Spring break is the moment of peace we have all been waiting for amid the whirlwind that has been this semester. Whether you are having a staycation or vacation, you should feel free to indulge in some self-care and cozy up with a good book. I will be taking advantage of this free time to start shortening my “to be read” list. If you want to join me, here are some book recommendations for you to read during your peaceful spring break. These are sure to be a good brain reset for you!
- Beach Read by Emily Henry
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Whether you’ll physically be on the beach or mentally dreaming about the ocean breeze, this book will put you in the vacation spirit. This is the perfect story to pull out from your tote bag. Emily Henry’s characters and storylines are romantic and layered with feeling and perception. With the main characters’ dialogue and banter, the writing bet and the immersive storyline, this book brings all of the good vibes. It is perfect for the light academia-loving, coastal granddaughter and beach-filled Pinterest board types of people. I don’t want to spoil much of the storyline, but January and Gus’s history, chemistry and date adventures for “research” on how to write the other’s genre of novels is perfect. I will always recommend this book, and although it is called “Beach Read,” it’s definitely an everywhere read that can provide you with sunny vibes no matter where you are.
- Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
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If you loved “To All The Boys I Loved Before” and need a cute, fun and swoon-worthy story this spring break, this is for you. I really enjoy how authors in the Young Adult genre have moved away from only giving rom-com stories to predominantly white main characters. I’m looking forward to the day Netflix picks this book up for a rom-com adaptation. It’s a nice personal-growth story about Quinn, the queen of making lists for everything, and is simply CUTE. Her journal holds all her thoughts and deepest emotions, but one day it goes missing. She gets full-on “Gossip Girl’d” by an anonymous account that posts the lists for the whole school to see. As a result, she teams up with Carter Bennett (the absolute LAST person to have the notebook) to try and clear any and all suspicion, and track down the blackmailers. In conclusion, this is a perfect rom-com read for spring break. GO GET IT.
- Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud
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This is for my adventurous and supernatural, thriller-lovers. I broke my rule of typically reading the books before watching the show or movie adaptations with this one. If you need a book binge this spring break, I highly recommend the “Lockwood & Co.” series by J. Stroud. They are originally written for middle school-level reading, but even as a 20-year-old, I really enjoyed getting wrapped up in the lore and world-building. The opening book gives you insight into our main characters and their situation. London, England, for more than half a century, has had a problem; Ghosts are haunting the streets and only young people have talents that allow them to see, hear and fight the ghosts. So, kids are agents, adults are rude and we have some amazing ghost busters on our hands. As far as the characters go, I love Anthony Lockwood’s charisma and wit, Lucy Carlyle is one of my favorite girl bosses and George Karim/Cubbins is the best researcher and brainiac friend you could ask for. Read the series, and if you are up to it, head to Netflix to watch the first season of the screen adaptation! It’s fairly new, as it debuted in February of 2023, so you might even want to re-watch it a couple of times so it gets greenlit for a second season.
- Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
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Ironically, I read this over my winter break vacation to Mexico and really enjoyed it. Tessa Bailey took 2021 BookTok by storm with this one. For my West Coast girls who are looking for a “Summer, I Turned Pretty” vibe that is slightly more mature, this one’s for you. The main love interest is a fisherman in Washington and the main character is a wannabe movie soundtrack producer from Los Angeles. This protagonist, Hannah, who is originally from this fishing town in Washington, proposes filming a movie she is working on in the town. She can’t stay with her sister and her fiancé, so the sister recommends staying with her fiancé’s best friend, Fox, who Hannah has met before. Hannah and Fox hit it off the last time she was in town (in “It Happened One Summer” by Tessa Bailey, which this book is a sequel to) and they have been texting for months. The tension is high and the flirting is great, but they both are trying not to make a move on the other so they don’t mess up their living situation. The characters and storyline are introspective and emotional and the novel gives all the coastal town vibes you could desire during this break.
- The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas
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This is a slightly blind recommendation as my trusty source (A.K.A. my bookworm of a best friend) recommended this to me to read over my upcoming spring break. As the author is the same person who wrote: “The Spanish Love Deception,” (which I enjoyed reading last spring break) I very much trust that this book will feed my romance novel love. It is described as a slow-burn and steamy rom-com. Who doesn’t love a good romcom? I am very excited to read this one.
Enjoy this spring break, I hope it’s the reset you need to help get you through the rest of the semester!