Best Vacation Ever

Seventeen-year-old best friends Lori and Faye couldn’t be more different: Lori actively avoids being the center of attention, while Faye revels in the way heads turn every time she enters a room. When Faye’s older brother Adam invites the girls on a trip to Cuba with his four friends—including Faye’s current hook-up, Kellan, and Lori’s secret gym crush, Dean—they’re excited to embark on what they feel will be the best vacation ever. But Faye and Lori’s carefree holiday is dominated by boy troubles. Lori is struggling to find the confidence to approach Dean. Faye, on the other hand, is desperate to keep her friends-with-benefits situation with Kellan secret from Adam, even as she wrestles with her desire to make her relationship with Kellan official. As their summer unfolds, the duo are forced to vacate their comfort zones and reevaluate their own friendship. Superficial characterizations and melodramatic conflict contribute to shallow-feeling interpersonal dynamics. Cunsolo (the With Me series) nevertheless skillfully renders—via expressive prose and evocative play-by-plays of pool party hijinks—fun-in-the-sun atmosphere that makes for a breezy seasonal read. Characters present as white. Ages 14–up. (June)