A very fun, deep, and romantic read about finding your way. I couldn’t put the last half of the book down. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read!

I picked this up in the middle of a snowstorm and it was the perfect read for a winter day. I haven't skied in years, but this book left me wanting to book a trip to lodge and spent a weekend on the slopes. The characters are lovable, the setting is immaculate and the story is engaging. This is the second Kayla Olson book I've read, and I will definitely continue reading their novels in the future. Thank you to NetGallery and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Having just been to Vermont for the first time this Fall, I loved picturing all of the charming settings in Kayla Olson’s latest novel, The Lodge. If you know me, my love for boy bands is strong, so this book was right up my alley.

The story centers around Alix, who just landed her dream job as a ghostwriter for a former boy band member. She spends her time researching and writing in a luxurious Vermont resort, where she also squeezes in some time for ski lessons. There she meets a handsome ski instructor, who is harbouring his own secrets.

This is a great book to cozy up to this winter season!

Alix needs a break from NYC to focus on her big ghostwriting project, the memoir of a boyband phenom, Sebastian Green. Sebastian gives her access to a penthouse at a ski resort in Stowe, VT to write, and she moves in and gets to work. Her friend encourages her to experience the resort and on a whim she takes a ski lesson with Tyler, falling head over heels in more than one way. Tyler’s past soon starts to haunt him, and Alix finds herself torn between her feelings for him and her career.

Sweet and touching, and I loved the snowy ski resort vibes!

When a journalist is sent to an upscale ski resort in Vermont to work on a memoir she’s ghost writing, she gets more than she bargained for with her dreamy next door neighbor.

Fun character dynamics with side characters that keeps the story grounded. The FMC isn’t particularly remarkable but feels like she could be a real person. Good series of reveals to keep the reader interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This one wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the writing but the story was just not captivating for me. The premise was interesting for sure, but it just felt poorly executed.

I’m not athletic, but after reading this book, I suddenly want to visit a ski lodge in Vermont! This was the perfect cozy winter romance, predictable yet thoroughly enjoyable, making for a quick and delightful escape. I was pleasantly surprised by the touch of mystery woven into the story. Grab a cup of hot cocoa, curl up on the couch, and enjoy this charming, feel-good read. The writing is engaging, the characters are lovable, and the romance delivers everything you’d hope for in a Hallmark movie. A must-read for any contemporary romance fan. And that cover is absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you to NetGallery and Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love forced proximity tropes. I also love that it was closed door with minimal spice. It was refreshing. You still got the romance and tension without the graphic spicy scenes.

If you are looking for a feel good, cozy book to curl up with on a cold winters night- this is it! I desperately want to decamp to a cozy skiing lodge after reading this. I enjoyed the characters and their antics. This was witty and warm, a perfect book to curl up with under a blanket with a hot mug of tea.

This was a perfect cozy romance to curl up with on a winter day. I loved Alix and Tyler's slow burn romance (and I appreciated the closed door aspect of their relationship) and their ability to trust each other and communicate. I liked the boy band background (as I was a big fan of a few) and how it allowed us to remember things weren't always as they appeared for the band members. I will say the "mystery" seems very obvious from the beginning, but I liked how she let it unfold. What I did not need was the family drama. The sister must be a thoughtless, backboneless drama queen for a pivotal moment in this novel, but she (and the rest of the family) just seem to move on without any true repentance. Those hurts don't vanish that easily, and I was irritated by how that aspect was part of "happily ever after"- I just didn't buy it. The mixed media was a fun part of the story and perfectly contained where it didn't feel like too much. The best friend, Chloe, was an amazing supportive character- we all need our person! All things considered, this was pretty much what I hoped for- a cozy winter romance with clean (except for one poorly disguised f- bomb) language and a happy ending. I will continue to look forward to Kayla Olson's work.

My experience reading this book is the worst kind of reading experience one can have, at least in my opinion. This book started of SO GOOD. I was just immediately encaptured by this book. I had a really fun time reading it. Somehow it just hit a lot of my favourite things. The back and forth between Alix and Tyler was just immediately so good. They had incredible chemistry, and their flirting had me giggling and kicking my feet. That plus the fun mixed media element to this book, I thought this for sure was going to be such a hit for me.
However, around the halfway mark something gets revealed (it's not meant to be a HUGE reveal, but it is something Alix finds out), and it changed the book for me. I feel like every character just became so incredibly unlikeable. They were all just so incredibly self centered. I don't know. I don't think it's weird to think of selling someone's huge secret for the money you desperately need for like a second before you dismiss it. However, I do think it is weird to think about that over and over and over again while at the same time claiming to love that person, and recognizing how much they needed to trust you to let you in like that. FUCK OFF. I truly can't believe that after that Alix tried to play the high horse after that. Ugh, I wish I could rant more with spoilers because it frustrated me so much.
Like I mentioned before though every single character has this issue, not just Alix. It's just that I can discuss that at least a little without any spoilers, but every single character thinks of themselves first and doesn't really care about others. However, the narrative keeps telling us they are the kindest people to have ever existed. It just makes them out to be massive hypocrites as well. It just frustrated me so much. It did so to the point that I even started questioning why I liked this to begin with.
So yeah, this book started of with me absolutely loving it, and ended with blind hatred. It's not a one star though, because I do need to give some flowers to the first half of this book because that was *chef's kiss*. I just wish it stayed that way.

LOVED THIS! I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I loved the mature-third act break up vs. the miscommunication trope that is so often thrown into romance. I loved the boyband angle, and the Reddit-like threads between each chapter really added something to the narrative.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really wonderful book. I enjoyed it from the first page!

Loved this cozy wintry book!! It was maybe a bit easy to guess who Tyler was but I wasn’t upset about that- it was a pleasure to watch it unfold

Alix Morgan will be ghost-writing a memoir for none other than Sebastian Green, a former boy band member of the band True North. This is a huge break for her. To allow her to get her work completed, he offers her a penthouse at a luxury ski resort in Vermont.

There she meets a handsome ski instructor named Tyler. Alix notices there is something familiar about Tyler, but she can't quite place her finger on it. As they slowly fall in love on the slopes, one secret may ruin everything.

Tyler was such an intriguing character - handsome, charming, and mysterious. *SPOILER* While he had secrets of his own, he just wanted to be able to live a relatively normal life without the spotlight.

I was excepting just a cute little rom com and not such a beautiful story with a good twist of mystery wrapped in it. I was so impressed by the book and truly loved the writing and plot. it's the perfect book for this season as winter is coming to an end and heading into valentines day!

*The Lodge* by Kayla Olson follows Alix Morgan, a ghostwriter tasked with helping the elusive Sebastian Green pen his memoir. The catch? Sebastian barely lifts a finger beyond sending her voice notes about his intense dislike for his former boy bandmate, Jett, who mysteriously vanished. To help Alix focus, Sebastian sends her to a luxurious penthouse in Vermont, where she meets Tyler—a charming ski instructor and her dreamy neighbor. As Alix works on the book, she and Tyler begin to develop a sweet connection, but the tension between their growing relationship and her work adds a layer of complexity. And that’s all I’ll say!

This book was *so* good, but I figured out the twist almost immediately. The chemistry between Alix and Tyler was my favorite part. Their romance was genuine and heartwarming. On the flip side, I wasn’t a fan of the subplot involving Alix’s sister, Lauren—it just didn’t work for me. Overall, *The Lodge* is a cozy, closed-door romance that’s perfect for a relaxing read. I'd recommend it, but try not to overthink the twist like I did!

Firstly, you make me endure a man with a bun - no hate on Tyler, he's a good man, but it wasn't the best look to start.
Secondly, you gaslight me into believing that that ending is the most romantic (yet still modern) thing a woman can look for.

Listen, it was great.
Tyler’s hair aside - maybe you're into that, idk -, the whole concept of the story is captivating and well-played. I'm not entirely objective on the matter because I was one of those crazy boy band fans - I was? I guess I calmed down a little -, and those group dynamics gave me war flashbacks - also, Truth Direction?!
But, talking about the before and after of the band, until Alix and Tyler meet, and how she handles the situation once she finds out the truth… it was both real - as in, the possibility of ratting him out for a great amount of money - and thoughtful.

The last 20% of the book, tho. Let's just say she lost me at the HAE she pushed on the whole thing, trying to fix a couple of narratives that didn't truly find their place in the long run.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Bit of a letdown // Thank you @netgalley for this advanced copy - The Lodge was published on Jan 7

Summary
A cozy rom-com about a writer who decamps to a Vermont lodge for work but finds herself distracted by the charming ski instructor next door.

This sounded super cute and I love a book with a Vermont setting but overall it was just pretty meh. The plot was predictable so no fun surprises along the way. The main characters did have some good chemistry but the boy band plotline overshadowed it.

Any recommendations on a good, winter inspired romcom? I feel like after Christmas it is hard to find a winter romcom.
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I’d say that this snowstorm made me want to go skiing, but I was already dreaming of a ski trip after reading The Lodge by Kayla Olson. I would definitely enjoy the Vermont ski resort where all the action takes place.
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This was such a fun book with great characters and a predictable, yet believable, love story. If you like boy bands, the music industry, entertainment journalists, skiing, ski resorts, maple candies, maple coffee, lots of maple, this book could be for you!
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Morgan has been hired to ghostwrite the memoir of a former boy band idol and has too many distractions at home impeding her progress. With the deadline looming, the subject of the book, Sebastian, offers to put her up at a resort in Vermont where she could get some quiet and inspiration. She didn’t count on the gorgeous ski instructor next door to be just the distraction she didn’t realize she needed.
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This book came out last week and you should grab it for some romcom fun.