Guys, you are in for a treat!! Loved, loved, loved this one!! I was so excited that NetGalley accepted my ARC request as Christina Lauren is one of my all time favorites!! I’ve been reading CL’s books from day 1 and nobody does fun, witty banter like Christina Lauren ... or swoony, sweet romance! There are so many rom com’s out there right now it’s hard to know which ones will be for me. I love that I can always count on CL to deliver the perfect book! This one isn’t out until 10/6/2020 ... will be a perfect holiday read! Hoping my use of exclamation points has conveyed that this was 100% a 5 star review for me!

The Groundhog Day/time travel plot device was a change for these authors, but their fans should still be pleased with a new book. This was a light, fluffy, low angst romance for Christmas.

OKAY, I don't pass up a book from this duo so, I don't even bother reading the blurb these days. I'm super glad that I didn't with this one. I'm not sure that I'd have given it a chance had I known it had a groundhog day type plot. But, lucky me by the time I figured it out, I was already hooked. I absolutely adored it. The plot is unique and incredibly well written. It's a super fun read with low angst. It's exactly the kind of books that I've been reading these days. Don't pass up this holiday read, no matter the time of the year.

I was so excited to read In a Holidaze. I've really enjoyed books by these authors before, but sadly I was pretty disappointed. I'm giving the book book 2 stars. I honestly couldn't stand the first 35% or the last 20%.

As a whole, this book screamed YA to me. The very first 'conflict' of the make-out session was so immature, and the subsequent handling of it was annoyingly youthful. There was WAY too much introspection. I actually love character-driven books, but the amount of navel gazing in this one was over the top for the genre, especially considering how immature the MCs seemed. I did not understand the point of the groundhog day plot, and even more so, I did not understand why it abruptly ended? It was so odd! The family-friend relationships were saccharine, the scenes unbelievable. Right from the start there were way too many characters introduced and it all went downhill from there.

I'm sorry to give such a negative review but really this wasn't good at all.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was by far my least favorite book by this author. It reads like a teenager love story with some ackward, raunchy scenes that have no place in a novel that retails a childhood like Christmas memory. Mae spends a traditional holiday with her family and friends where nothing changes except one night that keeps on repeating itself only now she gets a do over and changes the things she's always wanted to but never had the guts to do like declare her feelings to Andrew, her childhood crush.
While I loved the beautiful, holiday moments Mae shares, I felt her romantic redo with Andrew just seemed out of place. Their evolution from friends to lovers just felt forced and unnatural. Not my favorite novel.

I wasn't a huge fan of Christina Lauren's last two novels (they were about 3 star reads for me) but this one was PERFECT! For being the duo's first holiday novel, I'd say they did a wonderful job! I enjoyed it so much!! It reminded me of some of my past favorites of theirs and reminded me why I love their books so much!

Readers, this is THE book you should be reading during the holiday season. I kind of wished I'd left it for a holiday read for myself, but perhaps I'll re-read it again!

Groundhog Day meets A Christmas Carol. Twentysomething Maelynn and her family always spend the holidays with her parents’ college friends and their families at a snowy Utah cabin. It’s her favorite time of year, but this year things went awry for many reasons, from a drunken mistake to some startlingly bad news. As she and her family morosely drive away after Christmas, a truck smashes into the side of their car. Everything goes black...and then Mae wakes up on an airplane next to her brother. Six days earlier.

Soon she realizes she’s stuck in a time loop, doomed to die and repeat the holidays until she learns some kind of lesson. But what is the universe trying to tell her? And can she figure it out in time to stay alive and maybe find true love?

This was funny and good-hearted, and should be a hit at the holidays. Mae has a unique voice as she tells her crazy story. I could have honestly used one or two more resets, but the authors clearly made the choice to keep this brief novel the right length for reading in front of your cozy holiday decor.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.

Extremely well written, with a very intriguing plot. I think anyone who wants to read a unique holiday romance, with a “Groundhog Day” like plot, will enjoy this story. That’s what my rating is based on, the pure enjoyability of the read and the flow of the writing. I admittedly was rooting for a different ending. There is a bit of a “who will she choose, what will make her happy?” plot, and I was honestly hoping for a different, and less obvious result. But alas I am not one of the authors, so that is not my decision, and they really didn’t make it ever seem like a different result would actually happen, so it was definitely a me created complaint. That being said if you’re looking for unique and low angst, mixed with holiday romance, then you will enjoy I’m sure.

In a Holidaze felt like the book equivalent of getting cozy by the fire with a warm mug of hot chocolate. The perfect holiday love story.
Mae gets the rare opportunity of a do-over and second chance to re-make decisions that actually make her happy. Instead of watching life happen to her she decides to take control. What's the worst thing that can happen with you get to relive your favorite holiday until you get it right?
I loved the romance in this story. Childhood friends to lovers with a twist. The only thing that keeps this from 5 stars is the messy time-loop story line. It felt a bit out of place, but not distracting enough to ruin the book.
4.2/5

Perhaps reaching for a Christmas romance novel in the middle of summer is odd, but hey, don't judge me for my quarantine reading list! Because this was funny, comforting and freaking excellent.

While everyone is being lovey-dovey during the holiday season, Maelyn Jones is simply not having it - living with her parents, working a boring job and having just dumped her last boyfriend. The only thing Mae looks forward to are the Christmas holidays in a cabin in Utah each year since she was a child: not only is it a fun family time, but she also gets to see her forever-crush Andrew...

BUT, this year is different, it's the last one. The cabin is getting sold. Unfortunately, Mae does something really stupid in front of Andrew, and knowing that there will not be another year to make up for it, she is completely destroyed. Lucky for her, holiday magic makes her a time traveler - Mae is stuck in this same year's holiday vacation, reliving it over and over again as she needs to figure out how to get out.

Christina Lauren is an iconic romance duo, and they sure did not disappoint with this one! "In a Holidaze" is sweet, hilarious and emotional. It was everything I want in a romance - except I wish there were some steamier scenes, or at least more adult conversations.

*Thank you to the Publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars!
Cute, entertaining read!

Every year since she was born, Mae’s family and their friends stay at a snowy cabin in Utah the week of Christmas. Full of traditions and fun activities, the families spend much needed time together. This year is different though- Mae is trapped reliving Christmas over and over again. Determined to break the loop, she makes changes in her life, and finally is upfront and honest about her feelings for Andrew.

I love Christmas theme romances- and this story had a lot of sweet moments. The first few chapters were hard for me to get into, I’m usually not a fan of the Groundhog Day type of stories. But after the time travel stopped, it became more interesting. We got to know the characters better, and there were a lot of heartfelt moments. My favorite parts were Andrew and Mae just spending time together, laying under the Christmas tree, sledding, etc. I really enjoyed the epilogue too!

I will say this book felt very YA/Teen at times. The main characters are almost 30 yrs. old and have known each other their entire lives, yet still having a hard time being honest about their feelings for one another. There’s a lot of sneaking around, kissing in the pantry and closets. I didn’t care for the (sort of) love triangle between Mae, Andrew, and Theo. But I’d say overall a sweet, Hallmark-ish type romance.

A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC.

What would you change if you kept reliving the same day over and over? In this book, Maelyn get the chance to do just that. She knows it is a crazy twist of fate to be able to know what events are on the horizon and how to be able to change them before they happen. She begins to change those events so there won't be family hysterics and car crashes. Not to mention in the end finally ending up with her true love.
A true treat to read now or for the holidays!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christina Lauren books can be categorized under two umbrellas: romantic dramedy and straight-up romantic comedy. I've always ended up preferring the romantic dramedy stories because I like it when there's a deeper issue at hand that goes beyond the main romance. Such is the case with In a Holidaze, which wraps up a holiday romance in a Groundhog Day-esque package.

Maelyn and her family have spent every Christmas with her parents' best friends from college, celebrating the week together in a cozy Utah cabin. Now in her late twenties, Mae commits a drunken mistake toward the end of the holiday that upsets her friendship with the grown son of her parents' friends and intensifies her longtime crush on his older brother. When she somehow wakes up at the beginning of the week she just lived, she realizes she can use this second chance to fix her faux pas with the brothers.

The book didn't leave the same emotional impact as Roomies or Love and Other Words did, but it's a fun, sweet read that I definitely enjoyed more than recent CLo reads The Unhoneymooners and The Honey Don't List. I loved the book's idea of chosen family and how much everyone seemed to love each other, but certain aspects like Mae's relationship with Theo and her connection to Benny felt underdeveloped. It felt like CLo believed the history there could be felt with only a few explanatory paragraphs, but given the amount of background included about other random Christmases, these relationships could have been handled better.

Christmas Groundhog day romcom.
I'm not normally one for either of the first two aspects, but the romcom aspect was solid enough to draw me in and keep me from sleeping a wee bit. Quick, easy, fun read.

This book is not something I would have picked up had anyone else written it, but Christina Lauren rarely leads me astray, so I went for it. The Groundhog Day type setup just isn't really my thing, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. I usually go for the more realistic story lines (well, at least as much as ANY romance novel is realistic), but if you can suspend disbelief a bit and just go with the story here, you'll find an entertaining, funny, and heartwarming read.

Maelyn is living at home, working a job that isn't remotely close to what she actually wants to do, and feeling rather stuck. Her family has been joining the families of their best friends at a cabin in Utah for Christmas for as long as anyone can remember, but even that happy time turns semi-disastrous for Maelyn. First, she has a drunken make out session with a good friend (Theo) who happens to be the brother of the guy (Andrew) she's been crushing on for 13 years (but she's not acted on the attraction for fear of changing their friendship). Theo's weird the next morning, she finds out Andrew witnessed them kissing, and it feels like both relationships are tarnished as a result. Then she learns that this Christmas is the last one that the families will spend together at the cabin that has been such a staple of Maelyn's life. Reflecting on all that has happened and her dissatisfaction with life in general, Maelyn finds herself begging the universe to show her what will make her happy - seconds before her family is in a massive car wreck. When Maelyn comes to, she's not in the car or even a hospital - she's on an airplane, several day earlier, headed for the cabin in Utah to start the holiday celebration.

The story that follows is whimsical and entertaining, but it also raises some interesting questions. What would change if you truly got a do over? Would you be able to move past your hangups and go after what you truly want, or would you ultimately make the same "mistakes" that landed you where you are in the first place?

The story here is a bigger focus than the characters themselves, but Maelyn and Andrew were both enjoyable, likable people that had me rooting for a happy ending. With the Groundhog Day-esq plotline, this was outside my normal reading habits, but it was an entertaining book nonetheless. All in all, In a Holidaze is a super cute, charming, feel-good book that is perfect for the holiday season.

Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

I'm a huge Christina Lauren fan, but this one was a little underwhelming for me. Though the concept was cute and it worked better than I expected, overall it just felt lackluster. However, it has many of the hallmarks of a CL read: charming characters, great banter, and lots of tension.

This book was only ok. A little letdown being such a huge CL fan, but it was cute. I love both the premises in this book but it didn’t seem to fit together as well as I thought it would. Mae and Andrew were adorable and there was a lot of laugh out loud moments which I appreciated.
I am definitely looking forward to another book by this duo!!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. I am alway so excited for her books, and this one didn’t disappoint. This is a cute chick lit that’s a fast read. Although I have liked some of her books more, this was a solid 4 stars. The holiday theme didn’t bother me while reading poolside. Characters were endearing and I liked learning about the different family members. Overall, a nice, fun read.

Not my favourite of her books, but still fun. If I could redo a day over and over again until I make myself happy, I think I’d be a lot more pleased than Mae.

As I was reading, I kept think how this would make a great Hallmark movie! I think part of the reason is because we got a lot of side characters, but she didn’t really flesh them out much; they were mostly just there and I would have like a little bit more of some of them.

The conclusion was cute. I just felt like something was a little off, that it was just missing a little something to make this 5 stars for me.

Initial Thoughts

Ok, it’s June and I’m writing a review of a holiday book when it’s 85 degrees outside. Honestly, I don’t know why I read this one so early (normally, I save my holiday reads for a little closer to the holiday season), but I was feeling like I needed some holiday cheer. Working from home definitely has me feeling down lately so I decided to pick up this book. Also, the last two Christina Lauren books I applied for, I did not get approved in NetGalley so I was SUPER excited to get this one.

Some Things I Liked

Groundhog Day meets The Family Stone. I loved the tag line of this book. Those are two amazing holiday movies and I loved the idea of mixing them together. The holiday themes already made this story feel nostalgic but adding in some classic movies made it even better.
Andrew the guitar player. This one is close to my heart as my boyfriend is also a guitar playing Andrew. I loved him as a character and thought he was just perfect for Mae.
The humor. Once again, Christina Lauren created laugh out loud situations and dialogue and I loved every minute of it.
Modern family vibes. This book reminded me of the TV show modern family in both their antics and their dynamic. Each family unit brought their own unique situation and baggage in some cases but they all made it work. I loved learning about all of them and would hope to see more of these characters in future stories.

Series Value

I liked the other members of the family in this story. I’d like to see a spin-off about Theo or Miles – something about where they find love.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect pick-me-up to get me out of my reading slump.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren – if you enjoyed the writing style and family dynamics of this book, try another one of Christina Lauren’s standalone novels.
Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters – if you liked the holiday themes as well as the idea of a long-time love story, check out this series by Victoria Walters.
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler – if you liked the idea of a romance blossoming in a short time while on vacation, try this May 2020 release.