't pan out as I hoped. At the very least, it was a fun diversion from the heavier-themed books out there.

Thank you to Gallery Books for giving me the opportunity to review this advance copy.

I can always count on a Christina Lauren book to give me the good feels, and this one was no different. They just seem to write my brand of rom-coms.

Mae is headed back home after what may be her last Christmas at the idyllic cabin in snowy Utah surrounded by her family and friends when she is involved in a car accident. Or so she thinks. Right before the accident, Mae asks the universe to show her what will make her happy. Mae then wakes up on the plane headed to Utah and begins reliving her Christmas week over and over - changing things each time she restarts the week. Will she change her career? Her love life? Her need to live up to such high expectations and follow traditions for the sake of tradition?

What I loved about this book:
Andrew - swoon. Guitar playing hunk who legit remembers things you say (including how you like your drinks) and buys you thoughtful gifts.

Mae - she was pretty hilarious as most Christina Lauren female leads are.

I loved the holiday feel. 2020 has put us through it, y’all.

What I didn’t love:
This book felt way too short. I was reading during a break and realized I was over halfway through and could not believe it! I wanted more.

I think because the book was too short, it left some big things...unanswered.

Theo and Miles seemed to be afterthoughts. Especially Theo - I wanted to see some sort of redemption there or more of a backstory and it just never came.

Overall, I give this one a 3.5/5. Thank you so much, Netgalley!

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: Romance | Women's Fiction
Release Date: October 6, 2020
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Groundhog Day comes to Christmas and I am here for it! This was such a great book! The humor, family, Christmas traditions, love, and self-discovery all wrapped up into this amazing story.

I love the author's writing style, it feels light even when the plot the gets heavy. The character development was great and she created such likable characters. I wanted to join in with their Christmas!

This book was so good that I could not put it down or go to bed until I reached the end.

I think I have found a new favorite author!!!!

I'm so grateful to Christina Lauren, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely ADORED this book!!!

I am still just smiling like an idiot over here because this book just made me insanely happy!

Christina Lauren... damn. They never fail to make me smile and laugh and feel all happy and sappy. This book had all the cozy, wintery, holiday vibes that I love and added in an amazing romance! Like seriously. Top notch romance. I was swooning the entire time and couldn’t stop smiling!

I am so excited for everyone to read this because it’s just another wholesome, sweet, romcom that just leaves you feeling giddy!

Thank you so much NetGalley for an arc of this book!💕

What a fun, interesting read! I devoured this book, staying up late to finish it. The characters are quirky and real, and I loved the time travel twist.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book! I am familiar with Christina Lauren and their writing. I was thrown off a little (in a good way!) by the unexpected time-travel plot but I think it’s secretly every one’s dream for a chance to get something right. I was able to live vicariously through Mae’s.

For the large group of people, the story followed each character and I got to know all of them through the love of the cabin: Ultimately, this book felt like one big happy Christmas hug, which is much needed lately.

Thank you again!

I was so excited to be able to read In a Holidaze that I dropped everything else on my list to read this right away. Everything I have read by these authors so far has been amazing, so I had big expectations for this book. It did not disappoint.

Mae is at a low point in her life, and she feels like she is never going to get out of the rut. She is someone I think anyone can relate to, because everyone has a time when they feel like nothing is working out for them. Luckily, she has a great support system around her who are there to give advice and be a listening ear for everything she is going through.

This book really highlights the importance of your chosen family, lifelong friends who become staples in your life. In this story, Mae’s parents have friends that go back over thirty years. They have become family, and now their children are growing up the same way. They all live in different parts of the country, but they have such a strong love for each other that they come back together every year to this cabin in Utah and its like they were never apart. I could feel the love through the pages of this book.

Mae gets to ask the universe what her world would look like if she were happy, and actually go back in time to relive her last week until she can make it happen. I think anyone reading this book gets to take away that you may get a little nudge here and there, but in the end you have to make happiness for yourself.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
After reading this book, I’m realizing that Christina Lauren are becoming my favorite authors. This is the third book I have read by them, and my third five-star read by them. I loved this book. It is funny and heartwarming throughout. I was smiling to myself almost the entire read (there has to be some conflict, right?). This is one of those feel-good books that put me in a good mood every time I picked it up. I love that this is a holiday book, because I am going to treat it like a Christmas movie that I have to watch every year, and bring it out every December.

Delightful read about leaving one's comfort zone and going after what one wants..
After reliving the same day again and again, Mae wonders what the outcome will be if there are changes in the course of events.

Description: Mae is headed back home from her family’s annual Christmas celebration with several other families in Utah when she starts to spiral—she hates her job, she’s moved back home with her parents, and she may have just lost one of her oldest childhood friends after an eggnog induced kiss. ⁣
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Mae makes a wish that the universe will show her what will actually make her happy just before a terrible car accident...only when she wakes up, from the accident she’s back on a plane TO Utah for the Christmas celebration, with a chance to do things differently this time around. ⁣
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—sometimes I just need the book equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie...and In A Holidaze fits that bill completely. And bringing in the slightly fantastical/magical realism element? YES PLEASE. ⁣
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Sometimes, rom coms can frustrate me because often the major “drama” could have been cleared up with one honest and transparent conversation between the two leading characters. This was NOT the case here—Mae and her romantic interest were actually pretty great communicators, and reading a rom-com where the issue to be solved wasn’t just a communication breakdown was a breath of fresh air. ⁣
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This felt a bit like a cross between Groundhog’s Day and The Family Stone to me, and even though some of the concepts and themes felt familiar, the book itself felt new and fresh. It was a funny and slightly steamy rom-com that I definitely didn’t want to end. ⁣
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Also, I think this was the first Christina Lauren book I’ve read that wasn’t told from alternating perspectives, (which has always made sense to me given that “Christina Lauren” is a pseudonym for two friends who write together). I wasn’t sure whether a story told from a singular perspective would work with two different writers, but it was *flawless*. ⁣
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This book releases 10/6/20, and I think it will be the perfect book to pre-order to help ease into the holiday spirit! ⁣
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 out of 5 stars)⁣

This was entertaining but puzzling. The time looping is enticing. There are so many characters that it took a while to not get mixed up. I like Benny though; he really stands out as straight forward and mature. Siblings being “matched” with the same woman whether real or imaginary, not my cup of tea, plus they seem like kids instead of adults. I love their holiday traditions, very interesting. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners more than this but this book was still great. I could see this book being made into Hallmark movie for sure because the plot and characters fit perfectly with what Hallmark would want. AND.... there is a Groundhog Day-esque kind of time line which I happen to love. I do not to put too much on here about events in the book without spoiling it. You will just have to read it!

A must read for any Christina Lauren fan. Highly recommended and a perfect holiday read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Christina Lauren and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 10/6/20

Mae has had a bad holiday. Every year her family and a tight knit group of their family friends get together for the days surrounding Christmas. This year, shes gotten a little too tipsy on some very grown up eggnog and made out with the wrong brother. Mae has been in love with Andrew Hollis since she knew what love was but she finds herself on boxing day having made out with his younger brother Theo. With her family vacation coming to a close, Mae makes a wish on her way to the airport that she could be happy and with a jolt wakes up back to the first day of the vacation. Mae has to navigate her Holiday just right or she risks going back to day one. Will she get it right with Andrew or will she just end up making out with Theo after a few too many eggnogs again?

I LOVE Christina Lauren. Anything they can put out I try to get my hands on. In a Holidaze was no different. I was snorting with laughter, getting tense with frustration, and falling in love with Andrew Hollis. They have created the kind of idyllic family and extended family structure that a more modern reader would wish for. This is a great, fun read that hits your heart in a good way. Read this one!

I really enjoyed this book, I wasn't sure if I would or not but I did. At different times I wasn't sure whether to cry or laugh. These characters were well written and the story line kept you on your toes.

Maelyn keeps reliving the same week over and over, and she's not sure what she needs to change in order to get what makes her happy. Except on the third time, she makes the decision to go for it and says exactly how she feels about not only the one guy shes always loved but also the cabin her family spends every Christmas. In the end she is able to get everything she has always wanted and what makes her happy.