The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Is it possible to like a book without really liking any of the characters??? I say it is definitely a yes for this book.  While I don't agree whole heartedly with the review below "the novel is warm..." or the idea that "The Vacationers is a summer read for sure..." Some of the scenes were so uncomfortable and dysfunctional...everyone, at some point, can relate to having some sort of family drama.  And my idea of a summer read is a little lighter, with a little less snark but to each his own.  This is definitely worth your time though, the writing is amazing, and funny, really funny.

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, June 2014: Here's the funny thing about family: there's no one you love more than your relatives, and yet they're also the people who push your buttons the most. Emma Straub has captured this dilemma in her pitch-perfect second novel The Vacationers. The Post family’s vacation to the Balearic island of Mallorca is one fraught with jealousy and quiet secrets. It's an anniversary for parents Franny and Jim, who are making amends for some rocky marital misgivings; their son Bobby and his much-maligned older girlfriend Carmen have a financial favor to ask; and high school-age daughter Sylvia has made it her mission to lose her virginity to her Spanish tutor. The novel is warm--not just for the sunny beaches that surround Mallorca, but for the compassion and humor that Straub imbues in her characters. The Vacationers is a summer read for sure, but you'd be hard pressed to find a smarter one. --Kevin Nguyen