REVIEW: Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren

In Tangled Up in You by Christina Lauren, To say twenty-two-year-old Ren Gylden is excited to go to Corona College in Spokane, Washington, is an understatement. Being raised on a homestead in rural Idaho off the grid, she realizes she will be at a disadvantage compared to the other worldly students. Ren knows she’ll be the oddity, never having formally gone to school before–even though she’s taught herself several languages and advanced math and science. But she’s a quick learner. It’s her immunology class where her life gets thrown a curveball. Ren begins to question things she’s always taken as fact. But knowing she needs more information which can only be found in Atlanta, she winds up on a road trip with the college’s notable golden boy, Fitz, who’s headed to Nashville.

‘There had always been something inside Ren that knew there was more out there–more to learn, more to see, more people to meet, and more to her story.’

Fitz has learned the hard way that getting too closely involved with people (mostly) leads to bad things. So, he’s kept his nose to the grindstone, kept his grades up, stayed out of trouble, and focused on a future law degree. Ren tagging along on his trip to Nashville is a recipe for disaster. For him or her–or both of them–he’s not sure. But Fitz agrees to drive her as far as his destination and almost immediately regrets it when Ren is just as perky and inquisitive on the road as she is in class. Then he notices his view of her changing as the miles roll on. He’s not so annoyed by her and if he’s being honest, he’s pretty charmed by Ren. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up romantically with the naive woman when he already has so much on his plate. But Fitz doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to Ren and her sweet, innate goodness.

“The way I feel about you is beautiful to me. It feels like a gift. I want to let my heart stay open, even if it’s scary to trust again.”

I will undoubtedly read anything Christina Lauren writes. And even if I wasn’t a fan of retellings, TANGLED UP IN YOU would have changed my mind with its humor, heart, and plot twists that made my pulse jump and my heart go out to both main characters.

‘Some things in life were impossible to prepare for.’

CW: View Spoiler »Kidnapping, parental death (gunshot). Foster care, homelessness, juvenile incarceration, verbal abuse (historical, not detailed). « Hide Spoiler

The latest retelling in the multi-author Meant to Be series is TANGLED UP IN YOU, which was written by one of my favorite author duos: Christina Lauren. Theirs was a modern spin on Disney’s Tangled (aka Rapunzel) where fish out of water Ren Gylden, raised on an off-the-grid homestead in Idaho, finally gets her first experience in the real world by going to college.

I think what impressed me most was how well balanced the story was. CLo pulled in not only their trademark laughs, quick banter, and sexy romance–this was a clean story, though–but they also added depth by delving into some darker themes for Ren and her love interest Fitz. But it wasn’t *too* heavy overall. Among the memorable comical scenes (the bar!), CLo wove in bits and pieces of Fitz’s troubled youth and an eye-opening new truth in Ren’s life that had her tagging along on Fitz’s road trip from Spokane to Nashville.

The road trip aspect is what I think will make this a great beach book. Who wouldn’t love to read along and dream about driving cross-country in a classic Mustang with a charming, handsome guy, going on all kinds of new adventures, right? And boy didn’t Fitz and Ren have some interesting times! Watching them fall in love, little by little and state by state, was simply captivating. And it made their relationship as well as their journey seem genuine. Their awe of each other–and Ren’s joy of experiencing the huge world itself–will certainly endear them to readers.

QOTD: Have you read any of the Meant to Be books yet?

Book Info:

Published: June 25th, 2024 | by Hyperion Avenue | Meant to Be #4

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 months short 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.