I don’t know why I thought this was a mystery book. Instead, it’s the story of a family and their dynamics over a summer. One of our main characters is sandwiched between raising her own kids and caring for her aging parents. There are some family secrets that come to light with twists that, while predictable, were fun to read. I enjoyed this one and recommend adding to your summer TBR!

It's always fun to read about a place you know well! I've been to Kennebunkport and Ogunquit frequently, while not exactly where Vacationland takes place, I'm very familiar with the beaches of midcoast Maine. I was just in Maine this past week--but up in Acadia, not near here.

This family drama is undoubtedly the perfect summer read. I personally was hoping for a bit more plot, but this family certainly had its secrets that were interesting to uncover.

I loved the children's POVs and the scenes featuring especially precocious little Claire. This felt very similar to Jennifer Weiner's The Summer Place, which isn't quite what I was expecting but was still enjoyable.

Kristie and Louisa are sisters but they’ve never met. Louisa’s father is an esteemed judge in Portland, Maine. Kristie is his love child who never knew him. Now the judge is suffering from Alzheimer’s, her mother has just passed from cancer, and she’s expecting a baby. Louisa dissent know about Kristie until rumors start and her mother is forced to confess.

That’s where the story lost me. No one is very warm in Louisa’s family. Kristie is a mess. The kids in this story are the best part of the story. At the end of the day, family is who you choose sometimes, not blood.

While I did love the setting, I didn’t connect with the characters in this story.

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy of #vacationland.

3.5 stars

What a great recommendation for a summer read! This wasn’t fully what I expected, but that wasn’t a bad thing. This definitely had a lot more family drama and remind me of a cozy beach read. I think the mix of characters and plot was mostly entertaining, but at times I found myself quite bored of what was happening. I think things were over explained. Different POV’s, a bit of a mystery, drama, and heavy topics. Overall enjoyed this I just think that it was too long.

Louisa and her three children spend the summer at her family’s vacation house in Maine while her husband remains in Brooklyn working to develop a podcast. Louis tries to complete work on her book, but is bogged down by tending to her children and dealing with her mother who is caring for Loiisa’s father whose Alzheimer’s is progressing. A young woman named Kristie comes to Maine grieving the recent death of her mother and carrying a note that reveals a secret from her mother’s past. The story is told in alternating chapters for Louisa, Kristie, the children, and others in the family. The novel explores secrets, betrayals, love, forgiveness and mother/daughter relationships. The author provides a vivid description of a Maine coastal village. Although the main secret is easy to guess, this is a good character study, with particular charm in the childrens’ perspectives.

2.5 stars. I think this was a case of right book wrong time as many people absolutely loved this one. For me, it’s going to be just another summer read following women who are discovering themselves all over again. Unfortunately forgettable for me, but may be just the ticket for you!

I really loved reading Vacationland! It's my first book by Moore, and I cannot wait to find other titles by her. I connected to the characters in this one and was really involved in the story.

Louisa and her husband, Steven, are struggling with financial decisions about his new podcast business and her sabbatical schedule to write a history book. Louisa takes their three children to Maine for the summer to stay at her parents home, where her mother, Annie, cares for her father, Martin, a retired Maine supreme court judge, who has Alzheimer's. Family secrets surface when Kristie, a young woman from Altoona, PA, comes to town looking for a new job. Vacationland is a big family novel that explores how the past became the present. It also is one of the growing number of recent family novels that show how characters manage Alzheimer's which many readers may find helpful.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Vacationland is an examination of mothers and families and privilege that sets people against one another. Louisa tries to write a book during her sabbatical but the pulls of her children and her parents along with her estranged husband make it hard for her to make any progress. Kristen comes to Maine to find her long lost father only to find him lost in more ways than one. Louisa and Kristen are at odds but come together over familial responsibility.

Great character development and truly felt like I was walking through the streets of a small ocean-side town in Maine during the peak of Summer. Unfortunately, never really grabbed me to really dive in and finish the story, but despite the many weeks of reading, I'm glad I finished it.

Thanks to Net Galley and William Morrow for this early release. Really enjoyed this story of Louisa who leaves for her family house in Maine for a summer vacation, hoping to get time with her family and get her next novel finished. She discovers family secrets, new family, and renewed passion for her work and family. Reminded me a bit of Elin Hilderbrand’s style.

Louisa has come to her parents' Maine house with her children, a looming book deadline, and *not* her husband who seems more married to his new job at his podcast company than her. Kristie has come into town on a mission but doesn't expect to fall in love . These two women's lives will converge in a big way by the end of the summer.
I love a good family drama as long as it's not my own and this was doesn't disappoint. Moore does a great job of ramping up the tension as the summer goes along until you have to know when it's all going to explode.

This is a great beach read full of vivid descriptions of Maine. It’s a character driven book about family relationships and drama, the sacrifices mothers make (for their children and husbands), and a story of forgiveness. The book felt familiar. It’s enjoyable, but there’s nothing that makes it particularly stand out.

This story was excellent. I really enjoyed reading this book. It had mystery and suspicions and twist.
I really enjoyed this book.

A fun summer read - but still covering serious topics - what is family? Enjoyed the multiple points of view.

I loved this book!! Meg Mitchell Moore’s books are great summer reads and this one did not disappoint. Set in coastal Maine, it is a beautiful story of family with a lovely setting. I’ve officially added Maine to our vacation list.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This story is told from two different points of view as two women descend on a small Maine coastal town for the summer. The two women do not have much in common, but they are both struggling in their lives.

I really, really wanted to love this book. I tried reading it two different times to see if it was just my mood, but ultimately I struggled to stay interested. The author has beautiful descriptions and writes amazing scenes, but ultimately it is just too much nuance and distracts from the plot.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my complimentary review copy.

A summer read set on the Maine coast was the perfect choice.

Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore is a family drama centered around Louisa and her family who spend their summers at her family’s home in Maine. When Kristie shows up in town, the family drama really amps up.

I liked the alternating points of view in the chapters. Claire, Louisa’s daughter, was the very best! I loved her tell-it-how-it-is attitude. I also appreciated that the chapters alternated between the characters because Louisa was not my favorite character and I liked the other POV better.

I loved the descriptions of all the locations in Maine and the beach town setting. This was a great summer read and would be perfect for any beach vacation, even over the winter.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for my review copy.

I usually love a family saga, but this book just wasn't it. It wasn't outright bad, maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset when I read it. The writing is strong and the characters are well written. The story is not original, but it is written in a way that it feels fresh and current.