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Today’s photo is inspired by a scene from the book pictured - iykyk. ⁣ I’ve read a few of Christina Lauren’s books before, but In a Holidaze is the first one where I’ve seen them play with wibbly wobbly time-y wimey stuff. At an annual holiday gathering with her family and friends, Mae finds herself reliving she same terrible day over and over. A ridiculous premise, absolutely, but I was 100% here for it. This is a Christmas novel, right? ⁣ Let’s start with the things I like: ⁣ Mae and her family were so much fun. I love a big chaotic family story! I love that there were LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent characters. I love the banter and the found family elements. ⁣ I was fully prepared to guess the ending of this story and to be all judgmental about it, but it ended up going in a different direction and I was pleasantly surprised. ⁣ I like the idea that Maelyn’s experience isn’t just focused on her relationship but also on her figuring out how to stop doing things she doesn’t want to do just because that’s how she’s always done them. ⁣ The scene between Mae and her mom where her mom tells her that Mae’s used to having to be together because everyone around her is messy hit home in a big way. ⁣ There were very few things I disliked: ⁣ I don’t love epilogues that change the ending of a book. And there was something missing - something to tip the story from good to great for me. I didn’t feel as much of a connection with these characters as I have with previous CLo books. ⁣ All told, I enjoyed this book and think it’s a perfect pick for a laid back holiday read! I can’t wait to discuss it with the @letsreadrantrepeat book club in just a few days! via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CIiZQlSAFAb/