Review: In a Holidaze

Title: In a Holidaze
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 6, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

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 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.

Review:

Maelyn Jones always spends Christmas with her family and their close family friends at a friend’s cabin in Utah. She’s had a crush on Andrew, the son of her parents’ friend, for years. On the night before they leave the cabin after Christmas, she gets drunk and makes out with Andrew’s younger brother Theo. Then they get the devastating news that the cabin is being sold, so they won’t be able to continue their Christmas traditions. Maelyn makes a wish to the universe to show her what would make her happy. The next thing she knows, their car is hit by another car, and she wakes up on the plane ride to the cabin, six days ago. Maelyn lives through the Christmas holiday over and over while she tries to figure out how to save their Christmas traditions and how to find happiness in her life.

This is one of my favourite books of the year! It had some heartbreaking moments, but it was mostly an adorable romance. The first half of the book was quite innocent, but the steamy parts picked up in the second half. Maelyn was stuck in a love triangle with two brothers, which was awkward at times, but I was rooting for her and Andrew to be together! They were such a cute couple.

I really liked the time travel aspects of the story. Though Maelyn was repeating the holiday, she was able to change some things each time, so it wasn’t the exact same holiday. She also had to figure out how to convince the others of what was happening to her. It got to the point where everything was going so well for her that I hoped she wouldn’t have to restart all over again. The way she had to keep repeating the days kept the tension high and made it impossible to put down!

This is the perfect holiday romance!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read In a Holidaze? What did you think of it?