3.75 stars
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TW: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Cursing
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Alix has landed the job of her dreams, she's been hired to ghostwrite a memoir of Sebastien Green - a former boyband member. Everyone knows True North, not only for their music but due to the mysterious disappearance of Jett, who walked out one evening and was never to be seen again. When Sebastien offers to set Alix up in a penthouse to focus on writing, there's no way she can refuse.

This gave me Hallmark movie vibes, it's cozy, romantic, and there's a dash of mystery. While she's not writing, Alix can't help but fall for Tyler - a handsome ski instructor. Tyler is sweet, he's patient and understanding with Alix, but goes all out to swoon Alix off her feet. Their connection is cute, I'm a fan of witty banter between love interests and I found myself wanting a bit more of that in the dialogue.

This book has an air of mystery, as Alix writes there's a large focus on Jett and his disappearance. I will admit that I guessed the twist pretty early on! This was a fun read, and was perfect for around the holidays.
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I would like to thank Atria Books, Kayla Olson, and NetGalley for a copy of The Lodge in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions formulated are my own. The Lodge was published on January 7th, 2025, you can order your copy now!

Entertainment journalist Alix has just landed the biggest job of her career. She will be ghostwriting the celebrity memoir of famous boy band member Sebastian Green. Best of all Alix gets to escape New York for a cozy Vermont ski resort. What she doesn’t expect is for handsome ski instructor Tyler to distract her from her writing. Little does Alix know Tyler is hiding a big secret of his own, one connected to Sebastian and his memoir. What happens when Alix uncovers Tyler’s secret? Will their romance be ruined by secrets before it’s even started?

I will say I’m not a huge fan of celebrity romances, but was pleasantly surprised by this one. The setting came to life and you just had to keep reading to see what would happen between these characters! A cozy winter romance!

writer + ski instructor = the cutest love story ever. I loved the layers in this one with a little hint of mystery. it all unfolded flawlessly and I ate it up! would definitely recommend this for a cutsie snow day read!

This was such a cute rom-com set at a ski lodge in Vermont! Highly recommend if you need a light and cozy read!

The story follow Alix as she heads to Vermont to work on ghost writing a memoir for Sebastian Green, a former boy band member and golden boy in the music industry. She’ll be staying in his penthouse at a luxury ski resort and enjoy some peace and quiet away from the city. She was lucky to score this chance and attributes it to her past as an entertainment journalist, where she previously interviewed Green’s former bandmate and bad boy of the group, Jett Beckett, before he disappeared. As time goes on and she continues to dig more into Sebastian’s past, she realizes there is so much more to the band’s breakup and history.

While at the resort, she runs into the hot ski instructor, Tyler, who happens to be her penthouse neighbor. He begins to give her ski lessons on the side and cute dates in the evening, and Alix finds herself falling for this charming man. But as the days pass and her work mystery continues to unravel, she finds the relaxing writing retreat she thought she’d have is a bit more complicated than she planned.

This book was super cute and I really enjoyed the boy band aspects of it! It felt very much like a kind of 2000s rom-com, in a way. The characters were really easy to engage with and the setting was lovely. There were a few different side characters at the resort who I thought balanced the main storyline well. Her younger sister did drive me a little bit, even though they had resolution in the end. She definitely added some drama to the story!

Overall just a super cute, light-hearted book that had an easy to follow, entertaining plot. This wasn't like a high stakes book or anything like that so it's really good if you're just looking for something that is kind of light and fluffy and a nice little pallet cleanser rom-com.

“The Lodge” by Kayla Olson is such a cozy winter romance! Alix Morgan, an entertainment journalist, gets to ghostwrite the memoir for Sebastian Green, a former boy band star. To help her focus, he hooks her up with a penthouse at a ski resort in Vermont. And there, she meets her neighbor, Tyler Fox, a ski instructor with all the charm and good vibes.

This book is packed with everything we love about a good rom-com. Alix and Tyler’s connection is just so sweet and natural, I loved to see their story unfold. Some twists were a little predictable, but honestly, who cares when the characters and setting are this lovable? If you’re into cozy, feel-good romances with snowy vibes, this is for you.

Tropes found here: Forced Proximity, Celebrity drama, Slow Burn.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was cozy, cute, and light. I think you definitely have to be in the mood for it much like you would have to be in the mood for a Hallmark movie. The love interests were just okay, I wish I would’ve connected with them more. I think it’s a good read if you’re looking for something to get you out of a slump.

Alix Morgan is ghost writing a memoir for an ex band mate of a popular boyband — True North. She heads to a ski village in Vermont to focus on her writing and hopefully meet the celebrity she’s writing about in person to finalize the book. What she finds instead is a hot ski instructor with whom she quickly falls for —Tyler Fox. The thing is Tyler has a secret that Alix will uncover, being the investigative journalist she is. I loved reading about the fun dates Tyler planned and the budding relationship between the two of them. If you’re looking for a cute winter romance, definitely check out this one!

Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this fun romcom!

I haven't read any books by Olson prior to this one, but the cover grabbed my attention right away. Then, when I saw it was set in Stowe, one of my favorite places, I was so excited to get my hands on this book! And, it did NOT disappoint!

Alix is staying in a penthouse condo at an upscale ski resort in Vermont as a perk of her new ghost writing job to write a memoir of one of the biggest stars from the now defunct boy bond, True North. Sebastian, one of the two leading front men of the band, and a pompous jerk, is setting Alix up with this spot so she can find the quiet she needs to write his book. The band broke up eight years after the other front man, Jett Beckett, disappeared out of thin air. It's been one of the biggest mysteries and is also a major plot point in Sebastian's novel because it also changed the trajectory of his life, even if some think he may have been a part of some nefarious doings.

While at the lodge, Alix, who has been done with love after a breakup with a Wallstreet bro, meets the gorgeous ski instructor Tyler, living in the penthouse next door. As always happens in these books, they of course hit it off right away. Their budding romance is stilted by the secret she is keeping from him about who she is ghost writing for, and from the secrets Tyler is keeping from her.

Was this book predictable? Yes. Did that matter to me? NO! I loved it and was rooting for Tyler and Alix and really enjoyed their dynamic. It also made me want to go back to Stowe.

I love a cute romcom and this one also had an air of mystery about it, which I really enjoyed. I also really liked the author's voice and writing style. Perfect for the Christmas romance book hangover I've been experiencing and even more perfect for a fun January read. I loved this book and look forward to more books by the author.

I reaaallyy loved the setting of this novel. Olson absolutely nailed the Vermont atmosphere - from the snow-capped mountains to the cozy caffes, this book makes you want to transport yourself into this lodge. It makes you want to try maple candies and honey-nut lattes while watching the snow fall. I loved the vibes overall - so serene, so cozy!

I found the concept of the book very intriguing, but I did feel it dragged. The characters didn't feel as fleshed-out - both the protagonist, love interest, and side characters. I felt that I still didn't really know these characters, so my investment in the story began to wane. The romance was cute, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between them - but that could be because insta-love is hard to win me over with.

Overall, this is a sweet read (with great snippets from news articles and blogs), and a fantastic winter setting!

Thank you so much to Atria and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute rom com set in a ski lodge. I enjoyed the small town feel of the setting. The characters had good chemistry and cute banter. I also enjoyed the side characters and how they contributed to the story. It also brought all of the boy band nostalgia.

This book was a winter delight! Seriously, I loved everything about it. As a Hanson girl (loved that dedication) I can completely relate to the boy band theme of the story. Replace Tyler with Taylor and this book is the stuff of my 90s teen self’s dreams/fan fiction. Beyond the boy band element, the story was well written and left me feeling warm and fuzzy. I also loved that there was no spice, sometimes that just gets in the way of a good cozy romance! This one has earned a spot on my running favorite books of 2025 list.

This is the perfect winter read! Following an author and a ski instructor I was hooked! Tyler was the sweetest love interest and had me swooning! This was such a fast paced and easy read perfect for a snow day!

This was a cute read. I liked it, but didn’t love! A solid 3 star book for me. I liked the winter theme, without it being a holiday book.

Alix Morgan is an entertainment journalist hired to ghostwrite Sebastian Green’s memoir. Sebastian is the lead guitarist for True North, a boy band that broke up after their drummer, Jett Beckett, mysteriously disappeared while on tour years ago.

After going back and forth with Sebastian, he sends her to a luxury ski resort in Vermont, to write with little distractions. While there, she meets her new neighbor, ski instructor Tyler, and they fall for each other. Tyler, though, is hiding something that comes out when her immature sister, Lauren, crashes Alix’s temporary stay.

I really liked this one. The plot twist was not a twist at all and was pretty obvious. However, I liked their burgeoning romance and the other characters, with the exception of Lauren. She was quite awful and needed to grow a spine. I enjoyed the wintery vibes too.

Read this if you like:
⛷️ winter/ winter sports
⭐️ celebrities
💕closed door romance

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books. The Lodge is out now.

The Lodge follows Alix Morgan who just signed up to be a ghostwriter for superstar musician, Sebastian Green.
Sebastian used to be part of a music group called True North.

Sebastian's ex-bandmate, Jett Beckett, went missing eight years ago. Sebastian puts Alix up at a ski lodge in Vermont to help her solely focus on ghostwriting his book. During her time there, she listens to Sebastian's voice memos to help her with writing, but she quickly realizes that she may have more information about Jett Beckett's disappearance and it turns into something completely different than what she signed up for.

This book was super interesting! I loved the characters - learning about them, and especially, the chemistry between them all! The little details and background really sold me on this book!

I think this book is going to surprise a lot of readers! I personally signed up for it thinking it was just a rom-com, but what I didn't expect was a mystery aspect! O I loved the idea about a disappearance of a bandmate, it really kept me on the edge of my seat to learn more! I wanted to get to the end to see what was going to happen!

I'd definitely recommend this one, it gives the best cozy vibes and really had me intrigued from the jump!

I loved the cozy mystery/romance in this story. It’s a light read, making it the perfect escape between heavier reads. I liked the boy band/gossip angle, as I was able to relate to the main character and her inner conflict of her job versus her morals. I liked the setting and the winter vibes. Pick this up if you like pop culture and nostalgia with an easy romance story and low stakes. I’d totally buy this for a friend or someone I didn’t know but enjoys reading

This book was SO fun. I didn't realize I needed more books with a ski resort setting in my life. Also, the boy band characters made this extra fun- I didn't want it to end. I thought Alix and Tyler were so cute and the dates they went on were so romantic.

This is such a perfect winter read and I will be recommending it!

This was a fun read for a cold and snowy day cuddled up by a fire.

I really liked this one! I definitely thought this was a bit better than the other romance book I've read by this author. Even though it was really obvious (at least to me) where the plot was going, I still enjoyed my time in this world. I particularly enjoyed the interspersing of articles, blog posts, text chains, etc throughout the book has it helped flesh out the past. My one gripe is that I wish we had more scenes with the boy band members interacting so we could have gotten a better idea of the dynamics then and now.

Perfect cozy winter romance. I didn’t want to put this one down, I loved the celeb drama of it all. Maybe I’ll take up skiing

The book was exactly what I was hoping for - a wintry romance with some spice, some twists and some of my favorite tropes. Set in northern VT at a ski resort this book will offer you the perfect winter escape! I loved the mixed media with some text message threads and online blog posts to offer different perspectives and really immerse into the characters' world. I didn't want to put this one down and found myself getting a chapter in whenever I could. Highly recommend!