In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

At some point, I stumbled upon a list of the best romance novels in the last few years and I've been slowly working my way through those books. That is why I was reading In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren in the middle of October when I should be reading Frankenstein and Salem's Lot. 

We find Mae going through a challenging time. She's living with her parents, working at an unfulfilling job, and her family's Christmas vacation ended badly with the announcement that the cabin they've always celebrated Christmas at is going to have to be sold.  She wishes for someone or something to show her what would make her happy and before we know it, she's reliving the day over again. And over again.  

Interesting characters: Sure. I think Lauren's development of Mae and Benny, her eccentric uncle figure, were interesting enough. Andrew, our hero, is a bit of a perfect guy who can do no wrong, but I actually don't think the story is much about the romance between Mae and Andrew, except for a few steamy scenes. 

Believable conflict: Well, I guess this depends on your tolerance for *magic.* If someone told me that they were reliving each day of their lives, I would not believe them and you had better believe it would lead to some conflict, so if you'll accept the premise, the conflict that happens makes sense.  If you are not on board with the magic element, this whole book is going to make you insane.

Emotional tension: I think this is where the book falls down. The main story was not about romance. I didn't really much care about Andrew.  The story is about Mae attempting to find her own happiness.  As someone who was pretty rootless and unsure for a great deal of my 20s, this did resonate with me.  But as someone who wanted to get lost in a romantic story, this did not work.  

Happily ever after: Eh. It was a happy for now and I do think they're happy for now.  These two kids are never going to last, though.  

There was apparently a trend in 2020 of books being labeled as "romance novels" when they really were mediations on other large topics like navigating your twenties with grace, grief, and challenging familial relationships, rather than centralizing the romantic relationship at the core. Maybe that's okay, but it's not what I'm looking for when I'm in the mood for a romance novel and this book was just caught up in that trend. Eh.  You will probably enjoy reading this book, but nothing about it will stick with you once you close the book.