The Lodge is a wonderful story about a writer and the man she meets at the Vermont ski lodge while she is ghostwriting a memoir for a former boy band member. It is full of feel good moments and heartfelt drama. I devoured every word!

*deep sigh*

I really enjoyed Olson's novel THE REUNION and was hoping this would be another slam dunk for her, but unfortunately, I finished this book feeling frustrated and disappointed.

THE LODGE follows ghostwriter Alix who's been tasked with writing superstar Sebastian Green's memoir. To allow her time and privacy to write away from her younger sister, Green puts Alix up at a fancy lodge, where she meets ski instructor Tyler living next door. Alix begins to put together that there may be more secrets around this lodge than she originally thought.

Normally, I'm a big fan of stories about celebrities and writers, but this one missed the mark for me. The first half of the story really had me--it was fast-paced and addicting as Alix dove into her writing project and got to know Tyler (even though their relationship was definitely giving insta-love), and I was completely on board. After the big reveal around the halfway point, it started to lose me.

Part of that was because I saw the reveal coming from a mile away, so when Alix put the pieces together, it wasn't surprising at all for me. Alix's sister, Lauren, also played a bigger role in the second half of the story, and I detested her.

Lauren is significantly younger than Alix and her brother, so Alix feels that their parents always coddled Lauren, solved her problems for her, and never made her deal with any actual consequences. Alix complains about that treatment at length and how she refuses to do the same for her sister, but when it comes to her actions, that's not what happens at all. Alix is just as bad as her parents are about coddling Lauren, answering her every "emergency" call and fixing all of her problems for her, and not making her face any actual consequences, which drove me up the wall because Lauren was such a nightmare. I knew when she showed up to the lodge and discovered who else was staying there that she'd blow it all up and not face a single consequence, and I was right.

The lack of consequences for Lauren is seemingly brushed off because she has been keeping secrets about their brother and parents that Alix didn't know, but that wasn't good enough for me.

The ending, in general, was incredibly rushed as well. There was no time for Tyler to reconcile with his bandmates, for Lauren to learn any sort of lesson at all, or even for a wrap-up between Tyler and Alix. When the book ended in a proposal, I was even more frustrated. It came out of left field, and I stand by my opinion that not every romance needs to end in an engagement! Sometimes a happy ending can be the couple just being together. But I digress.

Unfortunately, this isn't a book that I can recommend, but I do still stand by her previous novel, THE REUNION, and would recommend that book instead.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where the rock star disappear to? Tjismis the main premise of this rom com. Alix is commissions ned to ghostwrite a biography with a famous rock star. She is swept off to Vermont to concentrate on writing and meets Tyker the sky instructor..

I did not finish this one, unfortunately.

The Lodge was a charming and cozy rom-com about Alix, an entertainment writer who is hired to ghostwrite the memoir of Sebastian, a former boyband member and decamps to a winter resort in Vermont to work on a draft. But upon arrival, Sebastian is nowhere to be seen, and Alix finds herself alone in a luxury suite next door to Tyler, a sexy and charming ski instructor. Innocent flirtations lead to romantic entanglement, but both of them are keeping secrets. Alix can’t tell him she ghostwriting Sebastian’s book or that she was the last person to interview his former bandmate Jett, who hasn’t been seen since. And Tyler is very unforthcoming about details of his personal life or how he came to be living at the resort. When a massive snowstorm isolates them from the rest of the outside world, they’re forced to start sharing secrets, and hoping that their fledgling relationship can withstand it. I found this a quick and engaging read, perfect for some cozy winter reading.

I enjoyed this book. The plot was slow at points but overall it was enjoyable. Not super realistic plot but still would recommend it.

The Lodge offers a delightful blend of romance and mystery set against a picturesque winter backdrop. Olson's writing captures the charm of a snowy retreat, immersing readers in the cozy atmosphere of Black Maple Lodge. The slow-burn romance between Alix and Tyler is heartwarming, with their chemistry building naturally through shared moments on the slopes and cozy evenings by the fire. The added layer of the boy band mystery adds depth to the narrative, keeping readers engaged as Alix navigates her professional responsibilities and personal feelings

While Alix is ghostwriting the memoir of a member of famous boy band True North, the publisher puts her up at a luxury lodge in Vermont. When she meets mysterious, gorgeous ski instructor Tyler and a winter storm drops two feet of snow on the lodge, Alix must balance writing, romance, and the mystery she uncovers as she digs deeper into the story of True North. This was such a sweet, cozy winter read, and I loved the epilogue. I did think the twist was incredibly obvious, but that didn’t hinder me at all from enjoying the book! This is my favorite from Kayla Olson so far!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for my copy! ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was super cute, but also super predictable. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping that there would be a twist I didn't see coming. Overall, a very ok read.

This sweet read was a great book to bring on my ski trip!! My first from this author and it was a fun and quick read.

This one had such a cozy setup—snowy lodge, secluded setting, and two people with unresolved history. I loved the atmosphere and the quiet tension that came with it. There’s something really comforting about stories that take their time and lean into second chances.

That said, the pacing felt a little too slow for me, and I had a hard time staying fully engaged. I kept waiting for something more to happen between the characters, but it never quite got there for me. Still, I think fans of slow-burn, character-driven stories will find something to enjoy here.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC—I’m glad I gave it a try!

Reviewed on Amazon

This book was so cute! I really love the cover, and it felt like a hallmark movie. It was a quick read, with a nice romance minus the spice which is refreshing. I am looking forward to reading more by this author!

Very cute storyline! Gave such cozy vibes and the characters were sooo relatable!!
Also can I note the cover art is sooo appealing to the eye! I think this will be a great winter read for all

This was a cute, boy band-set rom-com. It wasn't the most exciting one I've read, but it was still sweet (in a kind of bland way) overall. The entertainment portions were fun. The book works well as a quick palate cleanser if you're in the mood for that.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I received an advance ebook copy of The Lodge by Kayla Olson from netgalley.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The Lodge is a fun, sweet, quick read.

The story has a little twist that you may find 'predictable', but it's still a cute story.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a swoony romance that made me long for winter days! I love boy bands, and this book made my heart so happy. I enjoyed it.

"The Lodge" was everything I hoped it would be! I've loved Kayla Olson's other books, and this one might be my new favorite from her!

As a skier and former 90s teen with a serious boy band obsession, this book checked all my boxes. The story follows Alix Morgan, who scores a ghostwriting gig for Sebastian Green (ex-member of the boy band True North) and gets to stay at a fancy Vermont resort while working. Seriously, where do I get this gig?!

Between digging into True North's mysterious past (what exactly happened to frontman Jett Beckett?!) and taking ski lessons with her swoon-worthy instructor Tyler, Alix's professional and personal lives get deliciously complicated. Their chemistry on the slopes had me totally invested in their romance!

The winter resort setting made this the perfect read right before my own ski trip. If you're looking for a cozy rom-com with nostalgic 90s boy band vibes and snowy adventures, grab this one immediately. Absolute perfection for anyone who still remembers their favorite boy band choreography! 💙⛷️

Was this deep? No. Was this fun? Yes. I do think there were some missed moments here but I still enjoyed it. I liked that this didn’t have much spice but I think the author could have built the connection better. I wish we’d seen more of the ski lessons & that they’d shown us more of Sebastian & Jett’s relationship but if you are a boy band girl, this is a sweet read & felt nostalgic. The setting is amazing; this would be fun to read at a ski resort somewhere. 3.5 stars (rounded to 4). I was given this book via netgalley & Atria in exchange for an honest review so thank you!

This book was adorable and took me back to my boy band phase in high school. The mystery aspect to the book was so fun and kept me entertained. If you are looking for something fast paced, a quick read, and something that’ll have you hooked, I highly recommend. Thank you Net Galley for the arc.

I LOVED this book. There was a little bit of mystery behind the romance, and it was CLEAN romance!! I've kind of been in this completely accidental clean romance kick recently and loving it.

I don't really need the gratuitous schmex scenes! Definitely, some tension and fade-to-black moments are present, but overall, I felt like I really got to enjoy and experience their love story better that way.