I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Thank you Atria Books for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

I will not lie to you, I judged this book by its cover. In the sense that I saw it and needed it immediately. I may be a Summer girl, but I do love Winter and especially love a good ski trip. I was attracted to this book by its setting but was pulled into the story’s cozy vibes and drama. It was the perfect book to read between Christmas and New Year’s and has be so excited for 2025 reading!

Synopsis:

“Alix Morgan just got her big break as the ghostwriter of a memoir by Sebastian Green, a former member of the boy band True North. And when he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to work far away from her noisy, cramped apartment.Her career as an entertainment journalist has been building toward this dream job—after all, she used to cover True North and was one of the last people to interview former front man Jett Beckett before he disappeared. As she combs through her client’s voice memos, the specter of the missing lead singer remains, and fans are desperate to know the full story.But Alix also has time for some fun at this glamorous resort, where she begins ski lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. As Alix and Tyler fall in love on the slopes, Alix’s work takes a complicated turn—and the mystery of True North’s downfall may be hers to solve.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting—A Vermont ski lodge! I went skiing while reading this book and the vibes were just immaculate. I wish the snowstorm has been a bigger component! Love the snowed in trope.

The Celebrity Intrigue—I am fascinated by ghostwriters, especially celebrity ghost writers. I thought this was a fun and sneaky take on it and I loved that the characters maintained their integrity.

The Character Growth—I wouldn’t say there is a 3rd act break up, I mean there IS, but I loved how the characters communicated with each other and trusted the other. It was so refreshing.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

I am glad there was resolution to the drama with Alix’s sister because wowwwwww did that annoy me.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 0/5 Overall Rating: 4/5

Content Warnings:

death of a parent (off page)

Do you love celebrity romance? Second chance romance? Maybe a bit of secluded romance where the main characters get to dive into their relationship just themselves with no one else around? This book is for you-it truly has it all! Alix needs a break from New York City, her sister, literally everything. As she works to ghostwrite a celebrity memoir, they graciously offer her a secluded lodge to get some work done…and maybe a little fun along the way. Alix’s next door neighbor becomes her ski instructor and much much more in this very fun rom-com!

I flew through this book, loving Alix and Tyler’s story and needed to know everything that happened next. I found some of the conflict in this book to be a bit strangely worded where I understood the conflict but didn’t think that the character was built in a way that they would be conflicted for some of the decisions they needed to make. That aside, I absolutely loved this book, and think it’s the perfect mid-winter by the fire read.

Highly suggested if you’ve enjoyed some of the celebrity romance of the last few years, like How to Fake it in Hollywood, Is She Really Going Out with Him and When in Rome. Looking forward to reading more this author publishes!

Cute and cozy holiday read. It was a bit predictable at times but overall I enjoyed it. I would read another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a sweet little romance. I love a good celebrity/non-famous person love story and this fit the bill pretty well. The scenery was AMAZING and I’m now adding Stowe, Vermont to the places I want to visit. And the main characters were completely unproblematic and charming.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t get the butterflies from the story. The story could have been about my grandparents and I might have felt more. It also leaned a little cheesy at times.

But I think this is also the beauty in romances. What doesn’t necessarily work for me, might work for you and vice versa. And the best thing about this book is I can see it working for so many people.

Full of the most mouth-watering food descriptions, all the boy band nostalgia a girl could want, and adult characters who know how to communicate, The Lodge is yet another cute and cozy, no spice romance novel by Kayla Olson.

I absolutely love the aesthetics of this book. It has such a comforting vibe, especially for the winter season. Kayla always does such a great job with descriptions, especially in regards to the food. I wish this ski resort was a real place I could visit!

Some parts felt a little too convenient for the plot, but the romance is super sweet and adorable and more than makes up for that. I also love that the story includes a teeny, tiny mystery that is fangirl-level exciting.

I would recommend this book to anybody looking for a warm, feel-good romance or who daydreamed about their favorite boy band growing up.

HADDDDDDD to finish this book right when I woke up this morning. It was the most coziest winter read of my life. I’ve very intrigued now by the idea of hot chocolate and pretzels?????

This was such a fun and cozy, wholesome read. I loved the choice for the setting. I loved how things weren't dragged out and every conflict seemed well timed and solved in a way that seems accurate to real life. I am definitely interested in reading more from this author!

3 Stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book gives all the cozy Hallmark romance vibes! Set in Vermont at a ski resort, Alix is ghost writing a memoir for Sebastian Green during his time with former boy band group true north.

The group broke up years prior when band member Jett Beckett disappeared. As Alix navigates through Sebastian’s voice memos and pieces together the parts of his boy band past she begins to uncover more details of Jett’s disappearance!

Definitely a predictable read but still entertaining!

Thank you to NetGalley, and Atria Books for providing me with an e-ARC.

I’m not gonna lie, I was a little unsure of this book but I’m glad I read it. It was cute and sweet and I loved the little mystery going on. Would definitely recommend. Thank you NetGalley for this incredible arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this one, but it was just okay to me. I liked it, but I saw the twist coming from a mile away and the romance was a little rushed for me. I did enjoy the banter between the two main characters but I got nothing out of the side characters and the MFC’s little sister annoyed me.

If you love music, boy bands and being cozy in a ski resort, then this is the perfect winter read for you.

Alix is an entertainment journalist who has been given the biggest assignment yet; to ghostwrite the memoir of famous ex boyband member Sebastian Greene. To help her really delve into the project, she’s put up at a quiet but beautiful ski resort in Vermont. The lodge is supposed to help with distractions, however the ski instructor Tyler may just become the biggest one yet.

Okay, I loved this story, the romance and Tyler may become one of the most popular book boyfriends to exist. BUT I hate the writing style. It reads as so clunky, slow and repetitive that it really takes away from the enjoyment of the story. The story itself is extremely predictable and nothing surprised me but again it’s just too cute to not like. It’s a great palate cleanser and the use of voice memos, articles and emails are a really fun addition.


Overall, I really enjoyed it but it would have been five stars if edited a bit better.

4 ⭐️

I adored this book so much 😭 holy cow I was not aware of what Kayla’s writing could do to me. This felt like an immersive experience into a ski lodge, winter storm and boy band. I couldn’t help but think about a movie of “Big Time Rush” but make it a book hahaha. Alix + Tyler were felt really authentic and believable, which can be hard when reading a rom-com but this just did it for me! I loved the setting of this book. The side characters were also enjoyable and the dynamics of different relationships kept me intrigued. This is hands down one of the coziest books I’ve read. This book was a quick and easy read, but had great structure to the plot!

Expect:

-strangers to lovers
-close proximity
-boy band
-mystery
-ski lodge setting
-winter romance

Thank you NetGalley, the author and Atria books for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review ✨

Thank you to Arria Books for a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is out next week on 1/7!

Romance. Alix Morgan has been grinding away as an entertainment journalist for the past 10 years when she finally gets her big break: ghost writing Sebastian Green’s memoir. Sebastian Green was a member of THE boy band True North and after the mysterious disappearance of member Jett Beckett after an altercation between the two eight years ago, Sebestian’s start has only continued to rise. To free Alix from distraction to work on the book, Sebastian pays for Alix to stay at the idyllic and swanky Black Maple Lodge, one of the best ski destinations around. Determined to make way on the book, Alix’s plans a little derailed after crushing on her sky instructor, Tyler Fox. Add the fact that Sebastian is impossible to get ahold of and her sister is causing drama back in New York, Alix has her work cut out for her. ESPECIALLY when she uncovers a secret that could up-em everyone’s lives.

I really enjoyed this one! Obsessed with the ski lodge setting, it’s SO cozy and perfect for a winter read and made me want to get on a mountain ASAP. I didn’t love the sister drama - seemed a little crammed in and honestly didn’t care much about that dynamic. This would make such a fun rom-com movie (someone make this please)! I wish there was a liiiiiittle more spice, but overall enjoyed this one!

Looking for a cozy romance set against the snowy backdrop of Vermont? The Lodge by Kayla Olson might be just what you need.

Alix, our FMC, lands a dream job ghostwriting the memoir of a former member of the world-famous boy band True North. To help her focus, he offers her a stay in a luxurious penthouse at a picturesque lodge in Vermont—an opportunity she can't resist.

True North’s story is steeped in mystery, particularly the unexplained disappearance of one of its members, Jett. Rumors swirl about whether he ran away, vanished, or met a darker fate. As Alix dives into writing the memoir, she also finds herself drawn to her charming neighbor, Tyler, a ski instructor who proves to be a sexy distraction.

While piecing together the past and navigating her budding romance, Alix edges closer to uncovering the truth about Jett’s disappearance—whether the world is ready for it or not.

This book delivers a sweet, low-stakes escape with a touch of mystery. While I personally wished for more heat in the romance, readers looking for a closed-door, feel-good story should give this one a try.

As soon as I heard about “The Lodge” I knew I wanted to apply for an e-ARC! I’m an avid snowboarder, and I actually live in a very tiny ski town, so I knew this book was going to be perfect for me!

This book did not disappoint and I loved the cozy ski resort vibes! The plot was really well written, and while I guessed the plot twist early on, it was still so well done!

I was 100% interested in this book the entire time. It kept me entertained the whole way through, and I didn’t want to put it down.

The MMC was a cinnamon roll and I LOVE cinnamon rolls. All of the dates planned by the MMC were SO DREAMY!

The Lodge is the PERFECT winter romance read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Kayla Olson for providing me with a free e-ARC of the Lodge in exchange for my honest review.

Review will be posted to social media on publication day.

3.5/5

This had the best cozy vibes and would be perfect to curl up with this winter! The lodge where Alix is staying sounds absolutely gorgeous and even though I have no desire to ski I would love to stay there just for the food and the ice skating. Alix and Tyler’s developing relationship was so charming and sweet, the little dates he planned for them were beyond adorable. While I adored them there were some truly awful secondary characters that never redeemed themselves fully for me. This was light and fluffy, very Hallmark movie style problems but overall really cute, despite the little twist being really obvious.

I loved The Reunion and was super excited to read her upcoming title.
The Lodge by Kayla Olson was everything I wanted!
This story is comical, witty, romantic, and so heartfelt. I can’t think of a single thing to change, and I cannot wait to see what others think of it as well!
These characters were so sweet and likable.
I loved every page of this book and I was devastated that it didn’t continue for 300 more pages.
The perfect story to curl up with and devour.

What a delight!!!! I enjoyed The Reunion so I was excited to recieve an ARC of The Lodge. This was the perfect winter romcom! I loved the setting, the romance, and the surprise!

Another winner by Kayla Olson! This one was even better than her first novel. I loved the romance elements and how she weaves together a mystery with the romance. You'll want to pick this one up.

I just could not get into this book and ended up DNF-ing it at 20%. I wanted to love it but it wasn’t for me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.