January 12, 2021

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Genre/Categories: Women’s Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Romance

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

Two families gather to spend a few days at a cabin in Utah, an annual and much anticipated Christmas tradition. The children in the families have grown up together and are close friends. Mae is in her twenties and has just moved home to live with her parents after a breakup. The vacation is coming to an end and she is driving home in her parent’s car and feeling miserable about her dead-end job, the fact that the cabin might be sold in the near future (thus losing a beloved family tradition), and her unrealized secret crush on a young man in the other family. She leans her head against the car window wishing for happiness and BAM! Their family car is broadsided by a truck. When she wakes up, she is in an airplane on her way to the cabin as if the accident never happened. Although this is unnerving, it will give her a chance to undo some things she regrets and to have another chance with her true love. The horrible part is that this loop repeats a few times and each time she relives those vacation days in the cabin. Mae is concerned with how she will manage to exit this strange time-loop and how it will affect the progress she has made in her new relationship.

My Thoughts:

Christmas in January? Yep! I don’t usually read seasonally, but In a Holidaze was popping up everywhere on Instagram and FOMO found me reserving this at the library. It was so popular that my hold just came in last week. Thus, Christmas in January!

Genre and Tropes: Chick Lit or Rom/Com is not my favorite genre, but In a Holidaze is an entertaining, fast-paced, and page-turning read! The time travel is minimal and doesn’t require an extraordinary suspension of disbelief. Also, HEA (happily ever after) is perfect for my pandemic brain at the moment. The (overdone) Groundhog Day trope is less than engaging in the beginning, but as soon as the story moves past that and into developing the relationship, I was hooked by the “family friends to lovers” trope.

Characters: All the characters are likable which helped me relax and enjoy the story. Even though the main character is well drawn, she comes across as much younger than 26 or 27 (I forgot to note her exact age). When the authors mentioned her age, it always surprised me because I consistently pictured her younger in my mind. Nevertheless, Mae is a creative, determined, loyal, and risk-taking personality that I enjoyed.

Themes: Several thoughtful themes to enjoy include family, siblings, family friends, traditions, making wishes, and risk-taking.

Content consideration: moderate steam (open door romance)

Recommended: I’m recommending In a Holidaze for fans of romantic comedy and romance; for readers who enjoy family drama; and for those looking for a light, uplit, escapist read.

My Rating:  3.5 Stars

In a Holidaze Information Here

Meet the Author, Christina Lauren

NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHORS Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced fourteen New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 30+ languages.
You can find them online at ChristinaLaurenBooks.com or at @seeCwrite (Christina), @LolaShoes (Lauren), or @ChristinaLauren on Twitter.

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QOTD:

Is In a Holidaze on your TBR or have you read it?

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ICYMI:

Most Memorable Reads of 2020

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