Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for providing the ARC.

I love the Meant to Be series, and I love Tangled, and I love Christina Lauren. This book was meant for me.

It's a wonderful retelling of the Disney movie with just enough difference to make the story feel different. Ren is sunshine personified and Fitz is just as charming and smarmy as Flynn Ryder. And there is everything that you would expect from Christina Lauren - excellent prose, evocative dialogue, and a tender sweetness that you can't help but love.

Loved this book!

This book was just fine to me and I love Christina Lauren. The tangled plots just didn’t work for me seeing it in a real 22 year old

This is a charming retelling of "Tangled." Ren, who was raised off-grid, experiences modern life for the first time when she goes to college. Her curiosity and intelligence shine as she navigates this new world. Fitz, the popular yet secretive college star, has his life all planned out until Ren comes into the picture. Their partnership in an immunology class leads to an unexpected road trip, where they discover their true selves and dreams. The chemistry between Ren and Fitz is palpable, filled with humor and heart. This sweet, closed-door romance is a beautifully crafted tale of self-discovery and unexpected love. Christina Lauren's writing is enchanting, making this a must-read for fans of modern fairy tales.

Honestly, I didn't love the first two books that were a part of these Disney-optioned fairy tale retellings by contemporary romance writers. But I love Christina Lauren so I decided to read TANGLED UP IN YOU anyway. I'm so glad I did!

Ren and Fitz are college students, competing for the best grades, and the stakes are high. But a forced roadtrip makes these opposites come together and the chemistry, people. The CHEMISTRY.

I was hooked on this modern take on Rapunzel (Tangled) from page one until I turned the final page with a happy sigh.

I took off a half a star from my rating because were a few loose ends in the story and "why didn't they just...?" moments that didn't quite add up. But that's really not too much of a distraction from this sweet and swoony tale.

TANGLED UP IN YOU is a delightful read that I absolutely recommend, even for readers who usually prefer more spice. I loved this book so much! Okay, more like obsessed. Just read it!

RATING: 4.5 stars
SPICE LEVEL: Rated G / Kissing only.
CONTENT WARNING: controlling parents, foster care, child abduction
FEELS: 3/5 - You will definitely feel some feels.

I only have a vague memory of the movie Tangled, so I was approaching this book without preconceived notions. Tangled up in You was a delight to delve into. From the very beginning, I found the awe and innocence of the FMC Ren to be so endearing. And the MMC Fitzgerald was a perfect balance of hard, bad boy with a tender center. The characters are complex and lovable. I have been fully enchanted by this book and now want to watch the movie again!

Christina Lauren is the most incredible author duo! They have mastered the art of ribboning gorgeous descriptions and dialogue through simple story-telling. Their books are the ones I highlight the most and this was no exception!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

I have loved everything by the duo. They knock it out of the park with each novel. I loved the deep characters and clever dialogue between the love interests. The only complaint is that it could be longer!!! While I won’t recommend to students, I highly recommend to any adults. Loved it

Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren
Meant to Be You series #4 by multiple authors. Fairytale modern day retelling. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Ren Gylden has grown up on a farm, isolated from most modern conveniences, and schooled herself by the books she was able to get from the local library. She has daily chores of feeding the pigs, working the farm and repairing what mechanicals that she can. At 22, she has finally convinced her parents to attend Corona College in person. She makes a deal with them that she will never go off campus, she will never use the internet or computers for anything other than her coursework, and she will be home every weekend to catch up on chores at home.
Fitz has his life mapped out. Graduate top of his class so his criminal record is wiped clean, and become a lawyer and get a bit of revenge for a past event. When Ren starts school during his last semester, he’s as smitten as everyone else, especially of her long golden hair and aura of innocence and niceness. Her scores and knowledge threaten his standing and he’s in real danger of no longer being top of his class.
A simple DNA assignment for an immunology seminar changes everything for them. Ren gets results that has her leaving campus with Fitz and driving cross country to find answers.

Delightful twist on a romantic fairytale in modern times. Charming and fun. Absolutely recommend for a light read.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

Rating: 1.5 stars

I love modern-day retellings and Tangled, so I requested an ARC of Tangled Up in You with all the overeager excitement of a lost princess blackmailing the first stranger she sees in her tower into taking her outside for the first time in seventeen years. That is--impulsively and full of naiveté.

I didn't give much thought to what adapting Rapunzel, let alone Tangled, into a contemporary romance would until I actually started reading Tangled Up in You, and that was when I realized I might have made a big mistake. I mean, the original story is literally about a girl with magic hair that glows when she sings who's trapped in a tower by a creepy old woman. It doesn't exactly scream "contemporary."

I have to give it to Christina Lauren. They really tried. Maximus becomes a white mustang, the glowing lanterns are replaced by fireworks, and The Snuggly Duckling scene is transported to the Screaming Eagle biker saloon in a surprisingly creative reimagining of "I Have a Dream." There are even a handful of Easter eggs that run the gambit from from frying pans (who knew?) to birthday paint to Flynn's inimitable nose that'll leave hardcore fans giddy and ready for more. Unfortunately, it's not enough to keep the story afloat.

This is my first time reading anything by the BFF duo, so I don't know how much of this didn't work because of the premise and how much of it was because of, well, them, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they got one of the harder assignments in the Meant to Be line-up. My biggest issue with the story is how one-dimensional, and frankly, underdeveloped both Ren and Fitz are. One of the reasons I love Tangled is because the depth of development Rapunzel and Flynn have compared to many of their princess movie counterparts. That's not the case here. If anything, Rapunzel and Flynn might have more personality than they do in this book. Ren and Fitz are so bland they're boring.

This was cute, but not my favorite from Christina Lauren. I liked the idea, but overall, I just like more original ideas from them.

4 -⭐⭐⭐⭐

"One day on the road, Sweden, and you've already got a mouth on you."

Tangled Up in You is a cute romantic comedy that is essentially Tangled but as a contemporary college romance. We follow Ren, a brilliant (though somewhat naive) young woman who has spent her life isolated from the world, finally trying her hand at college where she meets Fitz, a charismatic and charming senior. When she learns something shocking in her immunology seminar (that Fitz is also taking) she yearns to go on a road trip...then a surprising string of events leads her to crashing Fitz's trip. Yet neither expected that during their journey they would find a connection...so what happens when their road trip reaches the end of the road?

This was an adorable read. If you ever wanted to read Tangled , this is probably the closest and truest way to do so because I had so much fun. It gave the same vibes the entire time.

Ren may be someone who has lived on a homestead all her life but she is smart (not street smart) and quick thinking. She is empathetic, sincere, and does not always see sarcasm. I loved seeing how much she won people over just by being herself. I also loved seeing people feeling affronted with her bright personality before being won over.

Fitz has secrets. He is determined to be top of his class and his inability to keep his eyes on Ren is putting that in jeopardy but when Ren blackmails him he is forced to work with her. He cannot believe how she has managed to get this far but his resigned fate is adorable because every time he tries to get her to change her mind...and ultimately he, too, is won over.

While these characters are in their early twenties this book does not contain spice. There is a kissing scene or two but the romance is still strong as we get to enjoy the banter and connection Ren and Fitz build together.

"It's smaller than I expected."
"Some will say that it's not the size that matters, but what you do with it."
Ren slid her eyes to him, frowning. "I think you're making a dirty joke."
He laughed. "I might be."

The story itself focuses more on a road trip than the college campus. I enjoyed seeing how the author approached rejigging the different key moments in the movie to these books and the nods to the classic - there are so many and I loved catching the easter eggs! We get one bed trope, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine and more! The banter here was amazing and I felt getting both POVs really worked to draw out the romance. I was smiling and giggling the entire time. Now, the twist at the end needed a bit more explanation but overall I felt this was a fun read!

Thank you so much Hyperion for this arc!

Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairy tales and Tangled is one of my favorite interpretations. Christina Lauren do it justice in this retelling of the story. It is clever, funny and sweet.

This book was adorable, like a Disney move in book form!
I love Tangled & this retelling really captured the vibes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
😘 (kissing only)

💭 overall thoughts:
I enjoyed this one a lot, I loved making all the connections to Tangled and how Christina Lauren turned it into a modern, college romance.

I loved the connection between Ren & Fitz, how strong she was in some ways and how naive in others. His urge to protect her was so incredibly sweet 🥹

This didn’t feel like a typical CLo book, not that that’s a bad thing, just that my expectations were a bit different than the result.

I’m not sure how this one would be for someone who’s never seen the movie Tangled. A lot of what I liked about it was the familiarity of the story, but this also meant I saw a certain twist coming, which might have been more shocking otherwise.

tropes + topics:
✨ Disney’s Tangled retelling
🌦️ grumpy sunshine
🐠 fish out of water
🚘 road trip/forced proximity
🛏️ only one bed
💞 dual 3rd person pov

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and Netgalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

What a beautifully written story about chasing your dreams.
Think of the movie “Tangled” but, with a very surprising twist!
Ren and Fitz are the main characters in the story. Totally opposites in every way. Though there is romance, it is such a innocent, sweet aspect of the story.
Kudos to author, Christina Lauren, for writing such an emotionally charged story.
I cannot recommend this book enough! Definitely add it to your tbr list!
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

As an avid reader and a huge Disney fan, I'm just loving this series! I love the route the author took to modernize this story, and even though we all knew what the twist was, it stayed fun and suspenseful. The angst from the male main went on a little too long for my liking, but over all I ended up loving him!

A very very sweet romance story. I felt like this was such a nice flashback to Tangled and I really loved the characters chemistry.

I'm going to be really honest, I was a little disappointed in this. It was still good, but Tangled is my FAVORITE Disney movie and I guess I just wanted more. Ren is cute and just as sheltered and naive as you'd expect, and Fitz is cool and handsome and a bit of a rogue, very true to character. I did love that his car was named Max to keep with the theme. I thought Tangled Up In You was cute and fun and a pretty light, spice-free read, good for taking on a beach vacation when you don't want to have to think too much, just enjoy. If you are a Disney princess fan, you'll like this one. It was a like, but not love for me.

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

I think this was my favorite addition to the Meant to Be series. As a longtime fan of both Christina Lauren AND Tangled this was a perfect blend of both styles. I cannot recommend it enough. I loved the added depth to both characters and that the plot was just enough like the original film while still standing completely on it's own. I loved it.

Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren is the fourth book in the popular Meant To Be series that has different authors doing fairy tale re-tellings.
And this one is a phenomenal Tangled retelling!
With the amazing, funny and meaningful moments. Truly a cute romantic comedy, such a light and easy read! The main characters are so likeable that it made me breeze through this book.
I found this book so much fun. It was charming, engaging and so beautifully written.
I mean how could it not be? It’s written by CL!

I can’t wait to see which book comes next in this series!

Thank You NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I don’t usually go for books that are in the middle of a series without reading the others, but each book in the Meant to Be series is written by a different author so I figured it would be safe. It was. This book can be read as a standalone no problem. I’d be surprised if the stories in this series overlapped at all.

Ren is an interesting character. She grew up on a homestead being homeschooled. Ren didn’t interact with other children very often and she only went into town when her parents did. I hate using this word, but Ren is so pure. She is untouched by social media, television, and the internet. She naively trusts her parents 110%, even when she doesn’t agree with them. She truly believes they know best. The one thing she held firm on was finally getting to go to college. Ren is 22 and extremely bright. Her mind hungers for more knowledge.

The way Ren’s culture shock is written is perfect. She is a total sunshine character so the confusion at certain terms and the derision some throw her way don’t get her down. She doesn’t change who she is to fit in, but she voraciously absorbs everything around her and starts to see her parents may be wrong about a few things.

Fitz is a hard character to like at first. Honestly, even once I saw his soft side and got to know him, I was still confused about his backstory. I wish that would have been fleshed out a bit better. That being said, I loved his thaw. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship Ren and Fitz built and how protective Fitz was with her, even when he didn’t want to be.

This story took a minute for me to get invested. I loved Ren and her journey, but I didn’t feel the story took off until the road trip started. Having these characters who are attracted to each other but baffled by each other in a confined space was fantastic. In a way, this is a coming-of-age story since Ren was so sheltered and Fitz was so cynical. They both learned a lot on that road trip, about each other and about the world.

Tangled Up in You is a modern-day Rapunzel re-telling and if you are a fan of the movie Tangled - you’re going to love this.

I felt like the authors stayed really true to the Tangled storyline – it was easy to identify what scenes would compare to the scenes in the movie. It was a fun comparison, and like the movie this entire story had a sort of fun vibe – even despite the fact that there was a much more serious subplot.

I really loved the dynamic between Fitz and Ren. I loved how this all played out in a new adult world. This story is perfect for young adults as the spice is low, and the cuteness is incredibly high. Overall, this was a quick, sweet, easy read geared perfectly toward younger audiences! ~ 3.5 Stars