
Member Reviews

A fun holiday twist on Groundhog Day. Cristina Lauren always combines witty dialogue and a romantic story. Loved this one!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I started my holiday reading early this year because when I get a new CL book I don’t to start it. If you can’t fathom reading a Christmas book until December just don’t forget to add this to your TBR because it was the cutest, coziest holiday romance I’ve read since, well last December hahaha!
The Groundhog Day premise has been done before but there was still something magical in this one. Maybe it was just CL’s trademark charm and humor or maybe it was the idyllic holiday setting, but whatever it was this one worked out well for me. Maelyn was a lovable character and Andrew was sweet and charming as well, I also loved her uncle Benny too. There was a strong sense of family and the added magic made an already adorable story that much cuter. It’s on the sweeter side of steamy, I don’t actually think there was any open door romance, I think of there was it was minimal but if you’re looking for a heartfelt romance that will make you feel warm and cozy this is it!

I’m a huge fan of the Unhoneymooners, so I was delighted to find out that Christina Lauren had a Christmas novel! Hollidaze is cute, sweet and heartwarming. I feel like I’ve seen the premise on a Hallmark Christmas movie before, but of course the novel is more layered and nuanced. Similar to The Family Stone. I love messy families and Lauren does a good job creating a close knight community who you root and fall in love with. The protagonist, MaeLynn, pulls at your heart strings and the Groundhog Day effect is comical and exciting for the plot. Loved the relationships, characters and setting. The cabin is a character itself and I felt so attached to it. It’s a fun, light hearted holiday read and everything I wanted it to be! Lovers of Christmas and Lauren’s work will NOT be disappointed.

Hilariously entertaining and so fun.
This is exactly what you expect from these amazing authors. Thoroughly enjoyable and the perfect holiday read.

What a sweet story! I love the back and forth with Benny. Mae keeps living the same Christmas vacation over and over. She’s a character you root for. A story about the magic of Christmas, and mistletoe. Can’t wait to give as gifts this year for Christmas.

This book did not work for me. I am not a fan of things like time travel and I just didn't find it plausible.

If you had asked me a couple months ago if I had any interest in reading a Christmasy version of Groundhog Day the answer would have been a resounding no. Thankfully I see the name Christina Lauren on a book and I make it mine before bothering with learning what the book is about because I would have hated to miss this book. The swoon level was so high in this book. Some of the lines were so dreamy I was happy I was sitting in case my knees went weak. I just loved the romance in this book so much. The conflict towards the end did not really make sense to me but did not alter the dopey smile on my face. Looking forward to rereading this closer to Christmas.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a Holidaze is a perfect, light read that will definitely get you in the holiday mood. The full set of characters play perfectly off each other and each person in the cast has a distinct personality that adds to the humor and heart of the story. The time loop adds a fun twist on what could have been your typical holiday-family-gathering-in-a-cabin story. I've read a handful of Christina Lauren books and found this story particularly sweet and funny.

Christina Lauren does it again 👏🏼
I have to admit I was iffy when I saw that this book involved ~ time travel ~ but Lauren does an A+ job of not making it feel like a fantasy novel and not making the book confusing with time jumps. Christmas is my FAVORITE so I was very excited to be transported into and idealistic Christmas-town; Lauren’s descriptive writing made me almost feel as if I was chilled (despite the current 100° summer heat). I fell in love with this patchwork family, laughing and crying with them, and wish I could visit them in real life for the Holidaze.... I suppose I’ll just have to re-read this brilliant over and over!

So this book is basically Groundhogs Day, Christmas style. While I am not sure I completely loved that part of the plot line in the beginning, the book definitely rallied for me. I really loved the chosen framily and getting together every year in the same place for Christmas. Getting to see the different relationships in the group and the nostalgia of their traditions gave me all the feels. Once we get into Mae and Andrew's story, it definitely picked up for me. I found myself smiling a lot. I really loved the ending. Christina Lauren is definitely a favorite of mine. I am going to say that this one and their last one are not my absolute favorite reads from them. But they are still enjoyable!!

I usually enjoy Christina Lauren stories and this one didn’t disappoint. There is a magical element of going back in time but the authors make it work. I enjoyed going through the days over and over again until Maelyn figures some things out. I especially liked the realization that we would all take more chances and go for what we want if we believed we have nothing to lose. When you’re willing to risk it all, it may just be the ammunition you needed to gain happiness.

I could not put this book down. I love the Groundhog Day premise of this story and found myself getting nervous about triggers that may cause Mae to restart the vacation. As someone who is 26 and still hangs out with her parents and their friends from college (The University of Utah, like those in the book) I found Mae’s character totally relatable, even though there is not an Andrew or Theo among my parent’s friend’s kids. I always the awkwardness of friends to lovers books and this book did not disappoint on that front. I enjoyed the side characters and appreciated that they were all distinct and seemed like full people, not just plot devices. It made me want want to go put to Park City in the winter which I usually avoid (I went up there in February 2016 for the Women’s March during Sundance and almost died in a blizzard) and really wish my grandparents had purchased a house up there when they had the chance (seriously they almost bout a second home up there for $5000 in the late 60s which would be worth millions now).
I get so much pleasure out of reading books set in Utah and was very very excited to received this ARC. I always love to see what people get wrong and right. Having read Autoboyography I knew that Christina (and) Lauren (Christina Lauren is a combined pen name for two women) were familiar with Utah. I only noticed one small error: where Andrew says that Theo bought land “down in Ogden.” In local lingo this should have been “up in Ogden” as Ogden is North which in Utahan means “up” no matter the elevation difference. It only would have been “down” if they were in Logan or at Bear Lake. But I digress.
I can see this book becoming one of my go-to annual holiday reads. I will happily read it again. I really want a Hallmark movie of it.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Lauren is one of my go-to authors whenever I need a swoon-worthy pick me up, and their newest release In A Holidaze did not disappoint. It's filled with endearing friend and family relationships and a little holiday magic that makes it a cozy holiday romance.
What I loved about this book: the close-knit friends/"family that you choose" relationships, the inner and outer conflicts Mae has to overcome, and the sweet friends-to-lovers romance. Mae makes some bold moves and some embarrassing mistakes, and I appreciated that things were not always easy for her. There were some aspects of this book that I didn't love so much, specifically the love triangle (I felt sorry for Love Interest #2 as he was mainly ignored) and the Groundhog Day/time travel specifics (they weren't fleshed out enough to really make sense), but I can forgive the latter because this is a holiday romance novel and not a sci-fi thriller.
All in all I'd give this book 4 out of 5 Peppermint Hershey Kisses for being cute and thoroughly enjoyable.

This book was a unique rom-com! It has a Groundhog Day/Russian Doll vibe to it, which I did not expect!
Andrew and Mae have such a wonderful friends to lovers romance. Andrew is a fantastic book hero. their romance does not feel forced at all.
"Loving you is all the proof I needed that love can last decades. Maybe even a lifetime, who knows."
The entire family dynamics of these older 4 college friends was absolutely fantastic. Mae's journey through the same days over and over, not only helped her 'correct' how certain things happen, but really created a way for her to find her true self. To help her go after the things she loves, including her career.
This is a completely fresh new take on a Christmas themed romance, and I'm totally here for it!
"Listen up," she says, "because I'm going to tell you a secret not everyone knows: Everything is going to be okay. I mean it. I realize everyone around you being messy might make you feel like you can't ever be, bu that isn't true. I'ts okay to be messy sometimes, honey."

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It’s a sweet Christmas read. Maelynn Jones isn’t happy with her life, but she isn’t quite sure what she needs to change. Each year her family spends Christmas at a cabin with old friends. This tradition has been practiced since her childhood. In a Groundhog Day movie experience, Maelynn keeps experiencing the holiday at the cabin until she gets it right and finds the happiness she’s been searching for. The quirky characters she spends her holiday with are hysterical.

I am usually a HUGE Christina Lauren fan and love almost every book they write. This is probably one I won't be re-reading and adding to my favorites. It picked up after a rough start for me and redeemed itself a bit with a beautiful ending.
It's a bit of a Groundhog's day theme with a girl (Mae) who goes to a cabin at Christmastime and has a somewhat horrible vacation with her best friends and family, and on the way back she wishes to be happy and suddenly she's reliving the entire Christmas all over with the chance to do things over. One of the reasons this started so rough for me was that you're instantly thrown into the chaos of this family and into relationships with little background and it's a bit overwhelming (to be fair, there may have been enough background but I found myself skimming through it to get to the action to figure out what was going on). I really wish there a chapter before the vacation explaining the situation and the tension, because I felt like I was thrown into a hurricane and was expected to understand what was happening. However, once I got through to the second do-over, things started making more sense and it really picked up with Andrew. I loved Andrew's character and how he made Mae feel.
A few things I wish were addressed in the book was the whole groundhog day itself - it felt like towards the end it was just forgotten and not even addressed or explained how or why it happened. Like a blip on a radar screen that suddenly disappeared. Also, I wish there was more about the family around Mae...Miles and Benny for sure. I was confused as to how Benny related to Mae other than as her favorite person to confide in for the longest time (kinda still am to be honest).
Despite those reservations, I did really enjoy the romance between Mae and Andrew, even if it wasn't quite the spicy romance we're used to from Christina Lauren.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this advanced reading copy!

After the first chapter, I thought -- this isn't any good. Too much detail, too many people to remember, and first person the whole way. I prefer Lauren's books that alternate female/male.
Once I got to the "Groundhog Day" issue, I couldn't put it down. However, the men -- other than Benjy and Miles-- were pretty one-dimensional. I would have liked to have some scenes back in college when the grown-ups (as opposed to the kid-ups) were together. I also wanted some kind of resolution that explained the time travel issue. Why only her? What happened with the car crash? Why didn't this happen again to her when she got older and developed some other issues? Real people don't live happily ever after.
Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read this early.

Having had one of the most disastrous holidays ever, Mae is in despair as she and her family drive to the airport. She makes a wish that the universe show her what would make her happy....and wakes up in the airplane six days in the past.
As someone who has a fondness for Hallmark Christmas movies, it was a great joy to realize that the wunderkind duo of Christina Lauren have written a holiday book crossed with Groundhog Day! And unlike most Hallmark movies, the plot, characterization and setting were first rate. Highly recommended.

This is so much fun! I really love this one! The characters are fun and I love how its about close friends and family!

Christina Lauren's latest romance novel comes with a Groundhog's Day-like twist. A group of families agrees to meet at the same cabin for Christmas every year for decades. As the vacation comes to a close, main character Mae asks the universe to show her what would make her happy and she gets into a car crash. When she wakes up, it's the first day of the vacation week that she just lived through. She gets to make different choices and experience different results. A romance blossoms between Mae and a childhood crush. Will she finally figure out what makes her happy?
I enjoyed this book, even though I thought there was one big plot thread that never got resolved. I didn't realize it until I sat down to write this review, so maybe the thread isn't as important as I think. I can't elaborate without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that.