3.5 stars

When I requested an eARC of The Lodge, I was thinking it would be a cozy read for a cold day. I can say that I was right about that! The Lodge is a book I sat down to read and I was done before I knew it. Kayla Olson's writing style makes this book hard to put down and makes it hard to stop reading.

If I'm honest, I kind of have some mixed feelings about The Lodge. When I started reading, I was getting five star vibes. Once I guessed what the twist was, and that took over a big part of the story, I enjoyed it a little less. I understand what the author was working towards, but part of me just didn't love the mystery aspect of this one.

That being said, The Lodge also had so many things that I loved. As a boy band fan when I was a teenager, the fact that Alix was ghostwriting the memoir of a former boy band member had me smiling. Add a perfect location in wintry Vermont, and I was wishing I was where Alix was curled up with a good book. The descriptions had me wanting to book my ticket immediately.

I also have to talk about the romance. Tyler was such a sweet MMC and he definitely earned a spot on the book boyfriend list. He was so sweet with Alix and I loved the small gestures that made her feel cared for. Both of them clearly had their walls up for many reasons, but they just fit! I smiled quite a bit while they interacted and went on dates. The epilogue definitely gave me everything I needed for these two.

The side characters in this book also need to be mentioned. Alix's best friend, Chloe, was the best, and couldn't stop me from laughing out loud. The people we meet at the resort were fun and the other members of the boy band we meet, were interesting to say the least. All in all, I really enjoyed The Lodge. Even if there were a few things I didn't completely love. I'll definitely pick up more books by Kayla Olson.

3 stars. I’m not confident that this was the book for me.

The premise was interesting but it was too easy to unravel. I didn't feel connected to the characters. The backstory with the ex-boyfriend felt underdeveloped and because of that the comparisons were awkward. The chemistry between the characters was missing for me. The developed feelings after just a tiny short amount of time felt forced. I was missing fun and giggle worthy banter. The miscommunication with the family was also weird. The texts barely seemed to resolve it? Felt like a bit of a bandaid wrap up.

The Lodge is such a sweet, cozy romance for all of the boy band girlies! I loved that it was wintery but not set during Christmas. Alix is ghostwriting a celebrity memoir and goes to a ski resort in Vermont to be able to meet her deadline. The format is unique with news articles, social media threads, voice memos, etc. throughout which made it really fun. There’s also a mystery element to the book, but I guessed the plot twist almost immediately. Loved all of the cozy vibes and the relationship between Alix & Tyler. I have to say that Alix’s sister was probably the most annoying character ever 🫣 There were some things at the end that felt rushed or didn’t quite add up to me but overall a really fun!

⭐️ 4.5/5

This was the perfect wintery read for my December! Ghostwriter, Alix, needs to focus, but how can she when she meets her next-door neighbor who turns out to be a total hottie? Throw in the insistence from her best friend to get out and enjoy the mountain and the fact that her new neighbor, Tyler, is a ski instructor. She might as well take advantage of the location… as long as she gets in time to write, right?

Currently ghostwriting a memoir for boyband frontrunner, Sebastian Greene, Alix also finds herself grappling with the mystery that is the disappearance of Jett Beckett, the OTHER lead singer for said boyband. But there’s something fishy about Sebastian’s voice note saying that Jett’s disappearance was the best thing to happen to him… Oof.

I forget how much I love a celebrity romance until I’m in the thick of it. This book filled me with such nostalgia, from boyband fanaticism to skiing with my family when I was growing up. There was also some added mystery that had me trying to figure out where in the world was Jett Beckett?

The beginning of the story was a bit slow, but the story eventually ramped up and I found myself flipping the pages of the last half, anxious to see what happened next. I had so much fun hypothesizing with my friends, Sabra and Kayleigh, as we buddy read together. Always a fun time in the group chat!

Though a smidge insta-lovey, this was such a cozy winter romance. I loved the added mystery and truly had so much fun reading it.

Thank you Atria for the advanced copy!

I really loved Kayla Olson's first book, The Reunion, so when The Lodge showed up, I requested it immediately. She writes fantastic characters with depth and complexity. All believable conflicts with truly no eyeroll romance tropes if you know what I mean. If you're a fan of closed door romances, I would also recommend her for that.

I read the Lodge in a little over a day, on a cold, icy day in December, just before Christmas, and it was the perfect mood read. The main character is tasked with ghostwriting a memoir with a BackStreet/NSYNC esque lead singer, only to be gifted a month away in Vermont at a luxury ski resort. Her neighbor next door has ghosts of his own, and while teaching her to ski, she begins to think maybe he has a tie to the boyband as well. It was just on the touch of unbelievable that makes a romance novel fun and I was here for it!

Cute rom com but I felt like it kind of ended abruptly. I finished the last chapter and then bam! Epilogue. I called the twist pretty fast so it’s definitely predictable but I don’t mind that when it comes to this genre, most romcoms are predictable. Her sister Lauren was also really annoying and I felt like Alix forgave her too fast for making some pretty huge mistakes. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

Super sweet and cozy read! Has a little mystery in there that I wasn’t expecting, but am not mad about! This overall was a really cute book!

I enjoyed this romance with a touch of mystery. I’m not much of a boy band fan, so I can’t really speak to that part of the book, but the wintry descriptions (taking place February-March) at a Vermont Ski Resort were cozy and inviting. I was intrigued enough with the mystery of how everything was going to come together that I didn’t want to put it down. Overall a fun winter read for after the holiday season!

✨ARC Review✨

The Lodge by Kayla Olson tugged at all of my heart strings! (Music pun, intended) 🎸 This is a romance book for lovers of a celebrity romance that is very light on the spice but full of romantic dates. Also, he cooks for her?? Like, say no more. (booking my trip to Vermont now, thank you very much) This book does flash between the FMC perspective, “audio files” from the individual she is ghost writing for, and various news “posts” like twitter and broadcasts so it can be a little overwhelming and slightly confusing in the beginning but once you understand the changes in the writing, it’s smooth sailing. AND just a freaking adorable read.

This book started as a cute winter romance with plenty of cozy vibes, but it lost its charm once the drama with the band took center stage. The story felt like a less impactful, cheesier version of Daisy Jones & The Six, lacking the depth and originality I was hoping for. While this wasn’t the book for me, I’d recommend it to anyone in search of a low-stakes, light romance to enjoy during the colder months.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of The Lodge.

Alix is headed to a beautiful resort in Vermont to work on ghostwriting a book for former boy band member Sebastian. The band he was in broke up when another member Jett disappeared almost a decade ago. Alix is struggling to connect with Sebastian to discuss his questions about his book. She decides to brush up on her skiing in her downtime and meets her neighbor Tyler who is a ski instructor and they hit it off instantly! As Alix gets deeper into the book she makes a discovery that could set the pop culture world on fire!

This book had a very different plot than anything I have ever read. There were some cheesy parts but overall a good love story but I did not expect the small mystery aspect of this book. Overall I enjoyed it.

3.5⭐️ rounded up - ah this was cute!

This was a great winter read, and would be perfect to enjoy sitting by a fire while drinking hot cocoa and watching the snow fall. It was cozy, and while it had conflict, it wasn’t anything that felt high stakes. I was in the mood for something *feel good* and light, and this delivered! Such a different premise of many other romances I’ve read, which made it even more fun. This is for all the girls who loved boy bands back in the day!

The best way I know how to describe this type of book is “Hallmark movie.” I love Hallmark movies, but I mention this so the reader goes in with the right expectations, as those types of stories aren’t for everyone!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced copy to read and review! All opinions are honest, and my own.

This is a cute cozy winter-ish read (not set around a holiday). I really enjoyed both FMC (Alix) and MMC (Tyler). However, would of enjoyed it a lots more if told it dual pov (would be nice to really know more of Tyler's back story). I also enjoyed the interviews, "voice" memos, text cover that sometimes thrown in between chapters. My biggest gripe is i feel like conflict was always resolved too quickly and it made it feel like there was any real tension. If the books was just a few chapters longer to flesh the story out a little bit more, it would of made it better.

4 stars

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This was a cute story, great for people who like romance with no spice. Was hooked on the story and loved the celebrity drama.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

While I enjoyed my time reading this, and it was fun, there isn't all that much that is memorable.


The characters are simply fine. The "twists" were predictable in a way that did take away from the story for me. The younger sister, Lauren, was really just there to make drama and add to the twists. The book could have been a 3.25 or 3.50, but the ending was too far for me. The stroy takes place within an eight month window, most of it within a month, and the ending was too much. In this case, a more open ending would have been just fine. I don't want to give spoilers, but if you read it you will know what I mean.

A cute romance set in a picturesque ski lodge! Couldn't ask for a better winter read. I loved the way kayla wrote Alix and Tyler's relationship and how it stayed strong throughout the unfolding drama. Made for a guilty pleasure read.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC, out January 7!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Alix Morgan is an entertainment journalist hired to ghostwrite a memoir for former boybander Sebastian Green—whose bandmate Jett Beckett disappeared suddenly eight years before. But when she heads to a Vermont ski lodge for a writing retreat, Alix may just find the clues to unravel Jett’s disappearance…and a hot ski instructor to warm up the cold weather.

I ADORED THIS BOOK. A ski instructor romance was everything I never knew I needed, and the cozy snowy vibes were absolutely perfect (I’ll be needing cocoa and soft pretzels STAT). Also, if anyone out there ever wants to win my love, this book could be an instruction manual for perfect dates (every single meal sounded AMAZING, truly).

The mystery element and celebrity drama of this were the perfect additions and kept me FULLY entertained the entire time (Kayla does mixed media interludes between chapters SO WELL and I love them SO MUCH). I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this in a couple weeks! (Also, I’m in the acknowledgements of this book, which is an actual bucket list item, so thank you Kayla for making my day!!!)

CW: mentions of death of parent

ARC Book Review!

The lodge by Kayla Olson

5 / 5⭐️

1 / 5 🔥


I can’t stop. Dipped into another 2025 ARC🙈

I’m so glad I did!! I read this over Christmas and it was the perfect winter read (not Christmas focused but felt appropriate). I literally could not put it down and don’t have a single bad thing to say. The characters were perfection, the setting was beautiful and the ending had me feeeeling.

Thanks @netgalley for this advanced reader copy! The lodge by Kayla Olson comes out January 7, 2025


This book is for you if you like :

Mystery
Snowed in
Ski resort vibes
Intentional romance
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I sadly dnf:ed this… i just felt like i coudnt connect with the characters or the story. However, it is a very cute idea. But it just wasnt for me sadly.

This is the perfect winter romance!! The snowy Vermont resort setting complete with fireplaces, mountain views and maple lattes made it such a cozy read. The main characters, Alix and Tyler, were both so kind and I thought they handled conflict in realistic, mature ways. They were already sweet characters on their own, but I loved how they brought out the best in each other too.

Summary: Alix Morgan, a ghostwriter for Sebastian Green's memoir, uncovers True North's mysteries while falling in love with ski instructor Tyler at a luxurious Vermont resort.

I couldn’t get enough of this one and it’ll definitely be on my list of favorite romances this year!