In a Holidaze

August 15, 2020
A Christmas wish leads to a Christmas nightmare when one woman gets stuck reliving the holiday season, Groundhog Day style. Things aren't going as planned for Maelyn Jones. At the age of 26, she's living with her mom and stepdad, she's stuck in a dead-end job, and, perhaps most important, she just had an eggnog-filled holiday hookup with Theo Hollis, her family friend and the brother of her unrequited lifelong crush, Andrew Hollis. Maelyn's spent years waiting for Andrew to notice her as more than a friend, but now she knows she's screwed things up for good by kissing his brother. The only thing that's going perfectly in her life is the lovely Park City cabin where her family, Theo and Andrew's family, and her parents' other college friends get together every Christmas. But then, on the last day of their vacation, Theo and Andrew's parents announce that they're selling the cabin. On the drive to the airport, Maelyn miserably wishes that she could find out what would make her happy...and suddenly, she's back on the plane to the cabin, pre-Christmas, about to live the whole week over again. With another (and another and another) chance to make things right, will she be able to finally tell Andrew how she feels and discover real happiness? Lauren--the author team behind The Honey-Don't List (2020) and countless other romantic comedies--is as reliable as ever with this cheery holiday outing. Down-on-her-luck Maelyn is a likable protagonist, and it's easy to relate to her desire to fix her life (even if most readers don't have the benefit of time travel). Her conversations with Andrew are adorably banter-filled, and her relationship with her parents' friend Benny, an aging, wacky stoner, is sweetly charming. A classic plot plus Lauren's trademark snark and steam add up to a winning rom-com full of heart and holiday cheer.

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Starred review from August 31, 2020
Pseudonymous writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (The Honey-Don’t List) put a fantastical twist on holiday cheer in this hilarious and heartwarming rom-com. Mae Jones is 26, single, and unhappy with her boring accounting job, but excited for her annual Christmas trip to a cabin in Park City, Utah, with her friends and family. Her vacation is ruined, though, by the announcement of the eminent sale of the cabin, threatening years of tradition. Mae finishes the trip despondent—only to be hit by a car and wake up back at the beginning of the holiday getaway. This Groundhog Day–style time loop repeats until Mae can figure out how to save the season, hold onto the cabin, and finally act on her yearslong crush on Andrew Hollis, the son of family friends. The messy, slow-burn romance between Andrew and Mae is delectable, but just as engrossing are the subplots devoted to Mae’s complex relationships with her vividly rendered friends and family, and her winding path toward self actualization as she realizes which traditions are worth holding onto. The result is a perfect Christmas treat. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.

Starred review from September 1, 2020

Some people want Christmas to last forever. For Maelyn Jones, stuck in an amusing Groundhog Day-esque time loop, it actually does. After a disastrous vacation at a friend's Utah cabin with the same families who have always spent Christmas together, Mae is ready to head home in humiliation and disappointment. First, she made out with Theo Hollis when she should have been trying to get with Andrew, his older brother and the guy she's loved forever. Then the Hollises announced they were selling the cabin, meaning this was their last Christmas together. On the way home, Mae wishes for happiness, and immediately gets into an accident--only to wake up on the plane at the start of the holiday. With each go-around, Mae inevitably screws up and gets sent back to the beginning for another chance to get herself--and her love life--sorted out. VERDICT Take one lovably flawed heroine, add a doting boy-next-door hero, and sprinkle in a cozy family holiday, and you have the recipe for a delicious time-looping romantic comedy from best-selling duo Lauren (The Unhoneymooners).--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB

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