What Not to Do on Vacation is such a fun, lighthearted summer read that is perfect for the beach! I finished it in one day!

I received the ALC and Karissa Vacker did a wonderful job with he narration. She did a great job distinguishing between the characters and keeping me engaged the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for providing with this ALC in exchange for honest thoughts.

What Not to Do on Vacation by Rachel Magee is a delightful rom-com, just perfect for summer down days. Three sisters find themselves at the beach, just like when they were little. Except, nothing is like when they are little. Not them as people, not their expectations, not even their memories of their time there. There are stories within the story and still, they all blend together seamlessly and create an excitement for when the point of view switches again. I adored each of the sisters and their reasons for being there as well as their reason for staying, because let’s face it, nothing ever goes as planned. The messes, and chaos, and drama, and familial love are all wrapped up nicely with well-timed humor and poignant life lessons. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more by this author.
In addition to the book, I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, narrated by Karissa Vacker. I thought she did a great job with distinguishing all the characters, nuances, and general essence of the story.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

What Not to Do on Vacation is a fun summer read that is perfect for the beach! If you love sister drama, fake dating with dating apps and grand plans that seem to be under control, but quickly go sideways this book is for you. I listened to the audiobook and Karissa Vacker did a wonderful job with he narration. Very easy to listen to and great tempo.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for providing an ARC in exchange for honest thoughts.

I gave this book 4 stars

🌺ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝔸𝕃ℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🌺

What not to do on Vacation by @rachelmageeauthor
4🌟

☀️Happy Release Day!!!!☀️
Ok what a cute summer love story!!

Really sweet adventure that started as different bets that everyone had that summer vacation to the beach
Cora was a jilted angry woman who assumed all men were the same but love that she was proven wrong with Jax

Not gonna lie her Sisters Savanah & Bianca annoyed me a little bit🤣 while I understand the reasoning for Savanah I was kinda annoyed like just talk to themmmmm and Bianca while 26 I feel acted more like a 19 year old

Overall though I really enjoyed the story & the narrator did a great job! I’d love a pov from the sisters too!!

Big thank you to @netgalley, @thomasnelson and @zondervan for a copy to listen to for Review!!

✨Review - What Not To Do On Vacation by @rachelmageeauthor

This retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew brings all the beachy vibes as three sisters meet at a vacation home in Florida to fulfil their mother’s dying wish of them reconnecting to relive childhood memories.

This one was so sweet. Lots of sisterly drama that ultimately ends in reconciliation and healing. Each sister’s character was very well developed, and I loved that you got to read from each of their POV. And then of course there was some romance too. Each of our love interests came into the relationship with a secret agenda, and I loved seeing their defences wear down as they became more vulnerable with each other.

A huge thanks to @uplitreads for allowing me to be part of this campaign. All thoughts are my own.

What Not to Do on a Vacation - a modern day ode to romcoms and the taming of the shrew..

Rachel Magee has woven a beautiful tale of the dynamics and communication struggles haunting the Presley Aisters - Savannah, Cora and Bianca...
Urged by their mother's dying wish, they head back to Sunnyside Beach to recapture the magic of their childhood, but this is easier said when one also has to rehash the pain of the past..
The tale begins when Bianca declares she will marry someone from her online AI matched app, and challenges her loner middle sister, Cora, to see if she can't find love
Enter Jax Verona, who must show a sign of commitment to his uncle to gain the VP position in the family enterprise. Its a how to lise a guy in 10 days meets taming of the shrew .. (I live for the subtle referenced like when the dun deck becomes the moon deck!!!)
The narrator did a fantastic job in capturing the sarcasm of Cora, the weary motherly indictments of Savannab and the vivacity of Bianca perfectly!! A joy to listen to and i finished in a day!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the audiobook!! Looking forward to more!!!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an arc. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this. Fun romcom with some emotional family dynamics thrown in. Reminds you of a classic 2000’s romcom which I love. Definitely recommend.

An excellent beach read for the summer, What Not to Do on Vacation is filled with family drama and a slow burn romance that will light you on fire. I found relatability within the Prestly sisters identifying the most with Cora; a no nonsense realist who is shocked to find out her sister plans to marry a man she's never met because of an app. What starts off as a sisterly challenge turns into more when Cora joins the app just to prove her sister Bianca wrong. Meanwhile Savannah just wants to live in the past, unfortunately, sometimes you can't really go home again.

With a nice mix of family drama and romance, I found a lot to love reading What Not to Do On Vacation. Karissa Vacker did a fabulous job narrating!

Thank you Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the gifted ALC.

What a perfect summer read. Sisters, Savannah, Cora and Bianca go back to their childhood vacation spot to try to connect. When Cora and Bianca make a bet about whether an AI dating app can actually find true love, the summer takes a turn and only a family emergency can bring them back together. I loved the story of 3 very different sisters managing life and coming together. The narrator is so good and gives everyone very distinct voices.

A summer beach trip use to be a summer tradition for sisters Savannah, Bianca, and Cora. Savannah is determined to recreate that childhood memory and rents the same beach house they use to go, created a bucket list of activities, and talked her sisters into clearing a whole month to join her. It should be magical and bring back the joy they had before their mom passed away. But Bianca has a surprise to share and after sharing she has gotten engaged to someone she met online and is planning to move across the country, Bianca tries to proof to her sisters that just because she is the baby of the family and has made some bad choices in the past, she has made a good choice now. Cora is happy doing her own thing and while Savannah hopes she will give love another chance, Cora agrees to being set up on a date to prove how ridiculous her sisters are being.

This book was described as being like Ten Things I Hate About You meets How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days and it did give those vibes, but in a less entertaining way. The writing was fine, but I didn't really care for the characters and the storyline felt very cliché. I was thinking it was going to be more about the sister relationship, and it ended up being more about the love interests. It was cutesy and had HEA for everyone. If you are looking for a simple easy rom com, this one published today, May20th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson/Zondervan for this audio ARC! The narrator, Karissa Vacker's, voice matches perfectly to this "beach" read. To my utter dismay, I was not actually listening to it on a beach. The male “voice” reminded me of Tyler from Wednesday, and I didn’t hate it (like I quite hated that character). Vacker did a great job, and all of the voices were distinctive enough that I could follow along without confusion.

"Yeah, it was going to be a long month.”

Tagging along with the three sisters on their long overdue beach vacation had all the feels. I cycled through every emotion as I devoured this, and couldn’t wait to find out if what I expected to happen, happened. It was a perfect listen on a very hot and sunny day.

If you’re looking for a fun and easy to digest “beach read” (whether actually at the beach or just pretending) this one is for you!

This is a smart, sunny rom-com with emotional depth and an Austen-like sensibility that elevates it beyond the typical beach read. As three adult sisters gather at their family’s coastal retreat, buried tensions and romantic complications surface—setting the stage for a story that explores identity, connection, and second chances with both humor and heart. The novel’s structure and tone call to mind Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, particularly in its focus on sisterly contrasts, romantic skepticism, and the slow unraveling of personal assumptions.

The audiobook, narrated by Karissa Vacker, is an excellent production. Vacker brings warmth, clarity, and distinct personality to each voice, handling gender and emotional tone with skill. Her performance enhances the lively banter, grounds the more reflective moments, and makes the family dynamics feel all the more believable.

While some of the characters’ internal monologues revisit the same emotional territory a bit too often, the sparkling dialogue, heartfelt resolutions, and layered relationships more than make up for it. The sisters themselves feel like modern echoes of Austen heroines—Savannah’s kindness and steadiness evoke Jane Bennet, Cora combines Elinor Dashwood’s quiet depth with Elizabeth Bennet’s wit, and Bianca channels both Emma’s impulsive matchmaking and Marianne’s emotional exuberance.

Overall, this was a fun, light listen that balances humor with heart and delivers a satisfying story of growth and love. It’s a perfect pick for readers who enjoy character-driven romance with literary nods, a summery setting, and strong family themes. Highly recommended for fans of Austen, sister stories, and clean contemporary romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio | Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ALC . This is my honest review

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and ALC of this one!

This is such a light / easy summer read. There is romance behind it but consider it a slow / PG burn. Usually with family dynamic books I tend to dislike 1-2 characters, but somehow with these three sisters and the side characters, I really liked them all. There's drama sure, but there's also humor and witty banter. What a fun read, and one that has made me want to check out more of Rachel's work.

I tandem read/listened and thought the narrator did a great job mixing up the voices to ensure each sisters personality shined through.

This is a cute, quick summer read. While I did enjoy the story and getting to know the three sisters, I did not feel there was a lot of depth to any of them. Each of their personalities is only touched on very superficially and everything is wrapped up pretty neatly at the end. The audiobook narration was a bit annoying at times with the high pitched voices and I think I would have actually preferred to read this rather than listen to the audio for this particular book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the ALC.

One of my all-time favorite movies growing up was "10 Things I Hate About You" and still, to this day, I will watch it as a middle-aged woman :) This book had all of those angsty-vibes and lovable characters. It centers on sister bonds and is an excellent (and clean!) "beach read." I had the absolute delight of getting both the e-ARC and the audio version. The audio version was absolutely delightful!!! The narrator added an extra element with the voice acting of the different characters--I absolutely loved listening to it on my drives to/from work! I definitely recommend this book!! A solid 4 star read! **I received a complimentary audio ARC and e-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This book follows three sisters: Savannah, Cora and Bianca as they get together at their childhood beach house to spend the summer together as their mother's dying wish. Savannah is the oldest and has to schedule every tradition in this one summer so that it could lead to bonding between the sisters so that she can delay telling them about her diagnosis. Cora, the middle sister is independent and doesn't believe in love and her storyline kind of goes like the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days which was a nice touch because i love that movie. She just wanted to show her younger sister Bianca, who is planning to marry a guy she knows online only, that love can't happen that fast. Their individual storyline was fun to follow, I just felt bad for Savannah because as the older sister myself I understand how she had to clean up after everyone else. The romance subplot of Bianca was cute and the bond between the three sisters was wonderful to read about. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book as a fun summer read.

. ݁₊ ⊹ — 5 ⭐️ — . ݁˖ . ݁
started may 14th | finished may 17th
ˋ°•*⁀➷ tropes: slow burn, sisterhood, family drama, multiple pov’s

── .✦

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 ♡
okay, first of all, why does this book give me SUCH “how to lose a guy in ten days vibes”? like the bet and the whole thing. i personally LOVED it. how to lose a guy in 10 days is one of my fav movies and i’ve been WAITING for a book that would feel like it. and this one did! i absolutely love the story, it’s kinda predictable, but what romance book isn’t? it’s a beach read, definitely, also kinda gives 90’s rom-com vibes. they don’t do romance like that anymore. i feel like if i read it on my kindle instead of listening to the audiobook, i’d probably give four stars. karissa vacker (the narrator) is SO FREAKING AMAZING. i could listen to her voice for hOuRs and HoUrS!!! another thing about this book is the balance between the plot and the romance plot line. in some romance book it’s so about the romance it feels like the characters don’t have a life at all. but the characters in this book are like so relatable and real and i’m so here for it. and the character development >>>

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 ♡
i don’t think there’s anything i didn’t like tbh with you guys. i am HOPING for a bianca&luke book because they were so cute and i shipped them sm. i need their story!!

── .✦

⌞ 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 ⌝ i honestly can’t decide which prestly sister is my fav but cora is definitely the one i most connect with and relate to. plus her sarcasm is THE best.

⌞ 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 ⌝ i felt so bad for her when the whole xander ( is thaf how his name is spelt, idk man) thing happened. i love her so much, she was so fun and sweet. and she’s everything i aspire to be in life, she’s actually so smart.

⌞ 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥y ⌝ i have to say, she might be my least fav prestly sister but that doesn’t make her any less amazing. i kinda wish i had an older sister like her.

⌞ 𝐣𝐚𝐱 𝐢𝐝𝐤-𝐡𝐨𝐰-𝐭𝐨-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐡𝐢𝐬-𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 ⌝ if my future husband doesn’t volunteer with sick little kids in the hospital, i don’t want him. jax is my new fav book bf.

── .✦

ˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ♡
this book has a VERY cute cover, but it kinda looks like every other romance book, so i wasn’t expecting much, but this was SO FREAKING AMAZINGGGG. definitely read this!

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⤷ thank you to thomas nelson and zondervan fiction audio for providing me this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review<3

This book is such a great read! Whether you’re in the mood for a romcom, a redemption story, or a family drama full of heart, this one delivers.

What starts as a fun fake-dating plot quickly deepens into a touching story about three sisters trying to reconnect on a nostalgic trip to their childhood vacation spot. The getaway is anything but smooth—full of conflict, emotion, and ultimately, healing.

With two love stories and a moving look at the bonds of sisterhood, this book is heartfelt, honest, and truly human.

Big thanks to Rachel Magee and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the audio ARC. I can’t wait to add this one to my trophy shelf!

This was the first Rachel Magee novel I’ve read and it gave me all the warm summer vibes. I adored this cute and tender hearted contemporary tale. It was authentic, relatable and had the perfect balance of romance, humor, and summer fun.

What Not To Do On Vacation followed Savannah, one of three sisters. She wanted to desperately reconnect with her two other sisters after having been estranged. So she developed a plan to get the three of them together for a vacation at the same beach house where they spent their childhood every summer. Bianca, the oldest of the sisters, surprised them with an announcement that she was getting married to a guy she met online. The sisters were apprehensive, and as a result, Bianca was determined to show her sisters just how together her life was. And she thought the only way to do that was to find a soulmate for her closed-off-sister, Cora who was still single, to prove that the dating site she used to meet her future husband was legit.

When I read the book’s synopsis, I was immediately intrigued by the plot- sisters reunited, nostalgic memories, summer vacation, and unexpected romance. Magee did a thorough job of exploring several themes in an authentic and relatable way. Being a sister myself, the theme that most resonated with me was sisterhood. But I also found the family relationships and the challenges of navigating life's transitions themes equally identifiable. Above all, I most appreciated the theme that focused on the complexities of sisterly bonds. Having a sister myself I found each of the sister perspectives authentic and showcased the challenges sisters face growing up and in adulthood as well. In this story, I liked how the sisters reconnected after a period of estrangement and tried to rediscover their childhood summer memories. Those particular moments in the story brought up a lot of personal emotions and memories. However, despite my deep feelings, I found the banter between the sisters light and playful which made this an overall delightful read.

Collectively, What Not To Do On Vacation was filled with sisterly love and unexpected romance making this fun, light hearted story a quintessential summer read. I looking forward to reading more by Rachel Magee.

Thank you Net Galley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

What a perfect summer read! Or in my case, a perfect summer listen. 🥰

I want to thank UpLit reads for selecting me to receive a finished copy of this book and the audiobook! I listened to this one over the last two days and really enjoyed it!

The cover immediately drew me in but hearing it has 10 Things I Hate About You vibes PLUS How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days…I had to go for it lol.

This one has beachy vibes, all the banter, sassy sisters and mysterious love interests! I loved all the characters in this and really how much they all grew throughout the story. It was sweet, fun, wild and heartwarming!

Get your copy May 20th!!