IN A HOLIDAZE – Christina Lauren
Gallery Books
ISBN: 978-1-9821-2394-9
October 6, 2020
Contemporary Romance
Utah – Present Day
Christmas is over and everyone is cleaning up in preparation to leave the cabin where Maelyn Jones, her parents and brother, as well as their longtime friends, have been staying for the past week. For as long as Mae can remember, she has been secretly attracted to Andrew Hollis, the son of one of their cabin friends. But Mae did a stupid thing last night. She was feeling tipsy and ended up kissing Andrew’s brother (and Mae’s good friend), Theo. As she shuffles into the kitchen for breakfast feeling hungover, Theo is there—but he won’t look up from the bowl of cereal he’s eating. She feels guilty for betraying Andrew, though nothing has ever been romantic between her and Andrew. Then, just as they’re about to leave, Mae discovers that Andrew had seen the kiss. Mae had hopes she could’ve started something with Andrew, but now all is lost. As Mae and her family drive away, she wonders how she could change what happened during the Christmas holiday. Then, a car comes hurtling toward them on the highway. As the sounds of metal hitting metal reverberate in her head, Mae loses consciousness…and wakes up back on the plane, several days earlier, and her life is about to take on a Groundhog Day (the movie) existence.
IN A HOLIDAZE is certainly different in that our heroine, Mae, is given several chances to “get it right” before she reaches the end of this book. Where did she veer off that caused her to be forced back into the past to live her days at the cabin all over again? At first, Mae can’t figure out what is going on. Is she experiencing hallucinations about reliving it again…and again? Heck, she can “predict” when something will happen within the group because she had already experienced it. She finally confides in one of her parents’ friends, Benny, who is skeptical of her claims at first, but then he begins to realize she might be telling the truth. Mae doesn’t know when she will end up “going back,” but when she is “allowed” to finally go forward and not go back, she wonders if it is a sign she is on the right track. Of course, will this mean changing the course of where she kissed Theo and losing any chance with Andrew? Will she get that second chance?
This tale has numerous minor characters, too many to list, but IN A HOLIDAZE is centered around Mae’s dilemma in having to “re-do” the week before Christmas. It has an intriguing and yes, unusual, plot. There is humor blended in. After all, Mae and the other characters aren’t perfect, especially when the group has known one another for years. When Mae appears to be on the right track and things start to go the way it should, then things start to tilt wrongly for her once again. Will she have to “return to the past” again and do it all over? Will she end up happy?
If you love a contemporary romance that is different and intriguing, then don’t miss IN A HOLIDAZE.
Patti Fischer
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