title: In a Holidazeauthor: Christina Lauren
published: 6 October 2020
publisher: Gallery Books
genre(s): contemporary, romance
pages: 304
source: Book of the Month
format: hardcover
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | BookBub | Goodreads
rating:
the blurb
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 hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.
my review
I actually ordered this from Book of a Month last year, but it came post-Christmas, so I saved it to read for this year. I’ve enjoyed other books from these authors, so I looked forward to it all year.
It wasn’t a bad book by any stretch, but it just wasn’t all that I expected, wanted, or needed it to be. I did appreciate the warm, cozy, holiday feeling, the close-knit family friendships, the holiday tradtions. But there were other parts that just felt off, or at least left too much alone. For example, the time loop. That particular aspect had so much potential, but there were only a couple, and they all took place in the first quarter to third of the book. And then it was just swept to the background, the story continuing in the same timeline. It began as such a major part of the plot, and then it just sort of disappeared, which was a little odd. And then the dynamics between the families and friends. As much emphasis as there was put on their long histories together, it felt like, outside of the generation group of Maelyn, Andrew, and Theo (and a little bit of Miles), the only person we really got to know was Benny. Even the dynamics between Maelyn, Andrew, and Theo were a little off-putting at times. Theo acted like a brat, angry and jealous when faced with situations, blaming others instead of taking responsibility. In the end, although she wasn’t in the wrong, Maelyn made excuses for him, which is something I really hated in this day and age. And while this was a romance novel, that aspect left me on the fence. It centered on a romantic theme that I just find toxic. The heroine pines away, the hero never notices her, but then when he realizes she is into him, then he decides in an instant that he wants her, too. Honestly, the whole romance aspect felt a little immature at times.
All in all, it wasn’t bad, just sort of meh.
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