When I saw this new romance release from one of my top favorite authorial duos, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, writing as Christina Lauren, I immediately snapped it up based on the author name alone.  I didn’t realize ahead of time that TANGLED UP IN YOU is a modern-day twist on Disney’s animated film Tangled.  The Disney movie, in turn, was loosely based on the fairytale Rapunzel as recorded by The Brothers Grimm.  Now, I’ve read all of the Grimm fairytales, but I’ve never seen Disney’s Tangled. 

After finishing reading Laurens’ TANGLED UP IN YOU, I googled the plot for the animated film Tangled to try to compare the two.  I’m sure there are a lot of little hat-tip details in the book that I didn’t pick up on, but I don’t believe that should deter potential readers who haven’t seen the movie.  I think this book can be enjoyed on its own merits, especially for fans of Christina Lauren.  There are fun things like: the name of the hero in the novel is Fitz, a nod to the film character Flynn who reveals his true name to be Eugene Fitzherbert. 

Ren (i.e. the Rapunzel character with the requisite long blonde hair) is starting college at age 22, the first time she’s ever attended any school.  She’s been incredibly sheltered and isolated her whole life, raised on a homestead and learning on her own.  While she’s capable of reading and writing Mandarin and also repairing a tractor engine, she has no idea what the real world is like.  She reminded me of Brandon Fraser’s character in the movie Blast from the Past, knowing about the modern world only by what she has read or seen on the very few old VCR tapes she had access to.  She’s a wide-eyed innocent, and oh so endearing.

Bad boy Fitz is a college senior who has been passing himself off at school as a playboy rich kid.  In reality, he was adopted by a millionaire when he was a teenager, and he has a sketchy past with the law.  If he graduates college with top honors, however, his criminal record will be expunged.  Fitz tries to resist Ren’s innocent appeal, but she appears to the heart he’s been trying so hard to protect.  Fitz heads to Nashville during college spring break and Ren blackmails her way into his trip, and the hijinks (and eventual love) ensue.

TANGLED UP IN YOU’s hero and heroine are college students, and the vibe of this book is New Adult.  While it’s much more racy than a children’s Disney film, I’m sure, it is still definitely only PG in heat.  Our heroine Ren fantasizes about sex with Fitz, but there is only kissing in this book.  While the tone of the book is New Adult, the themes of childhood trauma and being true to oneself transcend age groups. 

Although there are some deep emotions and terrible personal traumas, the overall sensibility of the book to me is like a Disney tale.  Sure, there are some scary things, but overall the tale is light and frothy.  Approach this read like you would a Disney princess story, and you’ll enjoy the ride.  Lauren’s TANGLED UP IN YOU is about chasing your dream and being open to the wonders and the love around you.