Title: Tangled Up In You
Author: Christina Lauren
Publication: June 25, 2024
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Pages: 320

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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)

She has a dream. He has a plan. Together they’ll take a leap of faith. 

Ren has never held an iPhone, googled the answer to a question, or followed a crush on social media. What she has done: Read a book or two, or three (okay, hundreds). Taught herself to paint. Built a working wind power system from scratch. But for all the books she’s read, Ren has never found one that’s taught a woman raised on a homestead and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years how to live in the real world. So when she finally achieves her lifelong dream of attending Corona College, it feels like her life is finally beginning. 

Fitz has the rest of his life mapped out: Graduate from Corona at the top of his class, get his criminal record wiped clean, and pass himself off as the rich, handsome player everyone thinks he is. He’s a few short months from checking off step one of his plans when Ren Gylden, with her cascading blonde hair and encyclopedic brain, crashes into his life, and for the first time Fitz’s plan is in jeopardy. 

But a simple assignment in their immunology seminar changes the course of both their lives, and suddenly they’re thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire on a road trip that will lead them in the most unexpected directions. Out on the open road, the world somehow shifts, and the unlikely pair realize that, maybe, the key to the dreams they’ve both been chasing have been sitting next to them the whole time.

REVIEW:

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I absolutely love Christina Lauren books! They are usually fun, flirty, and just the right amount of raunchy when the story calls for it. So naturally, I was excited to pick up Tangled Up in You. This book is actually a modern retelling of Disney’s Tangled, which I thought was such a fun concept! The story follows Ren, a young woman who has spent her entire life living off the grid with very little knowledge of the outside world. When she finally gets the opportunity to attend college, she meets Fitz, a guy who has his entire future planned out. After a surprising discovery sends them on a road trip together, things get a little complicated. I really enjoyed Ren’s character and how she approached everything with so much curiosity and excitement. Her interactions with Fitz were cute, and I loved watching their relationship develop as they got to know each other.

While I definitely enjoyed this book, I wouldn’t say it was my favorite Christina Lauren novel. One thing I usually love about their books is the mix of humor, romance, and a little spice. This one was definitely on the sweeter side, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was a little different from what I’ve come to expect. The romance was more of a slow burn, and while Ren and Fitz had some really cute moments, I didn’t feel quite the same level of chemistry that I’ve experienced with some of their other characters. The story also felt a little predictable at times, though I suppose that’s to be expected in a retelling of a familiar fairy tale. It was still an enjoyable read, just not one that completely blew me away.

With that being said, I thought Christina Lauren did a great job taking a beloved Disney story and giving it a modern twist. The road trip was fun, the characters were likable, and there were some genuinely sweet moments throughout the book. I also appreciated that there was more to the story than just the romance, with a little mystery and some unexpected discoveries along the way. This was one of those books that was easy to pick up, easy to read, and just an overall enjoyable experience. Sometimes you don’t need a book to be life-changing. Sometimes you just want something cute that makes you smile, and this one definitely delivered! If you enjoy sweet romances, fairy-tale retellings, or are already a Christina Lauren fan, I absolutely recommend giving Tangled Up in You a try!