Hi everyone! With only a few weeks of summer left, I thought it was the perfect time to share some of my favourite vacation reads. I don’t know about you but I always find it so much fun reading books about other places – it really ignites my wanderlust! There are so many wonderful places to explore.
With that being said, not all of us have the time, money or resources to go and explore all of those places – which is where reading comes in. It’s the perfect way to explore somewhere new through the comfort of your own home!
Love And Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean
Thoughts: This is honestly such a fun read! I really enjoyed uncovering more of the UK with Britt on her scavenger hunt across the country. It was really cool reading about some places I’ve visited (for example London and Bath) as well as some I haven’t had the chance to yet. The incorporation of classical literature was also something really interesting that I appreciated!
Love A La Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Thoughts: If you’ve been around here a while you might know that Paris is my dream destination, and I loved this romance set in the city of love! I thought the cooking competition was a really lovely addition in this, and I really liked reading about the characters discovering the city. I also thought the romance was really cute in this!
Love And Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
Thoughts: I would really love to visit Italy someday (I think taking a road trip around it would be the most incredible experience) and I loved this book set in Florence! Love And Gelato is honestly the cutest read, the romance is super sweet and the characters will steal your heart. Obviously the highlight of this for me was the setting, which was explored through both the main character and her mother’s mysterious journal.
How Hard Can Love Be? by Holly Bourne
Thoughts: If you’ve ever daydreamed about working at an American summer camp then this is the book for you! Holly Bourne is such an amazing author and this book is the definition of the typical American summer camp dream. There’s awesome friends, a little bit of travelling, lots of fun activities and, of course, a super cute romance.
The Girl’s Guide To Summer by Sarah Mlynowski
Thoughts: To be completely honest with you, I wasn’t much of a fan of the characters or friendships in this – but I loved the interrailing aspect! I really enjoyed reading the two friends travel around Europe and discover so many lovely places. I’d really love to go interrailing myself in a few years so this gave me some great inspiration for the route! If you’re just looking to undercover some great places I’d recommend picking this up.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Thoughts: Technically there isn’t actually any travelling in this, but there’s just something about Malibu Rising which gives off major on-vacation vibes! I loved the setting of Malibu and would definitely like to visit someday. It sounds like the perfect surfer’s paradise and sometimes it’s just nice to relax on the beach. I also loved the wild party in this and the Riva family!
The Island by C.L. Taylor
Thoughts: This is a bonus one for those of you who prefer darker reads! Imagine going on holiday with your friends for the perfect island vacation – only for your instructor to end up dead, leaving you stranded. That’s what happened for this group of friends – and then their worst fears started coming true, one by one. If you’re after a creepy vacation book then this is the one for you!
Have you read any of these? What’s your favourite on-vacation book? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Ceri
Read And Review It 
Ooo I’m LOVING the sound of these. I’m defiantly missing being on holiday this year so anything that can transport me and give me holiday vibes I’m well and truly up for. I’ll be checking these out asap! Thank you so much for sharing with us lovely Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
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I’m so glad to hear that you like the sound of it Elle! Me too, unfortunately I had to cancel two different holidays so this is the next best thing! I hope you enjoy them, thank you so much for reading and commenting xx
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This is such a great list to give you that summery feel (I’m hanging onto for as long as I can and then going into Christmas reading mode)! I loved Malibu Rising and will check out the others.
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I’m so glad you think so Jodie – so am I, except it will be fall reading mode for me! I hope you enjoy them, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Wow! I love the look/feel of the first few books you featured. I didn’t take a proper holiday this summer; just did a day trip here and there. I look forward to lounging with a good book by my side. Thanks for the suggestions!
Crystal | amazingbaby.app
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I’m so glad to hear that you like the look of them! Me neither, I’ve been taking holidays through books haha. I hope you enjoy them, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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We agree with you with A Girl’s Guide to Summer not having great characters. We had to Google it, but it’s other name is I See London, I See France.
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I’m so glad you agree with that – I just felt there wasn’t much depth to them. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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I love reads that can transport us somewhere else. And how cool to be in a similar setting to the story you’re reading.
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So do I, it’s such an awesome feeling! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Love and gelato sounds good! I’d also love to do a tour of Italy!! X
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It really is, I definitely recommend it! I hope you get to do a tour of Italy one day, thank you so much for reading and commenting x
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Oh these all sound like books I would love! I will have to check them out. Thanks for sharing them
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I’m so glad to hear that, I really hope you enjoy them! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I love Paris, so Love a la mode sounds like a book I would love! I’m always a sucker for cooking competitions! This sounds like a really fun book. 🙂
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Ooh it sounds like the perfect fit for you then, haha – I think you’d really enjoy it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
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All of these are great recommendations. I cannot wait to check some of them out!
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I hope you enjoy them! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Love & Gelato makes me want to vacation in Tuscany right now!
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Me too, I’d really love to visit – I’m sure it would be the most amazing experience! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I’ve heard good things about a lot of these. I do tend toward enjoying the darker. But love me a fluffy rom
com to cleanse the palate.
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Honestly same, I deviate a lot between really dark and really light reads – and these are all super cute! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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All books in this list caught my attention and they all are my cuppa tea. Will add them to my TBR. Thank you for sharing.
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I really hope you enjoy them all! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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Wow. I’ve heard so much about Malibu Rising and I think this is an opportunity to finally read it. Thanks for the list.
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I’d definitely recommend reading Malibu Rising soon – I hope you enjoy it if you do! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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This post couldn’t have come at a better time! I’m currently on vacation and looking for something to read, and it sounds like I’d love Love a La Mode.
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I’m so glad to hear that I could help – I hope you love it as much as I did! I hope you’re enjoying your vacation too. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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I love books that give you that vacation feel! There are so many great ones here. I’ve heard such great things about ‘Love & Other Great Expectations’ and ‘Love And Gelato’ while I normally don’t read romance, I’m tempted to check them out. I’m super intrigued by The Island, thank you for sharing your picks!
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So do I, being transported to somewhere else is the best feeling! I’d definitely recommend checking them both out, they’re both so good! The Island is amazing too, it’s one of my favourite thrillers. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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These all sound like great reads. I really like the sound of Love And Gelato.
Thanks for sharing these recommendations 🙂
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I’m so glad to hear that, I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading! Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
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The days are finally starting to get warmer here in South Africa and I am delighted. I’ll definitely be spending my days reading similar books to the ones on your list. I absolutely loved reading Malibu Rising and I would really like to read Love&Gelato. This is a wonderful list. Thank you for sharing!
Lauren //www.cko-coolkidsonly.blogspot.com
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Ooh that sounds wonderful, I hope you enjoy! I’m so glad you liked Malibu Rising too, it’s amazing, and I hope you enjoy Love And Gelato as much as I did. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
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All books are looking fantastic ! Thanks for sharing ☺️
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They truly are! Thank you so much for reading and commenting 😊 x
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☺️☺️
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This is such a great list of summer reads! I’ve read several of them and the rest are definitely being added to my TBR!
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Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I’m partial to anything that relates to France so Love a la Mode sounds like a book I would love. But I really enjoy the idea of being transported somewhere by a book. As summer ends, I’m dreaming of vacation again. Books are the perfect way to visit!
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So am I, I’m desperate to visit! I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading. It’s absolutely incredible the power books can hold! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I love the sound of so many of these books! Adding The Girl’s Guide To Summer and Love a la Mode to my list straight away. I would love to go interrailing one day, and travelling through a book is the best way to start 😍
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I’m so glad to hear that! I really hope you enjoy them both – and get to go interrailing one day, it would be such an awesome experience. Thank you so much for reading and commenting ♥️
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ahhh Malibu rising just gives off some perfect vacation vibes ( I think the beach setting contributed to it hahah ) and I LOVED the familial relationships in it so much! Adored this post!
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It truly does, it’s absolutely amazing – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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I do prefer darker reads so The Island sounds right up my alley, but Love A La Mode does sound sweet and I would love to visit Paris one day too!
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I love a darker read sometimes too and The Island is the perfect one! I really hope you enjoy them both – and get to visit Paris one day, too! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
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