4 stars

Light, fun read perfect for grown-up fans of One Direction or N*SYNC. Entertainment journalist Alice Morgan is tasked with ghostwriting the memoir of a former member of boy band True North. Along the way, she makes a surprising discovery.

Closed door romance, some twists and turns, read it while dealing with the aftermath of hurricane Milton here in Florida. Just what I needed!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

The Lodge by Kayla Olson (pub date January 7th)

Alix was chosen by her boss to ghostwrite a memoir for a member of a famous boy band. They’re all grown now but still super famous from back in the day. Think Backstreet Boys maybe.

There’s some mystery surrounding the band and their breakup. On top of that, Alix has never written a book before. She’s a little nervous and she’s on a deadline. And life happens. Like it always does.

Sebastian (the guy she’s writing the book for) flies her to a ski resort so she can get some peace/quiet and focus on the book. The problem (or one problem along many) is, he’s supposed to be meeting with her to discuss his past but he’s avoiding her.

The good news is she meets a ski instructor that is pretty darn charming. The bad news is she’s super behind schedule.

This was super cute. Definitely an original plot, especially if you like the celebrity tie in (it totally worked). This would be great to read when the snow is falling.

No smut in this one for those that like to know.

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley ☺️

3.5⭐️
I genuinely had a fun time with this book. It was a super cute and easy read with a plot twist that you could see coming, but still made me giggle when it happened.

As for the characters, I did really like the MCs. I would’ve liked a little bit more build up between the two, but I also am a slow burn girlie… Lauren I absolutely hated. She got under my skin soooo bad. And Sebastian was just a pain in the ass.

The story itself was fun for me. I liked that there was a mystery aspect around the romance and that there was a legit plot. Overall, I had a good time reading this 🫶🏼 I think I just wish there was a tad bit more umph

4⭐️
"Tyler puts a hand to my face, leans his forehead against mine, and closes his eyes."

This was cute. A ghostwriter takes a trip to a lodge in Vermont to get some work done, and starts to spend some time with the ski instructor living next door? Sign me up. The atmosphere of the lodge and winter in Vermont was really well done I thought- I really wanted to curl up in front of the fire with some hot chocolate while reading this.

Alix and Tyler were pretty cute- this is a slight hint of insta-love, as our couple hits it off from the very moment they meet each other. This is a slow burn, closed door romance, with very little drama from their relationship alone.

The rest of the drama however, comes from True North. Alix is ghostwriting a book for Sebastian Green, former member of the boy band True North. They broke up eight years prior, when the other frontman, Jett Beckett, disappeared.

[Honestly I thought River did Tyler SO dirty here and it was just never resolved. Tyler has spent eight years building his life at the lodge- it's his home, his safe space. And River decides to blindside Tyler by inviting Sebastian and Alix to the resort right next to Tyler, therefore revealing his secret. This was just such a huge betrayal from a friend? River's excuse was basically 'it's been really hard keeping your secret'. YOU COULD HAVE TALKED TO HIM?! Instead of starting a chain of events that ended with Tyler's secret on national news (hide spoiler)]

Alix's relationship with her younger sister Lauren also irked me. We are told multiple times by Alix that Lauren has been babied her entire life. That their mother has always done the problem solving on Lauren's behalf, to the point of Lauren being unable to function on her own. She complains that her mother enables her- but then spends the book doing the same thing. She not ONCE has a hard conversation with her sister, not even when Lauren blows things up at the end of the book

Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute romance! My inner 90’s child loved the boy bands, the mystery and sooooooo much banter. Absolutely loved every moment of this book and I wanted more!

I initially picked this book up for the cozy, snowy Vermont ski lodge vibes, but it ended up exceeding all my expectations. The story follows Alix, a writer tasked with ghostwriting a memoir for a member of a boy band that had mysteriously broken up after one of the members disappeared. And let me just say, the whole famous boy band plotline hit all the right nostalgic notes for me!

Even though I could see some of the twists coming from a mile away, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed every second of this book. Alix’s journey—both in her career uncertainty and personal growth—felt so relatable. There was something comforting in her feeling lost and unsure about her future, and I loved the sweet romance that developed with the ski instructor at the lodge. The snowy, secluded setting made it the perfect cozy escape. Plus, the behind-the-scenes look at ghostwriting a celebrity memoir was such an interesting twist I wasn’t expecting!

Overall, this book had it all—nostalgia, romance, and a bit of mystery. I loved escaping to Vermont with Alix, unraveling the secrets of the boy band, and getting swept up in her story. Definitely a heartwarming, feel-good read that I’d recommend to any of my friends!

Super cute rom-com. Great setting and characters. I couldn't put it down. Perfect to curl up with a cup of cocoa on a cold day! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved The Lodge! Although it would have made the perfect read for the winter season, I was anticipating this one so much that I went ahead and dove into it, despite it still being in the upper 90's here in Dallas, Texas. However, I'm so glad I did! It was THE perfect fictional escape for me. I loved how cozy this book was and I felt like I could really relate with the main character, Alix, who felt lost in the future of her career and what tomorrow would bring overall for her life. I also loved the plot twist and the famous boy band aspect of it. It all felt very nostalgic with my own personal obsession with The Jonas Brothers growing up. I feel like a lot of us can relate to that fantasy of somehow ending up with your J14 celebrity crush haha. It was also neat getting to learn a bit of how an author would go about writing a memoir for a celebrity and how that process works. Overall, this was such a cute read and I enjoyed getting to unravel the mystery, live vicariously through Alix, and to escape to Vermont for a bit. I'd recommend this read to my friends!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

What first drew me into reading this book was the cover - it's gorgeous. As well, I absolutely adored Kayla's previous book, The Reunion, so I was excited to get the ARC! It was a fabulous read, full of romance (and mystery)...complete with a boy band (hello 90's!), set at a beautiful ski resort in Vermont was perfection. I liked the character development of Alix, the FMC (so relatable) and her (hot) ski instructor Tyler - swoon! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book! I have dreamed of going to Vermont for almost 100 years (I’ll get there one day 😂) and reading a book set in Vermont was so good for my soul. Tie in the fact that I am a product of the boyband era and I love reading books with writers/journalists, I’d say this was the perfect book for me. I will definitely be recommending this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 stars!

I mostly went into this book excited for the snowy, Vermont ski lodge vibes but this book went above and beyond my expectations. The plot point revolves around a writer who is ghostwriting a book about a member of a boy band that broke up with another member mysteriously disappeared. At the Lodge to write, she meets a ski instructor and falls hard. I could see all of the twists coming from the very beginning and I didn't care- I still loved every second of this book.

This was a super quick and easy read for me. I adored the story and the characters. I love that the relationship remained healthy throughout the whole book. I would one hundred percent recommend.

This was my first introduction to Kayla Olson, and I didn’t realize it was a clean romance - there’s nothing wrong with that, not everything I read has to be spicy, but I just prefer to know that ahead of time. I honestly don’t remember the main characters even saying I love you anywhere in this book…

This was giving strong Lou Pearlman vibes with the sketchy manager of a boy band - I was a huge Backstreet Boys fan back in the day, so I immediately hated Jason.

I predicted the twist very early on - it seemed extremely obvious to me. I still enjoyed the journey to get there though!

Tyler was so sweet and thoughtful with his date nights - what a cutie pie. Alix needed to grow a pair and put her foot down with her sister much earlier than she did - that sister sucked.

Overall - I liked it - it was a simple, easy, quick read. Based on the writing and the non-existent spice level I would honestly classify this as a YA novel with adult characters.

My biggest complaints about this book - everything was resolved so easily. Things just felt so… easy… which again seems to reiterate that this is a YA novel.

This won’t be going on any of my top books of the year lists, but it kept me entertained for a few hours.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the ARC of this one!

I can’t buy into the absolute delusion of the FMC absolutely losing her mind after one milk toast conversation. Overall, the book lacked realism and depth and felt like it was written for a much younger audience. I’m typically willing to overlook these types of faults as long as I’m having a good time but nothing in this book was engaging me. Wish I could give it a better rating but this one really wasn’t for me.

This book is just *chefs kiss*. From the moment I picked it up, I simply couldn't put it down. Setting and character descriptions are amazing and they capture you from the start. Plus, the main character is centered and focused on her goals and career, the main guy is also just perfect, considerate, and nice. Bonus points for the plot twist - wasn't expecting it for this one. Would definitely recommend and pick up others by the author next!

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.