Christina Lauren's new book <i>In a Holidaze</i> asks what would happen if you got the opportunity to right your wrongs and fix the little mistakes that keep you up at night? The protagonist of the book is 26 year old Maelyn who finds herself stuck in a job she doesn't love, living at home and in love with a childhood best friend who isn't aware of her feelings. After a messy romantic entanglement at the annual family holiday, Maelyn gets the chance to do the holiday all over again (and again and again) when she gets stuck in a time loop that keep sending her back to the start of the vacation.

I normally really love Christina Lauren books but I just didn't really connect with the characters in this one. At one point, the male interest tells Maelyn that the relationship is moving really fast and that kind of felt like the problem for me too--we don't really get to know the character well so it feels rushed. The book is still a fun, breezy holiday read that Christina Lauren fans will enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

At first I was confused about how this book was going to go, but it quickly turned into a quirky groudhog-dayesque story that was funny and full of holiday spirit. Mae and her family have been going to the cabin with her parents college friends her whole life and she diesn't know what the holidays look like without it. A car crash causes Maw to relive her holiday weekend until she gets it right and maybe she'll be able to tell Andrew she's been in love with him since she was 13.

What I loved about this book was the family dynamics and what it looks like for people to choose each other again and again despite life being hard or moving in ways that make it easier to go their different ways. Mae d Andrew's romance was honestly adorable and Christmas time was the perfect backdrop for them to finally figure it out and get together.

If you are a fan of Christina Lauren then you'll be right at home in this sweet holiday rom-com from the dynamic writing duo.

I got a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read many Christina Lauren books and this one was among the top! It took a bit to get into the story as there are a lot of moving parts and characters but it really hit its stride and I couldn’t read fast enough! For fans of the duo this one will not disappoint, and will be such a fun read around the holidays! Well done! I will be recommending!

This was an absolutely daring book. Holiday spirit, romance, and a touch of magic! Mae is a charming character and the cast of characters had me giggling. I read this in less than a day and loved every minute of it!

2.75- 3 stars
🔥🔥 out of 5 steam level

Wow I am having the hardest time rating this book.  First of all, I need to describe how I felt when I was reading it.  In one word: stressed.  Like so stressed that the second night I started to read it, I decided to pick up an entirely different book because I didn't want to fall asleep stressed.  Now, I feel I must confess to you that I find the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles incredibly stressful - that's the kind of stress I was feeling in this book.  You might be wondering from the description if I was feeling Groundhogs Day stressed... but like the main character, Mae, I have never seen that movie.  (Keep that gasp to yourself, not every classic is really a classic!) Shall we talk about the things that stressed me out?  As Lorelai Gilmore says, "Let's shall!"  Mae made a lot of questionable choices in her communication or lack thereof.  That's right, folks, this book features major communication issues (my least favorite trope in a book).  Remember my other least favorite plot device- the love triangle?  Yup, this book also featured a love triangle.  Did I mention I was stressed when I read this book?  I did? Okay...well, I was.  I even resorted to sending multiple texts to a friend demanding she tell me if this book was indeed a romance novel (did you know that for a book to be considered a romance novel it is required to feature a "happily ever after" or an HEA as we like to call it?).... it was.  So are you wondering how this book got almost three stars for me after this stress?! I know, it's hard to believe- especially for me, after I almost declared it a DNF (did not finish).  But there's a point in the book when Mae decides to start communicating... and I fell in love.  I loved the whole section that moved forward from the communication! I was happy with the ending and finally felt all of the drama fall into its rightful place.  And for that, it almost got a full three stars from me! I also loved the family that was written in the book- I liked the traditions and the close knit crew.  They were well written and likable.  I think one of the reasons why the book is so stressful is because it's written in a way that really pulls you into the world- the life with all of these families living together in a cabin over Christmastime.  And because you're so into it, you find yourself grinding your teeth!

This is one of Christina Lauren's low end steam books.  They really write very fluctuating steam level books and I love that about them!  (If you're new to these authors, it is two women who write under the pen name Christina Lauren).

Thank you to netgalley and Gallery Books for the advanced readers copy of this book!

Y’all, “In a Holidaze,” let me tell you-

I keep trying, but I just can’t fall in love with CL books. True to form, I liked this book ok.

The idea of the book is fun in a fantastically holiday, magical kind of way. Mae is looooping (not a typo- the o’s represent the number of times she loops, like the o’s in the google pages-clever unto only myself) in time to repeat the same Christmas vacation until she can figure out what makes her happy.

As there was a *vague love triangle, I was nervous to emotional commit to who I thought the Hero would be. I realized that this is the only book I have read in a really long time that has only one POV- Mae's. Who, since you’re asking me, I found to be a bit of an unreliable narrator. I really, really, could have used an alternative POV to help me buy into the romance. *And I say vague, because according to Mae, it is non-existant contrary to popular belief.

On our last rinse-and-repeat cycle with Mae, I kept waiting for it to end so a new cycle could begin. I still wasn’t bought into our Hero being The One. I was thinking “CL is running out of pages to have her repeat the cycle again and realize she is with the wrong Hero." I had questions about a specific mudroom scene that were never explained which caused me to not trust Mae’s version of events (throwback to the vague love triangle).

I did appreciate the time spent to develop Mae and our Hero’s friend/relationship. They have great camaraderie and enjoyed each other a lot. I like seeing authors build a believable foundation for our H/H, rather than having the relationship be built on physical compatibility.

There are a lot of characters in this story, which is hard to follow when you haven’t been introduced to them throughout a series. The families seemed to be in each other’s business quite a bit, but maybe that is just my lens looking into families who have younger than me members.

Even though I didn’t love the book, it still left me with marshmallow squishy warm and fuzzy holiday feelings.

Alrighty, they have kissed under and without the mistletoe and I’ve told you about it!

This is a cute, funny festive little romance. After a drunken mistake with 'the wrong brother' on the last night of their holiday vacation, she finds herself in a Groundhog Day situation. She must figure out what it is she's supposed to do, in order to move on with the future. After several do-overs, she basically says eff-it and decides to just do what she wants, since no one will remember tomorrow (when she starts the holiday all over once again.) This time she's doing things to make herself happy, even though normally she'd be reluctant to do them, not worrying about the consequences, and enjoying every minute of it. There's lots of fun action with the families as they carry on with their holiday traditions. Scavenger hunts, snowball fights, sledding, mistletoe kisses to name a few. It is written strictly from her POV. The characters are all great. A good mixture of personalities from cool calm and collected to zany. It's a pretty good light-hearted read. No major tear-jerker moments. There is some sexual content, but it isn't graphic or explicit. There's a little bit of angst, as she struggles with liking a boy who doesn't feel the same (or so she thinks,) and not being happy with her job, but being too afraid to do anything about it. It's well written, easy to read and flows smoothly.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC! Christina Lauren is (are?) always a must-read as soon as I see they have a new book out, so I'm thankful that NetGalley always approves me getting first dibs!

I'm waffling between 2-3 stars. This wasn't my jam. I'm just as surprised as you are. I love the holidays. I love Groundhog's Day. But I didn't love this book.

Mae was a blah character to me. CL always writes badass leading ladies, but I found nothing about Mae that made me root for her.

Andrew was also blah. I don't understand why Mae likes him. He's super handsome and and he loves him after he takes off his shirt when he's 16? I don't get his appeal.

The whole point of Groundhog's Day is that you do it over until you get it right and you don't tell anyone. It really annoys me that Mae tells everyone and then everyone just goes along with it. I don't feel like that's magical realism, it's a weird plot twist, and I'm not for it. I kept waiting during the third time back for Mae to realize that Andrew wasn't the one for her and she should be with Theo, but that never happened. Instead it's all Andrew and HEA. Which is cute. But that's not at all where I thought the story was going. Also is Theo in love with her? That's never really wrapped up because it's pretty obvious he's always been in love with her, but then he says that shitty thing about her leading him on, and that's never dealt with.

I'm just overall meh about this one, but that doesn't dampen my love of CL and their books!

In a Holidaze, the latest Christina Lauren rom-com, was the perfect way to spend my socially-distant Saturday afternoon on a toasty July day. I have devoured Christina Lauren’s books ever since reading Love and Other Words (a five-star Christmas Day binge), and I’ve been hoping for a new title that matches the afternoon breeziness of The Unhoneymooners. And, In a Holidaze delivers! With a touch of the magical realism that has been a hot rom-com theme recently (Groundhog’s Day remixed), and a will-they-won’t-they couple you can’t help but root for, I basically devoured this book in one sitting. I’ve been in a book rut during the pandemic, and this may be the book that finally gets me out of my rut. I can’t wait to share this with my friends when it is released this fall. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I inhaled this delightfully festive book in one sitting! With a nod to the movie "Groundhog Day", Maelyn is reliving this years annual family Christmas vacation. As she begins the same week over again and again,, she can't figure out WHY this is happening to her. As she relives the holiday traditions, Maelyn begins to observe and questions maintaining tradition because "that's what we've always done." When she shifts the focus to making memories and enjoying family bonds, things shift. I loved the beautiful setting, the relationships between characters and the study of traditions. This story explores the idea of living for yourself and reaching for your own happiness in this holiday themed treat! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked the concept of the book but I felt it fell flat. I really liked the first half of the story but felt it kind of got a bit weird towards the end. Maybe it was how they wrapped up the “groundhogs day” knowledge.

I loved Christina Lauren's new book, In a Holidaze! It had the perfect mix of romance, humor and holiday cheer! I will definitely be picking this one back up during the holiday season for a reread!

Mae Jones and her family have spent every Christmas at a cabin in Utah, along with two other families that they have known forever. They all adore the cabin and their time there, however, at the end of the week this holiday season, Mae finds out that the cabin must be sold. She feels hopeless and on their way home, she makes a wish to the universe, asking it to show her what will make her happy. Then, they are in a car accident and she wakes up back on the plane, but at the beginning of the holiday season, ready to start her week all over at the cabin! She gets a redo of her time at the cabin, but must figure out what the universe is trying to show her.

There are so many things in this book that I loved! I enjoyed reading about all of the characters and could feel the family bond that they had. Andrew's character was my favorite and I loved the relationship that he developed. The Christmas traditions in this book are so fun to read about as well. Although I read this book in July, I felt like it was the Christmas season because of the perfect scenes this book paints. I also love the lessons that Mae learns: be true to yourself, find what makes you happy and do it!

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

It’s Christmas in July thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of In a Holidaze in exchange for honest feedback. I was so excited to see that my favorite author duo, Christina Lauren, had a new Christmas book coming out. I’m a sucker for a Christmas love story and In a Holidaze checks all of those boxes. It's sweet, set in a beautiful snowy local of Park City, Utah and has tons of Christmas traditions along with a little Hallmark movie style holiday magic.

In a Holizade follows Maelyn or Mae Jones as she relives what is normally her favorite week of the year leading up to Christmas at the cabin her family and their friends visit every year. It’s a vacation that sounds very Kennedy-esque: sledding, building snow creatures, cocktail hour and the “kids”, grown adult children sleeping in the basement in bunk beds. After Mae’s family is in a car accident on the way to the airport and she realizes she’s reliving the week leading up to Christmas she starts trying to figure out why she was sent back and changes what she does to try and level up to make it to the last day.

When I read the Groundhog Day style plot description I was a little uncertain, I thought that it would feel repetitive. However Mae changes events enough and the hijinx throughout the book kept it feeling fresh in only the way Christina Lauren could. For me Mae’s biggest lesson is learning to be honest with herself and those she loves, and this is great advice no matter the time of year. This book will pair perfectly with your Christmas tree, fuzzy socks and Peppermint Mocha!

Cute, sweet, romantic - all the things I look for in a Christina Lauren book! I wasn’t sure about the ground hog day premise but it made sense to the story. I loved Mae and Andrew and the families. I loved the families bonds even though they weren’t related. Plus, Christmas is the best time of year for a love story!

The holidays, Christina Lauren, and friends to lovers?! What more can one ask for? I absolutely loved this book and found it completely different then other books I have read recently. Incorporating the time travel loop was a fun and refreshing concept for a romance novel.

When Mae asks the universe to show her what will make her happy, we are brought along on her journey with her family during the holidays. Reliving the same day to make her mistakes right had me reading at an extremely fast pace to see where the book would go. It also made me think, if you were able to relive the same day over until you made it right, would you?

The descriptiveness of the family and their traditions made me want to be part of the fam! I loved the dynamic between Mae and lifelong friend/crush Andrew. Their chemistry is one of the reasons I love this author so much because it always feels real!

Everyone should read this when it comes out, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Who says Christmas books can’t be enjoyed in July?! This book came at just the right time. I loved it so much. It wasn’t like anything that I’ve ever read before, it was a great combo of a rom com with a mix of Groundhog Day thrown in. It’s about second chances and learning from your mistakes to get things right.
I’ve enjoyed every Christina Lauren book that I’ve read and this one is one of my favorites.. I loved the dynamic between Mae and Andrew. The authors always do such a good job of fleshing out their characters and that helps to really suck you into the story.

Maelyn Jones feels like her life has stalled professionally and personally. The one thing she could always count on, even after her parent's divorce, was Christmas at the cabin with both her parents, her brother, their large chosen family, and tons of tradition. When Ricky and Lisa announce they're selling the cabin, Mae feels even more lost. Sending a wish out into the universe to find what makes her happy seems like a good idea at the time, only she could have no way of knowing she'd time travel back to the beginning of their vacation and get stuck in a time loop until she gets everything right.

In a Holidaze is another phenomenal book from Christina Lauren, I adore everything about it, it's sweet, funny, and full of good feelings. It's also more than just a romcom, Mae spends a lot of time figuring out what she wants in life and putting herself out there to get it. She feels real and relatable, and I could feel every emotion she was experiencing because it's so well written. I finished this book last night and I'm still struggling with finding words that adequately describe how much I love it. There are great side characters, they're all different and add so much to the story without being overwhelming. Andrew's just everything, there aren't enough adjectives to describe him. I've never loved single pov before, but Christina Lauren changed that for me, not getting a peek into Andrew's head made the story so much better. I thoroughly enjoyed the time loop aspect, I was so stressed out Mae was going to start over around the 70% mark, or later. You absolutely need to read this amazing, warm, fuzzy, sweet, funny holiday book.

I loved this one! It's funny, romantic, and sexy. Think your favorite Hallmark Christmas movie meets Groundhog Day. I can see myself reading it every holiday season.

Christmas books are great no matter what time of year. Christina Lauren does it again with a cute and romantic story and a woman who gets stuck in a time loop, living the Christmas holiday over and over again until she gets it right. Mae's large group of family and friends get together every year at a cabin for Christmas, and she's always been in love with Andrew - one of the members of the group. They've known each other all their lives but she's never been able to say anything. In a near death experience, Mae asks the universe to show her what would make her happy - and the time loop begins.

Mae's antics in this book had me cracking up at times. She starts off so careful and focused on keeping the traditions of the holiday that doesn't really allow her to be herself. The time loop gives her the opportunity to freak out and just be real with everyone, and not take everything so seriously, which allows Andrew to see a different side of her. Andrew is an interesting character and seems very nice and normal - but I don't feel like he was developed very well. There's little back story of him or personality building. There were also so many side characters that it was hard to keep everything straight.

I loved the time loop concept. It was so fun and I haven't read a romance novel with this concept. The plot was obviously not science fiction so the time loop isn't explained or explored, just something that you accept as happening. Each time loop sequence was so cool because Mae just came off as crazy before she figured out what was happening and had to convince people what was happening. It was a really zany situation that ws just hilarious at times. I wish that she had been reset in time just one more time than she was, because I feel like it would've added depth and more conflict to make it more interesting.

If you like Christina Lauren books, you'll like this one. And just in time for the holidays!

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

My absolute favorite authors on the planet are back with another book and I had such high expectations. & they did not let me down! To be honest, I remember skimming a few reviews and the term "sci-fi" jumped out and my heart dropped. Oh no, romance authors writing sci-fi!? That's not what I want! But it's Christian Lauren, so I went into it with an open mind and I'm glad I did!

I definitely wouldn't classify this as "science fiction." Yes, there are some elements that are not realistic and thus, more "sci-fi" but over all, it's still very much a contemporary romance book (with a groundhog day twist to it :)).

Christmas is my favorite time of year so I loved reading about these characters and their story during that time. It gave me all the warm & fuzzy feels.

Overall, this book was not as predictable as many often think for a romance book and I loved that about it. My initial guess for what was going to happen in the beginning was totally wrong and with the groundhog day element, it keeps you guessing.

5/5 stars and I can't wait to read this ahead this holiday season and buy a hard copy of it!

**Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review**