I never thought I'd be reading a Christmas book this far out from Christmas but it's 2020, so why the hell not!

The premise for In A Holidaze gave me pause. I genuinely don't love the whole "Groundhog Day" thing. But I barely noticed it in this, which is saying something, because when I say I don't love it what I mean is I usually hate it and avoid it at all costs!

The characters were lovely, Mae handled herself well, all things considered and Andrew, for 90% of the book, was just the kind of book bf most of us actually want! (An Eliot from Dear Emmie Blue type!) The families were all great as well, especially family friend Benny, the resident emotional shoulder and advice giver.

The conflict that stems from the time travel issue a bit late in the book did kind of piss me off and kind of ruined the feeling I'd had for the majority of the book. Even afterwards I was holding onto it. I hold a grudge even when it stems from fiction, that's dedication to the craft!

Overall, this book gave me the "warm and fuzzies." I laughed out loud, I rooted for the main character and I swooned over the love interest. In A Holidaze is a solid holiday read from a beloved writing duo! But damn them for making me want peppermint Kisses well before they're available!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this. I did not love the last two Christian Lauren books but this one was a return to form. All I want now is for them to write more holiday romances so I can read them all the time. This put me in the holiday spirits but was also super steamy, very relatable and I couldn’t put it down. A solid 4 stars and would have been more if there was some better representation because this book was definitely lacking.

I couldn't even finish this book because I got bored. I don't know if it is just me but the story just couldn't keep me reading it.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
4/5 stars.
This book was a quick, fun and cute read. Despite the holiday cover and title, it's not really a true Christmas story. It's more about the days before and the family traditions that make the holidays special.
Mae has been going to the cabin for Christmas her whole life, and after a night where she makes a romantic mistake, she learns some news that makes it worse. As she and her family are leaving the cabin, Mae wishes for the universe to show her how to be happy. The next thing she knows, everything has gone black and then she's waking up on the plane to the cabin. Except it's not Dec. 20 and it was just Dec. 26.
So begins Mae's timeloop struggles as she tries to figure out what's going on, and what will make her happy and keep her from repeating the past again and again and again.
I thought it was an entertaining read! It started a little slowly for me, but then once it picked up I couldn't put it down. It was a quick read with a good balance of feel-good-holiday-ness and also Mae's struggles with what was happening. I did find the romance just didn't really work for me. Personally, I found the love interest kinda meh and didn't really care about their relationship. I also wish Mae would have talked to the other characters more in the beginning, but by the end she does grow and have those conversations.
Overall, I enjoyed the writing style, and I related to Mae's struggles with tradition and change, but the romance fell a little flat for me. I would still recommend this one to fans of Christina Lauren, and to fans of cute contemporary romances with a holiday feel.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an e-arc of this read.

Mae, her family, and their extended chosen family are very faithful to their Christmas traditions. Every year they visit a cabin in Utah and spend the holidays together. After heading home on what would have been their final year at the cottage... Mae and her family get into a car accident and all of a sudden she's back on the plane, Utah bound, where she begins the same holiday week over (and over) again. What does she need to do to break the cycle??

I didn't quite love this one as much as I wanted to. Here's what I liked:
- The Christmas theme & it put me in the Christmas spirit (honestly I'm a Christmas nut so I'm like ALWAYS in the festive spirit)
- Quick read!
- Some of the supporting characters were funny and charismatic

What was a miss for me:
- I love magical realism but I found that this one fell flat and didn't make too much sense
- A groundhog day plotline can sometimes feel too repetitive for me and this one falls into that category
- Didn't really feel invested in the main characters and their love story

Unfortunately the misses outweighed the likes for me but I still gave it 3 stars. I love CLo's older work but their new stuff just hasn't been doing it for me lately! But will I still read anything they put out? YES.

This book was like a big hug. I think if there was ever a year that we could all use some cheer, holiday cheer or otherwise, it is this one, and Christina Lauren delivered it. In a Holidaze was filled with heart, charm, humor, lovable characters, and plenty of holiday warmth and shenanigans.

Mae’s life wasn’t what she had envisioned for herself, she was in a rut. The one bright thing in her life was her yearly trip to a cabin in Utah to spend Christmas with her family, friends, and her long-time crush. This weeklong trip was always spent with traditions, games, food, and loved ones. When she found out that the cabin was going to be sold and that it would most likely be their last Christmas in the beloved cabin, it was just one more disappointment that she had to face in her life. On the drive back to the airport at the end of their holiday she asked the universe what would make her happy. So, what would make Mae happy? The universe was going to make her figure that out for herself by making her go back and relive the holidays over and over again.

While Mae tries to figure out why she keeps getting sent back in time, the readers get a holiday story that is so charming, fun, and romantic, complete with a bit of angst to get the blood pumping and your heart beating quicker.

The characters were so likable, so real. I am now a firm believer that everyone should have a Benny in their life. He was a real treat, and for a secondary character, he was truly second to none. I was invested in Mae’s story. I wanted her to find her happiness, and if it meant returning back in time to redo the holidays all over again, I was more than happy to go right along with her for the ride

In a Holidaze was a delightful read. It’s a story about taking chances, deciding your own fate, and going after what you want in life. It was filled with all of the goodness that I have come to expect from a novel from this duo. Bring on the holiday season!

*4 Stars

In a Holidaze - the perfect book to get lost in!

Mae Jones has been stuck in a rut in her life after her parents divorce, and her having to move back to her family home. She has a dreadful job she doesn’t enjoy doing and a fruitless love life. This Christmas she only has one wish: to find her own true happiness. And she believes that this holiday season, she’s going to make changes and have a fresh start.

Mae’s family tradition since she was born has been to spend the Christmas week at a cabin in Park City, Utah belonging to their family friends. Every year, a small group gathers in the cabin and although Mae’s parents are divorced and her mother is now married to another man, they have still kept this tradition and every Christmas Mae’s mother and father and 17 year old brother come to this magical place as a family to create new memories with their family friends. The cherry on top is that every year during this time Mae gets to see her lifelong crush Andrew, to whom she still hasn’t dared to confess her feelings.

But things start going downhill as the holiday wraps up, with Mae feeling shameful because of having a make out session with Andrew’s brother after a few eggnogs, and Andrew teasing her about it because of course he had witnessed them sucking face. Also, the news breaks that the cabin is going to be sold so this will be the last Christmas with everyone coming together...

When Mae hits the road with her family to return home, all she can think about is her one wish for this Christmas and BAM!!! there’s this huge accident. Rather one waking up injured in a hospital, Mae wakes up back in the airplane taking them to Park City to begin their holiday. Again.

She keeps going back in time again and again until... well you have to read the book to find out :).

I truly loved In a Holidaze. I loved the setting and Groundhog Day spiral from the beginning but was a little bored with the characters and dialogues. Then at about 30% in, I started to really enjoy the book and got lost in the magic and romance and of course the classic Christina Lauren humour. Sooo recommended!

Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you Christina and Lauren! After reading your last few book I was pretty disappointed, but this one definitely redeemed your writing for me. “In a Holidaze” is essentially “Grpundhog Day” meets “The Family Man” and basically every adorable holiday movie that has you go back in time to find your true happy place/find yourself. In the movie not only does the main character grow, she also helps the characters around her grow too. The only thing I wish we had more of were scenes of the main character going back in time, it feels a little like the storyline was resolved a little too quickly. Otherwise the book was very well done!

3.5 Christopher Walken Stars!!!!

I've been on quite the rollercoaster ride with CLo books this year. I've gone from This book is everything thing to meh it was just ok.

In a Holidaze fell somewhere in the middle of this. I didn't completely fall in love with it but it was definitely more than meh.

This one did give me the warm and fuzzies and set me up to get on the road to binging holiday reads.

So I actually knew nothing about the book before diving in so my reactions went something like this: Wha!?, Un!?, Ohhhhhhh. When it all finally came together I must say it was quite enjoyable!!

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

This is THE holiday rom-com I will be recommending this Christmas. It's Groundhog day but make it Christmas. I loved reading about Mae and her found family and their Christmas traditions. I found myself rooting for Mae finding her happiness and her pursuit to save the cabin where her found family meets every Christmas. If you are scared off by the time travel aspect, it kind of levels off about midway through and dives deep into the rom-com vibes. Christina Lauren always writes swoon-worthy heroes and makes the side characters very realistic and In a Holidaze doesn't disappoint.

I highly recommend that you add In A Holidaze to your Christmas list.

-- Read this review, and others, on my blog at www.hookedbythatbook.com --

Maelyn Jones is having a wonderful time with her family and family friends during their annual Christmas vacation to the cabin in Utah, which Mae considers her happy place. All her special people are there too. Her mom and dad, who are divorced, and her younger brother, Miles. Theo, who is the same age as Mae and who everybody thinks she will end up with. Benny, a friend of Mae’s parents, and also her favourite confidant whom she shares everything with. Theo’s parents, more friends, and then Andrew, Theo’s older brother, and Mae’s crush since she was 13 years old.

Mae is also feeling a bit stuck in a rut where her life is concerned, and after a drunken kiss with Theo, she asks the universe to show her what would make her happy. And lo and behold, the universe answered. Mae was thrown back to the start of the Christmas holiday, Groundhog Day-style, and she got the chance to do things over again.

There is a lot of humour, and fun, and Mae had time to figure out what she needs to be happy. She also had the nerve to go after it. Throw in some misunderstandings, hurt feelings, forgiveness, and open hearts, and you have the recipe for a winning Christmas romance.

For fans of Christina Lauren, you will not be disappointed, and if you haven’t picked up a book by this duo yet, then what are you waiting for!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In A Holidaze is the newest Christina Lauren book that is set during an annual holiday vacation that Maelynn Jones has been taking with her family (and parents friends) for many years.

The book opens to the last day of the vacation when Maelynn wakes up to a romantic situation with someone she is not very interested in (too much eggnog) and finding out that her parents friends are selling the cabin that they have been going to for years. On the car trip to the airport Maelynn and her brother and parents get into a car accident and Maelynn wakes up on the airplane 5 days earlier at the start of the vacation.

It’s basically Groundhog Day and Maelynn has to figure out why she keeps coming back to relive the same trip over and over.

The premise of this was good and I always love a fun Christmas story. I really liked the character of Benny (an old family friend) and I felt that he was one of the only characters that I really connected with.

It wasn’t my favourite of the Christina Lauren books that I have read but it was a good holiday read.

I’m so glad Christina Lauren decided to write a Christmas novel. I’m more glad they made it unlike anything else they’ve written. The whole Groundhog Day set-up was quite amusing.

My only “complaint” is that, to me, the characters felt younger than they were supposed to be. I sometimes forgot our narrator was 26 because it felt like she was 19-22ish.

Overall, this was a fun and fast book to read.

I love Christmas books and I love Christina Lauren so I knew I would love In A Holidaze!! This book starts out with a Groundhog Day feel and I wasn't so sure about it but then I really started to enjoy it. I loved the friends to lovers, the cozy Christmas feel and most of all I loved that it was about going after what would truly make one happy.

In my opinion this book is almost the perfect Christmas read.. Family? Check! Cozy cabin? Check! Yearly traditions and delicious food? Check! Romance? Check! Overall this book was a quick, light hearted read and if you're looking for a cute Christmas romance this is for you!

I've read my fair share of Christina Lauren books and they were either a hit or a miss. I'm so happy to say In a Holidaze was a hit for me! It's the perfect material for a Hallmark Holiday movie.

In a Holidaze gave me all the Christmas vibes. The featured found family was a rowdy but wonderful bunch. From the festive cooking to their delightful activities, each moment was full of meaning. So symbolic. I loved it.

I'm a big fan of Mae and Andrew getting together. Their chemistry was unreal once feelings were revealed. Every heated look, every flirtatious exchange between them were off the charts hot. So delicious~ They absolutely were meant to be together.

The only thing I found kind of lacking was the time-travelling bit. I wish it was explained better. Mae had a lot of valid guesses but we never got a clear cut answer. It's not a crucial detail but personally I like knowing.

If I was to choose two words to describe In a Holidaze they would be heartwarming and romantic. This is just the book to pick up for the upcoming holiday season. I highly recommend it!

💫 Book Review 💫 ⁣
𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐳𝐞 by 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘯⁣
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Oh hello, my book palate cleanser that gives me all the feels... I’ve been looking for you! ⁣
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12 weeks until Christmas morning and a whole lot of holiday reads to sneak in. There is nothing I love more after thanksgiving then to curl up with a tea or wine, in a massive blanket, with whatever Christmas book I can get my hands on. For me, the lead up to the holidays is always so much better than the actual day ❤️💚⁣
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Which is why when I received this ARC from @netgalley I knew it would be the perfect way to start October. Little did I know that it would also be one I could picture myself in as well! ⁣
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Maelyn Jones and her modern family of people head up to a cabin in the woods to celebrate Christmas together. The group is a mix of college friends who married, had their babies and now share this slice of tradition with each other every year. This year, Mae finds herself at a point in her life where she doesn’t love her job, isn’t sure she is living where she should be and has secretly harbouring a crush on one of the guys she’s grown up with as part of this modern family. By some sort of magic, Maelyn finds herself in a groundhog type of day where she relives the same 3 days over and over.. until she realizes that it’s the universe telling her to grab on to what and who you love. There’s no more chances for second guessing oneself. ⁣
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I adored this book. I adored Maelyn. She’s everything that so many people are in their mid 20’s: unsure, hesitant and hoping that the path ahead is the right one. She just needed that little push (or to knock her head 😉) to figure it out. ⁣
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This is my 2nd CL book and she’s slowly becoming another favourite to read when I just need a sweet, fun romance that gives you all the feels. Thank you @netgalley @gallerybooks for this gift! It exceeded what I thought it would be. ⁣
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𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟼 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦! 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱. And just because it is my favourite line in the novel, I shall share it with you 💗 ⁣
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“𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬.” (𝘚𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘯)

In a Holidaze is Christina Lauren’s latest book about finding what truly makes you happy - even if that means repeating the same day over and over until you get it right. Maelyn is stuck in a rut, just made out with one of her long time family friends who’s brother she’s loved for so long and has just found out her family & extended family’s annual Christmas trip is in jeopardy when she makes a wish to the heavens to show her how to be happy and subsequently gets into a car crash. She wakes up on a plane 6 days earlier and realizes she has a chance to relive her Christmas break on her own terms. Until she wakes up on the plane again, and again. Will she eventually get it right? Or will she be doomed to repeat the same week over and over?
With a cast of loveable characters, great, witty dialogue and a totally festive feel, this book should be on everyone’s list!

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an arc of In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren!
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I love Christmas and I love Christina Lauren books. They are such good writers and I am always swept away by their story lines and characters. I know I will be rereading this one in the future!
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CW: there is a Groundhog Day-esque aspect to this book so there are repeated accidents - the first one is a car crash.
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I enjoyed In a Holidaze. It is a cute friends to lovers story with themes of found/chosen family. I loved the parental friend group and that their children are friends!
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I really loved the message of following your heart to happiness, being true to yourself, trusting in your ability to make decisions and being present. I loved the focus on friendship and the importance of communicating in your relationships!
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In a Holidaze released October 6! I hope you pick this one up!

Well, this book was adorable. After the first few chapters, I wasn’t so sure if I’d like it if it kept repeating the Groundhog Day theme, but it got so much better and I just loved this sweet holiday themed read. I love a book centred around a short period of time, especially one set at the holidays. This book felt just like I imagine the cozy, pine scented cabin feels like on a winter afternoon sitting by the fire with a cup of boozy hot chocolate. I’m so grateful to get an early copy of this book from Net Galley, even if it has got me into the holiday mood way too early!

I so enjoyed this book! The story was adorable and the characters were so great. I really enjoyed the storyline and Maelyn was a fantastic character. I loved that she learned to be herself and go after what she wanted in life. Definitely one of my favourite Christina Lauren books!