I didn’t love this, it just didn’t ever grab my attention or leave me wanting more. A lot of it just felt over described too detailed, I didn’t really connect with any of the characters and I just didn’t feel the love connections being presented. It was kind of just meh.

The author also overused a certain trope where you squish all the words together for amusement and effect but I didn’t vibe with it. Totally made up example (not actually in the book) “He smiled and shrugged with a whatcanidoaboutit? shrug.” It got redundant and lost its appeal quickly making me eye roll mid-paragraph throughout the entire book.

It’s cute enough for chick lit, not bad just not enticing, and it’s mostly light but it wasn’t my favorite.

TW:
Parent death
Divorce

No spice except kisses 😘

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What Not to do on Vacation is full of relationships that seem shallow and lack any actual emotion. Made it to the halfway point before deciding I didn't care enough about any of the characters to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

What Not to Do on Vacation is a delightful read. I loved the plot, setting and the characters. I recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from Netgalley and the publisher. This is my unbiased review.

A light, heartwarming, and uplifting story about three sisters on vacation together. I definitely enjoyed the romance between Cora and Jax the most (especially the scene at the end... goosebumps!) and loved reading about their dates. I thought all the characters were likeable and the family drama was a nice element to the story. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a lighthearted romance or family drama.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I hate using the word bored to describe my reading experience. However I was bored throughout all of this. It was so incredibly predictable and I guessed every single part of what ended up happening. I think it might have been better if there wasn't a love interest POV but I don't think I would have loved it even if it had been just the sisters POVs

At first, I had mixed feelings—three sisters heading off on a family holiday, just like the old days. I found it hard to believe that what entertained them years ago could still hold the same meaning now that they’d all grown into different people. I couldn’t quite understand the pressure to stick to the plan or the way they kept meddling in each other’s personal lives. But then… everything started to make sense.

This book may seem unassuming at first—with the sound of waves in the background, an old beach house, and the slower pace of holiday life. But beneath that, it carries real depth, reminding us to cherish each day, savour every moment, and live as if tomorrow isn’t promised. I fell in love with it completely.

A cute fun book, I did have to re read sections as it wasnt a book that held my attention completely and I was putting it down regularly. I did overall enjoy it though.

A sweet, rom-com with themes of family reconciliation thrown in. A great book-makes me miss summers at the beach with my family. This book was definitely a welcome reprieve from the gross winter!

I received a copy of the book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

•𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•

“𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎’𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚜.”

{𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝑫𝒐 𝒐𝒏 𝑽𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏}

🏖️ Release Date: May 20, 2025 🏖️
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If I had to choose only one word to describe this book, it would have to be “predictable.” I felt like I already knew everything that was going to happen in this book only a few chapters in, so I spent most of my time reading being bored out of my mind. So while I wouldn’t call this story “bad”, it definitely wasn’t captivating by any means and overall, I’d consider it a letdown.

This story focused on three sisters and their journey to fixing their relationship after their mom died. We got the pov of all three sisters, plus the pov of one of the love interests. Honestly, I feel like they should have just left the love interest’s pov out and the story would have been just fine. Most of the characters felt extremely cliche and it was hard to connect with any of them in general. As you would expect, the ending tied everything up with a big red bow and everyone got their HEAs.

This was a new-to-me author and honestly, I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of her books. Like I mentioned earlier, her writing style in this book was very predictable and that just takes all the fun out of reading. So while her other books may not be as predictable, I’m just not willing to take that chance.
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I received a complimentary arc of this book from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction. All opinions listed are purely my own.

The Priestly Sisters gather together for one more summer trip together like they experienced as kids to honor their mom’s last wishes. Each had moved on in different directions so trying to resurrect all the old ideas of what was fun back then didn’t feel as special when they were trying to recreate it now. The book has one of my favorite tropes, “fake dating,” which we all know never turns out exactly as planned. This is a special story of healing and romance and remembering what is indeed important in life.


"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

This is a fun read, it has the classic romance novel formula with a few twists thrown in for good measure. Savannah, Cora, and Bianca are sisters who are meeting at their favorite beach house they visited as children in order to fulfill a wish their dead mother had. Bianca comes with the news that she is getting married to a man she met online but not in real life. Savannah has her own secrets that she's bringing to the sisters' vacation. Cora isn't bringing a secret but she's not totally buying what Bianca is selling.
It is through Bianca's machinations that Cora meets Jax and eventually they become an item. Cora never really wanted the relationship to work to prove a point to Bianca. That it did become a relationship surprised Cora. Where the romance novel formula breaks down is that Jax is not the one who throws a spanner into the works, but someone else who had nothing better to do than gossip.

Rachel Magee has written a cute rom-com that gives her readers the escape they need for an afternoon or to take to the beach for a vacation read. Strong Four Stars

Thomas Nelson Fiction provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is a cute book, a quick and fun read.
It seemed almost a bit too cutsie at first, so I really thought I would rate it a three... but then the end comes, and even though it's a predictable happily ever after ending, it was just so good - a great moral uplifting that really reminds you of the importance of family, forgiveness, and learning to trust (yourself as well as others.) For that reason, I am upgrading to a 4 stars.
Savannah, Cora, and Bianca are sisters; not exactly estranged, but not close like they used to be when they were kids. 10 years after their mother has passed away, they finally agree to fulfill her dying wish - spend a summer together at the beach in Sunnyside FL, the place they used to spend their summers as a family when they were kids. There is family drama, romance, and a lot of self-reflection. It seems the sisters just won't bond and reconnect like they used to, but eventually they start coming around and leaning into each other. While that is going on, Cora is dating a man she met through an online dating app that promises to match you with your soulmate; the problem with that is that Cora doesn't trust men and relationships, she is just doing this to prove to her younger sister Bianca that men will bail. But alas, she actually begins to develop real feelings for this man and lets her guard down.
After some bumps and bruises, the sisters work it all out in the end.

Three sisters are going back to thebsame cabin they rented as children and oldest sister Savanah is bound and determined to re create the memories of their childhood-- Savanah is hiding a secret but wants her sisters to bond and has the chart to prove it, Bianca thr baby of the family has a suprise announcement she's getting married she found her true love and is moving to Idaho- the fact that they have never met in real life is not a big deal the app says they are perfect- middle sister Cora is out to prove that's not possible, in the form of an bet the challenge is there with an interesting secondary cast of characters and Savanah bound and determined
to re inact the past the sisters are off living their lives and proving their points -- waiting to see if Biancas luggage shows up is a fun storyline to it's a very clean fun beach read!

Thank you, net galley, for the arc.In exchange for an honest review

**Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!**

I LOVED this book!! Oh my word, it was so cute. It had the most adorable romance with no spice, the book was clean, the summer themes were amazing, and the plot was so good!

This book definitely compares to 10 Things I Hate About You and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days. The banter, the playfulness, the bets, everything! Ugh, it was so cute!! I had a giant grin on my face as I read, and I couldn't put it down.

The writing was really well done, but I will say there are a lot of POVs (4), which can get confusing. For the most part, though, the characters were distinct enough for me to tell whose POV it was.

Like I said, the book was super clean, which was awesome! I truly just had such a fun time reading this. It's the perfect summer book (and winter too- I finished in February!) full of cute romance and sisterly love.

Can I start my review with a giggle? I loved this one! The title alone grabbed me and the book held on! Loved it!

Savanna’h, Cora, and Bianca Prestly, sisters with a history of good and bad memories, spend a month at the beach house they grew up visiting to honor their mother’s dying wish. During their stay, hearts are mended and family ties are strengthened. Loved the ending. Recommended.

This is my first book by this author and I loved the perfect blend of women’s fiction and romcom. I love books that have depth but aren’t heavy/depressing and have the romcom lightness/punchiness. For me, Maggie’s writing hit that intersection perfectly. I loved the play on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew with the addition of some sisterly dynamics. I’ll be looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I enjoyed this book from the first time that I picked it up to read! I especially liked the differing viewpoints of each chapter and thought it was easy to follow. I liked how each character had they own story arc yet they all blended together well. This would be the perfect book for your next summer read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What Not to Do on Vacation by Rachel Magee was a fun, encouraging story about love, family, and reconnection. I loved her characters and could relate to the three sisters in this story. This book is encouraging and humorous, while dealing with serious issues relevant to the readers right now. I give this book 5 stars. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from NetGalley.

There is something about nostalgia of childhood summers that gets to me. Sand beneath your feet, the smell of sunblock mixed with the ocean and something sweet wafting in the air…
A meet cute at a CVS….
Wait a minute.

What Not To Do on Vacation is a book about three sisters who don’t really see eye to eye on much. There’s some love mixed in there, too, and lots of hilarious moments. All-in-all, this book was such a good read.
Bring it on your next beach trip. I promise you won’t regret it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.