First I want to thank @netgalley , @atriabooks and @authorkaylaolson for the opportunity to read this book prior to release.

This book was absolutely phenomenal. A ghostwriter for a famous band member sent on a writing vacation to a ski lodge and falling for her skiing teacher and neighbor. Count me in.

I genuinely loved every second of this, I read the whole thing in one sitting. This book had me kicking my feet and pacing my room. This book was just so much fun and had no flaws.

I would certainly say that if you’re looking for deep, life-changing literature, this isn’t for you. However, if you love a good story, and a fun plot with a little mystery. You will absolutely love this.

AND it’s not even a little smutty, it’s not even closed door, this book is just sweet and kind and SOOO good.

I highly recommend this book, and will be purchasing a physical copy for my shelf when this book is released!!

Thank you Atria Books & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was cute, it had fun wintery vibes with a mix of mystery. However, I thought the "twist" was so predictable!! I had a suspicion right at the beginning of the book so when it happened, I wasn't surprised. I also didn't like Sebastian!! I did think that Alix and Tyler had cute chemistry and some really sweet moments together tho!

Overall, the book was good, it was easy to read and put me right into the wintery spirits!

The Lodge: ★★★☆☆ (3)

Pub date: Jan 7, 2025 - preorder your copy now!!

Tropes:
- ski instructor
- cozy, wintery vibes
- boyband
- ghost writer FMC

I loved the dedication of this book and tbh was immediately hooked because I love boy bands! I loved Alix and her journey throughout this book. I was stressed for a while once I figured out the twist, but it was worth it in the end.

The only part that was disappointing for me and felt rushed was the conflict with Alix and Tyler — it felt pushed along quickly without any real communication. It might have been because the ending felt very quick. I wanted more from certain parts.

4.5 stars

This was a wonderful winter romance with little spice. There is snow, skiing and hot cocoa with a handsome fit ski instructor. What more could you want?

Alix is ghost writing a book for a member of a popular band that split up. She is offered a penthouse suit at a Vermont resort for the month to help her get her writing done. During her breaks from writing she gets cozy with the ski instructor. Then things take a terrible turn and you are left to see how she merges her previous life and her new life as one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the arc of this book, I truly appreciate it.

Unfortunately, this is a novel that didn't really grasp my attention as I had hoped, but that's not to say it's not a fun and easy read. I know so many people in my life who truly enjoy it and find it entertaining. I think the plot is nice and something kind of new for me to have read about. Therefore, I give a rating of 3/5 stars because even though it wasn't my cup of tea, there' so much about it that I know it will be one that many people love. Maybe, some day in future, I can try it again and love it too.

thank you again for this opportunity.

main thoughts:
This was a pretty fun and entertaining book and it did have some good holiday vibes🫣 I was also not really expecting the mystery aspect so that took me for surprise. I am a bit disappointed though because I guessed the plot twist in about two seconds so nothing actually shocked me. Overall though I loved the vibe of everything I just wish this book was a bit longer and I wish I enjoyed the romance a little more, it was still a fun read though don’t get me wrong. I do also want to mention that the little article sections and texts threads were fun to read throughout the book which was nice.

characters:
Alix: I liked her for the most part I’m not obsessed, but I think she was a pretty chill and caring person. I wished we explored her dynamic with her family more though but I liked to see how they got along at the end.

Tyler: I liked him the little things he did were cute, but I just wish we knew even more about him, he was still a good mmc and a cutie though at times 🤭

romance:
Listen I don't hate them together I just didn't feel as much chemistry as I wanted too, like they had their moments, but it wasn't enough for me personally I wanted more. I feel like if I liked the romance more this would have got a higher rating tbh. At first I though everything was moving too fast and then it slowed down again and picked up fast in the epilogue so I don’t know honestly😭 people might like them more though and I do think they had good potential just needs more execution.

extra:
I would still recommend this book it was easy to read and it’s still a cute and cozy book and the drama at the end was kinda fun😭

thank you netgalley for providing me with a e-arc of this book in exchange for a honest review!!

I got an arc of this book back in September and had to patiently wait to read it until the winter months to get in the winter vibe!! The premise of this book has me so hooked: author ghostwriting a famous boy band memoir on a snowy mountaintop, sign me up! I loved the chemistry between Alix and Tyler and the fun dates they went on throughout. I think I wanted a little bit longer between them before the big third act but overall a great cozy winter read. Olson knows how to write a celebrity romance!!

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for early access to The Lodge in exchange for my honest opinion. I really enjoyed this book!
Alix gets the opportunity to ghostwrite the memoir of a boy band member, and, to make that even better, she’s set up to stay at a penthouse condo in a ski resort to help her focus away from distractions in NYC, where her younger sister has been staying with her. She even gets to bring her cat along! The boy band broke up after one of the members disappeared, and it’s been suggested that the member for whom Alix is writing may have been the cause for his disappearance. Alix, of course, hopes to find out everything, while listening to a plethora of voice notes because she hasn’t met him in person yet.
While in Vermont, Alix is pressured by her best friend to go out and spend some time skiing. She does, while taking lessons from her very attractive neighbor. I loved reading about them getting to know each other. When a massive blizzard is predicted, everyone is in a bit of a panic, and when the snow comes, the drama really picks up! With both romance and mystery storylines, The Lodge is a quick-paced novel that transports the reader to a snowy ski village. I couldn’t read it fast enough, and I definitely recommend checking it out with a mug of hot cocoa (and maybe a hot pretzel… iykyk)
I also recommend Kayla’s previous book The Reunion if you want to read another FUN romance before The Lodge publishes in January.

Not going to lie the amazing cover art is the first thing that drew me to this book. But I’m so glad I was able to read it because it was just a lot of fun, a good wintry romcom. A little predictable, but that doesn’t take away the fun

I absolutely loved reading The Lodge. It was the perfect choice for a cozy, sweet, and quick read. The way the author described the lodge and resort was so vivid that I could easily imagine every detail, making the setting feel like a real, enchanting place. One aspect I particularly enjoyed was how Kayla included news articles and message boards throughout the story. These little touches were a great fit for my ADHD brain, adding variety and keeping the narrative engaging.

However, I wasn’t entirely fond of Alix’s little sister. Throughout the book, I couldn’t help but wonder why the character was included in the first place. Despite my initial thoughts, Kayla skillfully tied her into the storyline toward the end, and I realized she played a vital role after all. It was a nice surprise, showing how well that the author structured the story.

Overall, The Lodge offered the perfect combination of warmth, charm, and quick pacing. While I had some minor reservations about certain characters, the story’s overall appeal made up for it. I would rate this book a solid 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for a delightful and easy read with a touch of heart.

4.5 stars!

This book was so sweet and cozy, and the cover is absolutely beautiful! It is set in March at a ski resort, so it has very wintery vibes. Alix is an entertainment writer who used to cover boy band True North (which seems very similar to One Direction), and she was one of the last people to interview member Jett Beckett before he disappeared. Now she is ghost writing a memoir for another member the band, and he sets her up with a penthouse suite at the resort so she can focus on her writing. She meets a handsome ski instructor named Tyler, who happens to live in the other penthouse suite on her floor.

Tyler is so sweet and takes Alix on the most thoughtful dates around the ski lodge. Their relationship developed so easily and naturally. I also really loved the boy band mystery woven throughout the story, as well as the media clips in between chapters. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a cozy and fun wintery romance!

Thank you to Kayla Olson, Atria, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
❄️ Cozy snowy settings
❄️ Books about writers
❄️ Low spice
❄️ Hint of mystery
❄️ Boy bands

It took me a really long time to figure out how to write this. My actual rating is probably 3.5 stars so I rounded up to four because I feel like it shows a lot of potential.

I really enjoyed the plot and the writing and the way that the story flowed. I definitely wanted more.
More romance, more character history, and I definitely wish there was spice.
There was a lot of chemistry between Alix and Tyler but somehow it just felt unfinished. I don’t know if it was just the general lack of spice, but it felt like they just hadn’t got to where they would both be ready to give up their lives for each other, (not in death, give up their lives, but give up their lives as they know it.)

In my mind, the biggest issue is right at the big moment of them really solidifying what they mean to each other her sister comes along (who is the worst person in this entire book- by far- absolutely terrible) and basically ruins everybody’s lives. Not to mention this is something she has repeatedly done. Her sister is basically forgiven and everything is fine. Despite the fact that she ruined everybody’s lives because she is supposedly sorry.

I almost did not finish this book because of the sister.
Every single time her sister came into play, it was excruciating how all the characters around her just allowed her to exist without pointing out the fact that she is a terrible person.
I would have cut that woman off so quick. She trampled all over everyone she interacted with obliviously so.
But honestly, as far as I can tell the FMC’s family as a whole are full of terrible people. It all kinda came together in the epilogue where they were kind of getting along, but no real knowledge as to why after being treated like shit her entire life. The FMC is OK with her family.

I don’t know if this is a series, but just because I don’t want to risk having to ever read about the sister again I probably won’t be finishing this series. If there ever was a character that needed to killed off… just saying

This romance was a sweet and wholesome ride! I was/am a huge One Direction fan. This really played into the delusion of it all and honestly read at times like a OD fanfiction. The banter between the main characters was simple and playful so that made the writing and concept itself felt a bit juvenile for me. I believe this could be a YA romance and it is something I would have ATE UP as a teen. I absolutely hated the sister and felt like things with the actual "conflict" in the story resolved way too easily. I feel like it's not as developed in terms of plot and characters for it to be an adult romance. I did have fun reading it and that's why I would give it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

If you're looking for a light and cheerful winter romance with very light spice (literally just kissing), insta-love, boy band drama, super cute winter dates and a freak blizzard, you should read this book!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

This is the most perfect cozy winter break read!!! It transported me to a new universe and I really loved being immersed in this story with these characters. If you need a book that feels like both a vacation and a cute rom com, this one is for you!! Thanks so much for the advanced readers copy!

The Lodge is a binge-worthy cozy romance with a hint of mystery that sets the mood for the winter season with its snowy ski lodge setting. Ideal for anyone who enjoys a low-angst love story with minimal spice, this book brings out the boy band fan in us all. If that sounds like your cup of tea (or, more appropriately, hot chocolate), prepare to fall in love with this happily ever after.

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!