I have read all of the Meant to Be series books to date, and let me just say, the girl who great up on these movies has been loving the literary interpretations. So when my favorite author duo was taking on the Tangled storyline, I couldn't wait to dive in. 

Typically, I try not to even read the synopsis to avoid spoilers, so reading a book with such a well-known plot was an interesting experience. But I enjoyed seeing where Christina Lauren would take these two! 

Ren is a college student out in the world for the first time. Fitz is a seemingly rich kid with a past. Together, they go on an adventure--complete with the tavern scene you know and love, just without the musical number (although I couldn't help singing it in my head). 

This does not have the typical CL spice, which actually totally makes sense given the circumstances. But in Tangled Up in You, they did deliver characters you'll adore, scenes you'll swoon over, and a storyline you'll fall in love with all over again. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A modern and cute take on Tangled.

While it took me some time to enjoy Ren’s naivety, I appreciated that she was written in a way that made sense based on her background. I also really enjoyed Fitz and watching his character develop and change as he watched Ren experience basic, everyday things for the first time.

If you love a sweet Disney princess type of movie, I think this book will be perfect for you.

When I started reading this I really wasn't sure about the story or the characters, however, I decided to power through and give it a chance and I'm glad I did!

The characters ended up being so well done. Rem & Fitz were so different but so much fun to read about their adventure. The story was absurd in the best way. The ending was insane but also so heartfelt.

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Hyperion Avenue for an advance copy of 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘜𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶

Much like Disney's Rapunzel movie, this book was an absolute joy. I really enjoyed the modern retelling of the movie - Ren and Fitz were both adorable. I loved joining them on their spring break roadtrip and their relationship's progression. I also appreciated the level of spice - I think since this was based on a children's movie, despite this being an adult romance, any spicier would have been weird to me.
Overall, very fun story that did the movie justice in a modern, more grown up way.

Tangled rewritten with the big man on campus and the homesteading coed. Ren has been sheltered living on a homestead, she loves it but has educated herself, so far. While she attends college for her first semester she works on a project that raises questions. Fitz is the hot guy that is going to help her find the answers although not willingly at first. It’s been years since I’ve seen the movie Tangled but this pairs up with all the key elements and storyline with modern twists. The characters are a bit of an acquired taste at first but eventually enjoyed reading it. It’s actually a good book for the young adult reader also, pretty light on bedroom shenanigans. I received an early copy and wrote my review voluntarily.

This may be a biased review, but I am a big Christina Lauren fan. I find her books to be fun, lighthearted and cute. Even when the topics are serious, difficult and sad, she writes in a way that does not make it too dark and heavy. I love that her characters grow, learn and develop. I enjoy the slow burn romance and the fact that I spend part of the book yelling at the characters. Ren and Fitz are complete opposites who find themselves on a life changing road trip, after a discovery during a college class. They are sunshine and grumpy, yet the chemistry between them is fire. A sweet, quick read that is impossible to put down.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I really wanted to love this one because I’m such a fan of Christina Lauren but this wasn’t for me. I’ve never been a fan of retellings and I wish I hadn’t known this was a retelling going in to it because I may have liked it more without having the movie Tangled in the back of my mind. Overall it was a fun romcom and I’ll still recommend it.

This is not just a sweet romance, but is, in fact, a wonderful story of a girl, Ren, who has never experienced the modern world. She finally convinces her parents to let her leave the isolated family farm to go to college. There, she meets a handsome boy who takes her along on a wild adventure where they uncover secrets on both sides. I loved this story, a modern version of the movie, Tangled.

"Tangled Up in You " is essentially Disney's Tangled moved into the 21st century. Ren has been raised completely off grid, as in she has never even held a cell phone, but manages to convince her very intense and very over-protective parents to allow her to go to college at age 22. On campus, she meets supposed rich boy Fitz, who prides himself on being the only person who doesn't fall for Ren's oh so good and wholesome ways. But of course, that supposed indifference could never last, especially as they unexpectedly end up on an extended road trip together.

The main book plot points parallel those of the film, meaning that nothing is super unexpected. The reasons behind Ren's isolation are obvious from the start but the ending does go a tiny bit darker than I would have thought. Overall, this is a very sweet, very Disney, book, perfect for YA readers or even the more adult Disney lovers.

3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub date: 6/25

Thank you so much to Hyperion for my advanced copy.

Ren, a 22-year-old who has spent her entire life off the grid on an Idaho homestead, finally steps into the mainstream by attending Corona College. Her journey into the real world takes an unexpected turn when a simple immunology assignment changes her life. She needs to take a trip, and using a little blackmail, she convinces her classmate, Fitz, to take her. As they embark on a road trip, their lives intertwine in surprising and meaningful ways.

Tangled is the Disney movie this story is based on, and is a BIG favorite in my house. When my daughter was little, we watched it multiple times a day. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this, but I’m so glad I gave it a chance because I loved it! Christina Lauren crafted a sweet and funny romance that captured the essence of the original and I loved all the Easter eggs and nods to the Disney movie.

Fitz, with his smoldering looks and dangerous background, is the perfect Flynn Rider. Ren’s wide-eyed innocence, long golden hair, and sharp wit make her an enchanting Rapunzel. Their chemistry is palpable, and their romance is tasteful and fades to black, keeping the story focused on their emotional connection and growth.

This book is such a fun, entertaining read, with a few heavy topics and some suspense thrown in. It’s a charming, feel-good story that’s full of humor and heart and I can’t wait to see what this writing duo comes up with next!

Read if you like:
*road trips
*Fairy tale reimaginings
*opposites attract
*YA feels
*closed-door romance

Ren has never left their family homestead for more than a trip to the local farmers market. But at 22, she heads to college for the first time and meets Fitz. Fitz thinks Ren is so weird and innocent and strange and...enticing?
When the results of an ancestry DNA test send them on an impromptu road trip across the country, the two of them find themselves feeling a lot of feelings (and hiding a lot of secrets).

My Thoughts: This is a modern retelling of Rapunzel (but more specifically Tangled) and part of Christina Lauren's Meant To Be series. It's cute, and made a good, cheesy, simple novel. I'll also prefer The Paradise Problem and The True Love Experiment, but this was a cute little filler.

When Ren, who has grown up completely off the grid, goes to college her eyes are opened. When Fritz meets the beautiful, brilliant and naive Ren he is blown away by her. They each harbor secrets that must be revealed before they can commit to each other. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for my honest review.

This was super fun. It's Christina Lauren so you really can't go wrong. I have actually never seen tangled but I know the story of Rapunzel well. This was a fun road trip enemies to lovers romance!

3.5 stars!

This reimagining of Disney's Tangled stayed pretty true to the movie. Ren and Fitz's relationship was very cute and there were a lot of parallels. For the most part, I had a lot of fun with this one. However, there wasn't anything that stood out to me in particular. There wasn't much that happened in terms of plot. I also don't think they explained the significance of her long hair in this book but I'm not entirely sure. Ren and Fitz were cute together but it had a very Disney and YA feel to it. Even the ending was very simple. I also liked Fitz but I feel like his character could have been developed and explored more. Their relationship was pretty abrupt too; I wasn't even sure when they became boyfriend and girlfriend but they still had their cute moments. Overall, I liked this book because it was very similar to the movie but it's very simple and quick.

Holy moly. Seriously loved this book! Tangled is my favorite Disney movie, so when I saw this...you better believe I ran to apply!
lloved so much about this book, but of course it was so fun to see all of the Tangled hidden Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book. Some scenes felt straight from the movie. I like how they modernized it so it fits perfectly in a contemporary setting.
I love Ren, she's a ray of sunshine. Who can blame Fitz from falling head over heels?!
If you loved Tangled, you'll love this book!
Thank you @NetGalley, @christinalauren, and @hyperionavebooks for this book! It was a joy!

It pains me to say that despite loving this author duo, I did not enjoy this book. I eventually started skimming it just to get to the end but should have just put it in the DNF pile.

I think tackling any modern retelling is probably a difficult task but taking on the Rapunzel story is maybe more difficult than most. I haven’t read all of the Meant to Be books but I did read By the Book and I loved all of the nods to Beauty and the Beast that were sprinkled throughout the story. I was waiting and anticipating those gems in this story but they either fell flat or I just didn’t see them to make the connection to the Rapunzel story. Sure you get the frying pan, the bar scene and of course the hair but the hair of all things really didn’t factor into the story at all.

The main connection between tale and modern retelling was the reason Ren was isolated for twenty some years in the first place. I should have known where this part of the storyline was going and checked out the trigger warnings beforehand because I typically steer clear of this type of plot line where kidnapping or any harm to children is involved. What starts off as a cute story about a girl from a homestead turns pretty dark.

Overall I just didn’t connect with Ren or Fitz. The beginning when she first arrives at college wasn’t that gripping and it just went downhill from there. Their road trip was anticlimactic and didn’t really give enough for me to believe that they fell in love and would stay together forever from that moment forward.

I commend them on trying this retelling but it’s a pass for me. I do think the book club guide is a huge plus for anyone wanting to read it!

Another winner for this duo. Ren and Fitz, in this modern retelling of Tangled, are a cute read that is sure to entertain. I enjoyed the characters and how the story unfolded. A must read for Christina Lauren lovers.

This was basically a modern fan fiction retelling of the Tangled movie, and I adored it. Ren was so sweet and quirky, and Fitz was such a lovable "bad" boy with a troubled past who falls so hard for Ren. There were so many cute references to the movie—Max the car, Pascal the cat, frying pans everywhere, the bar scene—it was so excellent and fun. They also dealt a bit more realistically with the trauma Ren would obviously go through after such a Rapunzel-like childhood, which made the end especially a bit more sobering, but it did take away from the fact that this book was just an overall delight.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinion are completely my own.

I think I built this book up in my head a little too much and let myself down.

This book itself is a good book, cute reimagination of a beloved story. I just expected more, and I have no idea what.

3.5-4 stars. Ren is starting college at 22. She lives in a homestead and runs the whole operation for her parents so they are reluctant to let her go, but they have consented. Fitz is a college senior looking to graduate and remove a felony from his record. He gets paired up with Ren to give her a tour and is taking note of how naive and inexperienced she is regarding the modern world, which is everyday life for everyone else. It also does not escape him how incredibly intelligent she is and that they are both in the same Immunology class. It does not bode well for him if she is competition for him to graduate at the top of the class.

A DNA project yields unexpected results for Ren, prompting her to take a cross country trip and she strong arms Fitz into taking her via blackmail. A road trip in one vehicle and sharing hotels and meals together leads them to spending a lot of time together, getting to know one another. Fitz is the grumpy to Ren’s sunshine and he’s avoided her thus far because she gets on his nerves. But now they have no choice but to be around the other and learn their vulnerabilities. It’s a cute story, like Disney’s Tangled, and Fitz’s cynicism begins to thaw when it comes to Ren, whereas she is learning to discover everything about the world around her. There are some funny scenes and dialogue and I could appreciate Ren as a fearless and smart heroine because she was not easily deterred when she had a goal and seemed oblivious to danger. I was also anxious for her to reach her final destination to get answers to her long awaited questions. For a more adult version of the Disney film, this was entertaining and fun to read.