I didn't love this modern retelling of Rapunzel by Christina Lauren. They tried to make the kidnapping storyline plausible for a modern audience but it just felt a little ridiculous. The story felt rushed and I didn't feel that Ren or Fitz (Edward) had very much chemistry. Also, as far a spice goes, it's very PG. Not my favorite.

Such a fun read! I love the movie Tangled and found this to be a cute retelling full of love and swoon worthy romance. Somewhat cheesy but still made me smile.

An enchanting 5-star read! Christina Lauren's modern twist on Tangled is a delightful journey into love and self-discovery. Ren and Fitz's chemistry leaps off the pages, blending humor and romance seamlessly. The authors masterfully balance wit with heartfelt moments, creating characters who feel both authentic and endearing. The road trip adds an adventurous twist, propelling the story in unexpected, delightful directions. A beautifully written and captivating tale that explores dreams, love, and finding one's place in the world. A must-read by my 2 favorite authors!

3 stars. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC for review. I wanted to love this. I have enjoyed his series based on Disney stories and I usually love Christina Lauren, but this book was just ok. I really struggled to get into the book until I was 42% in, but then read the rest quickly. I thought Fitz was a (slightly) better developed character than Ren until she faced some challenges in the last third. This book was just missing that quality that normally pulls me into a CL book.

Thank you to the publisher @netgalley for this retelling of Tangled. I have never watched Tangled so I am not so sure how close the story resembles the fairytale. Ren grew up extremely sheltered and is attending college, really being out in and about on her own for the first time. She mets Ren, a charming handsome student and was warned of his player ways. They end up on in a situation where they go on a road trip. I thought the story was cute but Ren was a tough character for me. Her naivety and way too sunny disposition got too much for me. Their adventures was a lot of fun.

Oh it was just adorable. If you’re a fan of Rapunzel, you’ll especially want to pick this one up! It had such a nice balance of romance and adventure, and I loved the characters. I truly don’t have a bad thing to say about this book, so if the synopsis appeals, I would tell you to read it asap!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC!

5 Stars Tangled Up in You might be my new favorite Christina Lauren novel! This was such a cute modern take on Rapunzel/Tangled. Christina Lauren perfectly translated Rapunzel’s sunshine-y optimism and naïveté to their FMC, Ren, as well as the cynicism and sarcasm of Flynn Rider, aka Fitz. There’s also the bit of a mystery surrounding Ren’s parents, their origins and true intentions. Tangled is one of my favorite Disney movies and I loved picking up on all of the references—both small and large—to the movie, like the cat named Pascal or Fitz’s white Ford Mustang named Max. As Ren and Fitz journey across the country, their relationship goes on a journey as well, from enemies to friends to lovers. Their unwavering support for one another by the end of the book was so sweet and I especially love reading about them both attending therapy (always a fan of people going to therapy in books). Towards the end of this book, I found myself setting it down a lot because I simply didn’t want it to end. I wish we could have gotten just a bit more about Ren and Fitz’s happy ever after. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Ren never went to school, she has lived on a remote rural farm with Gloria and Steve.
When finally her parents agreed to allow her to attend college at age 22, Yay!! So many experiences and firsts to be had for Ren!

After taking a DNA test, the results tell her Steve is not her father. Ren has to more than bribe Fitz, the senior playboy to take her with him on spring break. It's a fun ride beginning to end!

I'm not familiar with the source text, and given that we're talking about a Disney movie and not the fairytale, I probably won't make myself familiar. That said, this is not only impossibly heart-warming, but featured the best hot tub scene I've ever read in my life.

Read this if you like:
•the Disney movie tangled
•a slow burn
•road trips
•opposites attract
•forced proximity

Okay this was so cute!!! Retellings are hit or miss for me but this was cute. Was it cheesy at times? Absolutely because it was in a good way! This has the normal Christina Lauren humor and chemistry and you won’t want to miss this out in June!

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tangled Up In You is a wonderful, modern, new adult twist on the beloved story of Tangled. I mean combining the magic of Tangled AND Christina Lauren?!? How could this not be amazing? AND I think the fact that this book is new adult (where both the FMC and MMC are 22) and has a college setting!!!
I'm going to be honest: I started this book and was expecting it to be Tangled directly on a page and it took a second to realize that would not be the case but after recognizing that this was a separate story and a loose retelling, I could almost say I love this as much as or more than the original Tangled storyline, and that is saying something!!!
The tropes in this book are even more heightened than in Tangled! There is strangers to enemies-ish to friends to lovers, opposites attract (a lil grumpy X sunshine👀), witty banter, nicknames (Fitz (MMC) calls Ren (FMC) Sunshine and Sweden!🥹), forced proximity, and a golden retriever FMC! I mean what more could someone want?!? I'll leave with one major teaser: kissing lessons...in a hot tub!👀
Thank you so much to Hyperion Avenue for this free e-ARC!!! I cannot BELIEVE that I got the oppourtunity to read a Christina Lauren ARC!🥹💖

Only Christina Lauren can take all the happy, idealistic, naive, and dark parts of Disney’s Tangled and transform it into something believable and moving. Translating Rapunzel’s story into a real-world scenario can’t have been easy, but they painted a realistic portrait of a girl who lived off the grid, a man who always wanted to do right, and the undercurrent that almost thwarts their romance forever.

This was extremely well-written and I appreciate how they didn’t gloss over the more disturbing parts of the tale, but rather faced them head on. I wish the ending was more drawn out, but honestly it matches the same one you get in the animated version. I’ve really enjoyed reading the different stories in the Meant to Be series and can’t wait to see which Disney classic is next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well, this was pretty adorable (but also a touch sad too). I think I saw Tangled one time like ten years ago so I didn't really have in my head that this was a retelling of it (the only thing I remembered was the Rapunzel-like hair). I also didn't know what the "Meant to Be" series was or what the other three books were before this, all I knew is that when I saw a Christina Lauren book on NetGalley I requested it, no questions asked. I did want more of an ending/epilogue/glimpse into their "happily ever after" though. Also, nothing naughtier than kissing/cuddling happening here.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First I want to thank Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion. Wow this was such a good book. A sweet romance plus a sorta dark mystery, that I couldn’t put down, had plenty of twists and although the ending seemed a little rushed, I still highly recommend it.

The opening line of this book stopped me in my tracks. It was so beautifully written and created this crystal clear picture in my mind. So, right away, I felt very drawn in and invested in the story. Also, as a big fan of Rapunzel and Tangled, I was also very interested in seeing how Christina Lauren took the classic story and bent it to fit in the real world.

But, here's the thing about those stories: they're dark, they're ominous. When we strip them away from the cutesy cartoon characters, they're not happy stories. And, when you put those stories in a real world setting, you also have to address the elephant in the room that the movies can ignore: the aftermath of all that trauma.

So, I quickly realized that reading a real world version of the story is not so much fun. It's actually...pretty terrible. Now, CL writes the heck out of it and I definitely wanted to keep reading, even through huge chunks where its gets quite dreary, but that is the story of Rapunzel. It's not really a happy story.

The part where I started to disconnect, though, was the last 20%. I was really waiting to see that shift in the relationship between the two main characters. Sure, they liked each other, sure, they had chemistry - but could I see that they had fallen in love? Could I see a happy ending? I didn't feel it. And, the ending cuts off abruptly. It felt like they ran out of pages in their notebook, and after more than a hundred pages of pretty bleak trauma recovery, I really needed something there to leave me with that happy feeling. Not there.

That being said. It's beautifully written, but I think it's going to leave fans of Christina Lauren feeling like something is missing in this one.

Holy crap that was good! Not my first Christina Lauren foray, but my first in this series, and WOW! Full disclosure, Tangled is my absolute favorite Disney movie, so I knew I would like this book right off the bat. But the emotional depth of Ran and Fitz, and the twists and turns on this classical story really blew me away! Definitely recommend!

I was soooo excited when I was approved to read this one that I loved it immediately to the top of my list. This book is part of the Meant To Be Series, based on reimagining the Disney fairytale movies. I previously read and enjoyed If the Shoe Fits and By the Book from the series and I enjoyed both. I knew that having the Tangled story told by the FABULOUS writing duo of Christina Lauren meant it was going to be fantastic and I was not disappointed.
It had everything I love from a CLo book including lovable characters and snappy dialogue. It also had the elements of the fairytale reimagined in the modern world.
I loved both Ren and Fitz and their respective stories. They had great chemistry and a true fairytale ending.
Thank you to the authors and the publisher for the opportunity to read a NetGalley ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A retelling of Tangled, but with Christina Lauren twists. Yes, sign me up!

I think they did a great job with this story. Though if you are familiar with Tangled it has similar story lines. They still did a great job at putting their own twists on it.

I will say somewhere in the middle I felt a little bored at times. It may just be me due to reading several thrillers beforehand. Overall, the beginning and especially the last third of the book I just adored it. Super cute and different from their normal.

Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Publishing for this e arc.
PUB DATE: 06/25/24
Highly Recommend!

As a Disney adult, I’m obsessed. It was all of the Disney magic with the classic CLo charm!
I know that every new book from this duo makes me say “these are my favorite characters” but I truly think that these two may be my favorite that they’ve written!

I might be one of the few people in this world who hasn't seen the Disney movie Tangled. That said, I will be seeing it after reading this beautiful re-telling of the story. I can't comment on how similar it to Tangled since I haven't seen the movie, but it was a beautiful love story with two well developed main characters.

The cover is beautiful and Christina Lauren does a fantastic job with all her romance books, writing characters that have depth and have their own lives and struggles outside of the romance. This book did have less spice than some of her other books, but that is probably because it's a retelling of a Disney movie.

Can't wait to recommend this to my friends when it is finally released!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!