Review – In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title In a Holidaze

Author Christina Lauren

Description from Amazon

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Release Date October 6, 2020

Initial Thoughts

Ok, it’s June and I’m writing a review of a holiday book when it’s 85 degrees outside. Honestly, I don’t know why I read this one so early (normally, I save my holiday reads for a little closer to the holiday season), but I was feeling like I needed some holiday cheer. Working from home definitely has me feeling down lately so I decided to pick up this book. Also, the last two Christina Lauren books I applied for, I did not get approved in NetGalley so I was SUPER excited to get this one.

Some Things I Liked

• Groundhog Day meets The Family Stone. I loved the tag line of this book. Those are two amazing holiday movies and I loved the idea of mixing them together. The holiday themes already made this story feel nostalgic but adding in some classic movies made it even better.
• Andrew the guitar player. This one is close to my heart as my boyfriend is also a guitar playing Andrew. I loved him as a character and thought he was just perfect for Mae.
• The humor. Once again, Christina Lauren created laugh out loud situations and dialogue and I loved every minute of it.
• Modern family vibes. This book reminded me of the TV show modern family in both their antics and their dynamic. Each family unit brought their own unique situation and baggage in some cases but they all made it work. I loved learning about all of them and would hope to see more of these characters in future stories.

Series Value

I liked the other members of the family in this story. I’d like to see a spin-off about Theo or Miles – something about where they find love.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect pick-me-up to get me out of my reading slump.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren – if you enjoyed the writing style and family dynamics of this book, try another one of Christina Lauren’s standalone novels.
• Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters – if you liked the holiday themes as well as the idea of a long-time love story, check out this series by Victoria Walters.
• The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler – if you liked the idea of a romance blossoming in a short time while on vacation, try this May 2020 release.