Best Vacation Ever

So exclaims the excitable 18-year-old Faye Murray to her calmer, more reserved, best friend, Lori Robertson, just a week before the pair joins Faye’s older brother, Adam, and his friends for a week-long vacation to an all-inclusive resort in Cuba. In the lead up to the adventure, plane tickets are purchased, parents are convinced, bikinis are packed, and conflicts begin. These conflicts continue and intensify as the girls shuck off the troubles of life at home in Toronto and try on new, exciting experiences under the Cuban sun. Ultimately, these experiences prove to be valuable for Faye and Lori as they come away from the trip with a fuller sense of themselves and a rekindled appreciation for their friendship. Though their adventure is littered with missteps and misunderstandings, the girls agree that their five-day trip was the “Best Vacation Ever”.

Fans of author Jessica Cunsolo’s fast-paced, young adult series, “With Me” (also published by Wattpad Books), will take delight in this new, stand-alone novel. This book’s boy-crazy protagonists and drama-rich plot are likely to entertain female, older high school readers; however, it is recommended with reservation due to its limited literary merit, explicit language, and adult content.

The narrative is told from alternating points of view—Lori’s and Faye’s. Lori, the daughter of successful doctors, has been groomed since childhood to follow in their footsteps. Her struggle is that she cannot or will not assert herself, and thus she feels trapped into becoming someone or something she does not want to be. Faye is the opposite; she says what she wants and will plough over whomever or whatever stands in her way. During their time in Cuba, and through their experiences with cute boys, the two teens move beyond their former selves. In Lori’s chapters, readers see Lori develop a relationship with Dean—an upstanding acquaintance of Faye’s brother, Adam—who teaches her “that life’s too short and to go after what you want while you still can” (p. 60). Meanwhile, in the chapters narrated by Faye, readers discover that Faye is in love with Adam’s best friend, Kellan, but she has lied about their relationship so as to avoid conflict with Adam as well as to protect herself from being vulnerable in case Kellan only sees her as a “cheap hookup” (p. 232). Readers also see in Faye’s chapters that it is through Kellan’s forthrightness and the advice of a mutual friend, Dylan, that Faye realizes she needs to overcome her “selfish” and “eye-on-the-prize-so-screw-everyone-else kind of attitude” (p. 293). Though the alternating viewpoint is somewhat repetitive, older teen readers will appreciate getting to know each of the characters through their separate storylines. They will also celebrate as they watch Lori learn to accept who she is and what she wants and as they observe Faye come to respect the feelings of others.

This alternating point of view, combined with a day-by-day narrative structure, makes Best Vacation Ever a quick read. The short chapters unfold chronologically and offer a telling of both the day and nighttime events of the vacation, often from both girls’ points of view. For example, the first chapter after Lori and Faye arrive in Cuba is titled “Day One of Cuba—Faye.” This chapter is then followed by “Night One of Cuba—Lori,” followed by “Night One of Cuba—Faye,” and so on. The day and night chapters are quite distinct, with the days being depicted as time for recovery or small adventures (like swimming with fish), while the night chapters feature party time, complete with wild foam-pool-parties, limitless alcohol, and casual sex. Cunsolo’s descriptive detail and realistic (if, at times, explicit) dialogue certainly make these moments vivid and engaging for readers; however, the pace of the novel means these topics are treated as plot devices rather than challenges confronted by young people who need guidance in learning how to navigate them. While there are a few nods to the negative effects of such carousing, such as a near drowning of a young lady when her drunk friends don’t notice she has not surfaced after being pushed underwater or the “I’m done with tequila, maybe forever” (p. 112) type comments, the nightlife and accompanying drama are alluring, and young readers will be caught up in the excitement and danger presented in these chapters. This makes for a book many older teenage girls will enjoy, but this reviewer questions its place in a classroom library. Tales that feature “cockblocking,” “body shots,” and “sex sounds” are not necessarily inappropriate, but this one does not contend with these issues in a meaningful way. Older teen readers may find the book fun and engaging but will be left longing for substance and literary quality.

Further, the book lacks sophistication of style, making the plot predictable and the characters unoriginal and underdeveloped. Near the end of the novel, for example, after going through numerous trials and conflicts with Faye, Lori concludes, “She’s my best friend, and we may not be perfect, but we’ll always have each other’s backs” (p. 294). This comment, and many others like it, is cliché, sentimental, and devoid of authentic realization. This book, like Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, tells the story of contrasting female characters who come to expand their understanding of themselves through difficult experiences and male influence; unfortunately, Cunsolo’s tale does so without the witty dialogue, rich characterization, or sharp societal observation of Austen. Cunsolo’s tale will surely be popular with her young readers for it presents an exciting situation, is populated by edgy characters, and explores a world hitherto unknown to many high school students. For this reviewer, however, fun and popular do not equal meaningful and important. As noted earlier, the explicit language and adult content of this book combined with its limited literary quality are why this book is recommended with reservations.