Maeyln Jones lives an ordinary life, an unfulfilling job, an unrequited love. Her and her family live for their Christmas tradition of going up to the cabin for a week over the holidays and spending time with their closest friends, who are like family. After this particular stay, Maelyn has found herself feeling awkward after she drunkenly hooks up with one of her family friends (the brother of the man she is in love with!), and it is made worse when Ricky & Lisa (the owners of the cabin) share their plans to sell. On her way home, Maelyn is miserable and wishes the universe would show her what would make her happy now that she has lost her favourite tradition, and she gets into a car crash. When she wakes up, she realizes she has rewound to the start of the week and has a chance to make some changes...

This book is about the holidays and traditions and the friends that you choose to be family. It also addresses the fact that sometimes we need change, which I think is so relevant this year with covid most likely changing the way we celebrate the holidays this year. It is very heartwarming and a great holiday read.

I found the first half when she is restarting the week over and over a bit harder to get through because we aren't really getting into much plot or character development during that time, but I thoroughly enjoyed the second half when Maelyn finally gets things right and stops reversing into the past. The love story that ensues is really sweet and romantic.

I highly recommend this as a holiday read! Tis the season!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Christina Lauren have done it again! By it, I mean slapped together yet another fabulous romance novel with a plot that packs a punch to the heart around all the chuckles.

This is very much the Christmas version of Groundhog Day where Maelyn Jones continues to relive the same Christmas until she gets things right. Every year, Maelyn's family travels to the same Colorado cabin with the families of her parents' college roomies. Maelyn already hates her life, with moving back in with her parents and a job she can't enjoy. But after a drunk and sloppy makeout session goes down with Theo (when she's been in love with his brother for a decade), things get worse when it is announced the cabin is being sold. On the way to the airport, their little family car of sadness is hit, only for Maelyn to wake up on the plane to the cabin to do it all over again. And over, and over, and over.

This was a great book to get into the Christmas spirit, and I think that's something a lot of us need in 2020. Especially when it took a shot at the importance of Christmas. For Maelyn's Christmas, everything is run by tradition. The "kids" sleep in bunks in the basement, the first day they have a snow creature building competition to get first pick of steak, the next is sledding, a scavenger hunt. Traditions are important, but they can get stale and boring. And Maelyn's do-overs let her explore that and realize what matters more, which is the people you're with. Is that cheesy and cliche? Ah, who cares. It's true!

I really liked the thinking behind the cosmic twist that kept resetting Maelyn's vacation. She asked the universe to show her what makes her happy, and it punished her when she made the wrong choice. Basically, you dead. It wasn't until she started letting go and doing things for herself that she got to stay. Quitting your stupid job and telling the guy you've crushed on for half your life how you feel are good places to start.

I’ve never had so much angst reading a romcom before, and because I predicted the plot wrong and didn’t figure that out until the 85% mark. I mean, kudos to Christina Lauren for keeping me on my toes, but I really wrecked my reading experience for myself. Maelyn has been in love with Andrew since she was a teenager, but it was always assumed by the family that she would get together with his younger brother, Theo. And I, naturally, assumed the same. I expected her to do what needed to happen with Andrew, then realize that he sucks and Theo is bae. Oh my god, I was so wrong. I spent almost the whole book looking for the flaws in Andrew when really, he was delightful. So that's on me.

Overall, another smash from Christina Lauren that I finished in pretty much one day.

This writing duo is hit or miss for me but luckily this one was a winner! A cute and sweet Groundhog Day like story with a festive theme. I’m not always a fan of a time loop or having to suspend disbelief but it worked for this fun plot!

I could totally see this as a movie! A feel good rom com to get you into the holiday spirit. Thanks to Simone & Schuster Canada & Netgalley for the #gifted copy to review!

Ps light on the steam for those of you that prefer a closed door type romance!

Yes, I am aware the calendar just turned to November but the world of publishing cares not and SO MANY Christmassy titles have already been released. Including Christina Lauren's latest, In a Holidaze. I read it over Thanksgiving weekend (reminder: I'm in Canada and I celebrated Thanksgiving in mid-October...I'm not time traveling like the main character in this book) and was completely sucked into the story. It's festive, it's fun, and it's so heartwarming.

Here's the synopsis:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
I have to admit I was a bit wary of Lauren's newest novel. The last few of theirs (another reminder: Christina Lauren is a pseudonym for author duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) have been just...fine. Enjoyable but nothing groundbreaking. But In a Holidaze? Exactly what I wanted and needed. It was the type of Christina Lauren I expect and I'm so glad it held up to my (high) expectations.

I know I'm not alone with my tendency to not reread a synopsis before diving into a book. And, to be honest, I don't even think I read what this book was about before requesting it. Christina Lauren AND Christmas? Sign. Me. Up. Therefore, I had forgotten/not known that there was a really fun time loop element to the story. For those who don't like any whiff of fantasy or magic in their stories: fear not. Lauren works the time loop into the plot in such a way that it just...makes sense. You forget, sort of, that Mae has somehow been living the same week over and over and over again and you just roll with the story as she tries to figure out what exactly it is she wants out of life.

While this novel is billed as a rom com, there's also a hefty dose of real life drama that Mae is dealing with. It's less about the romantic Happily Ever After (though that is a part of the story) and more about her feeling settled in her life and doing what makes her happy. She's in her mid-twenties and I remember kind of feeling the same at that age. Hell, I still feel like that sometimes at 33. There was a really powerful scene right at the start of the book, before the first loop, where Mae wants to asks the universe for what she wants but she realizes she actually has no idea what she wants. So, she asks to be shown what will make her happy. Haven't we all wished for that a time or two?

There's a strong Christmas element to the novel. That's not always the case these days with Christmas books but In a Holidaze gets right to what many of us feel is the most important part of the holiday: family and traditions. And that family isn't just your blood relatives. It's your found family, those who are the most important people in your life. The group in this novel get together every Christmas and trim the tree and have snow sculpture competitions, and eat and drink far too much. You can feel the love, and the cheer, and that's what I loved about this story.

In a Holidaze was one of my favourite reads in October. Not only that, but I think all the holiday books I have yet to read will have a tough go ahead of them if they want to beat out Christina Lauren's for the top spot on my holiday reading list this year.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

4.5 - Christina Lauren did it again! I don't think that i have not liked any of their books. Though I haven't read any of their Beautiful series yet. So we shall see how it goes. I loved the groundhog day aspect of the book. I liked how the authors didn't make the story too repetitive as I was worried it would be because of the Groundhog day aspect of the book. I loved all the characters and Christmas is fast approaching so this a perfect comfort read if you are looking for something warm and fuzzy to read. I wish there were more moments between Andrew and Mae as I felt their relationship didn't have a lot of moments to really build that relationship. Thought they have been family friends ever since they were born because their parents were friends in college so I could just be other thinking everything. I also loved the dynamics between all the characters and how they were all different.
*Thank you Netgalley for the copy for an honest review*

As usual, Christina Lauren wrote a super fun and cute book! The love story was great, plus the Christmas feels were 100% there! I'm really happy they wrote a Christmas story and they definitely made me look forward to that season to reread it!

Thank you Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina Lauren.
I absolutely loved this wonderful story .
A story which lifts your spirits during this difficult time of year. It’s a story of family, Christmas, Christmas traditions, friendships and Love.
I smiled, laughed out loud and cried while reading this book.
Great characters, I especially enjoyed Mae and Andrew and their friends to lovers journey.
I read this story in 2 days and it was just what I needed.
Please continue writing these wonderful stories, I love you guys.
Highly recommend. 5 stars 🌟

“I ask the universe, simply: Can you show me what will make me happy?” — In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Pure magic!
I was hooked from the beginning and I’m not gonna lie, I may have been rooting for the other guy for a bit but by the end I was 100% team Mandrew!

Maelyn Jones has just had the worst ending to the best holiday and while driving to the airport she makes a wish, asking for the universe to show her what will make her happy. The next thing she knows their car is in an accident and she wakes up on an airplane heading to Utah, beginning her holiday all over again. Stuck in a time loop, repeating the same beginning to the holiday, Mae tries to figure out how to break it and find out what will truly make her happy.

Filled with all the Christmas cheer, traditions, and love one could ever ask for, In A Holidaze is such a fun and cute story that I know I’ll be reading again and again.

I've yet to read a Christina Lauren book that I didn't totally fall in love with!! This one was no exception. Christmas is by far my most favourite holiday, and so this book already had my hooked. It was also really different from any other book I read from them because of the time loop/Groundhog Day element. I found it very interesting though and liked how it propelled the main character to just go for what she wanted without being scared to do so. As always the romance is swoon-worthy! I really enjoyed the dynamic that all the characters had with each other, and how the main couple were childhood friends. It was sweet to see them navigate going from friends to lovers, and what happens from there.

I adored this book tremendously, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

I don’t usually go for books that have any type of fantasy element, but I actually quite enjoyed this one. I’m a big fan of this author duo, and I was totally smitten with the storyline. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump due to everything going on in the world right now, but this was a pleasant diversion. 4/5 stars.

ahhhhh i really wanted to like this one more but I felt that this one kind of landed in the middle. We didn't get a proper build up, establishment of characters and scenes, so it lacked a lot of emotional connection towards characters for me! I also was confused towards the end and did not care for the love interests at all!

If there is one thing I've learned from Christina Lauren, its that they will never let me down. I will admit, I was less than excited when I started this and realized it was a groundhog day/time travel theme. Groundhog Day is one of my most hated movies and I loathe time travel themes. This though, so dang good! I don't even know why I doubted them, idiocy on my part.

This was fun, cute, kind of sad and totally relatable. I couldn't put it down. So so good.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

A sweet, delightful story about Mae, a twenty-something who ends up in a weird Groundhog Day scenario after leaving her favourite place on Earth - Christmas holidays at a cozy cabin with her extended, chosen family. She’s forced onto a path of figuring out what makes her happy, maybe?

Mae isn’t really sure why she’s reliving the Christmas holidays over and over, and the reader doesn’t really get anymore insight. Despite the loose plot framework, I enjoyed this lighthearted and cheery romance immensely. If Netflix could make a holiday movie out of this book ASAP, please!

For fans of the friends-to-lovers trope, this one is for you! I thought this was so sweet without being too cheesy, and the steaminess factor is pretty low. It was funny, and I enjoyed all the secondary characters. Reading this was a cozy, uplifting way to spend an afternoon, and I think many readers would enjoy it, wintertime or not. It is one of my top 3 favourite Christina Lauren reads!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for free access to an e-copy of this book in exchange for review. It is out now!

It's Christina Lauren. I will read anything they write. I thoroughly enjoyed this Groundhog Day-Esque romcom.

Maelyn finds herself in a Groundhog Day-style time loop waking up over and over at the beginning of the Christmas week she spends with her extended family. This becomes a chance to figure out who and what's important in her life. Andrew, a friend she's crushed on for more than half her life, is at the forefront.

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and it was so well done. In classic Christina Lauren style, this book is full of humor, steaminess, and it's an overall heartwarming read. It's the perfect holiday read to get you in the Christmas spirit.

I am definitely at a 3.5 for this book! For me this one was so much better than their last two books. I actually had a really good time reading it. Maelyn was a pretty good heroine who found her voice which I really liked.

Christmas - ish
Messy heroine ✔️
Cinnamon roll hero ✔️
Family craziness ✔️
Laugh out loud moments ✔️

However there were a couple things that after I read it just made me not actually love it. However if you like Christina Lauren books I think you will really love it.


I didn’t really feel the Christmas vibe and the making out with the one brother seemed really weird I loved the romance and I love her finding her voice and I really enjoyed the book but there were just some things that didn’t make it amazing for

This book was just so fun to read! I think I've seen bits of Groundhog Day, so I'm not sure if it's a Christmas movie or not, but this is definitely a Christmas novel. I just enjoyed reading about Mae repeating this holiday week with this tight knit group!

I loved how close that this group all was, that the first generation were friends who got together one year because a friend's parents were gone, and have made it a tradition, including their families as they had them. That their kids grew up together. It's such a touching story! But then there's the downside that they have to sell the cabin where they've hosted the group. But yeah that Mae got to repeat the week, even though it's a wild ride, because there's a happy ending to the story!

It's funny, that their parents always linked Mae and Theo, but Mae's had a crush on older brother Andrew since she was 13. Given the chance to redo the week gave Mae a chance to correct her mistakes, and I really enjoyed seeing that time!

There were a lot of emotional moments. Mae goes for what she wants, things go wrong, of course, and things are worked out. I really enjoyed how they did work out. An the nostalgia factor is there, and it was just such a cozy, wonderful read!

This was such a wonderful read, I really enjoyed it and I can't wait for more from Christina Lauren!

Maelyn Jones, her immediate family, and their extended friends-turned-family, annually meet up at their snowy Utah cabin for the holidays. This year, Mae feels helpless in regards to her happiness so she makes a plea to the universe to show her what exactly would make her happy. She should’ve been careful what she wished for because now she is stuck in a time loop that forces her to relive the same day over and over.
⠀
I’ve read a handful of Christina Lauren books now and this one was my favourite so far! It was a delight to sit down and read — it included strong relationships, quirky characters, cute traditions, the holidays, and of course, a feel-good romance. I loved that it wasn’t over-the-top cheesy with Christmas but rather had the perfect doses of it. It focused more on Mae’s dilemmas, her plea for happiness, and her demise of being stuck reliving the same days over and over — while trying to convince her family that she wasn’t going crazy! I thought that the love interest made perfect sense and it was so satisfying the see the relationship develop between Mae and Andrew. They were a swoon worthy, perfect match and each moment between them brought a smile to my face. Initially, I was bummed that the magical aspect of the book wasn’t clearly explained — like the magic dust in 13 Going on 30. However, I was reading Erica’s (@sand_between_pages) post and I loved how she said that we aren’t supposed to question it too much because it will take the fun out of it. I’ve decided to do just that. It truly was a highly entertaining read that you could enjoy at any time of the year!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the Author, the Publisher and to Netgalley. I recently started reading Christina Lauren's books, this is the third one that I have read in the last 6 months.
I found this book fun and light hearted, a bit predictable, but over all a good read...I give this book 3.5 starts. Christina Lauren's books are great for when you want a good book on holidays or when you want a quick read. I would definitely recommend trying her books if you haven't already

I absolutely adore Christina Lauren and highly recommend their books but this one fell flat for me. I just was not taken by the characters or the storyline, there were a few cute scenes but it was not a favourite of mine.

Looking for a feel good nostalgic holiday book? To remind yourself of those first few days of something exciting?

In a Holidaze is nothing short of cozy. Mae is twenty-six years old and unhappy with her life as it stands. As per tradition, she's spending Christmas at a family friend's cabin - something her family has done her entire life.

Can Mae use this time to see what could happen if she acts based on her gut? Do they have to follow all the mini traditions they normally do, or is it okay to stray? Should the cabin tradition change as the people participating all have over the past few decades?

Join Mae to discover her clan of eccentric characters as she forges a new path this holiday season.