4 -⭐⭐⭐⭐

"One day on the road, Sweden, and you've already got a mouth on you."

Tangled Up in You is a cute romantic comedy that is essentially Tangled but as a contemporary college romance. We follow Ren, a brilliant (though somewhat naive) young woman who has spent her life isolated from the world, finally trying her hand at college where she meets Fitz, a charismatic and charming senior. When she learns something shocking in her immunology seminar (that Fitz is also taking) she yearns to go on a road trip...then a surprising string of events leads her to crashing Fitz's trip. Yet neither expected that during their journey they would find a connection...so what happens when their road trip reaches the end of the road?

This was an adorable read. If you ever wanted to read Tangled , this is probably the closest and truest way to do so because I had so much fun. It gave the same vibes the entire time.

Ren may be someone who has lived on a homestead all her life but she is smart (not street smart) and quick thinking. She is empathetic, sincere, and does not always see sarcasm. I loved seeing how much she won people over just by being herself. I also loved seeing people feeling affronted with her bright personality before being won over.

Fitz has secrets. He is determined to be top of his class and his inability to keep his eyes on Ren is putting that in jeopardy but when Ren blackmails him he is forced to work with her. He cannot believe how she has managed to get this far but his resigned fate is adorable because every time he tries to get her to change her mind...and ultimately he, too, is won over.

While these characters are in their early twenties this book does not contain spice. There is a kissing scene or two but the romance is still strong as we get to enjoy the banter and connection Ren and Fitz build together.

"It's smaller than I expected."
"Some will say that it's not the size that matters, but what you do with it."
Ren slid her eyes to him, frowning. "I think you're making a dirty joke."
He laughed. "I might be."

The story itself focuses more on a road trip than the college campus. I enjoyed seeing how the author approached rejigging the different key moments in the movie to these books and the nods to the classic - there are so many and I loved catching the easter eggs! We get one bed trope, forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine and more! The banter here was amazing and I felt getting both POVs really worked to draw out the romance. I was smiling and giggling the entire time. Now, the twist at the end needed a bit more explanation but overall I felt this was a fun read!

Thank you so much Hyperion for this arc!

Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairy tales and Tangled is one of my favorite interpretations. Christina Lauren do it justice in this retelling of the story. It is clever, funny and sweet.

This book was adorable, like a Disney move in book form!
I love Tangled & this retelling really captured the vibes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
😘 (kissing only)

💭 overall thoughts:
I enjoyed this one a lot, I loved making all the connections to Tangled and how Christina Lauren turned it into a modern, college romance.

I loved the connection between Ren & Fitz, how strong she was in some ways and how naive in others. His urge to protect her was so incredibly sweet 🥹

This didn’t feel like a typical CLo book, not that that’s a bad thing, just that my expectations were a bit different than the result.

I’m not sure how this one would be for someone who’s never seen the movie Tangled. A lot of what I liked about it was the familiarity of the story, but this also meant I saw a certain twist coming, which might have been more shocking otherwise.

tropes + topics:
✨ Disney’s Tangled retelling
🌦️ grumpy sunshine
🐠 fish out of water
🚘 road trip/forced proximity
🛏️ only one bed
💞 dual 3rd person pov

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and Netgalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

What a beautifully written story about chasing your dreams.
Think of the movie “Tangled” but, with a very surprising twist!
Ren and Fitz are the main characters in the story. Totally opposites in every way. Though there is romance, it is such a innocent, sweet aspect of the story.
Kudos to author, Christina Lauren, for writing such an emotionally charged story.
I cannot recommend this book enough! Definitely add it to your tbr list!
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

As an avid reader and a huge Disney fan, I'm just loving this series! I love the route the author took to modernize this story, and even though we all knew what the twist was, it stayed fun and suspenseful. The angst from the male main went on a little too long for my liking, but over all I ended up loving him!

A very very sweet romance story. I felt like this was such a nice flashback to Tangled and I really loved the characters chemistry.

I'm going to be really honest, I was a little disappointed in this. It was still good, but Tangled is my FAVORITE Disney movie and I guess I just wanted more. Ren is cute and just as sheltered and naive as you'd expect, and Fitz is cool and handsome and a bit of a rogue, very true to character. I did love that his car was named Max to keep with the theme. I thought Tangled Up In You was cute and fun and a pretty light, spice-free read, good for taking on a beach vacation when you don't want to have to think too much, just enjoy. If you are a Disney princess fan, you'll like this one. It was a like, but not love for me.

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

I think this was my favorite addition to the Meant to Be series. As a longtime fan of both Christina Lauren AND Tangled this was a perfect blend of both styles. I cannot recommend it enough. I loved the added depth to both characters and that the plot was just enough like the original film while still standing completely on it's own. I loved it.

Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren is the fourth book in the popular Meant To Be series that has different authors doing fairy tale re-tellings.
And this one is a phenomenal Tangled retelling!
With the amazing, funny and meaningful moments. Truly a cute romantic comedy, such a light and easy read! The main characters are so likeable that it made me breeze through this book.
I found this book so much fun. It was charming, engaging and so beautifully written.
I mean how could it not be? It’s written by CL!

I can’t wait to see which book comes next in this series!

Thank You NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I don’t usually go for books that are in the middle of a series without reading the others, but each book in the Meant to Be series is written by a different author so I figured it would be safe. It was. This book can be read as a standalone no problem. I’d be surprised if the stories in this series overlapped at all.

Ren is an interesting character. She grew up on a homestead being homeschooled. Ren didn’t interact with other children very often and she only went into town when her parents did. I hate using this word, but Ren is so pure. She is untouched by social media, television, and the internet. She naively trusts her parents 110%, even when she doesn’t agree with them. She truly believes they know best. The one thing she held firm on was finally getting to go to college. Ren is 22 and extremely bright. Her mind hungers for more knowledge.

The way Ren’s culture shock is written is perfect. She is a total sunshine character so the confusion at certain terms and the derision some throw her way don’t get her down. She doesn’t change who she is to fit in, but she voraciously absorbs everything around her and starts to see her parents may be wrong about a few things.

Fitz is a hard character to like at first. Honestly, even once I saw his soft side and got to know him, I was still confused about his backstory. I wish that would have been fleshed out a bit better. That being said, I loved his thaw. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship Ren and Fitz built and how protective Fitz was with her, even when he didn’t want to be.

This story took a minute for me to get invested. I loved Ren and her journey, but I didn’t feel the story took off until the road trip started. Having these characters who are attracted to each other but baffled by each other in a confined space was fantastic. In a way, this is a coming-of-age story since Ren was so sheltered and Fitz was so cynical. They both learned a lot on that road trip, about each other and about the world.

Tangled Up in You is a modern-day Rapunzel re-telling and if you are a fan of the movie Tangled - you’re going to love this.

I felt like the authors stayed really true to the Tangled storyline – it was easy to identify what scenes would compare to the scenes in the movie. It was a fun comparison, and like the movie this entire story had a sort of fun vibe – even despite the fact that there was a much more serious subplot.

I really loved the dynamic between Fitz and Ren. I loved how this all played out in a new adult world. This story is perfect for young adults as the spice is low, and the cuteness is incredibly high. Overall, this was a quick, sweet, easy read geared perfectly toward younger audiences! ~ 3.5 Stars

I'm a huge Christina Lauren fan, and I adore this latest installation of the Meant to Be series. This was cute and a pretty faithful contemporary retelling. I highly recommend this book.

What a fun interpretation of Rapunzel! I’m in awe of these authors contributing to the Meant To Be series (I’ve read three now and about to read the Little Mermaid one)!! All of my favourite writers and bringing me to find a new fave in Murphy with the first a couple years ago.

I adored this version of the modern story, and enjoyed finding the Easter eggs where it had similarities to Tangled and Rapunzel, such as the car to the horse, the Flowerworks to the lantern festival in her flashes of memory, etc. This one got unexpectedly dark for a Christina Lauren novel - these ladies don’t normally take us in the direction they went but I was impressed with everything they decided to do!

I loved every word - I know some of their books can go off the rails but this is one of my faves from the duo, especially with the fairytale tie-ins. I absolutely recommend it to all. The storyline is not an exact retelling, but this is what makes it so good!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue, and this is my honest feedback.

Cute, modern retelling of Rapunzel. It was a cute, easy read. I think I didn’t like it as much because I had just read Christina Lauren’s Paradise Problem which I LOVED. So anything I read after that in this genre wouldn’t compare. I also didn’t realize it was part of a series. I think big Christina Lauren fans will like this one!

A modern retelling of Tangled (or Rapunzel) and very cleverly done!

Ren has been living off the grid for 22 years. Her parents never let her have any internet, technology or schooling. She's completely self-taught and extremely smart. When she gets accepted into a small university she is allowed to go as long as she stays on campus, and comes home every weekend. Fitz is the charming guy on campus that everyone loves, profs and students alike. But in fact, he's got side hustles, a shady past, and keeps his scholarship a secret. And he has an old mustang he calls Max.

Their adventure is one of self-discovery for BOTH of them. Fitz is a reluctant hero, and Ren broke my heart with her resilience and bravery! Loved it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Some writers could pen a grocery list and I’d probably give it a shot. When it comes to YA Romance that number can be counted on one hand with fingers left over.

But as I finished with duo Christina Lauren’s “Tangled Up in You” – a delightful modern reimagining of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel plus Disney's Tangled – I had the same fizzy buzz I’d get as a kid when my heroine got her happily ever after. Even if I wouldn’t normally select a YA title, the story absolutely worked for me as a Romance and a fairy tale retelling.

Christina Lauren has crafted a tale that is not only a nod to a classic but also a celebration of finding oneself and love in spite of a bumpy past. In this case, a past that cannot be changed or fixed by magic. (Unless you count therapy as magic, which I do.)

I found myself, a GenXer in her late 40s, feeling an unexpected sense of kinship with these two main characters as they struggle to find their place and let go of the things which are holding them back.

Ren Gylden in our modern story is not raised in a tower trapped by 50 feet of hair, but instead has been taken off the grid by homesteaders. She’s brilliantly bookish, but not street smart, and at the age of 23 enrolls herself against her parents wishes at a nearby college.

There she meets the enigmatic Fitz, the one person on campus who seems immune to her kindness and charm. When a mystery that shakes Ren’s entire world happens, she decides to commandeer Fitz and his car for a ride across the country. On the way they discover that both of them have inner strengths they didn’t know they possessed, and that finding the person to stand beside you on your darkest roads is worth the risks.

Because this is for young adults, or even middle grade, the intimacy is kept to kissing and there’s some very well handled discussion of boundaries and consent. That doesn’t mean it’s not very romantic in the classic sense and just the right amount of steamy. The dynamic between Ren and Fitz is beautifully crafted, with humor and sweetness woven into their interactions and playful banter.

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys a Disney or fairy tale retelling, new adult or YA Romance, or wants a sweet/closed door romance with a Happily Ever After
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Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Ave for the Advanced Reader Copy. Expected Publication Date: June 25, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I was really excited for this Rapunzel retelling. I thought it was cute, but nothing was really happening for a while into the book to hold my interest. Personally I wonder if rapunzel story isn’t my favorite or isn’t as well known to me but it wasn’t obvious this was a retelling until the back half of the book. While this was my least favorite written by Christina Lauren I still think fans of princess retellings will enjoy this modern take with the classic Christina Lauren twist - a dash of drama and plenty of comedy.

This cutie little romance based on the movie Tangled is out in the world today! I wasn’t sure how this Disney princess story would translate into a modern-day romance, but Christina Lauren nailed it! I loved Ren & Fitz’s love story, their road trip adventures and their friendly banter. The connections to Rapunzel were so fun and clever too. Thanks for sharing a copy with me!

As a lover of Disney's Tangled, I really enjoyed this book!

I've always adored Christina Lauren's writing and this is no exception. I wasn't sure what to expect with a Tangled retelling, but as an avid fan of the movie, I couldn't pass up the chance to read this book. I was entertained, enjoyed the modern-day take on a Disney classic, loved how innocent Ren was experiencing the world for the first time, and adored Fitz from the beginning. Plus, all of the nods to the movie made my heart happy!

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Thank you Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Really enjoyed this one, but I don’t think I would have known it was a Rapunzel reimagining if I hadn’t been told. Well, except for her cat’s name and all the hair… lol

I really loved the beginning of the story and seeing the world open up for Ren from her sheltered beginnings. She was such a bright light and Fitz was such a fun partner for her. Their road trip for me fell a bit flat and then it started to really pick up momentum, but then the entire story wrapped up in three sentences. I was disappointed we didn’t get to meet Edward’s foster mom.

This was a fun, quick read that was more about Ren finding herself and learning about the world than a romance with Fitz. It has a very YA vibe and would not pass any of my romance reader friends’ “naughty word search” tests.