NEVER VACATION WITH YOUR EX

A serial dater is forced to go on vacation with her latest ex-boyfriend because their parents are best friends.

Seventeen-year-old Kaylee Jordan is a nationally ranked athlete determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps to Olympic beach volleyball glory. But as committed as Kaylee is to volleyball, the same can’t be said about boyfriends. Her romantic relationships never last, so it’s no surprise when she dumps aspiring filmmaker Dean Freeman-Yu after only two months. But Dean isn’t just a random classmate; he’s her lifelong friend and the son of her parents’ college besties. They’re also about to go on their annual joint summer trip to the Jordans’ Malibu beach house for three weeks. Since it has been less than a month since the breakup, Kaylee decides to coach Dean through the heartbreak she caused using her usual survival guide tips, like investing in a hobby, saying yes to invitations, and taking fun daytrips. Usually, second-chance romances take place much longer after a couple breaks up, but this story works thanks to Kaylee and Dean’s strong family connection. Kaylee’s family is White; the Freeman-Yus are Jewish and Taiwanese, and Dean is bisexual. A moving subplot about how Kaylee lives in her three-time Olympic gold-medalist mother’s shadow adds depth to her development, and it’s refreshing to read a romance in which it’s the girl who’s the elite jock.

A breezy, beachy teen love story.