In a Holidaze

4.5 stars — You know what? This freaking delighted me. I don’t even know why, but I just was completely enamoured with Maelyn’s bizarre journey, and I ended it with so much satisfaction. I think part of that delight was wholeheartedly the narration by Patti Murin. Which is funny, b/c she wasn’t perfect. But there are like x factors that make up great narration for me, and she had most of them. She was funny, sassy, portrayed the perfect emotions, just drew me in. The problem is that, other than Uncle Benny (which, I have no idea how good the accent was), the voices weren’t necessarily distinct. They were okay, but not really standout. More importantly, a lot happened in Mae’s head, and I basically could not tell the different between thoughts and dialogue. It’s super hard to do as a narrator, I get that; but as a listener it’s really frustrating when half way through you’re like “oh she’s *thinking* this part”. This factor is basically the only reason this isn’t a full 5 star read for me. I think in the end there were a few standouts for me. First, the whole family group and their traditions and the cabin and their comradery, and the realness of all that was just…exactly what I was needing this Christmas. I loved that they felt like real friends — who had missteps and bumbles along the way, and hardships, but you could tell how much they valued their little made family group. I just want that for myself now. Second, and by far the most important, was Mandrew and Maisy. My god I loved them together. Seriously, Andrew was the kind of book boyfriend that my reader dreams are made of. Again, not perfect by any means. My heart ached at different times for the struggles that they were through. But he was sweet, and kind, and funny, and a bit beta, and just…swoon. Like total freaking swoon. Like, I can’t not swear when expressing how much I loved him. And it wasn’t just him, it was the connection between him and Mae that was just happiness twitters and stupid smiles and snorts and awesome. I loved it. Genuinely. I loved that there were some intense emotions, but there was also a lot of fun mixed into the sexy…if that makes sense. I love steamy scenes that include laughing, b/c I think having the kind of relationship where you can be so yourself that it’s not all seriousness is just #relationshipgoals. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved Mae too. I especially loved seeing how she grew because of what was happening to her. She was flawed, but she had such a great heart, and I was ecstatic when she got to her best self by the end, you know? I was just rooting for her. I also really loved the fun relationship she had with Uncle Benny. They made me laugh, but I was just so glad she had him to confide in. He was a character in himself. I don’t know, I just really loved it. Not sure if that was evident. Maybe it was just exactly what I was needing at this moment in time, or maybe it just hit all my Lenore buttons…it just made me happy. I mean, so happy that I would go for walks listening to the audiobook and I’m sure I looked ridiculous with the stupid grin I had on my face most of the time. I can definitely see a reread in Christmases future.

I waited until December to listen to this audiobook. I am so happy I did. It's the sweetest Christmas story that reads like a quirky Hallmark Christmas movie. I loved every moment of it. Merry listening to all!

I have been anticipating this one for so long and was not disappointed. This was my first time loop type book and I loved every minute. Mae is a great character! This is a great steamy Christmas book! I highly recommend.