Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Must Have on Vacation!

Hey everyone, welcome or welcome back if you’re new! Today’s T5W post is about vacation reads so I’m recommending some of my favourite easy reads! I feel like when you’re on holiday you don’t want to read about people being stationary so I’ve tried to pick books that have characters moving around a fair bit. I’ve also gone for mostly romances because they’re so fast-paced and stereotypically easy to read. But, my last pick isn’t a romance for anyone who prefers a more cinematic action story!

prompt

For many, vacation time is here! If you’re travelling and going on vacation, what are some reads you feel are a “must have” during your vacation trip?

Find the June 2022 prompts here on Goodreads

the fine print by lauren asher | my goodreads review

Okay, so I don’t really go on holidays/vacations really, at all, so I’m really the worst person to do this prompt. But, I imagine that if you were on vacation you would want to read lighter books with a fun main character and a really cool setting. So, I’m highly recommending The Fine Print as a holiday read. You could easily read it in one sitting on a plane or, on a road trip. Or, you could spread it out across a vacation and read a chapter whenever you have a quiet moment. I also think that this would be such a fun book to read if you were visiting Disneyland, just because TFP was inspired by that theme park and it focuses on the actual park and isn’t completely central to the romance all of the time.

tropes

• billionaire romance
• forced proximity
• workplace romance
• grumpy x sunshine
• secret identity
• slow-burn romance
• age gap romance

people we meet on vacation | my goodreads review

I mean, how could I recommend vacation reads and not bring up the romance that literally has vacation in the title? I read this a few months ago and absolutely adored it! I don’t often read books that make me want to pack a bag and go on a spontaneous holiday (I also recommend The Unhoneymooners for this!) but, PWMOV really did that for me! It tackles some heavier topics by the end but, is mostly just an exploration of the friends to lovers trope set in some amazingly described vacation spots!

tropes

• best friends to lovers
• only one bed
• second chance friendship
• the guy falls first

the no show | my goodreads review

Okay, so clearly veering from the bigger and more clearly romantic books here. This is still technically a romance and absolutely has some lighter moments. But, The No Show is more the type of book where nothing is going to properly click until the 60-70%-ish mark. This is a great plane read! If you’ve got a long flight and need something a little more serious than the first two romances I recommended. If you want something a bit mysterious but, still contemporary to keep you occupied, this is the perfect book for you! It’s about 3 women who are all involved with the same men and on valentines day he doesn’t show up for any of them and the book goes on from there. It took me a minute to get on board with this and I really wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, but I haven’t stopped thinking about this since I finished it months ago and now I just spend my days recommending it to everyone!

tropes

• friends to lovers
• slow burn

all rhodes lead here | my goodreads review

I really didn’t think anything could surpass The Kiss Quotient (which I recommended in my last T5W post!) as my favourite romance of all time, but Mariana Zapata has really cemented herself as my favorite romance author! All Rhodes Lead Here is about the MC Aurora trying to start her life anew after a terrible long relationship breakup, and maybe falling in love with her neighbour while she’s at it. This is not just one of my favourite romances, but my favourite books, in general. I love the family focus and dynamics and I absolutely love Aurora as a main character – she’s fierce and really loves the people around her! I read ARLH for the first time earlier this year and I’ve now read it 4 times!

tropes

• single dad love interest
• age gap romance
• forced proximity
• grumpy x sunshine
• slow-burn romance
• ‘who hurt you?’ scene
• neighbour love interest

seven ancient wonders | my goodreads review

My last recommendation isn’t a romance, for anyone who prefers an action adventure-style read on vacation! What I love most about Matthew Reilly’s books is that they all read like a well-written action movie, so you can always clearly visualise what’s going on at any given moment and all of the characters are well fleshed out! Seven Ancient Wonders is probably my favourite action book and I actually recommend this entire series! BIG The Mummy meets Indiana Jones vibes with a fantastic found family dynamic. This is one of my favourites and I actually read this on a train trip to and from Uni one day, so I know it’s great for long-form trips!

What are your favourite vacation reads?
Have you read any of these?
What books do you read on vacation?

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