Hester Monday is a travel agent with a secret…she’s afraid of flying and hasn’t been able to leave the country on a trip of her own for a very long time.
Jake Oakenfield is recuperating in a luxury hotel after saving an old lady, but the confines of his room are starting to feel like a gilded cage.
All Jake really wants is to be able to return home to New York, and Hester is determined to impress her new client even if his request is a little odd. To produce the ultimate escape by re-creating her most memorable holiday moments right from his suite.
And so begins a journey; around the globe from the comfort of the sofa. But is the make-believe about to get a little real for Hester and Jake.
The Staycation is a light-hearted and highly enjoyable read, perfect for snuggling on the sofa or stretching out on the sun lounger.
How many of us have whiled away more time than is appropriate researching countries we want to visit? I know I am certainly guilty of losing hours virtually walking the streets and immersing myself in much wished for holiday destinations. For this reason alone, I think this book will be a huge success.
Now throw in two wonderful protagonists, sweet Hester and charismatic Jake, and you’ve got a real winner! I loved following these two on their journey, not only on their holibobs but also their personal ones. McLaughlin has a skill for writing characters that are so honest, relatable, and real that they could easily be anyone of us, a friend or family member. My particular favourite of this story was Rosalie. Whilst she wasn’t in it often, she had me laughing out loud with each appearance. A true 90-year-old minx!
Another thing I must applaud this author for is her ability to set a scene, which she managed to do in this novel two-fold. I could clearly envision Jakes hotel suite with all it’s luxury details as well as the locations Hester turned them into nightly.
This book is the perfect escapism, which was most needed, whilst the ongoing pandemic keeps unexplored vistas banished to wistful dreams. I highly recommend.
* Thanks to HarperCollins UK, via NetGalley, for this ARC *