Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - In a Holidaze

Title: In a Holidaze
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Holiday Romance
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: October 6, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Wintry • Cozy • Unrealistic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Maelyn is down on her luck - she's living with her parents, hates her job and has just made a mistake of epic proportions on what will be the last Christmas spend in her favourite place in the world. As she drives away from the cabin for the final time, she pleads with the universe. Next things she knows, she awakes on a plane bound for Utah, beginning the same holiday all over again.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I usually like to read a holiday romance or two during the festive season, and had seen so much love for In a Holidaze that I decided to give it a shot. Let's just say I didn't enjoy it all that much.

The writing felt disorganized and rushed. The time-loop portion of the plot felt confusing and off. The characters lacked depth to the point where I ended up liking some of the secondary characters (particularly Benny) more than Mae and Andrew. What I did enjoy was the cabin setting and all the family traditions.

This was another Christina Lauren book that fell flat for me, but I can definitely see why so many people have loved it if they're simply looking for a quick, fun holiday read.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Hallmark rom-coms

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"'Maybe we should do things because we love them, not because we've always done them that way.'"

Content Warnings

mermaidsherbet's review

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

ldystargazer's review

Go to review page

hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Cute holiday romance that I read in one day. However the story was predictable and vanilla. I feel like everything was rushed and the time loop storyline was very short.

Content Warnings

brittishliterature's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I was pleasantly surprised by this fun holiday read! I'd nearly written it off, because, although the cover is super cute, I was pretty hesitant about the hype. The story ended up being completely different than what I'd expected, and I enjoyed it so much!

The first chapter felt a bit hard to follow, but once I got settled into the story, I was fully invested. Mae was not my favorite main character, but there was a bit of character development and growth as the book continued. I felt that the character development of those around her was a tad lacking for me. I would have liked to get to know Andrew, Theo, and the rest of the gang better. It was hard to keep them all straight and made the romance feel a bit shallow since I knew very little about most of them. Benny, however, I LOVED Benny! I pictured him as resembling Woody Harrelson haha.

The one main issue I had with the story is that I actually thought

Mae was going to eventually realize feelings for Theo and finally get over her crush on Andrew! Okay, yes, there was the drunk kiss, but they were drunk for crying out loud and he liked her. I don't know, I definitely thought there was potential there, and I definitely thought that was going to be a plot twist: finally sleeps with her dream guy and then realizes she actually loves her friend Theo. I was a bit annoyed at the way Theo's feelings and their lifelong friendship just got shoved to the side. I actually liked Theo! I think once I got past this, I was able to finally accept the ending, even though Mae's relationship with Andrew felt like it happened a bit too easily. But once I'd accepted him as the love interest, I thought it was really sweet and romantic.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and am glad I finally read it! Great holiday read filled with heartwarming romance, a very lovable group of chosen family, and sweet feelings of nostalgia. I guess sometimes it doesn't hurt to judge a book by its cover ;)

Content Warnings