Hello there, bookworms! The countdown to Christmas continues! Just a few more days until we hear the sound of jingle bells while we’re sleeping and the world just feels a bit more magical for a little while longer. It’s been quite a year but I’m sure we’re all ready to move forward and hope for bigger and better things coming our way in the near future.

I know the days leading up to the most joyous time of the year are hectic (myself included), so I’ll spare you my usual blabbing and just get right to it and review my latest holiday read! I apologize that all of my social and blog feeds are filled with the same few books lately, but if you know me, you know I love a cheery, sweet Christmas book so I’ve been buying, reading, and reviewing nothing but the past few weeks. Let’s get to tonight’s pick, In A Holidaze but one of my favorite writing duos, Christina Lauren!

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.

I mean, it’s no shock here that once again, Christina Lauren create a cozy atmosphere for all of us to love. If you have Disney+ or Netflix and have watched Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say this has a “Stuck on Christmas” vibe. Donald’s three nephews are stuck in a weird cycle of repeating their Christmas holiday until they break part of their pattern and learn a lesson. This story is a more grown up version of that. It has many of the classic elements you’re looking for in a holiday romance; cheer and endless jolly, humor, escapades, awkward chemistry, endless festivities, and all the warm and fuzzy feelings you can imagine.

I both enjoyed and even slightly envied Mae’s whole journey – both physical and emotional. She’s in a rut with just about everything in her life, and now all of her traditions that she’s known and loved for so long are about to change in such a big and dramatic way. The only thing she can do is change right along with it. In a spontaneous move, she makes drastic alterations to her destiny and once she does, the story begins to take a different path.

While this didn’t focus solely on the love story I was looking for, I still found myself getting lost with all the characters in their snowy Christmas cabin in Utah. It’s quite the cast of characters to keep up with during such a hectic holiday season and each and every one of them certainly kept me on my toes.

Admittedly, I wasn’t fully invested in the love story with Mae and Andrew, but I also feel that wasn’t the focus of the book. I think it was more about Mae’s personal journey to make changes to her life and break out of a routine that she was clearly unhappy living. Their spark of a romance is new, and in this strange transition from a life-long friendship. While I don’t doubt their chemistry is there, I felt it needed more attention and build up than most Christina Lauren romances.

All-in-all, Holidaze is still a great escape from all of your pre-Christmas stress. When you want a break from shopping, work, decorating the tree, or what feels like an endless cycle of baking, curl up with this book for a fast-paced, snow-filled, jolly read and find yourself fully transported to a crowded yet cozy cabin for some endless yuletide joy.

Until next time, happy reading, and if I don’t get back on here before the holiday, have a Merry Christmas! xx