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eloraramirezbooks's review against another edition
5.0
First book in a LONG TIME that I was start to finish in a single day. Cute and predictable, but that was so needed.
marissax89's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars • I am a total grinch so it’s already backwards for me to read something christmasy. But I needed just a fun easy read and I got it with this book. I liked that the characters were authentic and spoke in the way that I would. Benny was my favorite character and although it reads like a hallmark movie, it felt good and made me smile
michelemorse's review against another edition
2.0
2.5. Didn’t care for the Groundhog Day theme… mainly because it has no true rhyme or reason, it was random and suddenly just over?
Maybe a spoiler -but it’s just seemed lazy and never really went all the way with it. Easy enough read but disappointing. I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners but this fell flat
Maybe a spoiler -but it’s just seemed lazy and never really went all the way with it. Easy enough read but disappointing. I enjoyed The Unhoneymooners but this fell flat
dbotica's review against another edition
5.0
It's no secret that I LOVE Christina Lauren books so I was beyond excited when I was able to score an ARC of In a Holidaze from Gallery Books (thank you), out now!!
In a Holidaze was Groundhog Day meets The Butterfly Effect. After a crazy Christmas week with her family (and family friends turned family), Maelyn Jones's world screeches to a stop as a bomb was dropped right as everyone left. On the car ride to the airport with her family, she sees a quick glimpse of a wreath before she finds herself back on a plane.
After waking up, Maelyn must relive the week she just had, as though sent back to change the outcome. How many times does she have to live through the crash before she'll get it right?
In a Holidaze is the perfect book to curl up with this holiday season. It was light, airy, and such a breath of fresh air in the year 2020. I loved this book SO much it may be a staple for all Christmas seasons to come. I may actually read it again this year when it gets colder out. THAT is how much I loved this book.
As always, a huge thank you to Gallery Books and Christina Lauren for allowing me to read this before the rest. I absolutely loved it and quite literally cannot want for the next one!
In a Holidaze was Groundhog Day meets The Butterfly Effect. After a crazy Christmas week with her family (and family friends turned family), Maelyn Jones's world screeches to a stop as a bomb was dropped right as everyone left. On the car ride to the airport with her family, she sees a quick glimpse of a wreath before she finds herself back on a plane.
After waking up, Maelyn must relive the week she just had, as though sent back to change the outcome. How many times does she have to live through the crash before she'll get it right?
In a Holidaze is the perfect book to curl up with this holiday season. It was light, airy, and such a breath of fresh air in the year 2020. I loved this book SO much it may be a staple for all Christmas seasons to come. I may actually read it again this year when it gets colder out. THAT is how much I loved this book.
As always, a huge thank you to Gallery Books and Christina Lauren for allowing me to read this before the rest. I absolutely loved it and quite literally cannot want for the next one!
laurabeth9's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5 ⭐️ (ranked against other holiday books)
I recently read another of her books, “The Unhoneymooners” but could not get used to the audiobook narrator. Definitely enjoyed the written version. For this one, I think the audiobook was perfect.
It’s not a book set during Christmastime but instead focused on 4 families whose relationships started back in college and then meet up every year Dec 20-26 with their fantastic traditions and memories except this year something goes awry.
I loved Mae as the central narrator and her character development. There are great relationships that focus on all the good things we want to read but still address faults. There is snowman building, Christmas tree shopping, hanging ornaments, snowball fights and more. The snowy scene and warm fires really set the mood and of course there’s a budding romance. Loved the story setup and journey. Great holiday read.
I recently read another of her books, “The Unhoneymooners” but could not get used to the audiobook narrator. Definitely enjoyed the written version. For this one, I think the audiobook was perfect.
It’s not a book set during Christmastime but instead focused on 4 families whose relationships started back in college and then meet up every year Dec 20-26 with their fantastic traditions and memories except this year something goes awry.
I loved Mae as the central narrator and her character development. There are great relationships that focus on all the good things we want to read but still address faults. There is snowman building, Christmas tree shopping, hanging ornaments, snowball fights and more. The snowy scene and warm fires really set the mood and of course there’s a budding romance. Loved the story setup and journey. Great holiday read.
amandahollander26's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet and fun and a great emotional arc. I have zero idea how 2 people write a book together and make it feel so cohesive.
elenamulligan's review against another edition
2.5
2.5 stars. I need to stop reading time loop novels cause they drive me insane. I wish more had happened with Theo, the conflict felt kind of pointless and I kept asking myself "what's the catch?" Great holiday vibes though.
Why does everyone feel the need to end books in engagements, they've been dating for 6 months that's weird!
xxlavenderviolencexx's review against another edition
4.0
More often than not, I prefer books that are not wholly romance (at least, I say that). Books that are fantasy, sci-fi, or some combination thereof that have romance intertwined within them are usually the route within which I hunt for cheesy, corny, or other forms of romance. When I received this book in the "Once Upon a Book" crate, I was, understandably, hesitant.
I am not going to say the book was bad, because it wasn't. It certainly isn't a difficult read, but it reads well. The first-person POV works well in it, and the writing style flows well and is easy to follow and understand. As a Christmas-themed romance novel, it is, understandably, corny. This cliché isn't necessarily bad, but it absolutely leaves something to be desired if done incorrectly. In the case of "In a Holidaze," I do believe this to be the case.
None of this is technically bad, and the book itself deserves at least a 3.5-4 star rating because it .is. well written and it does capture the reader's attention. But, I found a lot of details to either be unnecessarily present, or unsatisfactorily explored - if the book had been an extra fifty pages longer, and the supplemental characters and their relationship to the narrator better explored or elaborated, I might have felt better about it.
I did appreciate the inclusion of LGBTQ and disabled identities within the novel. However, because of the cliched cisgender, heterosexual romance being the primary focus of the novel, it is hard to judge whether the author meant this inclusion to be genuinely inclusive, or if it falls along the lines of the "brownie points" category.
That being said, there was plenty of moments in the book that could be enjoyed, and a less critical (and, perhaps, more corny) reader likely would give this novel 4.5-5 stars. Overall, there simply seems to be a core substance it simply lacks.
I am not going to say the book was bad, because it wasn't. It certainly isn't a difficult read, but it reads well. The first-person POV works well in it, and the writing style flows well and is easy to follow and understand. As a Christmas-themed romance novel, it is, understandably, corny.
Spoiler
It follows a plotline that makes the reader think of the ghost of Christmas past, or of repetition of time in order to teach the main character a valuable lesson.Spoiler
The romance of the story is, within the first chapter, expected; the repetitive death-scenes of the narrator are not done badly, but perhaps are too expected; the romance (sexual and nonsexual) between the two characters is not unbelievable, and is sweet and delicate at times; however, the interaction between the situation the narrator finds herself in and the reactions of those around her are unexplored at best. Her interaction between Theo, after the discovery of her romance, left much to be desired.None of this is technically bad, and the book itself deserves at least a 3.5-4 star rating because it .is. well written and it does capture the reader's attention. But, I found a lot of details to either be unnecessarily present, or unsatisfactorily explored - if the book had been an extra fifty pages longer, and the supplemental characters and their relationship to the narrator better explored or elaborated, I might have felt better about it.
I did appreciate the inclusion of LGBTQ and disabled identities within the novel. However, because of the cliched cisgender, heterosexual
Spoiler
childhood-to-adultThat being said, there was plenty of moments in the book that could be enjoyed, and a less critical (and, perhaps, more corny) reader likely would give this novel 4.5-5 stars. Overall, there simply seems to be a core substance it simply lacks.
susnunn's review against another edition
4.0
Didn’t think I would like this as much as I did. Characters were endearing and it was a cute story. Perfect beach read.