I had high hopes for this book based on the cover and synopsis, but it fell flat for me. The FMC was infuriating - pining over her ex who everyone knows is awful, constantly drunk, and lying to her best friends over and over again. I get that it was a spring break/vacation, but the 3 were CONSTANTLY drunk and being annoying. I was not a fan of this one unfortunately.

I have picked this book up and put it down so many times. I really loved the premise of this book, but somehow it just kept falling short in my opinion. I can't tell if it is because there wasn't enough depth to the characters, if there wasn't enough depth to the story. The thought was there. I was here for it. Somehow I just kept waiting to be sucked in and it never happened. That being said, this wasn't a terrible book. Not a difficult book to read by any means. It just didn't satisfy my palate so to speak.

Unfortunately, The Breakup Vacation by Anna Garcia did not live up to expectations for me. Despite the premise of a fun, feel-good breakup getaway, the book turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The story is centered around three friends, each dealing with their own personal struggles, but instead of a meaningful exploration of relationships and self-discovery, the focus seemed to be more on drinking, sex, and shallow character dynamics.

One of the most glaring issues with the book was the portrayal of the friendship between the three main characters. Their interactions felt forced and unnatural, making it hard to believe they were truly friends. The characters themselves were hard to connect with, and the dynamics between them felt toxic and unrealistic. It was difficult to understand why they would want to spend time together given how poorly they treated each other.

While the book tries to address important topics like racism and sexism, the execution fell short. The "love" interest, who was primarily concerned with sex, was somehow portrayed as a perfect man simply because he respected the protagonist’s boundaries. However, this didn’t feel like enough to elevate the relationship, and I never felt any real emotional connection between the characters.

To be honest, I should have stopped reading earlier, but I kept hoping it would improve. Unfortunately, the story only got worse and left me unsatisfied by the end. If you're considering reading this, my advice would be to skip it—there are better books out there that handle similar themes in a more meaningful and entertaining way.

**Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I had high hopes for this plot line, but unfortunately, I had to DNF The Breakup Vacation. I couldn't connect with the characters, and ultimately decided this novel just wasn't for me.

Listen, we've all been 20 something and stayed with the wrong person because it was convenient. I loved Grace, I loved her friends. I love that the writer portrayed her like a true 20 something girl, unhinged at times and maybe saying things she shouldn't. But that's life in your 20's! I really enjoyed the pace of this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The Breakup Vacation" follows Grace, whose carefully planned trip to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Josh, is abruptly derailed by an unexpected breakup. Seeking solace and distraction, Grace embarks on a beach vacation to Cancun with her friends, Tiff and Camille. However, her attempts to move on are complicated by the unexpected presence of Josh and his new girlfriend.

While the premise offers potential for a fun and engaging romantic comedy, the execution falls short in several areas. The characters, particularly Grace, often lack depth and exhibit immature behavior, including manipulative actions towards her friends. The supporting characters, Tiff and Camille, also feel somewhat stereotypical, lacking the nuanced personalities that would make them truly memorable.

The setting of Cancun, which could have added a vibrant and immersive backdrop to the story, is unfortunately underutilized. Sparse descriptions of the locale limit the reader's ability to truly experience the atmosphere and ambiance of the destination.

The developing romance between Grace and Daniel, a charming soccer player from Hawaii, feels rushed and lacks the emotional depth necessary for genuine believability.

Despite these shortcomings, "The Breakup Vacation" offers moments of humor and light-heartedness that can be enjoyable for readers seeking a quick and easy read. However, those seeking a more nuanced and character-driven story may find themselves disappointed.

⭐⭐⭐

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #simonandschuster #thebreakupvacation #annagarcia

The Breakup Vacation, written by Anna Gracia, is a story about what happens after a relationship is over. This one has with a lot of potential, but couldn't get past fome of the decision-making skills of some of the characters. Thanks so much for the copy of this one!

The Breakup Vacation was a fun quick read! There was great representation in the novel, which I wish was reflected more on the cover. The main character is a very relatable woman, looking for love and acceptance in the wrong places.

The Breakup Vacation by Anna Gracia is a story about what happens after the relationship. It's a book with a lot of potential, but some of the character decision-making left a bit to be desired. Still, I'll look to read more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

The Breakup Vacation centers around Grace, who is looking forward to a trip to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, Josh. However, when Josh unexpectedly breaks up with her, Grace's plans are shattered. Her friends, Tiff and Camille, take her on a beach vacation to Cancun to help her move on. Unbeknownst to them, Josh is also in Cancun with his new girlfriend. Determined to win Josh back, Grace's plans are complicated when she meets Daniel, a charming soccer player from Hawaii.

While the premise is promising, the execution leaves much to be desired. The characters, particularly Grace, often come across as immature and one-dimensional. Grace's obsession with Josh and her manipulative behavior towards her friends can be frustrating for readers. The supporting characters, Tiff and Camille, are also portrayed with stereotypical traits that lack depth. The setting of Cancun, which could have added a vibrant backdrop to the story, is underutilized. The descriptions of the locale are sparse, and the focus remains on the characters' interactions, which often involve excessive drinking and shallow conversations. The romance between Grace and Daniel feels rushed and lacks the emotional depth needed to make it believable. Despite these shortcomings, the book does have moments of humor and light-heartedness that can be enjoyable. Overall, The Breakup Vacation has potential but falls short in character development and plot execution.

Based upon the cover and the description, I went into this thinking it would be a fun rom-com. I was sorely disappointed.

The premise of the story is/was that after a breakup, Grace and her friends go to Cancun (this is a total trick to stalk Josh), meet a hot guy and fun ensues. However, we were left short. It's Grace whines, Tiff is just rich (really, I didn't get much out of her) and Camille is the French friend. They drink endlessly and Grace pines away for Josh.
From the moment I met Grace I didn't like her. I couldn't connect with her and she just acted like a spoiled brat. Also, her hatred of Caity was way too much. The girl on girl hate was excruciating. Wow. She also had no character growth. Yes, she realized that her friends and new love interest were mad, she apologized and that was it. It was a handful of apologies and she's back in everyone's good graces. No transformation whatsoever.
Also, what I really didn't like was the lack of details. I wanted to be on vacation in Cancun, but we didn't get that feel from the book. We got tequila.

As the book progressed, I still didn't feel any love towards Grace. Daniel was okay, but why he was so obsessed with Grace was beyond me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this book. The way the character development continued to evolve throughout the story was perfect! Once I started reading this book I literally could not put it down (I tried i really did). I can't wait till I can read more from this author

This story had potential but just didn't live up to it. I had a hard time believing or understanding Grace and found the book not satisfying at all.

Summery and funny, this romance serves up everything you could hope it would. It was exactly the good time I was looking for

This main character was so insufferable that I could not continue on with the book. Especially after she said she would get her friends drunk enough to then ditch them. I'd like to hope that there was character growth somewhere in this book, but I was not rooting for her at all.

2.5 stars ⭐️ imo this had so much potential based off the blurb but it was not at all what i was expecting. I did not like any of the characters if im being honest. The FMC, grace, was so annoying and very much so “im not like other girls” in the worst way possible. She is NAWT a girls girl, she actually might be a girls hater. Anyways shes also a terrible friend and goes thru great lengths to lie to them for the SMALLEST glimpse from her ex piece of shit boyfriend/fuckbuddy. Also i too would be pissed if my friend literally planned this whole trip and marketed it to us as a girl’s trip for one of the roommates going away trip but actually was planning to plot to get her ex bf the whole time, esp if i was paying for the whole thing. Also the rich friend?? We get it, you’re rich, if u had a problem paying for everything then don’t, stop reminding everyone every 3 breaths you paid for this and that. Also the boy from the vacation? Too much too soon, idc how hot u are (except if u are a HAWT professional athlete who could bankroll me for the rest of my life), he was talking fake cRAZY for someone she just met, id be weirded out. Also i cant recall completely but he’s biracial (hispanic and taiwanese i think?), but born in america i think? Idk him tossing random spanish phrases threw me off. I also (im fully chinese so idk how relevant my opinion is) didn’t love the way she portrayed grace’s internal battles with her being wasian. Like at some points she played along w the stereotypes and other times she was like oh im not white enough or asian enough. She also had no growth in her thoughts of that in the book at all imo until the end when she got closer w vacation boy bc he was like so sure of himself??? Idk anyways 2.5 bc it was an easy read but i didnt like any of them and hope to never befriend any of them irl.

I love a break-up plot and girl's trips, but this book fell a little flat. The main character was hard to like and her poor decision making made her had to believe.

I would like to thank MTV Books, Netgalley, and the author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Grace is heartbroken over her breakup with Josh the summer before their senior year of college. To help cheer her up and get her mind off Josh, her friends decide to go on a girls trip and Grace volunteers to plan it. Well, she chooses Cancun because that's where Josh is while he's working on a movie, but she doesn't tell her friends. She hatches a plan to reunite with Josh, without her friends knowing. The lies that she has to tell start to catch up with her and eventually her plan blows up in her face, her friends are understandably disgusted and Grace has to decide what really matters.

This book was not good, it is full of toxic relationships and lack of self-worth. The characters are shallow and mostly dislikable and I couldn't root for Grace at all.

This book was incredibly steamy, which is what I would say it primarily has going for it. I was constantly irritated by the immaturity and poor decision-making of the main character. I would recommend if you’re looking for something spicy, silly and messy.