A review by lauren_shilling
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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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