Series Name: Meant to Be, # 4
He stared down at her, soaking her in as it seemed every synapse in his brain rewired. She was such a paradox; delicate but unbreakable; modest but intrepid; innocent but electrifying. Fitz found his eyes dipping to her full, pink lips and back up to those assured, sparkling eyes. He’d wanted to touch many women in his life. But he’d never so badly wanted to deserve one before.
Tangled Up in You is a delightful, charming, and perfect rom-com and something I will be reading again and again.
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.
Well, I am in love, and I am not afraid to show it. The movie Tangled is probably my favourite Disney princess movie. I just love how fun, carefree, and energetic Rapunzel was, and I might have had a tiny (not-so-small) crush on Fylnn Rider. So, as you can imagine, when I heard that Christina Lauren (who I also adore) was writing a re-telling of Tangled, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I loved, loved, loved everything about this book. Christina Lauren managed to capture the heart and soul of the Tangled movie and weave it into a modern-day love story. At its core, this book is fun and sweet. That’s not to say there isn’t any steamy tension between the two characters, but that steam is not front and center; it’s sprinkled lightly throughout the story. I have to admit that I am really grateful for this because if the book had a lot of spice and dirty talk, it wouldn’t have fit with Ren’s character and her journey. She is sweet, kind, caring, and wants to experience everything the world has to offer, and yes, that does mean some heated kisses with Fitz, but nothing progresses beyond kissing.
Now, let’s talk about the story. The story’s pacing is pretty steady; the first bit of the book takes place at Corona College, where we see Ren try to adapt to college life. I adored Ren’s ability to befuddle all those around her. Her sweet and kind attitude and her unusual upbringing instantly captures the attention and love of everyone on campus. Everyone is instantly captivated by her, well everyone but Fitz, who thinks Ren will be eaten alive by the cruel and harsh world we live in. Well, at school, this one-sided rivalry starts. For romance reasons, Fitz needs to be the top student for each of his classes, which isn’t a problem until Ren walks into his class and steals that number one spot from him. Fitz has perfected this image of being the golden boy, and I loved watching as Ren sees right through that act and just shakes up Fitz’s carefully ordered world.
The next part of the book is a road trip, which I love. Christina Lauren knows how to write a tremendous road-trip romance. They know all those key things to include, like one-bed situations, force proximity, slightly spicy pool situations, hilarious road trip antics, and just so much more. They brought in memorable moments from the movie and adapted them to real-life situations. There was just so much to love, and it was just so entertaining. Between all those fun and light moments are some really beautiful quiet moments between Ren and Fitz. I adore a book that is full of fun antics, and Ren just keeps on knocking down those walls Fitz has built.
The romance was everything I wanted it to be. From the moment these two first met, they both knew something existed between them that they’d never felt before. For Ren, this is her first time ever experiencing anything that has to do with romantic and lusty feelings. There is this sweet unsureness about her behaviour when it comes to pursuing anything romantic with Fitz. She wants to just dive right in but often loses her confidence when Fitz retreats behind those carefully constructed walls he built. For Fitz, he knows that there is something different when it comes to the feelings he has for Ren. He is also plagued with this sense of not being good enough for Ren and that being with her may jeopardize his carefully laid plans for his life. There are plenty of will they won’t they moments between these two. Fitz is often the reason why things stop in their relationship. I loved the banter between these two. Ren constantly keeps Fitz on his toes, and I love how she brings out that softer side of Fitz’s character.
Tangled Up In You is a swoonastic and un-put-downable romance from the fabulous duo Christina Lauren.
Thank you, Hyperion Avenue, for sending us a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
