Riot Recommendation

14 Favorite Novels About Family Vacations Gone Awry

Kelly Jensen

Editor

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

this one summerThis round of the Riot Recommendation is sponsored by This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki.

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It’s their getaway, their refuge. Rosie’s friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It’s a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it’s a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

In This One Summer two stellar creators redefine the teen graphic novel. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of her teen age—a story of renewal and revelation.

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We asked you for your favorite stories of family vacations gone awry, and here’s what you had to suggest:

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Trouble by Kate Christensen

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

The Last Days of California by Mary Miller

The Red House by Mark Haddon

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Christmas Past by Robert Vaughan

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Touch and Go by Thad Nodine