Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - In a Holidaze

This book was so much fun for me! I wasn't sure what to expect, because I'd read two of Christina Lauren's other books in the past, and one is an all time favorite while I really didn't love the other. Because of that, I really didn't know how this book would turn out for me. However, I am happy to report that I really did enjoy this book! I thought it was enjoyable and really cute. It wasn't too deep, but there was still a lot of emotion behind it, which was perfect for what I was looking for. I think I would describe this book as being Groundhog Day meets The Summer I Turned Pretty but an adult Christmas story. Of course, the love triangle isn't super important in this story and is only used sometimes for tension, but it is kind of there and it is between the main character and two brothers. It also features the main character trying to save the cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday, which also reminded me of TSITP. My main issue with this book is with Theo, the second brother. I felt like he acted really immaturely at a lot of times, and I found it hard to feel sympathy for him in the story. I would start to feel for him but then he would say something immature or completely out of bounds and that made it hard to like him in any capacity. It was also then just explained away as being his personality and that he needs time to cool off when something upsets him, and yeah, that's fair, but also he should grow up and learn to communicate that he needs space instead of snapping at people and saying things that really are not fair to anyone else involved. That might be nit-picky of me to complain about, but it is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so it bothered me more than it might bother other people. I also feel like the main set up of the book, the main character being stuck in some kind of time loop where she keeps reliving the same holiday over and over, wasn't really that big of a part in the book. It really only happened a couple times, and it wasn't long until it didn't really feel like a major threat or possibility anymore. I don't know, I just felt like it would be more prevalent to the story, and it really wasn't. Besides those two things though, I don't really have any complaints. It was a fun holiday romance that I would definitely recommend. It was also a quick read, and overall very enjoyable the entire time! I loved the characters (minus Theo, as I said earlier) and the chosen family in this story. It felt really genuine, and I loved reading about all the different family dynamics.

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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Every Christmas three families get together at a cabin in Utah to enjoy the holiday season. This year will be the last as the family that own it want to sell, but perhaps it's for the best as Mae gets tipsy & makes out with Theo, her best friend, for a few minutes before pulling away & saying it was a mistake. Next morning, Theo is grumpy & Mae regrets it ever happening - now if it had been with Andrew, Theo's brother, then maybe. Mae has been in love with Andrew forever but he doesn't seem to know she exists except as his brother's friend.

Upset by what is happening, Mae makes a wish to the universe to show her what would make her happy & she wakes up on a plane. It's the 20th Dec & she is on the way to the cabin with her family to celebrate Christmas - again! As things she has already seen happen before, start to happen again (i.e. her dad breaks his tooth on a cookie) no-one else seems aware that this is a rerun. Is it a dream or a nightmare? Is Mae in a coma? Or is she in a position to get everything she's ever dreamed of?

Now, I think it's fair to say that I'm not a reader of rom-coms so I approached this one with a bit of trepidation. I am surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. I think the time loop premise helped, but it also had some funny moments & some rather steamy ones. The only real issue I had was that Andrew is almost 30 & Mae is 26, yet I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't older teenagers or early twenties as they both seemed kind of immature at times. Minor quibble though. Can't say I'm in a rush to read more rom-coms but this was a good one.

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grutha's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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chloepfrimmer's review

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funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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lexkazokas's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rebeccalaur's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ladyzbyrd's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was an adorable and spicy read! I enjoyed the interactions between characters. At times, the book was predictable, but this was a read I didn’t mind it being predictable.

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