Okay, so I know it’s weird to post a review about a Christmas book on Halloween, but I just couldn’t resist this book! Christina Lauren is an author duo I really enjoy and I needed a book full of holiday spirit. One that leaves you warm and fuzzy on the inside when you read the last page. Did In a Holidaze meet my expectations? Keep on reading to find out!

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.

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.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

Review

“I ask the universe, simply: Can you show me what will make me happy?”

In a Holidaze is everything I love to read about in a Christmas romance. Family, friends, tradition, holiday music, love and so much more. I went into this book expecting to laugh and to end this story will a happy and warm feeling. Christina Lauren gave me both!

Our main character Mae ends up in a Groundhog Day like situation. Mae is trying to figure out her life and isn’t completely happy with how it is now. She’s not happy with her job, she moved back home to be there for her brother after her parents’ divorce and making out with her crush’s brother while drunk wasn’t how she was expecting to spend the holiday. Mae gets a chance to relive this holiday week again after a couple of freak accidents that send her back in time. I have to say this element is what made me give this story 4.5 stars. I needed just a bit more of this aspect. It’s like it started off the book, but I feel like it could’ve gotten a bit more attention.

I have to start off by talking about the setting. Mae’s family and her parents’ best friends always spends the holidays together at a cabin in Utah. The way this cabin was described I have to admit I would move there tomorrow if I could. It would be Christmas all year round for me, haha. I loved the traditions, food, scenery and just how much this group of people loved spending time together. The side characters can really make a story great and that’s what they did in In a Holidaze.

Besides that aspect of the story there’s Mae trying to figure out her life. What would you do if you thought you’d get a do over every time something was going the wrong way. The way this made her open up and feel free to do things she never would was really interesting to see. I liked seeing her dare to make mistakes and talk about her feelings. Something she may have never done if this hadn’t started.

Then there’s the romance of course. At first, I wasn’t really sure where this was going. I loved the idea of her admitting her feelings to the one she had a crush on since she was 13. That can’t be easy. I don’t know if the whole situation with Theo was necessary, because it kind of went to the background during most of this book. In the end, the romance was everything I love in a romance. It left a smile on my face and the ending was everything I wanted.

In a Holidaze is a great way to start off the holiday season. If you’re a big fan of Christmas and holiday romances, I can definitely say this book is for you!

 

I’m so glad I decided to kick off my holiday reading with In a Holidaze! I hope this duo writes many more Christmas related romances. Do you enjoy holiday reads? If you do, let me know what your favorites are in the comments below!