The only person whose expectations you have to live up to is yourself.

Alright, I know I love Christmas books and movies, but this can be described in one word: SWOON.

Mae, her family, and family friends do Christmas every year together. She’s down on her luck this year and after finding out there may not be another Christmas tradition, she asks the universe, “Can you show me what will make me happy?” Next thing she knows, she hit head on by a truck and wakes up in on the plane 6 days before. Goodbye Christmas, Hello Groundhog Day!

I think the real question in this book is what brother are you hoping Mae ends up? Are you Team Andrew or Team Theo?

Andrew is a swoon worthy character. He’s funny, caring, not pompous, a listener. I loved that their relationship was paced well. I don’t like rushed relationships where I turn the page and then the couple is already in love when they met 2 minutes ago. Though they’ve known each other for 20+ years, their relationship progression was perfectly done.

I really enjoyed how the characters were all different and all played their own significant role. I swore Benny was the guardian angel trope. He was a great character, and I really enjoyed all their relationship dynamics.


I will say I was hoping the ending would be different. I was hoping that something would happen with the car accident, but everything that happened in the new universe still occurred. I didn’t want to completely abandon that part. Having a 6 months later was not what I was expecting, but oh man, I loved it.

This was a super quick read that honestly, I didn’t want to end! Can we Groundhog Day this book for a few more chapters so I can continue to obsess over Mae and Andrew? K thanks. If you want your heart to be full, pick this one up and snuggle deep by a fire.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Gallery Books for this amazing ARC ❤️

What if you could look up and ask the universe “what would happiness look like?”
Would you be prepared for what it reveals to you?

That’s the question Maelyn Jones asked....and the answer she got was more than she ever dreamed. Come to think of it, maybe it was all just a beautiful dream. You’ll just have to read the book to find out!

Christina Lauren have written a joyful rom-com that will melt even the coldest Scrooge heart. What if the love of your life has been in front of you all along. What will it take to let the universe know you’re ready to take that leap?

This is the second book I’ve read recently with a similar premise. But, it certainly didn’t take away my enjoyment for either read. Guaranteed to warm your cockles! “What exactly IS a cockle?!” So go ahead and open yourself up to believe in love and let the stars guide the way! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A fun weekend rom-com buddy read with Susanne.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ARC to read and review

*Review will be posted to my blog on 9/28/20*
**3.5 STARS**
Breakdown ~~
My Attention: had it for the most part

World Building: Salt Lake, Utah – annual Christmas trip

Writing Style: flows quickly, great character dialogues

Bringing the Heat: 🔥🔥

Crazy in Love: friends to lovers

Creativity: it has a Groundhog’s Day movie time loop

Mood: ready for the holidays

Triggers: car accident

My Takeaway: Be careful what you put out into the universe – you might really get what you want. And I mean that in a good way.

I Liked: ~~
*The bonds between the families is awesome. Mae’s parents and their best friends have a tradition, they meet up in Utah and spend Christmas together. They’ve been doing it for years and the bonds are evident.
It’s so hard to hate a Christmas book – it just puts you in a happy mood and this book definitely made me feel like
I was watching a Hallmark Channel holiday movie!

*Andrew and Mae are so cute together. She’s crushed on him forever, since they were kids and now as adults her love has endured but he’s never reciprocated his feelings until something happens – and Mae finally has the guts to tell him. They are friends who become lovers, so there is heat in their touches but laughter too when things get awkward. It’s wonderful!

*Benny is awesome, he’s the family friend/Uncle figure who is a great listeners and knows Mae’s secrets. We all need a Benny.

Random Notes:
*The groundhog day’s aspect of the story threw me off a little. I was getting into the story and then bam! Haha…it’s not my favorite kind of trope to read but I went with it.

*Theo, Andrew’s brother is supposedly the closest to Mae. They sounded like they were besties and yet…it didn’t come off that way in the book at all. So I think I wanted to see more of her interaction with Theo.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was an enjoyable, lighthearted holiday romance story that would totally make a good Christmas movie. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

I couldn't really get into the bulk of the book because I couldn't get past the groundhog day trope but the ending was very sweet and made it all worth it. I think I would really enjoy this book closer to Christmas and that is why I am giving it a higher rating than I feel about it right now.

I have been a big fan of this author from fanfiction days. Her dialogue is always so real and witty. Her characters are relatable, flawed, and likable. Maelyn is attending an annual family Christmas with her family and several of her parent's friends and their families. An event that has been .occurring since before she was even born. This story uses the Groundhog's day troupe to allow Maelyn to find her happy. This is not a supernatural book that gets bogged down in the how it happened. It is just a vehicle to show Maelyn's progress in finding her happy. Her happy since she was thirteen has always been Andrew, the son of her mother's best friend, and the older brother of Theo one of her best friends from childhood. I really liked Andrew and his sense of humor. This is a great book for "Feels". I read this in July but it would be an awesome Christmas read. The side characters are warm and supportive but not perfect. I would love to see the gang again, maybe with Theo's story?

Grateful to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

This was another delightful book from Christina Lauren, and this one gives us a holiday twist! This book follows Mae as she finds herself living her Christmas holidays over and over again in quirky take on Groundhog Day. As with most of the books from Lauren, Holidaze was fun, flirty, and a good old-fashion rom-com story to give you a lift. The one downside was I found myself wanting the side relationship with Theo to be fleshed out a little more. Because we never got much of a backstory with Theo, his part of the story felt forced and a little unbelievable. However, overall, this was such a fun, read, and I think I may have to revisit it during the holiday season!

Christina Lauren books are reliably enjoyable. So the bar is set very high for them in my mind. This one was...just ok. I didn't dislike it, but I can't write a glowing review of it either. In defense of the book, I don't love holiday themed books (one area where the movies are better) and I also don't like time loops as a plot (ala Groundhog Day, Lydia Bird, How to Save a Life). So, it had to overcome those biases in my head.

This book is set near Sundance, at a cabin where old friends and their families gather for Christmas. Think The Family Stone but with found families. It's a tradition that sounds wonderful and I wish I could do this with my friends for the holidays too. Traditions continue and children age, family dynamics change. Then the main character, a floundering 26 daughter gets stuck in a time loop.

It then becomes a little It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol with Mae considering how her actions can change the future for the group. This is the part that didn't work for me. It only started over a couple of times but then she miraculously changed everything by just a few small actions.
This does have a cute love story but the real love story is the love in this found extended family and how they all want to stay together for future holidays. There are some lovely relationships and I really liked the setting.

This might be a cute book to read while decorating your house for Christmas or wrapping presents. I think I'll stick to my favorite holiday movies.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

IN A HOLIDAZE is the perfect happy Christmastime romance novel. The atmosphere throughout the book was so wintry and cozy, especially with the setting in a cabin filled with such close friends and family. I loved that there was a big cast of characters; it made for the perfect holiday feel. Mae was a great narrator and, like all of Christina Lauren’s main characters, had a distinct personality and was so much fun to follow. I loved seeing her take control of her life over the course of the book. Andrew was a great love interest and the relationship they shared (not only in the present, but the glimpses we get into their past) translated so well on the page. The only complaint I had with the book was the end conflict scene; I felt like the justification for the argument the characters had wasn’t authentic and didn’t feel real enough to cause as big of a dilemma as it did. The ending, though, was perfectly done. Honestly, this should be a must-read for anyone looking for a light-hearted romance for the Christmas season.

I only discovered the Christina Lauren duo earlier this year, but I've spent the last few months reading all of their work and I will just say they have hit it out of the park once again. This novel is a heart-wrenching tale of letting yourself go and being truly yourself. To take hold of what you want, and even if it doesn't work out like you hoped it would, to still be proud of yourself for putting it out there and to still be OK with yourself. And of course, romance!

This book - Christmas in July? Yes, please! What a delight this read was, and I just devoured it in one day. The plot (hello, Christmas magic!) moves along so nicely that you don't realize you've reached the end until you're trying to turn the page and there's nothing left. I gasped, I swore, I cried. I cried kind of a lot there towards the end, to be honest.

I don't know what kind of magic these wonderful authors put into their work, but it is working. Their way with words - and with plot points - keeps their stories flowing very nicely. This story has the potential to get bogged down in the transitions when Maelyn gets sent back to the first day of vacation, certainly in a more Groundhog Day kind of way (so many repeats) than I would be interested in reading. But it just doesn't. I did find it to be a little bit of a tease to suggest there would be a love triangle between the two brothers and Mae, and that almost put me off of the book altogether, but there really isn't such a thing in it.

I would say my only complaint is that there are a lot of characters, and we really only get to see most of them superficially. I could have done with less people at the cabin, or a slightly longer book getting to know everyone. They seemed like a delightful crowd and would be fun to know. I did have some trouble keeping everyone straight in my head, but not enough to put me off.

All said, this is a delightful, funny, fun, sad, happy, and despairing book that I think all fans of Christina Lauren will absolutely love. I know I did!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Chrisina Lauren has long been one of my favorite contemporary romance author's. I was so excited to see her new title "In a Holidaze!" The fact that this is a holiday tale made it even more exciting. It put me in the mood for the upcoming holiday season.

**IN A HOLIDAZE by Christina Lauren BOOK REVIEW**
🎄
I just love this writing duo and they did not disappoint with this quirky, warm, unique holiday love story. I absolutely loved Mae and Andrew’s relationship and I adored the loving framily (friends that are as close as family). in this book.
🎄
When I say that this story is unique and quickly, what I mean is that the main character goes back in time to relive the holiday over a few times. She makes some mistakes and is given another chance (over and over) to get it right, or find what makes her happy. At first I was like, wait...what? What is happening?!
*I didn’t read the synopsis ahead of time, so I had no clue* Then, when I got used to the time traveling, I was nervous that it wouldn’t stop and Mae would have to relive everything AGAIN. Thankfully, it did stop. The time traveling was fine but in this story, I really wanted it to stop when things started to go well for Mae and Andrew.
🎄
The cast of characters that gathers at the beloved cabin for Christmas every year is really great. The parents all met in college and it’s just really lovely to see the relationships they’ve nurtured all these years. I love the Park City Setting as well.
🎄
Mae and Andrew have a wonderful chemistry. There is some definite steam, but not to the level that makes me blush (for reference, I blush pretty easily). Their relationship hits a snag, but in typical Christina Lauren fashion, we leave the story feeling happy and hopeful.
I highly recommend you curl up with this feel-good romance over the holidays (or Christmas in July like me!).
🎄
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Christina Lauren for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Twenty-six-year-old Mae has been in love with Andrew her entire life. But when she gets drunk at the cabin that their families gather at every year for Christmas, it's his brother Theo she kisses. Not only that, Theo's rude to her the next morning. And their parents announce that they're selling the cabin. Mae desperately needs a do-over on the worst Christmas holiday ever. She makes a wish, and the universe answers. Suddenly, Mae finds herself back on the plane, about to start the holiday all over again. Mae's uncertain of what she's supposed to do - save the cabin? Finally tell Andrew how she feels? And she's not sure how many times she's going to have to live the same holiday before she gets it right.

This is a super cute holiday read brimming with snow, mistletoe, and Christmas cheer. Complete with cuddling sessions under thick sleeping bags, this book will make you want to curl up under a blanket in front of a fire. Perfect with a cup of hot chocolate or eggnog or something stronger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever read a book and immediately translate the page to a movie?

Christina Lauren, one of my favorite writing duo's, seems to always write books that this happens for me.

I don't know how they do it, but every book I pick up from this team spins a plot with a new twist and just the right amount of romance, and comedy, and cringeworthy moments!

This time around, In a Holidaze, gives us - Christmas, Family Hijinx, a groundhog day theme, and romance.
I could not put this one down, and while reading this book, could see the movie very clearly in my mind (think Hallmark movie, but with way more steam and snap).

Here’s the set up- A family tradition of 4 different families getting together each year for holiday cheer and chaos at a family cabin, kids who have grown to be young adults, a crush (of course), a potential love triangle with 2 brothers (awkward), and our main character, who keeps reliving the same week of holiday hijinx, until she can figure out how to make things "right". (Groundhog Day done right). Throw in a family member who doles our family counseling between smoking bowls of weed, an aging male broadway star attempting to keep trendy, and divorced parents who still hang out at the holidays and you have all the ingredients for a great book.

The characters are easy to love, the family dynamic is hilarious, and the setting perfect. Thank you to @gallerybooks and and @simonandschuster for this ARC!

Add this one to your TBR, its out in October, and is going to be the perfect holiday read.

Maelyn is on her yearly holiday vacation with her family and their friends. This year is extra challenging, her life is in shambles and she had to move back home. After making out with her old friend Theo, she feels even worse as he is ignoring her the next day and Andrew, his brother and the one she actually has feelings for finds out. On her way to the airport after this awful holiday, her family get into an accident and Maelyn founds her back at the beginning of her holiday vacation, which is extremely confusing as she is reliving the past few days. She is stuck in a time loop and is hoping to right some wrongs. This book was a different kind of rom-com and I loved it. An easy read, I got through in two days.

I always enjoy the work of Christina Lauren - and this cute lil Christmas tale is so very charming. It's a sweet romp with a big ol' blended family with just a touch of time-travel tossed in & somehow it just works! Heartwarming and tender and just a touch mushy, this writing duo delivers again! Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for my ARC!

Another great story from Christina Lauren! I am a sucker for time loop stories, anything magical realism, and cheesy Hallmark movies. I also love Christmas stories. So a combination of a lot of my favorite things in this book! I loved the closeness of all the characters. A wonderful family, despite not being blood related. I loved the setting of the cabin. This scenes with Maelynn and Andrew were the sweetest. Such great chemistry. Like with previous Christina Lauren books, the humor was great! Highly recommend!

OMG! This is my favorite Christina Lauren book yet! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy. Maelyn’s life is one to live over and over again. A sweet romance during Christmas is always a great story but this book tells it better. The friends that gathers every Christmas to celebrate the season are more family than blood relatives could ever be. A laugh out loud adventure and romance makes this a perfect Holiday book

This was a really cute holiday read and really got me into the holiday spirit. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read whatever CLo puts out next!

Christina Lauren are some of my go-to authors recently, and I loved this new romantic comedy as well. This one kicks in a little holiday magic - and cheesiness - with a Groundhog Day/Hallmark Christmas type story, which is totally my jam. Plus, by getting the ARC, I get a little early holiday spirit that I totally needed right now. At the beginning I was worried the whole Groundhog Day premise would get annoying, but it doesn't go over the top. The story is cute, funny, and the main characters have great chemistry. Some things get sorted a little too easily, like the time travel and how quickly the romance moves after one declaration, but these can be forgiven in the magic of the holidays. The main thing that I felt was missing was Theo. The plot often comes back to Theo and he's brought up a lot, but we rarely ever see him in any of the scenes, which stands out even more as many of the other side characters are given some development. I couldn't really figure out how Maisie and Theo's relationship works or why he reacts in certain ways because there's no context there. Overall, I would totally watch this as a Hallmark movie as well!

It’s Christmas in July 🎄so perfect time to read a Christmas book. “In a Holidaze” by Christina Lauren was of course fun and sweet and seriously has me counting down the days until the Holiday. It did start off with Maelyn reliving the same days of her family Christmas vacation over and over so I was concerned at first and wasn’t loving the sorta repetitiveness but it turned quickly. Will she tell finally tell Andrew she’s been secretly loving him forever? Lots of risk being that they have grown up together. This was yet another quick fun rom- com that I read in a day , leaving me feeling all warm and fuzzy wishing I was by a fireside.

#inaholidaze #christinalauren #netgalley #arc #outoctober6th #julesbookshelf