Summer only lasts three short months, and yet so many fantastic places to go enjoy it! How do you pick? With the help of some excellent books, of course. Whether you’re off from school or planning to take some time away from the office, a good read can inspire where you should spend your precious vacation time. Here are five novels that will give you some vacay inspiration, and give you something to read on the way there.
This post was originally published on GetLiterary.com.
Have you ever been on a fabulous vacation with someone you can’t stand? Sometimes life has a strange way of putting people together, which is exactly what happens to Olive and Ethan. Olive’s sister, Ami, gets married, a process less bearable thanks to the presence of Ethan, the best man and the target of Olive’s hatred. When the whole wedding party and the wedding guests gets food poisoning, they both get the opportunity for a free vacation in gorgeous Maui…as long as they pretend to be the newlyweds. However, in true romance- novel fashion, when our unlikely duo makes it to their island paradise, their ire turns to love. On top of the ultimate fantasy of getting a dream vacation to Hawaii, the quick banter and plot twists make reading this book a trip all on its own.
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For two sworn enemies, anything can happen during the Hawaiian trip of a lifetime—maybe even love—in this romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling authors of Roomies.
Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . . . she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.
Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.
Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is . . . Olive doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
With Christina Lauren’s “uniquely hilarious and touching voice” (Entertainment Weekly), The Unhoneymooners is a romance for anyone who has ever felt unlucky in love.
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Some people dream of white sand beaches, others of exploring cool new cities, but there’s nothing quite like a rural retreat for those looking to reconnect. If you’re looking to indulge in the wilderness, look no further than The Simple Wild. The book follows Calla Fletcher, a young woman living in Toronto who returns to the Alaskan frontier town where she was born as her father’s health takes a turn for the worse. There she comes to learn to love not only Jonah, a pilot who works for her father, but the wilderness itself. Tucker’s description of the vast wilds of Alaska captures the imagination, making the reader fall in love with its landscape, just as Calla does. If you’re looking for adventures out in lush green forests, off beaten hiking paths, or anywhere else where nature reigns, this book is sure to get you packing.
City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker.
Calla Fletcher was two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.
She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this new subarctic environment, Jonah—the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.
Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago.
It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.
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Ah, Mallorca, nothing but sand, sun, and all the tapas you can eat. Feel the summer heat of the Balearic Islands with The Vacationers, Emma Straub’s novel about love and its hardships. When the Posts and their guests come to Spain for a little R&R, they find that their sunny paradise is the perfect airing ground for all their secrets, including infidelities and baby drama (though not the kind you’d expect). Friendships and romances are tested, dark truths are unearthed, and worlds change for all of these thoughtful characters trapped in a summer house together. If you’re on the hunt for a thrilling familial drama to read while you sip drinks poolside or relax on the beachfront, look no further.
Let’s say that Schitt’s Creek takes place over two weeks, on an isolated island, where you’re surrounded by your best frenemies and the closest members of your estranged family. Mix all that together, shake well, and you get The Vacationers. With punchy drama and steamy affairs, this book is a wonderfully lighthearted (but still memorable!) read that will absolutely scratch your itch for reading about the ridiculous nouveau riche.
It’s not just a place’s stunning views that makes it worth traveling to—its history can layer beauty and mystery on a deeper level. Zeynab Joukhadar’s The Map of Salt and Stars does that by following not one but two protagonists who travel across the Middle East and North Africa on quests. In 2011, Nour is adjusting to her new life in Syria just as war hits, forcing her and her family to flee. Throughout her struggle, she tells herself the story of Rawiya, a young woman in the 12th century who, as a mapmaker’s apprentice, takes the same route as Nour. It is the complementary stories of these two journeying women that bring the different countries they traverse to life, combining the ancient and the modern with gorgeous prose and stark realities. But most important, what this novel shows is that these places are not just filled with history and culture, but with people who live and love in them every day, and it invites you to connect with them.
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The city of love is on a lot of must-see travel lists, and it’s not hard to see why. Beautiful art and architecture, cafés on every street, and breathtaking views all along the city. In this gorgeous novel by Nina George, there’s another attraction to see as well—the Literary Apothecary, a floating bookstore on the Seine presided over by Monsieur Jean Perdu. Perdu has a book for every broken heart, except his own, an issue which he decides to fix by taking his book-boat down to the South of France on an emotional journey to say goodbye to the great love of his life. Picking up other adventurers on the way with emotional baggage of their own, this novel interweaves the beauty of France through the narrative on the barge and its passengers as they search for what’s been lost and what’s next on the horizon. So whether you’re crazy for croissants and all things French, or are just looking for a heartwarming tale of travel and love, The Little Paris Bookshop is the perfect amuse-bouche to whet your appetite for your next journey.
The city of love is on a lot of must-see travel lists, and it’s not hard to see why. Beautiful art and architecture, cafés on every street, and breathtaking views all along the city. In this gorgeous novel by Nina George, there’s another attraction to see as well—the Literary Apothecary, a floating bookstore on the Seine presided over by Monsieur Jean Perdu. Perdu has a book for every broken heart, except his own, an issue which he decides to fix by taking his book-boat down to the South of France on an emotional journey to say goodbye to the great love of his life. Picking up other adventurers on the way with emotional baggage of their own, this novel interweaves the beauty of France through the narrative on the barge and its passengers as they search for what’s been lost and what’s next on the horizon. So whether you’re crazy for croissants and all things French, or are just looking for a heartwarming tale of travel and love, The Little Paris Bookshop is the perfect amuse-bouche to whet your appetite for your next journey.
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