I adored this! A retelling of one of my fave Disney movies written by my fave author duo? Say less!!

The little nods to the movie were so fun and they had me kicking my feet and giggling. I really enjoyed the spin they put on the narrative and the character development was top notch. Add in fantastic banter, sizzling chemistry and a bit of suspense/mystery, and this book has easily become one of my favorite road trip romances. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced copy of the book!

I enjoyed this book every bit as much as I enjoyed Tangled. This book had the perfect blend of romance, mystery, and humor. I absolutely loved the characters and the story. I will be purchasing this book my my school library. I hope you read this and enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

I've never seen Tangled and didn't realize this book was based on Rapunzel when I read it but I guess that explains Ren's long golden hair LOL. It also explains her sheltered background. To update the story for modern times, rather than a tower, she was raised on an isolated homestead in rural Idaho, had never been to school, had no friends, barely watched TV, had rarely used a computer and never had a smartphone. There was definitely a strong whiff of "not like other girls" as in addition to being gorgeous, she was also a brilliant, completely self-taught genius. However, she was also sweet, sunny, and optimistic, naive but practical, and I loved her in spite of the fact that she seemingly had no faults.

The plot itself is pretty simple and now that I've looked the movie up, I'd say the book tracks pretty well to it. Fitz, the MMC was a thief with a heart of gold and most of the book has them on a road trip to explore secrets in Ren's past that are affecting her present and future. I think anyone who liked the movie would enjoy and appreciate the book. I certainly did, even though I knew nothing about it going in. I also loved that the book stayed true to the Disney spirit. Ren and Fitz fall in love, but other than some kissing, there's no additional heat, which is appropriate, given Ren's sheltered background. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I was super excited when I was granted early access to the book, Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren. The movie Tangled has always been one of my absolute favorite Disney films and holds a special place in my heart as my son was a die hard fan when he was little. So when I read the premise of this book, I was super jazzed to get started. I appreciated the modernization of it, how Ren was this super naive and positive girl, being given the opportunity to finally leave the confines of her home and go to school. Fitz on the other hand, was a perfect combination of Flynn Rider's machismo and grumpiness, while once again modernized to fit this day and age. I liked that there were quite a few nods to the film, and that it basically followed the script of the movie, while reinventing some of the situations and circumstances. However, the reason I am giving it a 4 is because the ending felt REALLY rushed. It felt like a deadline might have been looming so we had to quickly tie everything up in a neat little bow and give the readers the ending and quickly. I would have liked more depth in that part of the book, more delving into what happened when the big reveal occurred and how Ren struggled with all that she had learned. Overall it was a fun book, and I enjoyed seeing a Disney film/storyline come to life in a book by an author I have enjoyed reading books from in the past. It was a fun summer read, but I would have liked just a bit more when it came down to the final plot points of the storyline. Still a good time, and I'd recommend it to those that loved the movie!

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun modern way to portray the Rapunzel story. Ren shines off the page like a modern Rapunzel should. Fitz has that quirky personality that is both flirty and mysterious. Together they both exude the characters we all grew to love with the Disney telling. Yet the story itself is very realistic. It has been modernized in a way that keeps true to the story if it were to happen in today’s day and age. I have enjoyed reading all the Meant to Be novels and this one didn’t disappoint.
Thank you so much to Hyperion Avenue and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this tile.

In Tangled Up In You, Ren is a 22 year old college freshman who never left her family homestead, was homeschooled and never had a phone or any modern conveniences. Her overprotective parents allowed her to start college but with strict rules. And obviously Ren pushes the limits and discovers secrets about her life. This story is a modern spin on Rapunzel and Tangled. About being isolated and discovering everything that life has to offer. I loved watching Ren learn about pop culture, trends, etc. it had an Elf like vibe to it. She was sweet, kind, innocent and such a dynamic personality. The romance was adorable and swoonworthy. And I liked that it was a romcom with suspense, a twisted story line and characters facing real issues. One of my new favorites of theirs.

Absolutely adorable! #4 in the Meant to Be Series, Tangled up in You is a reimaging of Disney's Tangled. This novel can be read as a standalone, just like the other 3 in the series. Ren, the Rapunzel character has been raised her whole life on a homestead away from the modern world. She gets a full scholarship to Corona University, much to the consternation of her "parents".
Fitz is the golden boy who is super close to graduating and taking down his father. A road trip ensues after a project for their immunology class goes awry and these 2 opposites couldn't be cuter. Love Christina Lauren!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Hyperian Avenue for this e-arc.*

I like how this retelling of Rapunzel locked in the tower becomes Ren raised off the grid. I haven't seen Tangled so I don't know how well Fitz translates as a character to a movie fan.

Ren is bright and open and caring and kind. She is thrust into the real world when she enrolls in college after a lifetime of teaching herself through books and self-sustained living on a farm. Her parents reluctantly let her attend but they forbid her to leave campus and require her to come home every weekend. Even with those constraints, Ren flourishes and thrives.

Ren is so likable and I was cheering for her the whole time. Fitz is the grumpy to her sunshine and helps her navigate the world of internet and hotels and chain restaurants. He has his own baggage but he really was secondary to the plot to me.

Another fun entry in the Ever After series.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

OH MY GOSH! Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren was even better than I imagined from these talented writers! I absolutely ADORED how the Meant to Be series takes Disney characters and kicks it up a notch with amazing authors. This story was so whimsical and magical, exactly as I knew Christina Lauren would deliver. I was SO pleasantly surprised by this book - it had just the right nods to Tangled/Rapunzel but was totally its own contemporary thing with college and personal growth. And the grumpy sunshine trope?! Don't EVEN get me started, it was PERFECT. This book was everything I hoped for and more - I'm STILL grinning from ear to ear thinking about it!

Ren has lived off the grid her whole life and is finally getting the chance to spread her wings and experience more of the outside world when her parents reluctantly agree to let her attend college. She can’t leave campus except to come home for the weekends, she can’t use the internet except for school work, no boys, no makeup, no frivolity of any kind. When the results of a class assignment give Ren some unexpected and alarming information she heads out on an impromptu road-trip with classmate Fitz. Fitz is reluctant to spend any time with Ren. His attraction to her aside, she is seriously detrimental to his academic success and he doesn’t have time for her sweet naivety. Their trip together across multiple state lines brings them close together and Fitz finds it harder and harder to not be utterly entranced by Ren. His bad boy past and her contentious family threaten to ruin this newfound attraction they have for each other.

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I really enjoyed this fairytale fantasy. It’s a retelling/play on the Disney story of Tangled or Rapunzel and was really fun and sweet. A quick read that kept me entertained all the way through.

Fitz and Ren had fabulous chemistry and their banter was laugh out loud funny. You could feel Fitz fall in love with Ren along their road-trip. The bar scene? Absolutely priceless. Despite the limitations of Ren’s previous world she grew up in, she didn’t seem terribly naive or saccharine. She was charming. I really liked Fitz and found him to be someone I was rooting for.

This read more to me as a YA or new adult book and it had low spice (none really, just kissing). The formatting was off a bit in the ARC, so some parts were a little wonky but I’m sure it will be corrected in the published version. All in all, really enjoyable.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I love Christina Lauren and I love Disney, so this is an obvious read for me! I enjoyed this fun read (I’ve liked the entire Meant to Be series). I feel so spoiled having two Christina Lauren books to read this summer!

4.5⭐️

I love Disney movies. Tangled is no exception. So I was thrilled to get an arc to read of this Tangled retelling.

In true Christina Lauren fashion it did not disappoint.

This had everything I wanted. It followed the story close enough but also felt like it could happen today. It was cute and funny and endearing with a bit of darkness that you expect with Disney villains. Highly recommend.

Tangled Up in You was a cute and sweet 'Tangled' retelling. Ren is an innocent 22 year old getting her first taste of freedom as a college student and Fitz is the popular guy on campus, but there is more to him. They end up on a road trip together that is quite the adventure. I had fun reading this and some of the moments on their trip had me laughing and smiling big. I enjoyed this one lots!

Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

An enchanting modern-day fairy tale retelling!

Thanks NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC!

Synopsis –

Meet Ren and Fitz – two youngsters whose lives couldn’t be more different. Ren was home-schooled and raised without exposure to technology. But at 22, she is finally getting to see the world thanks to her course at Corona college. Fitz has an agenda to graduate with flying colors from Corona college and a revenge fuelled ambition to conquer the world. But Ren’s stellar academic excellence is threating everything he has ever wanted. An immunology project sets them both on a life changing collision course with the most unlikeliest of road-trips together.

Review -

If you’ve watched the Disney movie Tangled and then read this book, you will realize just how well Christina Lauren have drawn parallels and captured stark differences between the enchanting lives of Rapunzel and Ren – two beautiful girls with long golden hair and wide green eyes, both at the mercy of cruel fate, but who go on to change their destinies despite the odds.

Although Ren’s life is set in the present modern day, like Rapunzel in the tower, she is isolated from the real world in every sense possible. I found Ren’s character to be fascinating – what a self-taught genius she was! An epitome of self-sufficiency – Ren could handle farm animals with the same ease with which she could build a wind power system or fix a car’s mechanics.

Ren’s optimism, inquisitiveness, wonder and her fresh way of viewing the world are just what the angry and world-weary Fitz needs. It took me sometime to warm up to Fitz, but once I knew what was beneath the steely exterior and protective shell, I couldn’t help but adore and cheer for this sweetheart of a guy.

An irksome road-trip, becomes an unimaginable journey of transformation for this couple as they discover each other, learn new perspectives, open up new dreams and lives for themselves. I loved every minute of their cute camaraderie, sweet budding romance, funny endearing banter and couldn’t wait for the magical HEA.

Highly recommend for CLo fans!

I always love Christina Lauren books and this one was no exception. The grumpy vs sunshine troupe is perfect here. The chemistry between Ren and Fitz is great. What an adorable retelling of Tangled / Rapunzel. I love the close quarters of a car and fun situations that happen on a trip. This was a fun one!

Nobody writes better contemporary romance than Christina Lauren. Hard stop. Come fight me about it. I will cut you for them. The power couple of Christina Lauren are so on top of their game, they released two books this year. The are here to play, friends, and their pencils are sharp.

Tangled Up in You is a modern adaptation of Rapunzel/Tangled. Ya know your girl loves a retelling of an old fairy tale- so I was excited for this. While Rapunzel and all her dumb hair and “tower captive” vibe could be rough to modernize, our fearless authors make it look easy and wrote a charming love story that makes sense in 2024.

Ren,a loveable, naïve farm girl, is uber-controlled by her parents who absolutely definitely totally escaped from the Branch Davidian cult-these two weirdos scream “conspiracy theorists on the fringe of society making decisions in the name of Jesus”. Ren somehow talks her parents into allowing her to go to college at age 23, but she already knows everything bc when your parents are psychos you turn to books for company. Ren meets hunky Fritz- a rich lothario with a dark, secretive past. Ren and Fritz end up partaking in a car trip across the country rife with forced proximity and one of my personal faves…ONE BED!!! Per usual, these two fall in love along the way, but their cross country adventures and personal discoveries are as enticing as the very non-smutty romance that ensues. While I love me some dirty dirty smut, Christina Lauren prove that if you write a great romance with interesting characters and a captivating plot it is still a satisfying read. Please ladies- write more fairytale adaptations for your rabid fans!!

Def recommend this one and it would be a great read for a younger romance lover as the smut is low, but the joy is high.

Smut- 1.53 stars
Romance- 4.67 stars
Story- 4.89 stars
Culty parents- neg 45.19 stars

Oh this was so good! I read it in one sitting and saw the secret/reveal/twist coming a mile away but was here for it (although... since it's based on a movie from 14 years ago and a fairy tale from who knows how long ago, I guess it's not really a twist). There was a book series I read a few times as a teen that it reminded me a bit of so there was that nostalgia I enjoyed even during the more serious parts. It was a delight to follow along as Ren gets to experience the world away from her family's homestead for the first time and then ends up on a road trip with Fitz. The references to Tangled were sprinkled throughout, some more obvious (his car is a white Mustang he calls Max) and more brief and subtle (she thinks to herself that she doesn't think she'd be able to replicate the slope of his nose if she drew him). There was no spice (duh, Disney) but Christina Lauren did a good job of this one and I'd read it again. But tomorrow I'm watching Tangled. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion for the ARC. The book is out on June 25/24.

I was immediately drawn to this cover and description as a modern day retelling of Tangled. This book is part of the Meant to Be Collection written for the diverse reimaginings of Disney fairy tales. If you love the story of Rapunzel, I think you'll really enjoy this book.

Ren is Rapunzel, who spent the past 22 years homeschooled and raised to be self sufficient at a homestead without the influence of the internet or pop culture. Fitz & Ren meet in college and go on an unexpected road trip filled with adventure and romance where Ren tries to find the truth about her family.

Some scenes really drew me in (hot tub scene!) but I also had a hard time staying interested throughout the first half, mostly because it was such a YA feel. Ren grew up very sheltered so seeing her and Fitz fall for each other with her very childlike personality was a little off for me. It was fun comparing the book scenes to the movie scenes and things picked up in the second half. Overall, if you like Disney movies or are looking for a sweet read, check this out.

Thank you NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue, and the authors for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts out amazing about Ren who lives off the grid with her two parents and convinces them to let her go to school for the first time in her life. As the story goes on, Ren starts slowly questioning everything. This was a good spin on Disneys Tangled but there could’ve been some parts that didn’t need to be dragged. All around good book.

Tangled Up In You

Thank you to Hyperion for my advance electronic copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Ren has grown up very much off the grid and in isolation. Working the farm with her parents in rural Idaho, she knows her way around a machine, a barnyard, a field, and loses herself in books and in the night sky, dreaming of the outside world she has been raised to fear. Fitz has a goal to graduate first in every class, become a lawyer, and stick it to those who ruined his past. But when their paths cross and they end up on a cross-country road trip together, they may both learn that the dreams they've held so long aren't as good as the ones that could be if they'd only open their eyes and hearts.

This is tied for my favorite book of 2024 (with Percival Everett's James). It was such a vivid retelling, and fans of Disney's Tangled will recognize all sorts of fun Easter eggs scattered throughout. Tangled Up In You hit me on a deep emotional level--these are two people who have gone through some serious trauma. But they are not letting it define them. They may not have the maturity or experience to navigate tricky emotional situations, but they are voluntarily honest and open with each other and are taking slow steps toward trying to be healthy. I've found Christina Lauren to be so good at writing positive mental health--consent and trauma and all kinds of other issues. It is sweet and raw and vulnerable and real, and has such a realistic, gorgeous, love-filled HEA that I couldn't have wished for better.

Triggers: abandonment, abusive grooming, abduction, death