In A Holidaze // October….or December?

Author: Christina Lauren
Published On: October 6, 2020
Publisher: Gallery Books
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Light Magic?
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Synopsis:

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.

Not me reading a Christmas book in OCTOBER! But yes, me reading a Christmas book in October *sigh*.

I…don’t know where I stand with Christina Lauren. When I think about that typical “NA-romancy” type book (you know the one), Christina Lauren is what my brain automatically conjures. But when I really think about it, they’re not the ones who have written some of my favorite fluff romance comedies. It’s been Sally Thorne, Helen Hoang, Sarah Hogle, Emily Henry.

So where does that leave me and CL?

I’m honestly unsure. I mean, I liked this. I didn’t at first, and I was worried that I made a grave error in trusting that I wouldn’t be totally offput by the magic in this story. As the book progressed, however, I fell deeper into the story and ended up finishing it in a day. Did I like it? Yes. Will I put it on my bookshelves and admire it for the rest of time? Not particularly.

• That it all takes place at one location. The entire story (minus a few lil outing scenes) takes place at this Christmas cabin in the woods. It makes for a cozy setting, and I felt like the cabin was a living, breathing character by the end of the story. It also just gives our characters more time to interact, which I’m all here for.
• The “found family” dynamic. Mae’s parents are still incredibly close with their college BFFs, and because of it they have all kind of blended into one large extended family. I thought it was kinda cool that CL recreated that “cousin” feeling without making it, ya know, incestuous.
• The cliche overall “message” behind the story! This one is kinda cheesy, but the whole reason that Mae goes through this weird magical journey is to find what makes her happy, and she ends up making some big decisions and ultimately realizing that she’s done playing it safe and going to actually live. I thought this was a great growth journey and an inspiring thing to read about!
• Typical CL banter and dialogue: Andrew, our love interest, and Mae have some fun and adorable banter that I found charming. They made up these “old person persona’s” for each other. Maisie and Mandrew, and constantly play off it and each other. It was super cute and one of the best aspects of a Christina Lauren rom-com story!

• Uhhh, magic. So the whole idea behind the magic is that Mae relives the vacation over and over until she finds what makes her happy. That means that we, as readers, have to relive the vacation over and over as well. Luckily, we don’t have to repeat the same scenes too many times, but it does get repetitive after awhile.
• Andrew acting immature at the end of the story. I mean, if you’re a typical reader of these types of books (and by that I mean fluffy, predictable stories with over-the-top fun and adorable banter to keep us chugging along), you’ll know that there’s a typical progression of events that lead to some sort of dramatic “climax” that our love interests must overcome. That happens here, as expected, but Andrew’s reaction to the conflict was kind of ridiculous to me. I don’t want to spoil the story, but basically he just shuts down and decides not to deal with any of it, which frustrated me given that he’s a 30-year-old adult who should be mature enough to ~talk it out~.

I’m unsure whether to say that I would recommend this or not. I enjoyed it, but then again I also know that I can pick up a Christina Lauren book and get through it in 24 hours without much fanfare. If you’re looking for a fun, light Christmas read with a smidge of romance and magic, then give it a try! It wasn’t anything special, but it just might be your cup of tea.

My rating:

Thanks for reading, my friends, and catch ya soon!