In a Holidaze

Imagine a holiday trip that goes badly awry. Wouldn't it be great if the universe would grant you a “do over”? In Christina Lauren's new book In a Holidaze, Maelyn Jones gets that second chance. The universe sends her back in time to relive her Christmas vacation. The resulting story takes us on a “Groundhog Day” style journey that is quite entertaining.

Every year, Maelyn and her family join the families of her parents' college friends at a cabin in Utah. The first time Maelyn lives through this holiday, she engages in a romantic mishap that she immediately regrets and that has the potential to ruin her chances at the relationship she really wants. When she wishes for the universe to show her what will make her happy, she wakes up back on the plane five days earlier with an opportunity to fix the error she made. She also has to make sure she does not mess things up worse than before.

The characters in this book are charming, funny, and very relatable. Maelyn starts the story as a woman who is a little lost in life. She doesn't love her job, she is back living with her parents, and she is in love with a family friend that she has known all her life but who does not see her as a romantic prospect. Through her repeated attempts at the Christmas holiday, she learns to take more control of her life. She has good growth as a character. The main love interest is presented as an almost “too good to be true” guy. However, that fact doesn't annoy me. He is extremely likable as are most of the characters in the book. I cannot really think of one character I do not like. They all add something good to the storyline.

The plot itself is interesting and kept me engaged in the book. The time travel aspect is obviously unbelievable, but I don't mind it too much since it is the whole premise of the book. It does not distract from the enjoyment of the romance in the book.

The Christmas setting is secondary to the romantic and family relationships, but it provides a nice backdrop. I always find it enjoyable to read about Christmas traditions and activities, and the ones in this book are fun and memorable.

I ended up rating this book 4 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance and the family interactions. The Christmas setting was not kitschy or overdone, which I appreciate. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who love a Christmas romance mixed with a little bit of magic.