In a Holidaze | Christina Lauren
"i believe now that the universe delivers random acts of kindness, and it’s on us to decide what to do with them."
Our
main character, Mae, has been in love with the son of family friends for years
and finally gets a chance to see what would happen if she took a risk that the
universe has granted during some Groundhog Day type shenanigans. This all takes
place in a cozy holiday cabin featuring holiday traditions. Nothing memorable
but a cute, easy read for the holidays.
This started off so well. I loved the tongue in cheek Groundhog day scenarios, with Mae becoming increasingly demented with each repeating day. Although obviously repetitive, I thought it was clever how the plot was intertwined with the past and the present. I also really liked Mae's relationship with eccentric Uncle Benny. He's the stereotypical hippy laid back family friend who is Mae's closest friend and ally. He knows all her secrets, from her unrequited 13 year crush on Andrew to her unlikely time jump dilemma. He takes it all in his stride, supporting Mae every step of the way.
But the time loop thing went away once the plot was on track, not to be mentioned again. It was a cool idea and one I thought would be a central focus throughout the book. The synopsis advertises this as a Groundhog Day narrative, but there was definitely not enough time-loop going on. I really would have wanted Mae to jump back one or two more times in situations where it got really juicy. It would have definitely given the book an edge it is missing this way. She only went back into the past like 2-3 times and I don’t feel like they made clear as to why she didn’t go back after that. Also, I have a bone to pick with Mae because she seemed to accept all those time-resettings quite readily, not bothering to try and find an explanation to what was happening to her (something so life-altering happens and your biggest worry is hooking up with a guy?)
I did not care that much about the characters, I wanted to see where the story is going but I knew it was the kind of story that I will forget as soon as I finish it. Mae and Andrew felt like YA characters ( they were both in their late twenties; however, I felt like I was reading about some 14 years old with the way they acted). I think there was telling rather than showing, especially when the characters were introduced via Mae and it felt very forced. I love the family dynamic of the story and all the characters that have come together to be such a lovable and close unit. But, near the beginning, we get Andrew literally go on for multiple pages explaining who each of the characters is, their relationship to each other, and basic descriptors of their lives, all in a long string of dialogue. It felt pretty forced, exposition wise.
The romance part was a bit underwhelming. I was never completely sold on Andrew and Mae. It never really feels genuine for some reason .The story didn't give away enough background. We're told they’ve been secretly in love with each other for years, but we're not told why, what lead them to fall in love, how they discovered it, especially on Andrew's part. Their families only ever get together for Christmas and Fourth of July weekend, so when exactly did they fall in love? Where is the undeniable chemistry between the two? Where is the proof that the two of them have been secretly in love, other than being told that they are? Especially from Andrew's part, where are the signs that he's ever had any feelings for Mae? After so many years crushing on him, it felt she had it too easy, her kissing Theo in another timeline being the only hurdle she had to overcome. (I was actually convinced she was going to come to the conclusion her crush on Andrew was childish and she’d realize Theo was the one (she even kissed him) – I’d hoped it was on of those stories and I believe it would’ve been better that way.) Also, Andrew was such a douchebag when she told him about her feelings, it seemed so out of character with his previous laissez-faire attitude.
All in all, it’s not a terrible book. It was a quick and easy holiday read, but it left me unsatisfied – it felt like it wanted to say something but gout muddled half-way through. Maybe the writing duo had different ideas on how it would all turn out, but then they threw the dice and chose just one ending – without revising the beginning of the book, so the couple that ends up together doesn’t really have a leg to stand on.
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