The Lodge is a cozy winter romance with too many reference to hot cocoa to count! The setting for this book, as you can guess is a beautiful Vermont ski lodge amidst flurries and blizzards, to create an ideal winter vibe.

At its surface level this book is an insta-love romance between ghost writer Alix (my autocorrect agrees, it should be spelled Alex) and ski instructor Tyler. But you can’t forget about the 8 years missing pop star, and how that might play out.

I can’t lie, I found the plot twist predictable, why else would we mention this missing pop star for him to not end up being the main love interest in (a very lazy) disguise; colored contacts, grown out hair/beard, and a broken nose. It did create an interesting dynamic for our FMC having to ghost write a memoir about Tyler’s former band mate/rival Sebastian, while being emotionally involved with Tyler. This plot point also set the book apart from your average romance novel, which I enjoyed.

The cover art is beautiful, the setting is picturesque, but the actual romance was a bit quick for me. Regardless, it’s a perfect cozy winter read that doesn’t require too much brain power.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to ARC read this!

I had a lot of fun reading this! It is another great read for winter, but not Christmassy!

The book follows Alix, an entertainment journalist who is ghost writing for Sebastian, a problematic member of an insanely popular boy band (True North. Think One Direction vibes.)

Alix is sent to a snowy wonderland of a resort and given a penthouse to focus on writing and to meet her deadline. Of course, as any good romance book goes, a hot male makes an appearance and throws everything into chaos. This wonderful male masterpiece is Tyler, the sweet ski-coach! Typically withdrawn, he finds it easy to connect to Alix.

The romance is sweet, the plot is cute, but I did see the plot twist coming (I typically can't guess anything right, haha), but it didn't make it any less fun for me!

Although it didn't live up to my romance expectations, The Lodge was okay! It was a quick, surface level book. I enjoyed the Vermont setting. It was giving cozy and wintery vibes. I didn't mind the main characters, Tyler and Alix. Even though their characters could have been delved into more, I was okay with what I got. I was surprised by how fast their relationship progressed. I thought that they were quick to go on a date and kiss. The chemistry and tension could have been better. I wasn't a fan of Alix continuously bringing up how she could sell out Tyler. Why would I want to cheer on their relationship if she's thinking about betraying him? The side characters did what they needed to do. I did find Lauren and Sebastian annoying. I didn't feel like their ending was enough for me to like them. I did enjoy the media bits between chapters. Overall, this was a cozy and easy read. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

A sweet romance. Many challenges for our main characters. Interesting, engaging, and entertaining. A joy to read. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

The book is the perfect read for a cozy snow day this winter season! I loved how sweet and heartwarming this was from the beginning and it definitely kept my interesting in wanting to keep reading! I like that there was a mysterious aspect, but it can be a little predictable. That being said, I didn't mind that I was able to guess it. Overall, would recommend for a cozy winter read!

Thank you so much to Kayla Olson and Atria books for letting me read/review an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.75⭐️
I loved this book! I thought it was really cute and perfect for winter. A super cute romance featuring a ghostwriter. As a book lover, I love seeing the book world more closely in books. It was refreshing to have a romance with an interesting plot and no spice at all. Really great novel overall. The only reason it didn’t get 5⭐️ is because I guessed the biggest reveal of the book pretty much from the beginning.

My review in emojis: ❤️❄️⛷️📚🎶😘🐈❓👀🥸🗻

CUUUTEEEEEE SNOWY WINTERY FUN. GAHH!
Be still my boy band-loving, pop culture enthusiast heart. This book gave me all that AND snowy mountainy beautifulness. AND a kitty. Gahh. Yes. AND thanking Jesus in the acknowledgments??? Girl yes!! A write after my own heart!!!

I really enjoyed the pacing of The Lodge. It wasn’t very fast, but it wasn’t slow either. It was cuddly and warm and transported me to a little snow globe world. A third of the way through things start to become clear; who is Tyler? What’s the connection between him and Seb? Who’s the mystery best friend? And then once those things are uncovered I still had so many questions on how everything is connected and why the best friend wanted Alix to be there. The identity mystery mixed with the coziness of the setting and the preciousness of the banter really were the perfect blend to keep me entertained and curious. I was left with a few questions on how he disappeared. Like….. did the cops know???? Did the world literally think he was DEAD??? Power move my bro. Power move. And I wanted a bit more on True North as a band; how long were they popular? How were the band members discovered? And we’re just going to casually gloss over River being potentially an Olympic ice skater??? I need more!

I loved the text exchanges, articles, emails, voice memo transcripts, etc that are sprinkled in. What a fun way to give us info and move the plot forward quickly and itch that itch we all have to know other people’s business. You know what I’m talking about.

Honestly I really enjoyed this book. It’s cheesy but so so so cute. The mystery was fun, the romance was to die for, the character growth was spot on. What a perfect book to read on those wintery days leading up to Valentines Day!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

I requested this ARC solely because of the cute cover and the hope that it would get me into the winter mood with some snowy ski lodge vibes, and I can confirm that it did not disappoint! The story is full of ski lessons, hot cocoa, ice skating, snowstorms, and curling up by the fireplace.

As a former One Direction fangirl, I enjoyed reading about the band through Alix's ghostwriting, along with the insight into the darker side of fame and the mystery of what happened to Jett.

The romance was exactly the vibe of a romcom movie on page, very sweet and heartwarming. I'll admit that in the first half of the book, I wasn't completely sold on it because of that—sweet is great, but I prefer a bit more tension in my romances (or maybe I just read too much enemies to lovers lol). But once we hit a certain point in the story, I was hooked on the revelations and strings being tied (and untied) and read the entire second half of the book in one day!

So all that to say, if you're looking for a cozy winter romance to help you romanticize the cold outside, along with a side of mystery and pop culture intrigue, definitely check this one out in early January when it releases!

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for the arc copy of this novel!

Set at a luxurious ski resort in the mountains of Vermont, The Lodge by Kayla Olson is a delightful, cozy Winter read! The romance is closed door, but full of connection, adorable dates and plenty of banter, with a side of mystery.

This is a cute book to cozy up in front of the fireplace and get lost in for a few hours!


This review with also be posted on my instagram

A cute story but a little bit of a let down.

Alix is an entertainment journalist who’s been offered a dream job - ghostwriting former boy band member, Sebastian Green’s memoir. When work in the city proves a little too difficult, he sets her up in the pent house of a gorgeous skiing resort in Vermont to get some work done in the peace and quiet. And the hot ski instructor living next door? That’s certainly a plus.

While the premise sounded cozy and fun, the poor character development just killed it for me. Both Alix and Tyler felt pretty flat and the insta-love dynamic just didn’t work. It’s hard to convince someone that two pieces of blank paper are in love with each other. Until the plot twist was revealed, I found myself actively wishing for the romance aspect pages to be over so I could get more info about the missing band member mystery. Once that was revealed, it was kind of a slough to get through to the end. That being said, I had a pretty good hunch from the beginning where the disappeared popstar was, I just didn’t know how it’d get explained, so it wasn’t much of a mystery any way.

This had the potential to be really fun and I enjoyed Olson’s previous book, so I’m bummed that this one fell flat. Hopefully number three’s better.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Atria for sending this one my way! I’ve been anticipating this one all year. Yes, even though it’s technically not out until 2025!

I’ve been trying to wait to post my review a little closer to the release date, but I can’t hold in my love for Kayla Olson’s snowy sensational novel any longer! 🩵

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐝𝐠𝐞
By Kayla Olson
𝘖𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 7𝘵𝘩, 2025

Read if you 🩷:
• ❄️ Cozy Winter Settings
• ⛷️ Crushing on Your Ski Instructor
• 🔑 “… and they were neighbors!”
• 🎤 Reminiscing About Your Fave Boy Band

Alix Morgan lands the ghostwriting gig of her dreams: penning a memoir for a former boy band member while staying at a swanky Vermont resort. Between uncovering the secrets of True North’s rise and fall—including the mysterious disappearance of their frontman—and learning to ski with a charming instructor named Tyler, Alix’s work-life balance has never been messier. But as sparks fly on the slopes, so do the questions surrounding the band’s breakup, and Alix might be the one to piece it all together.

I didn’t know where this romance was going half the time, and that’s what I love about it! “The Lodge” is such a fresh take that I repeatedly have trouble trying to place tropes to it. Sure, there’s the classic “big snowstorm” and other twists to divert the main character, but reading along feels like being the first on the slopes after the latest snowfall: no path in sight, just pure excitement!

Olson’s writing is also proof that there doesn’t need to be tons of sultry scenes for a reader to have a good time or good chemistry! Alix and Tyler hit it off almost from the start, and I love the dynamics of them being just across the hall from one another. 💕

If you need your next companion to a warm fireplace while you’re on vacation, look no further than “The Lodge”! Be sure to preorder this one, or you can find it on shelves starting January 7th, 2025.

3.5 stars- this was a perfect cozy read. growing up, i adored all things boy bands especially one direction. really enjoyed this and i know so many others will as well. thanks to the publisher & netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I finally put this book down 75% of the way through. It was incredibly simple - nothing was noteworthy about it at all. It seemed like someone's high school fan fiction. I knew from the beginning who her hunky skiing pro was, as it was incredibly obvious, and even the mystery of "what happened to him" wasn't so compelling that I had to finish it. I just really didn't like it, and the relationship had ZERO chemistry and I could not figure out why this guy just LOVED Her from the beginning? I am not posting this review to social media because I don't want to say these things where the author can find them. Sorry - hated it.

This was a cozy read to fly through. There were so many things to enjoy in this novel: the cozy ski lodge setting, the ghost-writing set-up, the drama of a boy band that fell apart. All those elements worked well to support the themes of celebrity, fame, and keeping secrets.

The pacing was perfect for this cozy winter read. I did find it difficult to put this book down, which is a huge compliment to Kayla Olson’s writing. Although, I did find myself craving more emotional depth from the story. The lack of emotional depth was a result of conflicts being skirted in the writing—many external conflicts, such as arguments between characters, were quickly resolved within the same chapter. I wished these arguments were dragged out a little longer to build that tension and that heartache often found in other romance stories.

Speaking of romance, I was surprised by two different elements of that plot. First, the romance between Alix and Tyler did feel like insta-love. These two characters quickly fell into a relationship cycle, which made Alix feel a bit like a manic-pixie-dream-girl since no other person before her captured Tyler’s attention (and affection) the way she did. I was also surprised there was no spice in this novel! I’m not upset with that; spice would have propelled the novel from insta-love into insta-lust, which would’ve been two strikes against the romance plot.

There were characters I liked (everyone at the Lodge) and those I didn’t like (Sebastian and Lauren); overall, the characters were well-balanced against each other. There was a good blend of humanity to prevent Sebastian or Lauren from truly being the antagonist, even their careless actions led to painful situations for Tyler and Alix. However, I’m not sure the characterization arcs for Sebastian, Lauren, and Tyler were earned in the end. All three of those characters displayed significant mindset shifts through the choices they made in Act III, but there wasn’t enough of a characterization arc/shift earlier in the plot to support the choices being made. While I do believe the characterization shift made sense for all three of them, there wasn’t enough detail on the page to make Lauren learn her lesson, Tyler come out of hiding, or Sebastian mend his relationship with True North bandmembers.

In the end, I was enchanted by the ski lodge setting—Kayla Olson’s writing shone when it came to setting descriptions—and it made me want to book a trip to Vermont. While I may not have felt all the feels while reading this book, I did enjoy the time spent with it and do consider it to be a great winter read.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This was a 3.75 for me rounded up! This was a cute romance perfect for winter. I loved the skiing and ghostwriting aspects of this book as well as the boy band drama. The author like in her previous novel makes this a fun ride but definitely shows some deeper emotions too.

This was a nice winter read. The twist was very predictable and the romance was a bit insta-love but I didn’t mind it. I liked how even though the romance started early on it didn’t progress super quickly. This is a closed door romance.
The band from the book reminds me of One Direction. I liked how there were some chapters on the band that include snippets of information such as interviews from the past to give the reader backstory.
I liked the setting at the ski lodge and most of the characters. I really did not like the side plot with her sister but otherwise the book was enjoyable.

I read Kayla Olson's book The Reunion and enjoyed the celebrity storyline, so I was excited to read an early copy of The Lodge. Alix, an entertainment writer, gets her big break as a ghostwriter for one of the biggest stars of True North, Sebastian. There’s much mystery surrounding the disappearance of the other lead singer, Jett, and as Alix soon learns, it remains a mystery to the band members to this day. Sebastian's team sends Alix to an all-expenses-paid ski resort lodge to focus on the writing, but a charming ski instructor, Tyler, catches her eye. As Alix works on the book, she discovers a major clue about Jett’s disappearance that could potentially solve the almost ten-year mystery!

I really liked Alix and Tyler’s storyline—it felt fun and different compared to other books with a similar plot. Tyler definitely had golden retriever energy, though I think he fell for Alix a bit too quickly. On the other hand, I absolutely wasn’t a fan of Alix’s sister or Sebastian; their maturity levels seemed frustratingly low.

I will say I guessed the mystery really early on, and while I’m glad I was right, I’m still unsure if it’s a good or bad thing that it was so predictable. As a Millennial, the band storyline gave me serious NSYNC vibes, which was nostalgic and added to my enjoyment. Overall, I think this is a fun read for the winter season and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a cozy mystery romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

This book was SO sweet! Definitely my favorite by Kayla Olson so far. I'm a big fan of the celeb/normal person trope and this one did a great job. Alix, a pop culture journalist, gets the chance to be a ghostwriter for a former boy band member and holes up in a fancy ski resort in Vermont to do so. I loved the setting, was rooting for the characters, and the whole book just felt so cozy. The plot was entirely predictable but honestly I didn't mind. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Looking forward to what Olson writes next!

4 stars: I really enjoyed this book. As a Directioner myself, I was fangirling for True North with everyone else. I loved the idea for a ghost writer for a former boyband member. I also loved how each chapter ended with a news story, text line, or tweet. I wish we could have seen more of Alix with her family and reconciling with them. I also didn’t really like Lauren’s character much. It felt like a lot of the problems that occurred were just solved so easily and there was no real fight. I did love the twist in the middle although I felt like I predicted it or something close to it. Overall, this was a cute read and I can’t wait for you to read it in a few weeks!!

I love boy bands, and I was really excited to read this romance about one. I imagined the band as One Direction throughout the entire story, BTW. The book was okay, but it was very predictable and at times it was hard to root for and sympathize with the FMC. Alix is writing a celebrity memoir and has spent her life as an entertainment journalist (which to me gave TMZ vibes). When she finds out Tyler, the guy she’s been seeing, is actually a missing member of a famous boy band, she actually considers selling him out. It doesn’t scream love or loyalty to me. She kept saying that she wanted to set boundaries, never did, and then got upset when her imaginary boundaries got crossed. Also, the author made a comparison multiple times about the guy being like a lion, and it threw me out of the story because I thought it was a little bizarre. No spice, but the romantic scenes were nice- the dinner and ice skating and mountain lookout. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my favorite. Worth a read for a quick romance.