⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ REVIEW: In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Such a light, swoony, feel good holiday read! I had to stew on my rating for this one overnight because the second half is most definitely stronger than the first, but then I realized that the ONLY thing I didn’t like about it is the time travel gimmick, and that’s all laid out in the blurb. Can’t fault a book for doing exactly what it said it was going to do, but I fully admit that it was a slow start for me. But after that? So much friends to lovers goodness, with a hero who is just so GOOD and a romance that’s got years of history behind it. These two might fall hard and fast, but they’re already family from the start.

The story follows Mae, a woman whose life isn’t going quite how she planned. She’s moved back home, works a job she hates, and the only bright spot in her life is the yearly family trip for the holidays where she gets to see the guy she’s been crushing on since puberty (the son of family friends). But even that’s gone horribly wrong this year. In a drunken moment of depression, Mae kissed the wrong brother, and now there’s no chance that the right one will want anything to do with her. Add in a terribly awkward morning after and news that this will be the last trip to the cabin, and it’s all too much. When Mae makes a Christmas wish in an attempt to find what will make her happy, things get a little crazy. Reliving the same trip over and over again until she gets it right, Mae seizes the moment and gets her joy back.

I openly admit that this started off pretty questionable for me. I was worried that it was going to go full love triangle for a minute, and the focus at the start is definitely the time travel/Groundhog Day effect. But this settles into such a good read. Mae’s guy is sweet, kind, loving, adorable with just a touch of sexy – everything you want in a holiday romance. There are plenty of family moments and some Christmas cheer, but the romance stays at the forefront throughout. It’s a quick, light read that will make you think about all of the possibilities in life, and I kinda loved that about it. The tone is uplifting and playful, feeling like your favorite kind of Christmas movie with a hint of steam. So I’m willing to overlook the rocky start because the rest was exactly what I wanted from it. I was lucky enough to receive a free copy via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review of this holiday romance.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TMwi46

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Blurb:

Love Actually meets Groundhog Day in the quintessential holiday romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Honey-Don’t List. 

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.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2TMwi46