“ I've essentially handed my heart over to the person who's had it on reserve for half my life, and I'm terrified that he doesn't realize what he's holding.”
Christina Lauren’s 307 page novel In a Holidaze was published in 2020 by Gallery Books.
Who should read this?
This would be an ideal book for an Lyons who loves getting lost in romance stories, Christmas or holiday sagas, or even enjoys quirky friendships and groundhog’s day-esque storylines.
Overall rating:
4
Other novels by Lauren:
-Beautiful Bastard
-The Unhoneymooners
-Beautiful Stranger
-Beautiful Player
-Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating
Who should read this?
This would be an ideal book for an Lyons who loves getting lost in romance stories, Christmas or holiday sagas, or even enjoys quirky friendships and groundhog’s day-esque storylines.
Overall rating:
4
Other novels by Lauren:
-Beautiful Bastard
-The Unhoneymooners
-Beautiful Stranger
-Beautiful Player
-Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating
Summary
Maelyn Jones has lived her life anywhere but on the edge. She has consistent friends and family and a decent, steady job; while she isn’t going anywhere undesirable, she’s also not going anywhere exciting. The only thing she needs in life is being together with her family and friends for the holidays.
When the announcements comes that the holiday house is being sold, Maelyn sees the future of her split family torn apaet more deeply, disconnection to lifelong friends, and the lost chance to find romance with the man she’d been in love with forever, left only with her unsatisfying, dead end job.
As Maelyn starts spiraling, the car crashes and she wakes up on a plane going back to the vacation home before Christmas, starting the whole break all over again and it seems that the cycle will not break until something changes for the better. What will it take for Maelyn to set the future on the right path? Will she succeed and help save the future holidays for her family and friends or will she be stuck in a holidaze forever?
When the announcements comes that the holiday house is being sold, Maelyn sees the future of her split family torn apaet more deeply, disconnection to lifelong friends, and the lost chance to find romance with the man she’d been in love with forever, left only with her unsatisfying, dead end job.
As Maelyn starts spiraling, the car crashes and she wakes up on a plane going back to the vacation home before Christmas, starting the whole break all over again and it seems that the cycle will not break until something changes for the better. What will it take for Maelyn to set the future on the right path? Will she succeed and help save the future holidays for her family and friends or will she be stuck in a holidaze forever?
Review
I am not a frequent romance reader, but I did get a desire to read this book. I loved the cover and I thought the story sounded cute for the holiday time. I expected the story to be cheesy, filled with love and romance. Some of this was on point, but not entirely.
Lauren does a good job with her characterization, making Maelyn feel like a girl the reader knows and can even relate to. She has passion and drive but easily gets caught up in the what if’s and security blankets of her life. Watching her encounters connects the reader to her as we can imagine ourselves in her situations. Additionally, this makes the story all the more interesting when she challenges the life she has been living and how to stand against the grain and make changes that push her beyond her comfort zone. The other characters feel personable and fun, adding humor and charisma to the story. It was easy to invest in their stories.
The plot was something I felt unsure about. I thought that the story might rush through variations of the day to give the groundhogs day effect or not spend enough time on it. Ultimately, Lauren probably found a good balance without overdoing the motif. There were enough chances for growth without feeling monotonous, although there could’ve been one or two more lessons to learn before she dives right into the correct way blindly.
In the end, I felt satisfied with how the story progresses and how Maelyn makes her journey to the present. It’s not picture perfect as real life wouldn’t be either. The story is slightly sappier than I enjoy, but likely good for those who love romance stories. It’s full of life, love, happiness, and inspiration to live life and love to the fullest.
This was a cute story that I’m glad to have read it, but will likely not need to read it again.
Lauren does a good job with her characterization, making Maelyn feel like a girl the reader knows and can even relate to. She has passion and drive but easily gets caught up in the what if’s and security blankets of her life. Watching her encounters connects the reader to her as we can imagine ourselves in her situations. Additionally, this makes the story all the more interesting when she challenges the life she has been living and how to stand against the grain and make changes that push her beyond her comfort zone. The other characters feel personable and fun, adding humor and charisma to the story. It was easy to invest in their stories.
The plot was something I felt unsure about. I thought that the story might rush through variations of the day to give the groundhogs day effect or not spend enough time on it. Ultimately, Lauren probably found a good balance without overdoing the motif. There were enough chances for growth without feeling monotonous, although there could’ve been one or two more lessons to learn before she dives right into the correct way blindly.
In the end, I felt satisfied with how the story progresses and how Maelyn makes her journey to the present. It’s not picture perfect as real life wouldn’t be either. The story is slightly sappier than I enjoy, but likely good for those who love romance stories. It’s full of life, love, happiness, and inspiration to live life and love to the fullest.
This was a cute story that I’m glad to have read it, but will likely not need to read it again.