Book a Flight—4 Vacation Romances That Took Me Away
Author Ilana Long shares four great vacation romances that took her away, along with what each taught her as a writer.
As book lovers, I feel like we already know each other. In high school, I was the art nerd, the drama geek, the English teacher’s pet. True story: My parents once took me to the doctor because they worried that I spent too much time alone reading books. How could I explain that I wasn’t alone? I was on vacation—escaping to other worlds and meeting the most fascinating characters.
Books are super economical airline tickets. They are travel adventures with zero risk. I love diving into a romance that’s set in a foreign city because when I read, I feel like a tourist exploring new wonders. It’s the depth of the imagery that firmly places me in a story, and I hope I bring that same, liberating vaycay feel to my novels. I set Pickle Perfect in Costa Rica, where I lived and taught high school for five years. On the weekends, my family ventured out to visit the volcano or the beach or the jungle and it was those thrilling experiences that lay the foundation for my rom-com’s setting.
Here are four escapist romances that took me along in the suitcase.
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Wedding Dashers, by Heather McBreen
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Zipping with Ada and Jack across London to a wedding in Ireland is a whirlwind of shifting emotions and missed connection. I felt thrown right into the mix and loved watching the scenery rush past as a slow-burn love grew between them. This is how I love to travel—moving from here to there, squeezing as much adventure, excitement, and emotion as possible into a vacation.
What it taught me: Readers have the luxury of letting the chauffeur drive as we ride in the back of the limousine. The characters may be stressed about reaching the destination wedding, but for the reader, the journey is all the fun.
Love at First Book, by Jenn McKinlay
I haven’t been to Ireland, but Love at First Book makes me want to stroll the quaint streets of County Kerry and cozy up with a good book before visiting the nearest castle. In this enemies-to-lovers story, Emily escapes the bustle of Martha’s Vinyard to work in a quiet, Irish village and meets her writing idol’s handsome but grumpy son. The setting descriptions are immersive vacations in themselves, but it’s the fully fleshed characters that made me feel I had travel companions.
What it taught me: The setting here is rich. The textured atmosphere McKinlay comes to life through the beauty of the surroundings, and with the small-town community of neighbors who know each other so well. Librarian Emily builds relationships, not only with her love interest, but with the layered character of his mother, the writer. Friendship and communication outside of the romance relationship add depth to the landscape.
The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake, by Rachel Linden
I love this balance of magical realism and romance, but most of all I love northern Italy and food. I have visited Lake Garda and this book plants me right back there. Each page takes the reader away: the twisting alleys of small villages, the scent of olive trees, the miraculous way the light hits the lake, and the smell of a lover who is a familiar, second chance romance. Rachel Linden is a master of the sensory experience, rooting her work in the touchstone of taste and smell.
What it taught me: To bring a reader into the scene, amplify the sensory experience; the powerful memories that smells awaken, the appeal of taste. Each of these food moments is a vacation in itself, an excuse to linger and enjoy the tiramisu. Don’t read while hungry. Or do!
Book Lovers, by Emily Henry
Like all of my Emily Henry favorites, (Happy Place, Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation), Book Lovers is set away from home. The novel begins in NYC where Nora works as a cut-to-the-chase sort of literary agent. When she arrives in small town Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, she resists both her attraction to her Charlie and the sugary effect of this quaint town. This contrast in settings, and the subverted trope of what Nora expects to find (a flannel wearing lumberjack) and who she falls for (a fellow NYC book business colleague) turns the setting into the real matchmaker.
What it taught me: Henry’s characters are the best part of these escapist reads. Realistic and honest about her characters’ vulnerabilities, the author is able to expose the true relationships—an opportunity that is heightened by the unfamiliar setting.
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Whether in my debut rom-com, Pickleballers, where the escape is a 20-minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, or in Pickle Perfect, a 12-hour plane ride to Costa Rica, the getaway takes the reader along for the ride to a place of no humdrum responsibilities; no kids to take to school or dishes to put away. As a writer, journey stories intensify the stakes. A vacation setting gives me the go-ahead to deepen the joy of discovery of new places, and to spotlight the freshness of a first kiss. Armchair escapes and romance are a perfect match because a vacation gives us permission to let go of routine and be led by our feelings.
Check out Ilana Long's Pickle Perfect here:
