I’m a huge fan of these author’s books, and I was pleasantly surprised by the slight fantastical element to their new book. However, I really loved how this book turned out! In a Holidaze was an adorable holiday love story with lovable characters and an amazing childhood-friends-to-lovers romance.

Maelyn Jones loves her family’s holiday tradition of spending a week in a cabin with her family’s closest friends, something they’ve been doing her entire life. Unfortunately, this vacation ends poorly when she gets a little tipsy and ends up making out with Theo even though she’s been in love with his older brother Andrew for almost her entire life. She’s mortified when Andrew reveals he saw them, and she’s even more upset when she learns that the cabin is being sold. Maelyn begs the universe to show her what will make her happy, and the universe hears her: the vacation resets, and she travels back to the plane ride there at the beginning of the holiday. She then has to figure out how to get out of the time loop.

I think, perhaps, that my favorite thing about Christina Lauren’s books is that they write all of the characters, no matter how small their appearance, with so much thought. I love the family dynamics in this book; Maelyn and her family meet up with her parents’ close college friends every Christmas. They’re so close, and they have so many traditions, which I loved! They all know each other so well and we learn small details about all of them. All of the characters are so distinct and known. I really love reading about the little things like this honestly. It makes me feel like I know all of them.

The romance in this book was so sweet! Mae’s parents and their friends have always expected her to end up with Theo since they’re the same age. However, Mae’s only ever seen him as a brother, whereas she’s been in love with his brother Andrew since she was 13. After going through the same day a few times, she decides to let loose and go for whatever she wants, including Andrew, admitting her love for him. It’s a childhood-friends-to-lovers romance, and again, I loved how well they know each other. Mae and Andrew were so cute together; I loved how all the other characters would tease them.

Again, I had hesitations about the Groundhog Day situation, but the reset happened fewer times that I expected. It’s definitely a means of plot that eventually takes a backseat to the romance. The time loop also added a bit of fun to the story, and it being Christmas and all added that warm holiday feel to this book. There was the requisite mistletoe scene where everyone was egging them on, and I teared up a little.

In a Holidaze was a burst of fun with great characters and a lot of humorous situations. I couldn’t stop smiling throughout this book! It was truly adorable. Perfect for any time of the year, In a Holidaze exuded warm, cozy feelings with a romance that you’ll love and characters that you’ll fall in love with.

I am a Christina Lauren fan and I read this in nearly one setting. Without giving too much away, I still have questions, but it came to a satisfying conclusion and the development of the characters and relationships were wonderful. If anyone else reads Benny as Woody Harrelson, then we are on the same page!

Every Christmas, twenty-six-year-old Maelyn Jones and her family spend the holiday at her parents’ college friends’ cabin in Salt Lake City. After making a disastrous mistake at the end of their getaway, Maelyn makes a wish as they drive away from the cabin for the universe to show her what will make her happy. In the moments that follow, her family gets in a car accident, and when Maelyn awakens, she realizes she is on a plane headed to Utah to re-start her holiday. As she begins the holiday over and over, she tries to figures out how to break out of this time-traveling, déjà vu cycle. What follows is a fun-filled story full of holiday cheer, romance, and the support of family and friends.

In a time of uncertainty and stress in our world, this is the perfect book to curl up with for an escape. A delightful read, “In a Holidaze” will fill you with some holly, jolly joy. Maelyn is a likable and relatable character, and I enjoyed her relationships with the various other characters in the novel. “In a Holidaze” is a feel-good and light-hearted read with a touch of magic, and is perfect for the holiday season.

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

I will gladly read anything by the perfect writing duo that makes up Christina Lauren and In a Holidaze is ranking among one of my favorite all-time books by them! I loved the book so much and could not put it down once I started reading it. It had everything I love about Christina Lauren books, they make me laugh and they make me shed a few tears.

For 26 years, Maelyn has spent her Christmas at her favorite place in the world, a cabin in Utah owned by family friends. On December 26, their last day, everyone finds out that the Hollis family who owns the cabin plans to sell it, but promises they will still all find a way to celebrate the holiday together. Fearing that all the traditions she has grown up loving will disappear, as her father drives her family to the airport Mae asks the universe to show her what will make her happy. The next thing she knows, a car is heading towards them and everything turns to black. When Mae comes to, she is back on a plane heading to Utah and the date is December 20. As Mae relives her Christmas vacation over and over again hoping for a different outcome, she has to figure out on her own what she wants out of life that will truly make her happy.

Mae and Andrew may be the main characters of this book, but I loved all of the extended family in the book, their holiday traditions and how no matter what they were always there for each other. Mae was such a likable character and I was rooting for her each time she was stuck in a Christmas vacation time loop. The romance between Mae and Andrew was adorable, but how could it not be when Mae has been in love with Andrew since she was 13? I loved how they came together when on one of her many do-over trips she decided to throw caution to the wind and finally tell him how she felt. I also enjoyed that she had her uncle Benny to confide in and guide her each time her vacation was reset.

This was the perfect book to read for a little bit of Christmas magic in July, but it is the perfect book to pick up anytime of year. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you #netgalley for the advanced read!

Such a fun holiday book! Maelyn goes on her annual christmas family trip with family friends where she finds her self stuck in a groundhog day situation. At first I thought it was a bit cheesy, but then it sucked me in! I wanted to see how she would make the most of each day until all was right. Would love to see this played out as a Hallmark movie :)

It truly is Christmas in July! This book was such a wonderfully fun experience.

After 26 years spending Christmas at the same cabin in Utah with hers and two other families, their lives all intertwined together, Maelyn Jones is driving away from one of the most awkward, terrible situations ever. Not only could this be the last Christmas they all spend together, but she is really dealing with some 'who am I and what it is I want from life' type feelings. All of a sudden, their car crashes and she wakes up back on the plane on December 20th, on her way to the cabin in Utah...

Watching Mae comes to terms with what the heck is happening in her time loop Christmas was so entertaining. Luckily, she has one real ally, her older uncle figure, Benny. He was truly a gem in this book and I adored him so much. He helps Mae maneuver through this strange occurrence to the best of his ability.

But, the thing that I loved most in this book was the romance. While everyone has always assumed Mae and Theo would wind up together, Mae has only ever had eyes for Theo's older brother, Andrew. Unrequited love is a killer, but not when you have lived the same couple of days over and over again and you throw caution to the wind. Mae decides to take her life into her own hands and go for what she has always wanted. But, will that have it's own repercussions?

The ONLY thing that I didn't appreciate about this book was the fact that it is advertised as a girl who much choose between two brothers and that totally colored my idea of where this book was going to go and who I was silently rooting for.

This is the first book I've read by Christina Lauren and it's a cute holiday-themed story. I have to admit that about half-way through I got a little tired of the concept, the characters, and the meaningless dialogue that kept getting repeated. I'm a fan of Christmas books, but this one quickly became droll. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

In a Holidaze was a fun, quick, holiday romance, After what may be the final Christmas at a family friend's cabin, Maelyn makes a wish to be happy. Through an unbelievable turn of events, she's given the chance to take a more active roll in her own life. She goes after what and who she wants.

This book has a little bit of everything - comedy, romance, and plenty of steaminess.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren was the exact story I needed right now. Who doesn’t need a little bit of Christmas spirit in such trying times?

Nothing in Maelyn Jones’s life is going right. She is back living with her mom, has a job that doesn’t set her soul on fire, and her romantic life is a mess. To top it off, this is the last Christmas she will get to spend in her favorite place in the world, a snowy Utah cabin that is filled with all of her loved ones. Including the man she has always harbored an insane childhood crush on. As she drives away from the cabin for the last time, she sends up a plea to the universe to show her what will make her happy. Cue the tire screeching, metal crushing car accident that sends her barreling back into the past—to start this Christmas vacation all over again. Each mistake she makes, she is sent back to the beginning of the vacation to right her wrongs. Mae has to find a way to get herself out of the Christmas wonderland Groundhog’s day loop she is trapped in.

In a Holidaze is magical, heartwarming story that will capture your heart completely. The story has the perfect amount of romance, humor, and holiday cheer. And if the storyline doesn’t captivate you right away, the characters surely will. I have never wanted to wish characters into existence more than this crazy bunch. You could feel their love and joy seep off the page and it was infectious. This is the perfect holiday pick-me-up that will leave your heart warm and toasty.

Huge thank you to Gallery for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute holiday story. It was a quick read with a fun Groundhog Day plot. I really liked Andrew's character.

Cute and so much like Groundhog Day, Christina Lauren know how to pull out a fun romcom story! This is going to be a fun book to read during the holidays and it's very cute and easy read.

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.