The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 292 pages
Published: May 2014

I was gifted The Vacationers by a coworker who read this Emma Straub novel during her honeymoon to Kaua'i. Since I was going to the same island for my honeymoon, albeit years later, I thought I'd save the book for a nice beach read during my stay. And I successfully implemented my plan. Husband. Check. Beach. Check. Book. Check!

The story is about the Post family who travels to Spain during the summer holiday where their teenage daughter, Sylvia, will be immersed in Spanish with a personal tutor. Joining them is their adult son, Bobby and his girlfriend and their two family friends, Charles and his husband Lawrence. Together, they will celebrate what will be Franny and Jim Post's 35-wedding anniversary. However, as with most families, dysfunction and secrets kept that eventually spill make for a challenging time over the course two-week vacation. 

This is one of those stories where there isn't a ton of action. It's more-so just a peek into normal character's lives and the challenges they face. There are some deeper topics, but nothing too heavy, and the book's pace allowed me to participate in the Posts vacation while I was on mine. The book is less than 300 pages, and made for a nice and easy read while soaking up some sun. 

Recommendation: I enjoyed this book. I suspect I enjoyed it because of circumstance and surroundings, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I would recommend it as a light read to help readers get out of a reading slump. And if sun, sand, and water can be your backdrop while reading it, I highly recommend that too! 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.