The Premise: entertainment writer (Alix) is hired as the ghostwriter of a former boyband member’s (Sebastian) highly anticipated memoir. True North, Sebastian’s former band, disbanded eight years ago after the disappearance of member Jett. Sebastian funds a month-long stay for Alix at a luxury ski lodge owned by his friend so that she can get the book written. Alix unexpectedly finds romance with the ski instructor next door to her at the lodge.

Thoughts: Ummmm SO CUTE! It’s low stakes, warm & cozy, and although Alix’s sister is a bit obnoxious, the b-story is funny. The Lodge is a fast read that will bring back the nostalgia of the early aughts and all the glory boybands gave the world.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance read!

Cozy winter romance perfect to read for this upcoming winter season!

Alix (side note I am also an Alex but this is a way cooler way to spell it and I am jealous ) is a ghost writer for a former boy and member. While staying in the mountains writing she meets the hot ski instructor next door and love blossoms.

It was so fun to read about their romance and then falling in love. I did see the plot twist coming but I still thought it was a really fun twist that I don’t think a lot of people will guess. I am inspired to head to the mountains to find me my own hot instructor.

The Lodge is most definitely a perfect and cozy YA winter romance. Sweet kisses and happy endings.

Alix is a journalist who’s lucky enough to be put up in a penthouse suite to help her focus and finish ghost writing a memoir of a famous pop band personality. But was it luck? I found myself putting two and two together and coming to realize it was all too coincidental where she was “lucky” enough to stay. Can’t give away too much but everything…and I mean everything…fell oh so perfectly into place.

I thought the romance between Alix and Taylor was sooo cute. Taylor was just the sweetest to her and once he starts opening up to Alix, we start to see more and more of how much they have needed each other and didn’t even realize it.

A cute and short, easy read that I recommend reading by a fire and hopefully it’s snowing outside!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this eARC!

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @atriabooks for an early copy of The Lodge by Kayla Olson. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Release date: January 7th, 2025

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214152208-the-lodge?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=S5y17w5RdT&rank=4

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

The Lodge tells the story of entertainment journalist Alix Morgan and former singer Tyler “Jett Beckett” who managed to disappear 8 years ago at the height of his and his band, True North’s fame. The two meet at a ski resort in Vermont, with Alix working on Jett’s former bandmate Sebastian Green’s memoir as a ghostwriter, and Jett (now known as Tyler) working as a ski instructor. Sparks fly, cute banters are exchanged, and dates have been made between Tyler and Alix, but she only discovers Tyler’s identity later on. When Sebastian decides to visit the ski resort to help Alix write his memoir, he is shocked as well when he sees Tyler after his disappearance which makes Sebastian even more famous.

While the romance between Alix and Tyler was cute and adorable, I was more invested in True North, how the band all came together and then suddenly fell apart at the height of their fame when Jett suddenly disappeared out of the spotlight, and his rivalry with Sebastian. I enjoyed the little previews and insights on the band like news articles, interviews, and discussion threads spread out throughout the entire novel. A lot of time was spent in developing Alis and Tyler’s romance though, but it didn’t really shine through towards the seemingly rushed ending. Although the ending turned out to be what I expected, it honestly felt lacking.

This book slightly got me out of a reading slump though! It was a light and easy read overall; perfect for a winter read. I enjoyed Alix and Tyler’s sweet moments on the slopes too.

Oh my gosh, this book was everything I needed to read without knowing I needed it. Kayla Olsen did the darn thing with this book. The Lodge follows Alix, an entertainment journalist that has been hired to ghost write a memoir for Sebastian Green (previous boy band sensation in True North). Alix hasn’t faired well previously with relationships, ever since her time dating a Wall Street man that couldn’t stay faithful she gave up on any sort of relationship with the opposite sex.

Once she starts the new book deal Sebastian sets her up with a month stay in a penthouse apartment on a resort in Stowe, VT. She soon meets Tyler a ski instructor that lives in the neighboring apartment. She starts taking lessons and spending more time with the very private man and soon they seem to be falling for each other. But with all the great comes a mystery she is put smack dab in the middle of, that might just put a damper on all the goodness she has been feeling.

This books setting was prime real estate, the characters were absolutely lovable, and the story was just SO good! Please immediately read this book because it is absolutely worth it.

I absolutely loved this story. Although I guessed the twist within the first few chapters, the reveal wasn’t any less exciting for me.

The setting. The characters. The butterfly romance. The pretzels and hot chocolate (okay, I’ll try it). Everything about this story was 5-star.

Please write another Alix and Tyler story. They’re too good to only have a one and done.

This was a good book, took me some time to get into it, but overall It was a great book.I think that you get to have all the winter feels and all the fun skiing and falling for each other feels too

A fun and cozy rom com! (Spice free)

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for this ARC🥰

Alix Morgan is a talented pop culture journalist with a long career following the life of stars! But when an opportunity arises to ghostwrite the memoir of pop star sensation Sebastian Green, best known for his teenage days as a member of boy as True North, she grabs the bull by the horns! So she can properly focus on writing the story, Sebastian books a beautiful penthouse at a ski resort for Alix. But things get a little complicated when Alix starts to fall for the ski instructor next door, Tyler!

Thoughts✨

This was a fun read! A cozy romcom with a twist! I liked Alix as a character and the banter she had with Tyler was so witty and definitely had me giggling a few times! And the found family dynamic of people of the resort was nice! Be warned that though Alix and Tyler have some romantic kissing scenes, the spice ends there!

The formatting of this book was unique though took me out of the story. With an emphasis on pop culture, in between chapters there were fun bits from “gossip pages” and “celebrity magazine articles” but I found them too long a few times and it took me out of the momentum of the actual story.

I’m regards to the twist, I caught on extremely early so I don’t know if I’m just good at reading clues or if the clues were too obvious/ too many?

First of all I love the cover of this book, second of all I really enjoyed it! Kayla Olson is a new to me author, and I will definitely be going back to read her backlist. It was so well written. I loved the story, it’s different than anything I’ve read recently. The relationship build between Tyler & Alix was perfectly done. It didn’t feel rushed, it was so natural. And the mystery behind the whole band kept me so intrigued I couldn’t put it down until I figured out everyone’s part of the story. I think it’s the perfect book to cozy up with by the fire this winter. The descriptions of the town and Black Maple Lodge were so perfect I could picture everything in my mind. I immediately need to go plan a trip to Stowe, VT. I will be recommending this to everyone.

Firstly, thank you for much for the ARC! I genuinely thought this book was so much fun!! I love the setting. It felt so cozy and perfect for the winter season coming up. I was reading this while locked inside for a tropical storm so I loved to connect to our main characters. I love the romance, it was super cute. But what I really loved about the romance was that it wasn’t the entire focus of the book. The boy band plot was SO interesting. I loved how the author broke up the plot by inserting interviews and articles. When I found out who Tyler was I gasped haha! I also love how Alix was able to get closer to her sister and find herself more in this book and it wasn’t all about love. What a fun book! I definitely would recommend this.

This book reiterates the fact that when you are ready to let someone in and be vulnerable with your feelings that you are willing to communicate is when excitement about what lies ahead begins. That is certainly when Alix went to the lodge with the full intention of writing the ghost novel of Sebastian, a member of True North, had no intention of meeting Tyler and seeing him as so much more than a ski instructor who helped her on the bunny slopes. She saw the sweet, shy and vulnerable side of him with a huge heart and thoughtfulness of those he loved and cared about such as Julie and River. Even when Alix discovered who is actually was, she still saw him as the person she was drawn to versus his public image of who his fans thought he was. She herself had felt that way when he made her feel insignificant and small which turned into anger. She quickly realized that she like Tyler were reluctant to let others in which is why they only let in very small groups of people like Chloe. However, once they chose each other, they were unstoppable. Like the epilogue which had such a wonderful and loving moment, they were ready for anything together. Together, they were unstoppable.

When I saw this book on Net Galley, I was like “ooo what a pretty cover”. It was totally worth my time! This book was well written, the characters had depth and honestly the plot was different, at least to me.

I enjoyed the boyband aspect, the drama, that both characters had relatable family/friend issues and the big secret!

Tyler is my new book boyfriend, that man had a way with words!!! He literally has this calming sense about him and I LOVED THAT!!! (Reminds me of my husband)
Alix was a strong female main character. She has insecurities like every person on the planet and she is strong despite them! She made me feel empowered to go after your dreams even as a grown adult.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC on this one! This review is not paid in anyway! I read this book willingly.

Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

Olsen’s “The Lodge” got me out of my most recent reading slump. This was a super fun read and was funny, easy to follow along with, and reminded me heavily of people’s perspective of boybands now. I really loved the addition of the threads, articles, and interviews all adding to the lore of True North; it made it feel more real and relatable (almost like I was following along with the news of True North in real time).

One of my favorite parts of this book was Alix’s journey writing the book and also learning how to let herself go a bit. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it would be to write someone’s memoir, especially someone who barely communicates and has a large ego. I actually wanted to see her process fleshed out a bit more - but watching her connect the dots throughout the book was intriguing and fun to follow.

I did think the ending felt a bit rushed, BUT nonetheless this was a really cute book. I loved Tyler and thought that all the dates were super cute. I loved the banter as well and really admired the character growth for the characters (some of which took a pleasant turn that I did not expect).

Kayla Olsen - this book got me in the mood for winter time and convinced me to sign up for ski lessons, and is worth the devastating fall I’m about to have on the bunny hill.

this was a sweet easy read. set in Vermont. If you like boy bands, you will love this book.. I read in two afternoons,

Ok, so it took me a little while to get into this book, but there was a twist in the middle I didn't see coming that made the book feel like it picked up! I also did not really connect with any of the characters, but still somehow enjoyed it! I really think that should be credited to Kayla Olson's writing style and talent! Really a 3.5, but I felt it needed to be rounded up to a 4, not down to a 3.

First order of business - book a ski trip so that I can experience the fun of this book. Okay, well maybe not ALL of the fun :) Love the mix of mystery with a little romance. Excited to read more Kayla Olson's book since this was such a fun, can't-put-it-down read!

Thank you so incredibly much for the opportunity to read The Lodge by Kayla Olson! NetGalley and Atria Books making my day! I absolutely loved this book. The way Kayla writes makes her a must read for me. I am now wanting to book a trip to the ski lodge this winter.

"the lodge" by kayla olson was a nostalgic throwback to the boy band days. i was hooked by the fun premise- a boy band mystery? sign me up!

while the story was enjoyable, the writing felt a bit too juvenile for me. it almost read like a YA novel, with dialogue and plot developments that felt more suited for a younger audience. everything seemed to fall into place too easily for the characters, which took away some of the suspense. and once the big reunion happened early on, i found myself losing interest in the rest of the story. there were just too many moments in this book that felt too convenient and unrealistic, and it frustrated me more than added to the plot.

that said, the lodge was a fun, light read with a lot of potential, especially for those who love a bit of boy band nostalgia. i just wish the pacing had kept me more engaged after the halfway point.

This was a cutesy, cozy winter read. The book did not have much depth, but it was a great palate cleanser book.

Really enjoyed this cozy romance featuring boy bands, entertainment tabloids and the most gorgeous winter wonderland setting. It was a super light, easy novel that I wish I read cozied up by a fireplace in the middle of winter.