In a Holidaze

In a Holidaze is Christina Lauren's holiday romance about Mae Jones, who makes a painful romantic mistake at her family's annual Christmas gathering and then gets thrown back into the start of the trip. The time loop gives the book its comic device, but the emotional job is simpler: Mae has to stop performing the version of herself everyone expects.

Netflix's 2026 book-adaptation slate lists In a Holidaze as a film based on Christina Lauren's holiday romance novel, with Maddie Ziegler and Rob Lowe in the cast. Gallery Books lists the English edition under ISBN 9781982123949.

Read it if you want a warm, low-friction romance with a speculative hook. It is less about complicated time mechanics than about the question Mae keeps avoiding: what would she choose if she stopped trying to keep the holiday perfect?

Mae Jones is the heroine stuck repeating Christmas until she faces what she actually wants.

Andrew is the long-time friend and romantic possibility at the center of Mae's risk.

Theo complicates the cabin dynamic and the mistake that starts Mae's reset.

The extended holiday group gives the book its chosen-family feeling.

No. 1 - Clear Netflix fit. A holiday time-loop romance is easy to position for seasonal viewing.

No. 2 - Comfort-read shape. The book is built around familiar people, familiar rituals, and one magical disruption.

No. 3 - Romance shelf value. It adds a contemporary holiday romance to the adaptation catalog.

Read this if you are...

• Coming from Netflix's In a Holidaze film slate.
• Looking for a holiday romance with a small speculative twist.
• A fan of friends-to-lovers setups.
• Choosing something lighter after a darker adaptation source.

Skip it if you are...

• Avoiding Christmas settings.
• Looking for rigorous time-loop logic.
• Impatient with cozy family-cabin dynamics.
• Wanting a high-heat romance first.

• Do not over-audit the time loop. It is there to pressure Mae emotionally.
• Watch the cabin rituals. Repetition shows what Mae loves and what has trapped her.
• Read it seasonally if you can. The book leans into holiday mood.
• Expect adaptation compression. A film will likely simplify the loop and the friend-group texture.

• Lynn Painter - Better Than the Movies. For another Netflix-bound rom-com source.
• Emily Henry - People We Meet on Vacation. For friends-to-lovers emotion in an adult register.
• Sally Thorne - The Hating Game. For sharper banter and workplace friction.
• Carley Fortune - This Summer Will Be Different. For seasonal romance with screen momentum.
• Robyn Carr - Virgin River. For comfort-read community romance.

1. What does the time loop let Mae admit that ordinary time would not?
2. Does the book treat nostalgia as comfort, pressure, or both?
3. How does the chosen-family setting shape the romance?
4. Which details would a Netflix film need to keep for the cabin to feel specific?
5. Does Andrew work as a love interest before Mae changes?
6. Where does the book feel most like a holiday movie already?
7. Does the magical premise deepen the romance or mostly organize it?
8. Would the story work outside Christmas?