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 … 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.
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I hesitated to read this book because of Maelyn repeating the holiday several times, but I have always liked books by Christina Lauren so I knew it would be good. But I was wrong. I didn’t find that reading about the family’s holiday time together the first time interesting. So the thought of reading it again, and again was more than I could handle. Even if it was different each time, I didn’t care for the characters so I wasn’t going to keep reading.
That was disappointing because I love Christina Lauren’s books. Even though this one didn’t work for me, I will still be picking up the next book they release.
I really enjoyed this book. I laughed in her time travels and her quirky sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this book.
Just for fun
This instant New York Times Bestseller is an absolute joy of a time travel romance. Jam packed with yuletide cheer and a Groundhog Day scenario, this one hits all the right notes.
I loved this mismatch of a time-travel, sort of love triangle, family, holiday story. There’s something familiar and comforting about being with friends you consider family for years. I loved that these people got together every year to spend Christmas together. Tradition is cozy, but needs to be shaken up from time to time. I liked watching Maelyn try to figure out what she wanted out of her life. Andrew was sweet and sexy. Benny was like a guardian angel. I loved that he was kind of the secret keeper. I loved how close-knit everyone was, even through their idiosyncrasies.
Disclaimer: Won book on Goodreads. This book is reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, except we don’t repeat as many times. I really enjoyed this story of finding ones voice, growing up, speaking your mind, confronting your fears, honesty, and romance. I look forward to reading other books by these two writers Chistina Lauren.
This is a story about a girl given a chance to do it again and again until she gets it right and finds her happiness. Mostly it is about how the only person you should worry about making happy is yourself. Living a life were you always do what is expected and what you think you are supposed to do in the eyes of others, given a chance for a do over is appealing no matter how many ways the story is told.
I was surprised by the adult content as I was thinking halmark movie type book. Language and sexual content.
I love Christine Lauren’s stories! Such a fun and enjoyable read!
I read this book and it was exactly like reading a Hallmark Holiday movie. I reread it a month later and still loved it just as much. It may be my new annual holiday read book.
As you can probably tell from the description of this book, this is a Groundhog Day loop story. I don’t recall ever reading a book using this plot device so I was quite curious how it would play out. When it comes to that aspect of this story, I was all in at first. The authors did a great job of setting things up so the reader wasn’t lost in the dust the first time the loop happened. After the second loop, while I was still enjoying how things were going, I had the thought in the back of my mind about how this could end up getting repetitive as it plays out differently on paper than it does in a movie. Never fear, just as I was truly on the precipice of getting annoyed if it happened one more time, the authors took the story in a direction that pulled me fully in and kept me engaged without feeling things were getting stale.
Since Mae hit puberty and realized boys were anything other than icky, she’s had a crush on Andrew. Their parents have been best friends since college, so she grew up with Andrew and his brother Theo. Every major holiday has been spent together their whole lives. Here they are, in their late 20s, spending yet another Christmas together at his family’s cabin, and things begin to run off the rails.
The beginning of this story kept me guessing. While I wholeheartedly believed that Andrew was an amazing guy and that Mae was infatuated with him, I wasn’t sure if that was where destiny would take her. There was also Theo in the mix since it seems he had some sort of romantic feelings toward Mae. Or did he? I cannot tell you how many leaps from one scenario to another my mind took when it came to Mae and why she was caught in this loop and who she was supposed to be with, if anyone.
While I’d definitely call this a romance because of things that start happening about halfway through, I really enjoyed the banter and antics of this group of friends as a whole. Even though there were certain characters we saw more than others, the authors did a beautiful job of giving them all their own distinct personalities. I would have loved to see Benny used a bit more throughout this story, but things still ran smoothly without him having to be more involved. The dynamic really worked for all the scenarios Mae found herself in as she tried to figure out what the heck was going on.
I’m purposefully being vague so as not to give away the reason Mae is looping. Of course, there are always things people need to realize about themselves, the direction their lives are going, etc. Mae is just given the advantage of setting things on the correct course. Destiny forces her to get out of her own way and take a step out of her comfort zone in order for her to live her best life.
My Review of In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren; published by Gallery Books
Well ladies, this book is for you! In a Holidaze is teeming with lively descriptions of characters, joyous family traditions, and a masterful “ground hog day” experience to wrap the fun-filled holiday up in a bow. Christina Lauren celebrates family and the ties that bind them through her main character, Mae, by having her re-live several days before Christmas in hopes of discovering her true happiness. If you’re looking for humor, romance, and an all around good read, In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a fun book I’d recommend for anytime of the year.
This is a must read. It makes you laugh and cry. It is so well written I could clearly see the charcoal drawing and the photo on the wall. I finished this book with a sigh.
4.5 stars
I am a huge fan of Christina Lauren. These two authors have quickly become a must read for me. In a Holidaze was no different.
One of Mae’s favorite times of the year is Christmas. They have a big Christmas tradition at a cabin with close family friends. This years Christmas didn’t go as planned. There are things she would like to have done differently. She can’t figure out why she keeps reliving these days in her version of ground hogs day.
This was a fun holiday read that I can see myself reading again.
I need to believe that things will be better, that wishes do come true! I want to feel the Christmas love and joy the holiday season brings. This hilarious time loop story brought the charm, and yuletide cheer. Christina Lauren delivered the magic that I needed.
Written in their signature style – adorable and relatable characters. This fun, feel good and festive read put me in the right mood.
Check this one out! One of my faves!
This is a cute Christmas story with likeable characters. Maelyn Jones and her family are meeting their close friends for their yearly tradition of celebrating the holiday together at a cabin in Park City, Utah. There are many traditions that they follow, including sledding, snow creature building contest, and a scavenger hunt. But this holiday does not go as planned and Mae makes a wish to find what makes her happy. After this she gets into a “groundhog day” situation where she keeps reliving the holiday until she can finally break the cycle. This was a fun book that made me smile and laugh out loud.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from publisher through a Goodreads contest. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Loved it so much I read it in only a few hours!
I love romances that are grounded in reality. No billionaire. No princess. Just a guy and a girl from bring each other in a mundane yet magical way.
Grounded in reality doesn’t mean without magic…there’s lots of magic going on in this book. Magic. Pleading with a universe that swiftly answers with its own brand of humor and sweetness.
I loved this book. The heroine, Maelyn is stuck living the same day until she learns how to make herself happy in this life. Of course, this harkens back to Bill Murray in Ground Hog’s Day. There’s also a brilliant reference to Christopher Walkens which made me fall this book even more
Andrew is drool-worthy and refreshingly normal. And together they’re perfect in a way that is organic and sweet— showing the reader that magic is possible even for us normals.
This isn’t just a holiday read it’s good for any day of the year.
In a Holidaze
Maelyn Jones is spending her Christmas the same place she’s spent it ever since she can remember. She’s in a cabin with her family and close family friends in Utah. She currently lives at home with her mom and stepfather, works at a job that does nothing for her and really isn’t going anywhere, and to top it off, on the morning at the end of their holiday, she learns that the cabin she loves so much that she’s spent much of her life at making some amazing memories with some amazing people, is about to be sold, making this their last Christmas at the cabin. On the way to the airport with her family, Maelyn asks the universe to show her what makes her happy. Moments later, she and her family are hit by a car. What happens next throws Maelyn for a loop. She is back on the airplane at the start of their vacation. Again. She is reliving what she had already been through. How many times is this going to happen? Is she dreaming? Will she really find what makes her happy or is she destined to relive the same vacation over and over again for all eternity?
This was my first Christina Lauren book and I really enjoyed it! It was like the romantic comedy version of the movie Groundhogs Day. It was very cute and entertaining, providing lots of laughs. I am very glad I picked this book up! I rate this book . Christina Lauren
It’s always fun if by crazy random happenstance you start a book on the same date the book begins, December 26th. In a Holidaze is a like a mix of Groundhog Day and the “Mystery Spot” episode of Supernatural with holiday flare thrown in as Mae tries to figure out her crazy situation. Filled with a great cast or eclectic characters, laugh-out-loud humor, and steamy swoon-worthy romance that create a delightfully fun holiday themed read you’ll want to spend all day reading.
I really loved “In a Holidaze” by Christina Lauren. These two have done it again. I’m so glad I saved this to read on Christmas Eve/Day – it was the perfect way to spend this crazy holiday season snuggled up with a great book. This book had laughs, snot crying the whole works. It’s such a great refreshing storyline… I just loved everything about it.
A great addition to your book collection and one that I know I will be reading multiple times!
Happy Reading…enjoy!