"The Lodge" was my first Kayla Olson book, but I definitely plan on going back and reading "The Reunion" and whatever else she puts out going forward. It's not a Christmas book, but "The Lodge" is a great book to read around the holidays as it takes place at a ski lodge in Vermont. This story was so easy to get into and the characters of Alix and Tyler were well-developed and likable. Their dialogue was adorable and quite comedic at times. There is no spice or open-door scenes, but it is a nice slow-burn romance with lots of tension. I find the best books have a character (or characters) in it that evoke strong emotions like hate and in this story that honor goes to Alix's sister, Lauren. It's so frustrating when people are self-absorbed and whiny and generally unaware when their actions have negative consequences on other people, Lauren is that sort of person. She does redeem herself (kind of), and the heart-to-heart that she and Alix have at the end did make me hate her less. Overall, "The Lodge" was such a nice, fun, rom-com that gives perfect winter/holiday vibes.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Kayla Olson and I absolutely loved it. I got pulled in right from the dedication where the author says this book, among other 90’s references, is for anyone that “is still in their boy band era and, frankly, never intends to leave.” I knew immediately this book was for me.

When Alix gets her big break ghostwriting the memoir of Sebastian, a member of a former boy band, True North, he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont to have a quiet place to write. Putting aside some time for fun, Alix begins ski lessons with a handsome ski instructor named Tyler and they start to fall in love on the slopes. Alix’s work takes a complicated turn when she starts investigating the mystery of True North’s downfall, and the missing lead singer.

I am not exaggerating when I say I could not put this book down. I loved the mystery aspect of trying to figure out what happened to True North’s lead singer along with Alix, and the interview portion with Sebastian. I loved the celebrity aspect, the winter activities (love reading about them, enjoy doing them less), and the descriptions of the fancy Vermont lodge. Kayla Olson also uses other forms of writing to help move the story forward – like newspaper articles and interviews, social media, emails and voice memos. I think that definitely helped make the novel more dynamic. I also love the cover and the colours.

Five stars because I got completely absorbed in this one.

The premise of this book was intriguing.
The Lodge itself was a fantastic setting for this story. I wish I could visit this idyllic setting. The part where Alix finds romance with the ski instructor was charming. I mostly enjoyed these characters, except for Alix’s sister and the celebrity she’s working with to write the book. There was a bit of mystery, yet the twists and motivations were predictable. That’s not necessarily bad, it just made the story lack depth.
3.5 stars rounded up because I did like the cozy atmosphere and the happy ending.

Alix has finally gotten her big break, and it’s ghostwriting the biography of one of her generation’s biggest pop stars. The only problem is that he is across the world and nearly impossible to get in touch with about any of his lengthy voice notes he has sent. As Alix gathers her notes and bunkers down in Vermont to write, in a penthouse apartment he has put her up in, she unexpectedly stumbles across answers she was looking for and the cute boy next door. While contending with her youngest sister living in her Manhattan apartment and navigating a difficult pop star, it’s impossible for the reader not to fall in love with the whole cast of characters.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

All the stars 🥹 I really enjoyed Kayla Olsen’s debut romance book, but The Lodge took my love to an entirely new level. This book was so cozy and warm and perfect for this time of year. The imagery of the setting was written perfectly; I felt like I was visiting these snow-capped mountains alongside Alix, our FMC. I really liked the plot of this book and found it so fun. I knew the twist really early on, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book at all. I feel head over heels in love with both Alix and Tyler. These two were the perfect main characters and I loved watching their relationship grow. The love between them just felt so organic; we watched them truly blossom as friends into something more. The side characters all added just enough to the story. It gave our main characters depth while also not taking away from their spotlight. I really loved the mixed media elements and how it added to the story. It gave us background and delivered extra information in such a fun way. The ending was PERFECT. The epilogue was beyond adorable. Honestly, I read this book at the perfect time for me and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. So, so good!

4/5 stars

Thank you Atria Books for the advanced reading copy!

What a perfect book for this time of year! While not inherently a holiday story, this fit right into my holiday reading with the fun winter and ski vibes. I was instantly intrigued by the premise of this one, and the story did not disappoint. Such a sweet romance, while adding a fun and mysterious twist on the side. The drama and romance had a bit of a slow burn vibe -- which I don't normally love -- but I was entertained the entire time.

My two main complaints with the plotting were regarding River and Lauren. I won't give too much away due to ~spoilers~ but I felt like both of these plot points were gearing up to be really dramatic and intense, and both felt like they were swept under the rug too easily. Especially Lauren! I found her to be an insufferable character and I wish she had had more consequences.

That being said, I still really enjoyed this book. Our MC's were loveable and fun to read on the page. This story felt cozy and warm, which is exactly what I want at this time of year!

A cozy wintry romance. I absolutely LOVED this setting. The characters were adorable. I just couldn’t get enough.

Indeed cozy and nostalgic as promised! As a boy band enthusiast, I had a feeling this would be for me---and it was! It was for me!

Alix ghost writes her ex boyfriends memoir and their chemistry was undeniable from the start. I can tell the author worked hard to blend real life drama and relatablity to balance out the fabulous celebrity aspect and the result was something undeniably authentic. I am looking forward to diving into her backlist!

Alix Morgan gets her big break as a ghost writer to former boy band member Sebastian Green. He sets her up in the remote ski resort to help her creativity flow. While there, she gets even more inspiration for her love life from ski instructor and her new neighbor, Tyler.

This was such a cute romcom! Here's what I liked:

The boyband-ness: I love celebrity romances and this one was really well set up. You get a good insight into the boy band life from Sebastian's memoir notes. This adds to the dynamic of the book.

Alix: She's a great character to follow with this story. She has a complicated life with stressed family interactions, a desire to do more with her career, a bad past relationship all while falling in love with Tyler.

The resort: Loved this setting. I wanted to go here so bad! The entire resort is like a little town with some really great characters. A perfect setting.

All in all, this was a really good romcom!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Kayla has done it again with a celebrity type of romance where we face the toughest conflicts and also have the best ski lodge romance we could ever ask for. I loved hearing Kayla and her take on the aspect of boy bands, and how nostalgic it was for me, this one is truly for the boyband fans. I loved how it gave off the perfect cozy vibes, and as The Lodge was one of my most anticipated read, it was amazing to read this book.

The Lodge is the perfect snow lodge read, I recommend it to anyone who is fans of romance, next door neighbor, boy band fans, and just a fan of a cozy snow lodge with the best cast of characters.

This was a fun wintery romance. The whole thing has a kind mysterious element to it with the boy band aspect, which was added an interesting feel to the whole book. I did have some issues with certain parts of it, but I overall had a good time with the book.

I do think that some of the areas weren't as developed as they should have been. The whole relationship between Alix as Sebastian was kinda odd, as it seemed like he literally never actually interacted with her and then when she would be confused about why, he would act like she was crazy for thinking that? Kinda odd to me, especially since it happens a few times. The timing of the whole thing felt off to me to, since it takes place over a month but it feels like much less.

I did really like Alix and Tyler together, and the actual pacing of how the main plot came out was good.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the advanced copy!

This romance read like a Hallmark movie. This is not necessarily a bad thing; just something you have to be in the mood for.

Cute and fluffy. The characters are just likeable enough for you to want for them to find their happy ending but bland enough to make them forgettable in the long run. It felt like every time the plot was heading towards some conflict - the eventual confrontation was almost always a let down. Alix and Tyler had the calmest, most uninteresting arguments. In the real world, they would likely be a very healthy couple who knows how to communicate, but it unfortunately doesn’t make for the most interesting reading.

This was basically all fluff which again, not necessarily a bad thing if you are aware of what you are getting into.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

A great cozy, mystery romance! This book follows our main character Alix as she journeys to a secluded ski resort to ghost write a biography for an infamous popstar, former boyband member Sebastian. A big part of the story he wants to tell is about the disappearance of his bandmate and how that impacted his life. Once at the resort, Alix meets a handsome ski instructor Tyler and the two hit it off. I appreciated that fact the two of them communicate and, while I love 'insta-love' stories, they take it slow and really get to know each other which I could relate to. I loved the dynamic with Alix & the characters around the lodge. The longer Alix spends at the lodge, the more she begins to fall for Tyler and realize that Sebastians story may be even bigger than she thought. Thank you Netgalley & Kayla Olson for an advanced copy of this book to read. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down! I kept going 'one more chapter' until there were none left!

I loved this book more than I thought I would, not to say I didn't think I would not enjoy the book. I originally was interested in this book because of the title and the cover. I really enjoy skiing in the winter with my boyfriend and travelling to different ski lodges. So the idea of a book set in a ski lodge really caought my eye.

The boyband with a hint of mysterious disappearance was a fun twist! I was pulled in to this book immediately! I love that the author imcluded some celebrity entertainment blurbs and blog posts; that was such a fun inclusion.

If you love boy bands and even follow one closely, you definietly know what it is like emotionally when they break up... or worse. I loved the attraction between Alix and Tyler. Everything about this book was so fun. My favorite part was when they got snowed in together... I love a good snowed in trope. Definitely pick this book up.

Happy Reading! :)

3 Stars.

🥨 The vibes:
- ski lodge setting
- Fictional boy band (feels like 1D)
- Insta love
- A ghostwriter working on a celebrity memoir
- Winter activities
- Closed door

⛷️ My thoughts:
I loved the setting so much. The ski resort in winter season was such a cozy vibe, and that was my favorite element of the entire book. I loved the way I could imagine the scenery so clearly. It felt cold to me while reading this, and I enjoyed the writing style in this area so much.

I really liked the first half and thought the set up was really done well. I was interested and curious of where the plot was heading. The second half lost steam for me. It felt a mixture of unrealistic (which I can be chill with) and also just full of characters making choices that felt so unlikable to me that I struggled to enjoy the conclusions throughout.

I didn’t feel like I truly KNEW the MMC or the FMC. I struggled to understand their connection on a deeper level. Their feelings were deep, but I didn’t see why. It felt a bit instalove in this regard.

The formatting for text messages was inconsistent throughout. This may change in the final copy, but as it is, the texts could have been formatted better. It confused me often.

The story arcs specifically involving Tyler, Sebastian, and Lauren didn’t feel fully fleshed out for me. Getting from point A to point B on each of their individual journeys did not feel like a natural progression to me which I would have loved to have seen.

Overall, the winning element here is definitively the winter setting and all the fun and cute winter activities throughout. I almost feel like if all the main characters were 10 years younger, this would have fit better and overall made more sense for me.

Continue to the bottom of the review for spoiler thoughts that contributed to the rating.

Release date: January 7, 2024
Note- closed door; some light language.

Thank you so much to Kayla Olsen, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

Spoiler thoughts that go into more detail:

Where is Tyler’s family?? Does he have nobody at all??? I know he doesn’t have his mom but did he not have anyone else at all in his life to know that he was a missing person?

Everything with Alix’s family was such a switch from what we knew the entire book to how they behaved at the very end. I’m not sure if it’s a case of unreliable narrator, but I couldn’t believe Alix spent her whole life feeling like a disappointment to all of a sudden finding out they’ve been so proud this whole time.

And Lauren specifically. I didn’t like her. All throughout. Even with her reasonings for her choices, or her weird excuses for her actions, I still did not like her. 😩

Lastly, what the heck is up with Riv- Tyler’s supposed BEST FRIEND just selling him out like that?? I know it’s not selling him out exactly but that’s what it felt like to me. Just have a real, honest conversation with your life long best friend, sir.

*note- posted on Instagram (posted on stories on 12/16/24 and saved permanently to my Story Review highlight reel on my profile) , goodreads, Storygraph, and barnes and noble. Links provided. Will be posted on Amazon after release date when Amazon allows me to.

I will be honest, I went into reading The Lodge blind. I didn’t read the synopsis or look it up online. I’m not sure why but I thought it was an enemies to lovers that was taking place in a lodge. Imagine my surprise when I realize that it’s a cozy romantic mystery!! I loved The Lodge!! It was adorable and so cozy!! I want to go to the Black Maple Lodge and get a surprise drink from Makenna at the Village Cafe! The backdrop of this book was adorable and I loved the way that Kayla was able to describe it so that I was able to visualize The Lodge. The relationship between Alix and Tyler from the very beginning was so cute. It was the very definition of a meet cute!! Alix was such a smart main character and she was able to pick up on the clues that Tyler and Sebastian were unknowingly leaving behind. Tyler was so cute and kind to Alix, never pressuring her to tell him more information about her book or who she was writing about. The only thing I wish we had gotten a bit more of was the what went on AFTER Tyler let the world know who he really was. We got a little insight into it in the epilogue but I wanted a bit more. I would have also liked a little bit more of Alix and Lauren’s relationship. Lauren is Alix’s baby sister and I feel like I needed a bit more of her growing up. She was so selfish in my opinion and I would have loved to see her be put in her place a bit more. In summation, I enjoyed this cozy wintery romantic mystery! I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cute cozy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc!

This was a cozy romance with a hint of mystery in a perfect winter setting. Imagine being sent to a ski lodge in Vermont so you could focus on your writing, only to be distracted by a handsome ski instructor. But, is he really who he claims to be?
Alix is attempting to be a ghost writer for the first time, and her subject will not give her the time of day, so why not get some ski lessons in. Alix and Tyler get to know each other quickly go from skiing to dating, and Tyler is very sweet.
If you are looking for a book with some mystery, romance, and set in the perfect winter ski lodge, you will love this.

Posting on 12/18/24

Rating: 4.5 Stars

This was Alix's big break! She was ghostwriting a memoire for a former member of the hugely popular boy band, True North. While in seclusion to focus on her writing, Alix fell hard for her ski instructor while also finding herself sinking further into the mystery surrounding True North.

I had enjoyed Olson's previous book, The Reunion, but I LOVED The Lodge. From the very first chapter, I found myself invested in so many facets of this story. I wanted this ghostwriting gig to be a success for Alix, so she could prove to everyone that her career was worthwhile. I wanted this spark between her and Tyler to ignite into flames in order to help her forget her disastrous romantic past and know that she was deserving of love. I wanted the truth about True North's breakup and the Jett Beckett's disappearance to be revealed. I was simply all in on this tale.

As I read The Lodge, there were so many times I smiled and laughed. It was a fun read, and I enjoyed myself tremendously. I also loved that this was not just a rom-com. The way the True North story was intertwined gave this book a little something above and beyond my expectations. I am going to date myself here, but early on, I was getting some serious Eddie and Cruisers type vibes, and this delighted me. I am not going to act like this was on the level of a mystery/thriller, but it was great to have that extra layer to the story.

The setting was stellar. I vacationed in Stowe back in 2022. It was spring when I was there, but its beauty still shined. It was fun getting to "be there" during the ski season to admire all its mountain splendor. The inclusion of fun outdoor and winter activities really immersed me in the joy of it all and was a great way for the characters to bond.

I know there are going to be a lot of insta-love haters coming for this book, but I don't know, it seemed more like attraction that was allowed to grow and breathe a bit. Maybe it was a bit fast, but I still enjoyed all the moments they shared and how Tyler and Alix connected and opened up to one another. Even Tyler's inner circle was onboard, and that was important, as they were the only "family" he had.

Overall, I had a delightful time at The Lodge. With great banter, characters I cared for, a beautiful setting, and well place mixed media entries, this romance with a touch of mystery was full of warmth and humor with a solid story that drew me in and kept me fully captivated until the end.

** spoiler alert ** This felt more like a One Direction fan fic off wattpad than it did a short romance novel. Regardless, it was charming but I wish there was a bit more development. The pace is very fast and the story is unbelievable at some points but I suppose that’s what makes it fiction. I love boy bands, skiing, and cute romances that make your heart skip a beat but something about this story wasn’t clicking for me. I wanted to love it because I wish something like this happened to me during my boy band phase but it fell short.

Thank you Atria Books & Net Galley for the arc! Be sure to look out for this book coming early 2025.

This book earned 4 stars. I am not familiar with the author but enjoyed it. I typically like books about writers. This was a thriller with just a hint of romance. It felt cozy and perfect for the time of year I reviewed it which was near Christmas. You will not regret buying this book!