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A review by bookstolivewith
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Working for a magazine means that I’m always a few months ahead of the curve holiday-wise. Since we’re wrapping up our Nov/Dec issue now, my head has been filled with Christmas carols & The Holiday rewatches. So, I decided why not add a festive book to the mix?
In A Holidaze follows Maelyn Jones, a slightly discontent 20-something, who is absolutely shocked when her family-friends tell her they’re selling the cabin where she’s spent every Christmas she can remember. When she gets the opportunity to redo the week (yes, in a Groundhog Day-type scenario), she has to figure out how to save the cabin from being sold. But what if the cabin isn’t the only thing she’s supposed to enjoy this go-round?
I truly wanted to like this one more than I did. I absolutely loved The Unhoneymooners (the only other Christina Lauren book I’ve read) but In A Holidaze required some serious suspension of disbelief, and still left me somewhat bored and wanting more. It didn’t make me have butterflies, or chuckle to myself, or stay up late reading, which I think for me are the defining characteristics of why I love contemporary romance.
The more romantic scenes came as a bit of a shock to me, as I figured on more of a slow burn romance based on the initial tension. There were also a LOT of characters to keep up with, and not all of them felt totally necessary and fleshed out.
What I did love was the swoon-worthy romantic lead Andrew, Mae’s sense of humor about her entire Groundhog Day experience, and the cozy festive winter scenes at the cabin. This would be an excellent Hallmark movie and maybe reading it around the holidays would change how I feel. But something about it just felt off and it was probably a case of too high expectations, to be totally honest.
In A Holidaze follows Maelyn Jones, a slightly discontent 20-something, who is absolutely shocked when her family-friends tell her they’re selling the cabin where she’s spent every Christmas she can remember. When she gets the opportunity to redo the week (yes, in a Groundhog Day-type scenario), she has to figure out how to save the cabin from being sold. But what if the cabin isn’t the only thing she’s supposed to enjoy this go-round?
I truly wanted to like this one more than I did. I absolutely loved The Unhoneymooners (the only other Christina Lauren book I’ve read) but In A Holidaze required some serious suspension of disbelief, and still left me somewhat bored and wanting more. It didn’t make me have butterflies, or chuckle to myself, or stay up late reading, which I think for me are the defining characteristics of why I love contemporary romance.
The more romantic scenes came as a bit of a shock to me, as I figured on more of a slow burn romance based on the initial tension. There were also a LOT of characters to keep up with, and not all of them felt totally necessary and fleshed out.
What I did love was the swoon-worthy romantic lead Andrew, Mae’s sense of humor about her entire Groundhog Day experience, and the cozy festive winter scenes at the cabin. This would be an excellent Hallmark movie and maybe reading it around the holidays would change how I feel. But something about it just felt off and it was probably a case of too high expectations, to be totally honest.