The Vacationers

The Posts, a New York family, embark on a two-week vacation to Mallorca, Spain, bringing their adult children and extended family along. Franny and Jim Post planned this trip to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, though their marriage faces strain from recent events. Their daughter Sylvia aims to reinvent herself before college, while their son Bobby arrives with his much older girlfriend Carmen, creating tension. Franny's best friend Charles and his husband Lawrence join the group, adding their own relationship dynamics to the mix. The family must navigate their conflicts and secrets while sharing a villa in the Mediterranean, where proximity forces confrontation. Daily routines of swimming, cooking, and exploring the island provide a backdrop for the characters' internal struggles. The story explores how families maintain their bonds through betrayal and change, examining the nature of forgiveness and growth. It questions whether holidays can heal relationships, and how people balance honesty with the desire to preserve family harmony.

Readers describe this as a light summer read about family dynamics and relationship problems, though many found the characters unlikeable and privileged. Readers appreciated: - The vivid Mallorca setting descriptions - Realistic portrayal of complex family relationships - Clean, straightforward writing style - Moments of humor throughout Common criticisms: - Slow pacing with minimal plot movement - Characters come across as whiny and self-absorbed - Predictable story resolution - Too much focus on infidelity themes As one Goodreads reviewer noted: "Beautiful writing but nothing actually happens." Another stated: "These people need real problems." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.4/5 (55,000+ ratings) Amazon: 3.8/5 (1,100+ ratings) BookBrowse: 4/5 LibraryThing: 3.5/5 (900+ ratings) The book receives higher ratings from readers who prefer character-driven stories over plot-heavy narratives.

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🌴 Author Emma Straub worked as a bookseller at Brooklyn's BookCourt while writing The Vacationers, and the novel became a New York Times bestseller in 2014. 🏖️ The book's setting, Mallorca, is Spain's largest Balearic island and attracts approximately 10 million tourists each year. 📚 Emma Straub is the daughter of horror writer Peter Straub, who collaborated with Stephen King on The Talisman and Black House. 🏡 In 2017, Straub opened her own independent bookstore, Books Are Magic, in Brooklyn after her former workplace BookCourt closed down. ✈️ The novel's theme of family vacation drama was partially inspired by Straub's own experiences traveling with her family to various destinations, including Mallorca.