Synopsis:
Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s Summer Staycation is part of Summer Lovin’, a sweet and sultry collection of short summer romances that turn up the heat—and the heart. Read or listen to each short story in one easy, breezy sitting.
If you ask Beck Penrose, Florida summers aren’t relaxing so much as roller coasters of sensory overload. But her nervous system settles down with Lucas Holiday, a travel blogger who gets her like no one else does. It’s easy to say yes to living like tourists for a weekend. But it’s harder to say goodbye when that weekend comes to an end.
In Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s sweet summer fling of a short story, a neurodivergent heroine meets a kind out-of-towner who’s just what she needs to shake up her life—and makes her feel like she’s finally on solid ground.
Review:
I’d say Summer Staycation was my favourite of the series of novellas but that doesn’t mean I think it was a great read – it was very much decent but nothing to write home about.
The thing I liked most about Summer Staycation was how Beck and Lucas built a friendship first. They weren’t instantly saying “that’s the hottest person I’ve ever seen, I want to take their clothes off” which is what most of these novellas are like. They spent a lot of time together and by the end they only kissed (I think). I’m pretty sure there’s no spice as that would make sense for a romance about a neurodivergent woman with sensory issues.
Speaking of neurodivergency, I’m always up for representation that doesn’t feel harmful. Beck was an extremely relatable character (for me). I also hate sand, loud environments and bright lights. Also, a female romance lead that wears glasses? Yes please. We absolutely need more glasses representation in romance.
What I loved about Lucas was that he very quickly understood Beck. He found ways to make sure she was comfortable and even let her take over his trip in order to spend time with her doing something she’d actually like. “What if you’re not difficult or picky? What if you’re just an incredibly self-aware person who knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like and values her own comfort?” There’s nothing more comforting than someone understanding exactly who you are and what you need. This is part of the reason why I actually liked Beck and Lucas as a pairing. It felt like a relationship in the first stages of getting to know each other and not just a “let’s jump into bed night one”, which has its time and place, but wouldn’t have made sense here.
Summer Staycation is a fun read with very low stakes, a cute turtle and a dual POV. I personally think it’s the best in the ‘Summer Lovin’ series and Sarah Grunder Ruiz is an author I’d consider checking out in the future.
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