Full disclosure: I've never seen the movie "Tangled", but anything written by Christina + Lauren is an automatic must-read for me!

I absolutely adored reading Ren's growth throughout the book, once a sheltered inexperienced girl who grows into a mature and adventurous woman! Nothing like some DNA drama to get the party started! I loved getting to ride along with Ren & Fitz on their road trip. The tropes abound in this delightful romantic comedy - including but not limited to forced proximity and grumpy/sunshine!

Highly recommend for readers interested in clean romance (shocking for CL!) with tons of chemistry, a touch of mystery, and laugh out loud moments!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was cute but I definitely missed their usual writing vibe instead of writing within a themed series with other people. I don't think it lived up to they kind of writing and stories I know they can produce.

REN has lived a sheltered life. She and her parents have lived off the grid for as long as she can remember in her 22 years. REN has finally convinced her parents to let her go to college but have given her strict rules to follow - do not go off campus, stay away from technology especially the internet, and come home every weekend to complete her weekly chores. After an assignment in class that throws her a curveball, she bribes Fitz (a classmate who is slightly annoyed with her sunny disposition and naivety) on a cross country road trip. They slowly start to learn about each other and work to uncover her mystery.

This Tangled retelling was ok. It was not like any other Christina Lauren’s book I had read which is probably why I was a little disappointed and story moved a little slow. I would probably recommend the book to any Disney Lover especially ones that love Rapunzel. Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Very cute story. I haven't actually seen the movie Tangled but I did guess what the "twist" was before it happened. Really liked the characters once I got into it.

Ren goes off to college at the age of 22 and finally gets the chance to experience the world outside her homestead. While at college Ren meets Fitz and becomes infatuated with him.
Ren and Fitz end up taking a cross country road trip during reading week. Both slowly open up to each other on the trip.

A cute grumpy/sunshine romance. I really enjoyed the plot even though it was obvious what was going to happen. A quick easy to follow storyline. A great vacation read.

Christina Lauren always writes propulsive plots, so the main dynamic between the two main characters kept me going through this one. The end felt a little hectic--the mystery was engaging but the post-mystery part felt both too much and underdeveloped somehow, and didn't focus as much on the main couple as I would have liked for a romance.

I don't know what I was expecting when I decided to review this book but this was nothing what I had in mind. And that, turns out, is a good thing.

I love retellings and Tangled Up In You hit all the right marks on so many levels as a Disney Tangled retelling.

Ren has interacted with the outside world as she is the coddled by her parents. But no more. She's off to college. A little late in life but is excited nonetheless. And she's thriving. Not only is she well liked but she is also the best in the class much to the chagrin of Flynn.

Flynn needs to be the best, for reasons he cannot say but they are important enough that he cannot let Ren outshine him. Even if it means cheating. However, when she catches him cheeting, she now has leverage over him and in order to ensure no one finds out, Ren offers him a deal, take her with him on his road trip or else she will release the evidence that would most likely have him expelled.

What happens next is a road trip of learning new things for Ren as she searches for a relative she never knew she had.

This was a road trip romance that I actually liked considering that I normally hate them. But this was fun and entertaining.

5 stars.

Recommended for ages 16+ for language, danger, and spicy (though not sexual) scenes.

Loved this book. Another home run, by these two authors. Fitz has so many secrets, all that affect not only his current life, but how he deals with the circus of his past. Then the breath of fresh air, named Ren rushes in and the world explodes into fireworks. Lots going on, lots of trials and tribulations. Really good read, the ending was lite and left me feeling the storyline was not quite complete, but a definite addition to your TBR List.

I LOVED this book. It was so much more than a sweet romantic story between two unlikely people. The way Ren and Fitz grow together and as individuals during their road trip was so heartwarming. Add to it the twist of both of their pasts, and I could not put this one down. Another great novel by the Christina Lauren duo!!! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story is a retelling of Disney's Tangled, but with Christina Lauren's contemporary romance twist. A sweet tale of growth and evolution, with some mystery and intrigue. A great, fun read!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I knew going into this story, that it was going to be a retelling of Rapunzel.

And yes, there were similarities in the plot, but I was nearly done with the book and completely forgot it was a retelling because of how well done it was written and the story spoke for itself.

Ren, living on a severely sheltered homestead and farm with her parents, intelligent beyond her years, convinces her parents to let her go to college.....solely during the week. She returns home for the weekends to continue her work on the farm and maintain some level of sheltered lifestyle she was raised.

But when a blood test during a school assignment places doubt on her origins, Ren travels with the help of the college wide popular, Fitz, to find where she comes from.

An overall, fun, sweet read with some surprisingly good twists and turns.

This was such a cute retelling! I typically have issues with retellings because I compare everything to the original, and Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies and I think you just shouldn’t touch perfection. But I was pleasantly surprised!

It did take a while for me to get into the story though, which made me worried I wasn’t going to enjoy the book. It was around the ~40% mark that I got invested and didn’t want to put the book down. Just a bit of a slow start to get us introduced to our characters and the world.

Read if you like:
🔁 retellings
🛏️ one bed
😮‍💨 slow burn
🚗 road trips
👀 forced proximity

Overall I loved the modern twists on Rapunzel (Ren) and Flynn (Fitz). So much fun! Bravo to CLo for taking on and succeeding in a great retelling!

This is the second book I've read in the "Meant to Be" series and I just am not sure if they're for me. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, watching Ren acclimate to the 'real' world and become adored by all was really fun. Even the beginning of the road trip I enjoyed reading about, I thought that Ren and Fitz's banter was funny to read, and I liked their dialogue. I'm not entirely sure when I stopped liking it so much, but I can say that I felt like the last quarter of the book or so just felt like it was rushed. All of this stuff happened in a short amount of time, but I didn't feel like anyone responded to it in a real way and it just pulled me out of the story. I'd recommend this book to someone looking for a more innocent romance, or maybe someone who is just getting into romance books. Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC!

I love the authors and most of their books! This one was entertaining, but it was not as good as their other ones.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I DNF at 22%. A bit disappointing because I love Christina Lauren and Rapunzel is my favorite Disney princess- but I could not get into this book.

Huge fan of these authors and will 100% book talk them with my patrons, but this one just didn't grab me, unfortunately. This was just okay for me. I didn't love the characters or buy into their connection. The mystery element was rushed and the ending was anti-climatic. Maybe it's an "it's me, not you" situation, and hopefully, the next one claims my heart!

I went in blind, did not know this was a retelling of Tangled. I do know…this is not your typical CL book. YA style, light romance with a slight side of mystery. I’d give it a 3 ⭐️ for being a good book, 2 1/2 ⭐️ for the anti-climactic ending, feel like we really don’t get closure for the main characters. NOT spicy at all.

I received this book from the publisher & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I have read two of the three previous installments of the “Meant to Be” series, and after a lackluster showing for both, I was ready to call it quits. But then: A modern-day retelling of Tangled? By Christina Lauren, the current queens of the rom-com genre? Please sign me up!

Tangled Up in You tells the story of Ren, who has lived a pretty sheltered life and never gone to tradition school until she turns twenty-two years old and enrolls in college. There, she studies Monday – Friday under some pretty strict rules implemented by her parents before returning home to her parents’ homestead each weekend. At school, she meets Fitz, the dashing and witty ladies' man who seems to have it all. When Ren finds out some shocking news in one of her classes, she asks Fitz to let her accompany him on a cross-country road trip in his trusty Mustang, Max, and that’s where the fun begins.

Let me start by reiterating that I absolutely LOVE Christina Lauren, and Tangled is my favorite Disney princess movie of the past twenty years. Tangled Up in You lived up to all of my expectations. Christina Lauren did a fantastic job crafting a modern retelling of the story and truly captured the spirit of the characters. I found myself hearing Mandy Moore’s voice in my head as Ren experienced the world for the first time. Sure, this story isn’t realistic at all. But I think the point of fairy tales is they aren’t supposed to be, and at it’s core, Tangled Up in You is still a fairy tale. I read it in less than twenty-four hours – it was super-cute and fun, and I just couldn’t put it down.

In terms of the spice level, this is closer to YA since it's based on a Disney movie so don't go into it expecting anything too spicy. If you are a fan of Disney’s Tangled, or of Christina Lauren, pick up a copy of Tangled Up in You when it is released on June 25, 2024.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book has sold me on fairytale retellings. What a fun book! I didn't think I could live Christina Lauren more, but I am continuously blown away. I am obsessed and highly recommend!!

This was my first experience with a true "retelling" of a fairytale/Disney movie, and I ended up really enjoying it. It felt a bit cringey at first, but eventually I was able to just go with the flow and learned to appreciate it for what it is: a light, fun, feel-good fairytale retelling.

It's your classic Grumpy x Sunshine trope, which I love, so you'll hear no complaints from me. The female main character, Ren, was so loveable, sweet, and fun, and I loved her approach to life. The male main character, Fitz, took a while to grow on me but he did indeed grow on me. Their relationship was sweet, but I felt it needed more "oomph". There was just something about it that was missing for me.

I loved the ways that the Tangled storyline was reimagined, and I loved all the little Easter eggs throughout. It definitely added something to the experience for me with how much I love the movie. I don't know if the story holds as much value without having seen the movie, however.

The ending kind of came up and slapped me in the face, if I'm honest. It felt as though things were naturally concluding in many ways, and I was looking forward to a couple more loose ends being tied, but then it ended and I was admittedly a little shocked. I wish there was even just 10 or 20 more pages to conclude the other little details in a more satisfying way.

Ultimately, this was highly enjoyable for me as a Tangled fan, and I think it's worth a read for anyone that also loves the movie and Christina Lauren's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Hyperion Avenue, for the advanced reader copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.