Books We’re Bringing on Vacation Staff Picks (5/28/25)

Summer is quickly approaching, so we’re sharing the books we will be bringing with us on vacation!

EMILY’S PICK: BEST OFFER WINS BY MARISA KASHINO

I think a thriller is the ideal book to bring on vacation, and this debut from Marisa Kashino is not only a dark and twisty thriller, but it’s also laugh-out-loud funny. After 18 months of house hunting in the DC suburbs, Margo gets a tip about the perfect house about to hit the market. Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house and will go to great lengths to make sure she gets it. A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As she infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow more and more unhinged. Margo will prove over and over that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to get her dream life. And you’ll root for her to get there, even as you gasp in disbelief. Alex Michaelides says, “Not since GONE GIRL have I been so gripped by a narrative voice,” and I wholeheartedly agree. Whether you’re soaking up the sun on a beach or in your own backyard, you won’t be able to put down this propulsive and darkly hilarious debut.

MARGO’S PICK: BEFORE I FORGET BY TORY HENWOOD HOEN

When I’m on vacation, my go-to reads are usually something a bit more on the emotional side–especially something I can annotate by the pool–and BEFORE I FORGET perfectly fits the bill. After 26-year-old Cricket’s father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Cricket decides to return home to their beloved Adirondack lake house and become his caretaker, hoping to also repair their fractured relationship along the way. But there’s one big obstacle to doing so–he no longer knows who she is, or has any memories of their past together. Somehow, however, he has developed the ability to see the future, in ways both comical and affecting, and he secures his reputation as an oracle. For Cricket, though, believing his prophecies means coming face-to-face with her painful past. BEFORE I FORGET reframes our ideas around dementia to focus less on what people forget, and more on what they know. It’s humorous and heartfelt, blending a complex family drama with a late coming-of-age story, and it captures the emotions of both love and loss in a beautiful, memorable way.

HALLIE’S PICK: THE MARIGOLD COTTAGES MURDER COLLECTIVE BY JO NICHOLS

Cozy mystery lovers, meet your next obsession. When a beloved landlady takes the fall for a crime she didn’t commit, her quirky tenants team up to crack the case. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit… until a second body is found. Told in alternating POVs from the colorful cast of neighbors, THE MARIGOLD COTTAGES MURDER COLLECTIVE is perfect for fans of THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB and Only Murders in the Building, with a sun-soaked Southern California twist. The start of a new series, this is a warm, witty whodunit filled with heart, and just the right amount of homicide—the perfect way to spend a lazy summer afternoon.