In a Holidaze
Groundhog Day at a family Christmas cabin where she keeps reliving the same holiday
In a Holidaze is a Christmas time-loop romance where Maelyn keeps reliving the same holiday week at her family's cabin. Christina Lauren uses the Groundhog Day premise to explore what she actually wants versus what she thinks she should want. Each loop gives Mae a chance to try different approaches, make different choices, see what happens when she's brave versus safe.
What makes the book work is how Lauren uses the time loop for emotional clarity. Mae has been in love with her childhood friend Andrew for years but never said anything. The loops force her to experiment with honesty, with risk, with being the person who makes the first move instead of waiting to be chosen.
The holiday setting is cozy without being saccharine. The cabin, the traditions, the multi-generational family gathering, it all feels warm and lived-in. Lauren writes found family and chosen family intertwined, where your best friend's parents are as much your family as your own.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren follows Mae, who relives the same Christmas week at her family's cabin in a Groundhog Day-style time loop. The book explores friends-to-lovers romance, magical realism, cozy holiday settings, and using second chances to discover what you actually want versus what you think you should want.
Groundhog Day at a family Christmas cabin where she keeps reliving the same holiday
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What you're really looking for when you search for books like In a Holidaze
You want holiday romance that uses the season as more than backdrop. You want books where traditions matter, where the setting shapes the emotional beats, where cozy aesthetics are part of the appeal.
You're also looking for time-loop romance that explores choice and agency. You want books that use magical realism to ask what you'd do differently if you got a second chance, what courage looks like when consequences reset.
And you want friends-to-lovers with genuine history. You want characters who've known each other for years, where the foundation is deep and the risk of confession is real. You want the moment when friendship becomes something else to feel earned.
The reader take
Christina Lauren takes the time-loop premise and uses it to explore genuine questions about courage, choice, and what we'd do differently if we got another chance. The holiday setting is cozy without being cloying, and watching Mae figure out what she wants and find the courage to pursue it is deeply satisfying. It's warm, funny, and emotionally honest.
Book recommendations
The Unhoneymooners
by Christina Lauren
Another Christina Lauren book with forced proximity and enemies-to-lovers. It's not time-loop, but it has similar humor and heart with a destination romance setting.
The Do-Over
by Lynn Painter
Valentine's Day time loop with similar premise and tone. Painter writes the time-loop romance with sharp humor and genuine emotion.
The Dead Romantics
by Ashley Poston
A romance writer who can see ghosts meets the ghost of her editor. It has In a Holidaze's magical realism and found family warmth with gothic romance vibes.
Opposite of Always
by Justin A. Reynolds
A boy keeps reliving the months before his girlfriend's death. Reynolds uses the time loop for higher stakes than Lauren but with similar emotional intelligence.
The Flatshare
by Beth O'Leary
Not time-loop, but it has friends-to-lovers energy and cozy domesticity. O'Leary writes slow-burn romance with warmth that matches Lauren's holiday setting.
Common questions
Is In a Holidaze too Christmas-focused?
The holiday is central to the setting and vibe. If you actively dislike Christmas, this might not work for you. If you're neutral or positive about cozy holiday aesthetics, the romance and time-loop premise are strong enough to carry it.
How does the time loop resolve?
Without spoilers, it resolves when Mae figures out what she actually wants and acts on it. The loop breaks when the emotional lesson is learned, which is the right choice for this kind of story.
Is this book part of a series?
No. Christina Lauren writes standalones and duologies. In a Holidaze is a standalone holiday romance.
Common in these genres
Ready for your story? Imagine living it.
Ember writes you into the holiday time loop you've been reading. You're the one reliving the same week, deciding what to do differently each time, whether to risk confession or protect the friendship, what you actually want when you can experiment without permanent consequences. Your choices shape whether you break the loop or stay stuck in safe patterns forever.
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