Top 5 books with a holiday

Can I just say, my fave part about The Road Trip, it that it’s technically about TWO holidays. The first one being about the actual road trip to the wedding. But, the second one (and the best one in my opinion) is when we go back in time to see Addie and Dylan’s relationship when they met on holidays in Italy. The whole visual of living in the Italian countryside for a couple of summer months is utter bliss.

Blurb:

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend’s wedding in the north of Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.

But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie’s ex, Dylan, who she’s avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they’ve totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with three hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can’t avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship…

Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly… is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?

All aboard the school trip to Paris!! I have to say, I am absolutely keeping my whole hands crossed that when the TV series Heartstopper comes back, they actually take the kids on the school trip to Paris. Because the graphic novels are adorable, and the TV series is the greatest adaptation ever. (Am currently on my 6th rewatch…)

Blurb:

In this volume we’ll see the Heartstopper gang go on a school trip to Paris! Not only are Nick and Charlie navigating a new city, but also telling more people about their relationship AND learning more about the challenges each other are facing in private…

Meanwhile Tao and Elle will face their feelings for each other, Tara and Darcy share more about their relationship origin story, and the teachers supervising the trip seem… rather close…?

I am 100% aware that all of these holidays (so far) seem to be road trip based… And I’m not even remotely sorry about it. Yes, Wayward Son classifies as a holiday (to end all holidays) as the crazy kids pack up a mentally unwell Simon and take off across America. Only to meet every kind of trouble in existence.

Blurb:

The story is supposed to be over.

Simon Snow did everything he was supposed to do. He beat the villain, he won the war, he even fell in love. Now comes the good part, right? Now comes the happily ever after…

So why can’t Simon Snow get off the couch?

What he needs, according to his best friend, is a change of scenery. He just needs to see himself in a new light…

That’s how Simon and Penny and Baz end up in a vintage convertible, tearing across the American West.

They find trouble, of course. (Dragons, vampires, skunk-headed things with shotguns.) And they get lost. They get so lost, they start to wonder whether they ever knew where they were headed in the first place…

Honestly, I had such a hard time picking WHICH con-based trip to include in the list. It seems that I could actually do a ‘top 5 books about a con’. Which… isn’t actually that surprising. BUT, I have to include Queens of Geek one for reasons:
1. International holiday. 2. Neurodiverse introvert at a con. 3. Queer stories are my jam. 4. Aussie author.
Do I need to make a bigger case?!

Blurb:

Charlie likes to stand out. She’s a vlogger and actress promoting her first movie at SupaCon, and this is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star Reese Ryan. When internet-famous cool-girl actress Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with her best guy friend Jamie ― no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about a fan contest for her favorite fandom, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Ahhh, the ‘gap year’ holiday of the 17th century (for rich people only). Gentleman’s Guide is a hilarious historical fiction story of hijinks and high seas, with a smattering of homophobia. Time appropriate, I guess, but ignored all the same. All in the name of love. And blackmail. With a dash of magic. I forgot how much I loved this book.

Blurb:

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this year-long escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.