It was a super cute and easy read. I loved the slow burn and romance. The banter was top-tier; the only thing I wanted more of was insight into the backstory of the MMC. The dual POV made it a little confusing at times.

⭐⭐⭐
🌶️
release date: 1/7/2025

I liked the characters, I liked the setting, I liked the ending. There were two major things that kept me from really liking this book:

To me, the premise is flawed because I refuse to believe that an entertainment journalist, currently working on a book about a boy band member, would fail to recognize another member of the same band. There's just no way! I know he has different hair and colored contacts, but I don't care. It's just implausible to the point that it ruined the plot for me.

The sister was awful. She was so bad that I'm deducting an entire star for her. She never really redeemed herself in my eyes.

Thank you to netgalley and atria books for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was the perfect winter romance read - easy, fun, and hard to put down. I loved our main characters and how their relationship developed. Did it feel quick and a bit insta-lovey? Sure, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good time. I’d recommend this book for a cold, snowy January weekend where your only plan is to sit inside and read, because you’ll want to devour this in as little time as possible.

I loved reading The Lodge, it had everything that I love in a book and in real life too! Swoony rom-com moments, a boy band, good snacks and a little mystery! Kayla has a knack for including media/celebrity characters and content, and The Lodge was a top tier example of that. Not only did the story feel swoony, it had great content, and flow to it too!

A ghostwriter falls for the charming ski instructor living in the apartment beside hers as she stays at a Vermont ski lodge trying to finish her latest project. This delivered all the feels for me and while I saw the twist coming I still loved it. Good on audio and highly recommended for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six or Rachel Lynn Solomon's Business or pleasure. The book explores the high cost of fame and complicated family dynamics. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I gave this book an honest try, but I could not get into it. There were no sparks between the protagonist and the love interest during their first few meetings. I also had no reason to be invested in the whole boy band storyline. As a result, I ended up DNF'ing this one. The writing did not help me stay in the story although I cannot quite pinpoint what the issue with it was.

I just finished reading this book and it was so cute and adorable. We meet Alix who has been sent to Vermont to ghostwrite Sebestian Green's memoir.

This was a cute and quick story perfect for the winter. I will never say no to a book with boy banders and the dynamic between True North was pretty realistic. The ski lodge was such a good setting - Olson’s writing really allows you to visualize your surroundings. Alix’s sister made me want to put my head through a wall so I’m glad there was some good resolution to their storyline.

The Lodge initially felt like it was going to be a fun romance. Unfortunately, I became bored and figured out the "mystery" aspect fairly quickly. I wish that I had enjoyed this story, but I did not.

This book was a ton of fun! A great winter read. I enjoyed the romance but I also really enjoyed the Hollywood gossip aspect of it. The hint of a mystery made for a very fun read. I highly recommend for a winter (not Christmas) read!

At first I was enjoying this book. Then Lauren came along. Alix putting up with Lauren’s stupidity just ruined it. She wasn’t a child but Lauren acted like a tween. Who gets saddled with a coworker moving in and can’t ask them to leave? What kind of person nonchalantly gets their sister evicted and had no sorrow over it. The same kind of person that leaks sensitive data and then says whoops my bad. The rest of the story was fine but I couldn’t recommend this due to Lauren’s character.

Publication date: January 7th, 2025

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alix Morgan lands her dream job as the ghostwriter for Sebastian Green’s memoir, the former member of the iconic boy band True North. When he offers her a luxurious penthouse at a posh resort in Vermont to focus on the project, Alix leaps at the chance to escape her noisy apartment and dive into the world of celebrity memoirs.

With her background in entertainment journalism, Alix is no stranger to True North’s dramatic history, especially the mysterious disappearance of their former frontman Jett Beckett. As she listens to Sebastian’s voice memos, the shadow of Jett’s vanishing looms large, and the question fans have been dying to know remains unanswered. Alix is caught between writing the book and unraveling a much deeper mystery that could change everything she thought she knew about the band.

While working, Alix also finds herself drawn to Tyler, a charming ski instructor at the resort. Their chemistry is undeniable, and as their relationship heats up on the slopes, the stakes get higher.

Thank You Netgalley and Atria Books

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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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.