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.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a delightful holiday romance with a touch of magical realism that gave me a big hug of holiday warmth.
Story Recap:
Maelyn Jones (Mae) is relieved to be back at the family cabin in Park City, Utah for a break. Her work isn’t going well, she’s still living at home and her love life is a disaster. Mae, her brother Miles, her parents, and two other families, have been going to the cabin every Christmas since before she was born.
This Christmas is a bit different. Mae learns that this might be her last Christmas in the cabin, and she just wants to know if she’ll ever be happy. After another Christmas with the families, on the way home back to the airport, their car gets hit, and she wakes up on the airplane… but this time she’s going back to the cabin BEFORE Christmas again. She’s in a time loop, and she has to figure out how to get out of it and back to normal.
My Thoughts:
In a Holidaze is a magical and laugh-out-loud book that I enjoyed immensely. The Groundhog Day time loop was fun, and I loved how Mae got stronger and stronger as the days progressed.
The families in this story are Mae’s family and a couple of her parent’s college friends and their families. There are a lot of characters in this book, which made it confusing at first, but eventually, it all came together. There is a lifetime of friendships and memories in the cabin these families share, and the thought that the cabin might get sold is something that Mae can’t let happen. The characters in the book are quirky enough to be fun and entertaining but are still realistic.
Magical realism is something I love to read especially during the holidays. I kept rooting for Mae to figure out what she wants so she could get back to normal. I loved the humor in this book as well and found myself laughing while listening.
Narration:
Patti Murin did the narration and did an excellent job. I found that she used different voices for the various characters which allowed me to differentiate between them easily.
About Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The #1 international bestselling coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced seventeen New York Times bestselling novels. They are published in over 30 languages, have received multiple starred reviews, won both the Seal of Excellence and Book of the Year from RT Magazine, been inducted into the Library Reads Hall of Fame, named Amazon and Audible Romance of the Year, a Lambda Literary Award finalist and been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. They have been featured in publications such as Forbes, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, People, O Magazine and more. Their third YA novel, Autoboyography was released in 2017 to critical acclaim, followed by Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, The Unhoneymooners, In a Holidaze, and The Soulmate Equation.
I loved this one too! I think it is one of only two books I got from my time in Book of the Month club that I actually read, lol. But I am a fan of almost all of Christina Lauren’s books. Glad you enjoyed it too! Great review!
Magical realism rarely works for me but for whatever reason I was willing to just go with it and really enjoyed In a Holidaze. I loved getting to know the two families and wanted to take part in all their holiday traditions. 🙂
I have had my eye on this one since last year. A great review! I need to read more magical realism. I didn’t know it was a thing until a few month ago when I had to put a genre down for The Midnight Library by Matt Haig!
I loved this one when I read it last year! I didn’t do the audio but I’ve listened to others by Patti Murin and she does a great job.
So happy you enjoyed this one, too!
I loved this one too! I think it is one of only two books I got from my time in Book of the Month club that I actually read, lol. But I am a fan of almost all of Christina Lauren’s books. Glad you enjoyed it too! Great review!
I read this book last year and really enjoyed it too. It’s a fun one!
Magical realism rarely works for me but for whatever reason I was willing to just go with it and really enjoyed In a Holidaze. I loved getting to know the two families and wanted to take part in all their holiday traditions. 🙂
Yes, I really liked this one as well.
Oh good! It sure was a fun one
I have had my eye on this one since last year. A great review! I need to read more magical realism. I didn’t know it was a thing until a few month ago when I had to put a genre down for The Midnight Library by Matt Haig!
Have a great week!
I didn’t know what it was until earlier this year either.
So glad you enjoyed this! It is one that made me happy while reading it. It’s a great holiday story.
Yes, it’s one that had me smiling all the way through it.
Magical realism is always fun.
I think so too, Rosie!
I can’t wait to read this one. I have it planned for December. Excellent review!
I hope you enjoy it, Tessa!
Great review, Wendy! Sounds fun.
Thank you, Cindy
This sounds like fun and I’ve wanted to read Christina Lauren for a while. Great review!
It’s cute and fun! I hope you find time to read one of their books soon
What a fun sounding read. Glad you enjoyed.
Thank you, Cathy!
I really loved this and cried when she finally figured things out.
It was just so good. And I teared up a bit too.
I got this last year, but I don’t think I’ve read it yet. I’ll have to get to it based on this wonderful review!
I thought it was super cute.
Wonderful review Wendy! I still haven’t gotten to this one yet!🤦♀️🤷😥💜
It’s a good one and perfect for when it’s a bit closer to Christmas!
Another lovely Christmas read, you have had quite a few great sounding ones, great review
Thank you, Jenny. I am enjoying my Christmas books!