This book is all about sisterly love, comedy, romance and a fun summer! This comes with multiple point of views, lovable characters and strong connections. I really enjoyed reading this medium paced read. I felt it to be cozy, easy to read and listen to! Having both the audio and digital book versions were amazing, it really brought the book to life! The narrators did an incredible job! This novel came with diverse characters, had a clear thesis and flowed well. It made me feel lighthearted, full of love, gave me some laughs, and felt adventurous! I love the sisters in this book and their different personalities! If you are wanting a clean beach romantic comedy, this one is for you!

This is a really cute book. It felt like a combo of 10 Things I hate About You and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days! I really enjoyed it.

oh this book took me to the very joyous world you can only escape to when the book is just that good. i wanted to sak how i felt about this book all up.
the three sisters story was good enough. when you add love into the mix and youve got a winner. that is to say its a winner if done well. and im pleased to say it was more than done well and more than i couldve predicted or wished for.
our three sisters come together to try and reunite. they do so by using the place they went to as a child. a place where they were all involved with each other and had a bond. the three are at very different points and arent in the best place to be feeling the togetherness right now. Cara is sceptical. way over sceptical of this whole thing. and she certainly isnt on board when her sister reveals she is getting married. Bianca is happy. or thinks shes going to be when she weds the love of her life who she met online. but Bianca has one more thing up her sleeve. shes gets Cora on a date! she determined she will find her own true love.
but Cora is laughing all the way to the banks or so she thinks. because she has been paired with the least likely person to settle down to one woman never mind one love.
but life isnt tying thee threes lives and relationship in a bow. nope, there is more hard work and hurdles before that can happen. reading those things is nothing short of perfect though and Maggie drew me in to the story and the character from the first page.

# A Grateful Shoutout to NetGalley for This ARC!

*What Not To Do On Vacation** is a delightful blend of *Ten Things I Hate About You* and *How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days*, merging the genres of romcom and family drama!
The storyline was enjoyable and unique, though it had moments that felt a bit slow.
I appreciated the diverse dynamics, the combination of the plot, and the multiple points of view.
Overall, it was a charming summer read that allowed me to mentally escape to the beach as I immersed myself in the story.

The sisters' relationship added a layer of authenticity and emotional depth to the narrative, making it feel remarkably real with its love, humor, and honesty.
I appreciated how the love stories developed individually, and I would highly recommend the book.

This book is all about sisterly love, comedy, romance and a fun summer! This comes with multiple point of views, lovable characters and strong connections. I really enjoyed reading this medium paced read. I felt it to be cozy, easy to read and listen to! Having both the audio and digital book versions were amazing, it really brought the book to life! The narrators did an incredible job! This novel came with diverse characters, had a clear thesis and flowed well. It made me feel lighthearted, full of love, gave me some laughs, and felt adventurous! I love the sisters in this book and their different personalities! If you are wanting a clean beach romantic comedy, this one is for you!

“What Not To Do On Vacation” is about three sisters named Cora, Savannah and Bianca! They all come together for a beach vacation. They rekindle their bonds with one another during this trip. Cora uses a dating app hoping to find love, Bianca tells them that she is getting engaged with a mixed reaction from her sisters, and Savannah is there just wanting to reconnect with her sisters again! This was both entertaining and captivating! I did find the ending to be predictable, yet satisfying. Overall, I rate this 4 out of 5 stars.

Content warnings include death of a parent and cancer. I think anyone that loves reading a beach romance comedy would enjoy reading this book! It definitely has “10 Things I Hate About You” movie vibes!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Rachel Magee, narrators, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio, and Thomas Nelson Fiction publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy and audio copy of this book is exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on May 20, 2025!

This was a fun, closed door romance. At its heart, I think it’s more a book about family, specifically sisterhood. I enjoyed this mostly lighthearted book, but will note that it does touch on some heavier topics such as loss of a parent due to cancer. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

What Not to Do on Vacation: A Must-Have for Your Summer Beach Bag

If you love stories about messy families, unexpected romance, and sun-soaked second chances, What Not to Do on Vacation is the beach read you need this summer.

Three sisters—Savannah, Cora, and Bianca—are back at their childhood beach house in Florida to honor their late mother’s final wish: one last summer together. Savannah, the oldest and most put-together, is the one pulling everyone back. Cora, the middle sister with a bit of an edge, isn’t exactly thrilled. And Bianca? She’s the free spirit who impulsively got engaged to a man she met on a dating site… without ever seeing him in person.

To prove her whirlwind love story is the real deal, Bianca makes a bet with Cora—and ropes in Jax, a charming local with his own reasons for playing along, to help stage a fake relationship. Chaos, laughs, and heartfelt moments follow.

This book is funny, emotional, and full of that warm, nostalgic summer energy. It’s perfect for tossing in your beach bag, reading poolside, or escaping to when you need a little sunshine and sisterly drama. What Not to Do on Vacation hits all the right notes for a satisfying summer escape.
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

This story took me on a journey. What first felt like it would be a sister drama turned out to be a story of love, forgiveness and sister-bonds. There were sisters meddling in relationships, lots of time at the beach and personal growth for each of the characters. The story was messy in all the best ways - because life is always messy when family is involved. ;) I truly enjoyed this story!

In What Not to Do On Vacation, 3 estranged sisters meet up at their childhood summer vacation home to fulfill their mother’s dying wish of reconnecting with one another. Each sister comes with her own baggage, secrets, and agenda. As events unfold, wagers between sisters are created, shaping the course of the book. The events of this book reminded me of a unique spin of a combo of the movie How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Ten Things I Hate About You. It is cheesy in the best way with a great balance of humor, emotion, and healing past hurts. Definitely a cute read that would be great for the beach. This was my first read by Rachel Magee and I will definitely be checking out more of her books! Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Savannah Prestly is determined to reconnect with her sisters so she rents a summer house to bring back memories from their childhood. When her youngest sister, Bianca, shows up with news of her upcoming wedding, Savannah and her other sister, Cora, are shocked. Bianca's hope for her sisters to also find love is complicated by a date with Cora that she will find love from a dating app or Bianca will call off her wedding. Little do the sisters know that Savannah has a surprise of her own. A clean, humorous rom-com that explores the relationships that only sisters can offer.

Three estranged sisters reunite for a month-long beach trip to reconnect, hoping to mend their fractured relationships. But secrets, surprises, and forced matchmaking threaten to derail their carefully crafted plan for summer bliss.

This is a fun and charming women’s fiction. The characters are well-developed, and each of the sisters has a unique voice. The romance aspects are endearing. Overall, it’s a heartwarming, beachy read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

From the beginning, Cora, and Jax, and their toothbrush argument, and practically every encounter after that was such a crack up! They had very different objectives. Cora had a desire to win a wager against her sister by not being able to keep a date. Meanwhile, misunderstood womanizer Jax needed to carry on the same relationship with the same person for a month. A month lol. That isn’t much time, but Cora wasn’t making it easy on him.

The story had other point-of-views from Cora’s oldest and youngest sisters, but Cora and Jax’s POVs made me want to give this story even more than a five-star review! Lord Farquaad’s appearance makes this a solid ten star! And thus, I leave you with one of the best quotes from the story, starring Lord Farquaad….

“It was also worth noting that whoever had done his implants hadn’t done a particularly great job. The tiny tufts of hair sticking up sort of resembled an old hairbrush that had lost half its bristles.”

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All words are my own.

This book hits all the sweet spots! From the beginning, the sisters all have complicated relationships (with each other and other people), and I enjoyed seeing the story arc of 3 sisters who are not on the same page, still reeling over the death of their mother, and dealing with even more curveballs when they decide to spend a month together at a beach house. The romances are sweet and genuine and perfectly paced! This book harkened back to the old romcom vibes of How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, which is one of my favs, but puts its own spin on things. Lovely, uplifting, and sweet, this romcom is so great.


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

Just okay for me. Was a light read for a rainy weekend. Didn't love it but didn't hate it. Tried too many story lines at once (for my taste anyway). Characters were ok, tho plot was predictable.
I would, however, try this author again.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Three sisters. One beach house. A summer full of second chances.
In this heartwarming story perfect for fans of 10 Things I Hate About You and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Savannah has her bucket list (and chore chart) ready, determined to rekindle the bond with her sisters by recreating their epic childhood summers. But when Bianca drops a surprise wedding announcement and tries to play matchmaker for their grumpiest sister, Cora, things go off the rails fast. Add in one charming playboy, a few buried secrets, and a whole lot of sisterly chaos, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for sun, love, and family healing.

There was so much happening in this story! I loved that it featured more than one love story, giving each character their own romantic journey. The cast stayed busy with everything from pickleball and beach days to hospital volunteering, making the story feel vibrant and full of life. I especially enjoyed the sisterly dynamics that were equal parts heartwarming and chaotic. They clearly love each other deeply, even when they’re butting heads. Overall, it’s a fun, adventurous, and feel good read with lots of heart.

Luckily, this summer read will be released on May 20th, just in time for those summer vacations. Special thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

First, I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC copy of What Not to Do on Vacation by Rachel Magee. This book takes us on a vacation to Florida with three sisters, Savannah, Cora, and Bianca. They have recently lost their mother and are trying to fulfill her last wish of returning to the family vacation spot of their childhood for a month. As with most people, the girls have grown apart over the years of adulthood and they are trying to reconnect. Savannah, being the oldest, is the one pushing for them to recreate all of the family traditions. I'm sure you've guess that things don't go completely as planned. The characterization in the book is very good, and it is easy to connect to all of the sisters (if you've been at the age of those characters), and their trials and tribulations are pretty realistic.

If you like romance (with no spice), women's fiction, or humor/satire, you will enjoy this book. I think it would be an excellent beach read. It is due to hit the shelves on May 20th. I would definitely recommend this as one of your summer reads! #NetGalley #WhatNottoDoonVacation

This heartfelt, relatable story of three sisters—Cora, Savannah, and Bianca—trying to reconnect at their family’s Cape Cod vacation home is both moving and full of charm. As adults carrying emotional baggage and real-life challenges, their efforts to rekindle their bond feel authentic and deeply human.

The book balances humor and emotion beautifully—I laughed, teared up, and found pieces of myself in each sister. Their personalities are distinct yet familiar, and their journey through grief, health struggles, and personal growth is handled with sensitivity.

A touching, character-driven read that captures the beauty of sisterhood, healing, and finding joy in unexpected places.

This book was truly special. This book gives Emily Henry and Abbey Jimenez a run for their money!

Three sisters trying to reconnect with life getting in the way. As a person who vacationed 2 weeks a year on cape cod with my grandmother, this book gave me a lot of feelings.

Cora, Savannah and Bianca are sisters who have made it through some tough times, and they are trying to rekindle their former relationship at the family’s summer vacation home; the problem lies in that they are adults, with adult problems.

This book felt very real to me, I laughed, I got choked up and I didn’t want his book to end. The characters are amazing, and I can see myself in each sister, I’m stubborn, not the healthiest, and creative.

Trigger warning: heart conditions, loss of parent, parental cancer, divorce, online dating.

This book is clearly inspired by Taming of the Shrew and I agree with the Publisher that it would be good for fans of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You or books by Emma St. Clair. I also think it would be good for fans of the Enemy or the Match by Sarah Adams. It had moments of fun and interest, but the pacing was uneven. I could have done without the character of Savannah all together, it just brought melodrama to the story. I think it could’ve been stronger without her. I enjoyed Bianca’s character and the slow burn between Jax and Cora. I liked that O’Keefe had Bianca mature and find her calling which gave her a bit more depth than I expected. I thought a little editing could help Cora’s character- I get that she felt betrayed by many people she loved leaving her, but was acting a bit immature. I was pulling for her to get over her fears. An easy beach read 2.75 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.