I loved this so much! I didn't know this was a Tangled retelling until I read the reviews. I had no idea while reading that that was the case, but I can see the similarities.

I do like the authors writing and enjoyed some of their previous books, but unfortunately, I've had to DNF a few due to content. I was pleasantly surprised that this was CLEAN. There was mention of naked men on a bathroom wall in a biker bar they thought was a restaurant but no descriptions. It contained minimal cursing, less than 10 instances, with no F bombs or GD.

There was a detailed kissing scene at 60%, but it wasn't dirty or overly descriptive, in my opinion. I wish more of their writing was like this. I really want to be able to read more of their work in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

Tangled Up In You was a fun spin on Tangled. Tangled is one of my favorite movies, so I loved seeing all the ways that Christina Lauren worked aspects of the movie into the book. The storyline was fun, interesting, and a little suspenseful. Ren is a sweet girl who has been sheltered her whole life. There are a lot of things she doesn't know, yet she's one of the smartest people. It was really fun being in her head and seeing the world from her eyes and how she was raised. Fitz is a little bit mysterious. He doesn't like to open up or share with people. He keeps everything close to his chest. He may not always believe it, but he's a good person and cares a lot more about Ren than he'll admit. I enjoyed seeing him come to terms with his feelings for Ren and open up to her. They're quite the cute couple, just like Rapunzel and Eugene. I really enjoyed Tangled Up In You! *I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Tangled Up in You is the fourth book in the interconnected standalone “Meant to Be” series. If you didn’t guess by the title, it is also a Tangled retelling! This novel follows Fitz and Ren as they embark on an unexpected journey across the US with each other, learning more about themselves than they originally bargained for.

This was my first Disney princess retelling, so I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into it! One of my favorite aspects of the book was looking for parallels with the movie, so it’s safe to say I enjoyed the idea. As per usual, Christina and Lauren kept the story interesting. It was extremely fast-paced and just over 300 pages, making this book a very quick read. Working in its favor, neither the story nor the language was exceptionally complex.

Despite these positives, the book lacked depth overall. I enjoyed reading about the characters but ultimately had no real connection to them since the story was very surface-level.

Tangled Up in You earns a solid 3/5 stars from me! While it didn’t end up in my favorites overall, I still thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC!

THANK YOU for this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was SO CUTE! Aah!

I absolutely love Christina Lauren, and recommend them to anybody who is ever looking for a sweet, light-hearted romance book. This was no exception. I have such a soft spot for Tangled in general, so a retelling of it? Absolutely.

I found the main characters, Ren and Fitz, to fit seamlessly into the world from which they originated but in their very own unique way. I absolutely ADORED them. I found the romance believable, sweet, and caught myself laughing out loud throughout parts of the story. Absolutely adored this, and so excited to recommend it to others.

I loved this Tangled re-telling so much. It was so much fun to see how the different parts of Tangled would play out, but in a modern setting. This was a super adorable rom com and a super quick read. Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I know this is a modern retelling of Tangled, which is a retelling of Rapunzel, but the authors really went for the extreme off the grid and hidden away storyline. I know people like this exist, but it was hard to even relate to Ren because of this. Also, because this is a retelling, it is extremely predictable throughout, with a Disney happily ever after. I found myself skimming a lot, which is surprising because Christina Lauren are great authors. But I was bored at points and found everything too predictable.

I was very surprised by this book. I wasn't sure how they would make Rapunzel/Tangled work in a real-world setting. However, I thought it worked so well! Instead of living in a tower with her mom, Ren has lived off the grid her whole life with her parents and at 22 is finally allowed to go to college. She has that sticky sweet naive personality but you can't help but love her. Fitz has it all, he's the hot popular guy on campus with a rich dad. But he has a secret past no one knows about. Without giving too much of the plot away, they end up on a road trip to Memphis over spring break and tumultuously fall in love along the way.

This has something for romance readers and nonromance readers alike. The mystery subplot kept me hooked the whole way through and the action towards the end was such a page-turner. Also, Christina Lauren brought back one of my favorite tropes growing up the road trip romance! Read if you like New Adult, Grumpy/Sunshine, and Forced Proximity tropes.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 6/25!

Ren grew up leading an extremely sheltered life off the grid in Idaho. With no traditional schooling, and without ever spending even a night away, she’s now leaving home to go to college (her parents very grudgingly ‘allowing’ this, even though she’s 22)

She meets Fitz when the college Dean arranges for him to give her the intro tour. As confident as he is intelligent, he doesn’t quite know what to make of the new girl who isn’t as impressed as everyone else.

When she stumbles upon him sneaking into a teacher’s office the same night she does, Ren takes advantage of situation to find some answers about her background - not realizing this trip will lead to finding more about Fitz’s secrets as well.

I love Tangled, but I wonder if there’s a good reason it’s best as a fairy tale. As a real world contemporary story there were many times this felt very ‘How To Wind Up On Dateline 101’
*But* if you can suspend enough disbelief on the danger, it’s an exciting adventure of discovery for Ren!
I love road trip stories, and this one was a great way to watch them learn about each other (and, of course, grow closer)
The story gets pretty intense towards the end too. Good thing these fairy tales have a HEA!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the arc!

I got the concept of the series is to be a retelling of a Disney movie classic… The problem is that this reads like a really awkward fanfiction. And I love Christine Lauren.

Read this because it’s entertaining and cute.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own

Sigh. So, so wonderful. Another Meant To Be/Disney retelling, but with that fantastic Christina Lauren flair. (But clean, no spice - it’s Disney, after all!). The subject matter got much heavier than I was expecting for both Ren and Fitz, but I think that just made the story stronger. It was truly a coming-of-age for both of them.

Rounded up from 4.5
At 22, Ren has never been out of her family's homestead. Now that she's going to college, she may be amazingly brilliant, her social skills are lacking. When she learns something mindblowing in her Bio class, she knows she has to go to Atlanta to investigate. Fitz happens to be going that way in his car, Max, and she has an argument that he can't refute even if he finds her annoying. Will he be able to stomach her for 5 days?
This opposites attract, road trip, forced proximity, one bedroom/bed Tangled retelling romance is book 4 in the Meant to Be series, but can totally be read as a standalone. I have to admit that I almost DNFd this one. The start was a bit slow, and both Ren and Fitz got on my nerves. But I started really warming up to it during the while Screaming Eagle scene (which is a very fun retelling of the Ugly Duckling scene in Tangled). And from then on, I just loved it! I loved all the hints to the original story and how the authors twisted them.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love Meant To Be series. I love Christina Lauren books.

Has to be great, right??

Yes!! It was I loved it! I struggled a bit trying to wrap my head around the time period we were in. I knew they were modern retellings but with having the homestead setting at the begging made it so hard to join today. Once she was at college a bit all was good.

But ugh!! The mother, (I mean obviously I knew but 🤬)!

And I know I was supposed to not like Fitz in the beginning but who couldn’t like him?! Especially as I have casted him as Zachary Levi (was there even any other option?!).

And the screaming eagle scene? So good! Just the whole road trip in general. I adored. Loved.

But WHY?! Why did he leave?! Why? Everyone knows you make sure they make it to the door before leaving! Or is that just a southern thing? or just me? How could he leave though!!

Anyway. So good.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

👱🏻‍♀️Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren OUT JUNE 25th 2024 👱🏻‍♀️

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the advanced copy!

Two Christina Lauren books in one year? Best summer ever! I loved The Paradise Problem so this one had a lot to live up to! This one is rumored to be based on the movie Tangled, however I have never seen it.

Ren is a 23 year old living on a farm. She’s never been to school, never had a phone, and only knows her parents. She is very smart from being self taught, and she convinced her parents to let her attend college on a full scholarship. When the bad boy is tasked with showing her around campus, she will have to learn all about the real world without falling for his charm.

I loved this concept!! I was shocked by the direction this book took us and was so unexpected. It was such a binge worthy book I read the whole thing by the pool. Not as funny as The Paradise Problem, but still very good and worth the read this summer! 4.5 ✨

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of Tangled Up In You. I will never tire of Christina Lauren's books. The author duo has done it again in this romantic comedy reimagining.

I loved how this followed the rest of the books from the Meant to Be series. Tangled obviously influenced it, but it still had its own unique story plot and message.

I was curious to see how they were going to present Ren and how she was "kept away in her tower" and I loved the Idaho homestead concept. And Fitz had an awesome backstory as well with his upbringing and influences. I did enjoy seeing their relationship grow throughout their road trip and it didn't feel forced or like it was "instalove" at all. I loved Max, by the way!

This was a sweet retelling and I loved Christina Lauren's addition to the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

A delightful coming of age romance from the genre's powerhouse duo that's likely to appeal to both Christina Lauren fans and fans of the Disney film that served as inspiration. Readers who go in without realizing that this is a Tangled retelling may be confused or put off by the brilliant but sheltered Ren and the sweet but sometimes smarmy Fitz. But the pair are a sweet duo that perfectly serve as modern day mirrors to their fairy tale counterparts. Readers prepared to suspend disbelief and fall into a sweet first love story are in for a treat.

In this retelling of Repunzel, Ren has been sheltered on her family's compound her whole life. Now, she is heading off to college. There, she brings her uniquely optimistic view of life, charming all of the residents. Except smooth talking Fitz. When a class DNA test makes Ren rethink her whole life, she blackmails Fitz into taking a road trip with her.

This was a really cute fairy tale inspired romcom. Here's what I loved

Ren. She was adorable. It's hard to believe that any person could be that sheltered but Christina Lauren did a great job with that. She's quirky and light-hearted. Even when bad things were happening, she has this optimism that is contagious.

Fitz. There's more to him than meets the eye. I loved his backstory and how he comes to terms with his feelings for Ren.

The crazy roadtrip. I loved this! There are hijinks and funny situations. Fitz and Ren are so opposite that they work perfectly in this situation.

All in all, this was an adorable romcom.

Thank you to the authors and publisher for the gifted copy!

I went into reading this book thinking it would be a cute little college romance story with all of the sparkle you expect from Disney. However I was surprised by how much this book shines a light on some more serious topics and how they balanced so well with the romance and moments of humor between Ren and Fitz. I’m hesitant to say too much about this book because I think it reads better without context or swaying from reviews, but trust me when I say this may be one of my new favorites by Christina Lauren. The way they build romantic tension in this dual POV, fade-to-black romance is a masterclass in romance writing. I had to put the book down at one point and collect myself because, WOW, it was truly that good (I’m not going to say when though… but if you’ve read it, you know – also, thanks @jsbookishnook for letting me drop some unhinged voice memos while reading!).

You don’t want to miss out on this one. Thank you to Hyperion Avenue & Netgalley for the digital review copy, and for @loveyallfest for sharing the print ARCs with us!

Tangled Up In You is the 4th book in the Meant To Be series, a collection of fairytale retellings by an awesome group of romance authors. I have no Rapunzel/Tangled retellings to compare this too, but I can’t imagine a better way to put a real life twist on one of my favorites.

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
How true this version was to the storyline and ideas of Rapunzel, all while being its own story with insane twists and turns. I never once predicted how this story would move along or end, even though I knew it correlated with a timeless fairytale.

Ren and Fitz. I loved them both so much. Who can rival Flynn Ryder? Welp, Fitz gives him a run for his money for sure. And Ren… so sweet and brilliant. Truly kind, understands she’s naive but just wants to learn, and can handle her own in the sweetest ways.

The Action. Normally I don’t look for action in a book. I don’t long for bar scenes with brawls or cop car lights flashing. Christina Lauren surprised me after Something Wilder with how much action and thrill they can pack into a romance story, but this time I was more prepared and I ate it up!

FAVORITE QUOTES:
“If you took the raw confidence of Florence Pugh, the bone structure of Austin Butler, the charm of Jenna Ortega, and multiplied it by the effortless sensuality of Timothée Chalamet, you’d have Fitz.”

“Fitz couldn’t imagine three class hours and three laboratory hours a week with her beside him, Rensplaining every tiny detail of the course material.”

“Serious as a sleep attack.” Whatever he was going to say next evaporated from his thoughts. “A sleep attack?” “When one gets an uncontrollable urge to sleep. A common symptom of narcolepsy.” “Why not just say ‘serious as a heart attack’?” “Because heart attacks kill people! I don’t want to make light of that!”

“He stared down at her, soaking her in as it seemed every synapse in his brain rewired. She was such a paradox: delicate but unbreakable; modest but intrepid; innocent but electrifying.”

“…it wasn’t only that he didn’t have time for fondness. He didn’t like the powerlessness of it. Didn’t like the feeling that he was just handing over keys to a castle he had protected for so long.”
Thank you Christina Lauren and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. I already pre-ordered my physical copy to be signed by two of my favorite creative brains, and look forward to June 25th when it arrives!

ARC REVIEW

Tangled up in You
BY Christina Lauren

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (4 out of 5)

Publishing date: 6/24/25

I went into this one blind. It's a retelling of Disney's Tangled. I do not know the original story, but I really liked this version! This  book is #4 in the "MEANT TO BE" collection.

Ren spends ALL of her time on her remote family farm. After much persuading, her parents agreed to allow her to leave the family compound and attend college. Despite being VERY intelligent, this will be her first time stepping foot in a classroom.

  Rens parents drop her off on campus every Sunday and pick her up every Friday evening so she can return to the farm and complete her chores. While at school, her parents forbid her from leaving campus or using technology. (Even though she is 22 years old)

While at school, Ren meets Fitz - a top of the class student, who is also an extremely good-looking  big man on campus. A shared class assignment between the pair, bring them together on an unexpected road trip, that is bound to change both of their lives.

I REALLY liked this! And I will admit, there was a twist I didn't see coming. I'm not sure if the "twist" is also in Tangled, but if it is...im sure you know what I'm talking about. 🙂

The chemistry between Ren and Fitz was cute, and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. It kept my attention, and I read it in only a few sittings.

I recommend this one! If you don't know the Disney version...don't look it up. Go into it blind like I did and report back what you thought.

Thank you @hyperionavebooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this early! SO fun 🙂