My Killer Vacation
It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in sweet, sunny Cape Cod - just me ad my beloved brother but discovering a corpse in our rental house really throws a wrench into our tanning schedule. Now a rude, crude bounty hunter has arrived on the ack of his motorcycle to catch the killer and refuses to believe I can be helpful, despite countless hours of true crime podcast listening. Not to mention a fulfilling teaching career of wrangling second graders.
A brash bounty hunter and an energetic elementary schoolteacher: the murder-solving team no one asked for, but thanks to these pesky attempts on my life, we’re stuck together, come hell or high tide.
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Tessa Bailey writes such loveable characters that I can’t help get hooked even if the story might be a little cheesy. After loving It Happened One Summer and being underwhelmed by Hook, Line, and Sinker this story really could have gone either way and I was worried if I’d like it. No issues there. This was a quick short romance with humour, love, and murder. What could be better for a summer read? Something that got me really excited before going in was that the MC is named Taylor. There has never been a main character female Taylor before in any books I’ve read so I was over the moon to have my namesake in a book. (So maybe I’m a little biased in my enjoyment of this story? nah). Taylor’s a really bubbly, sociable (yet also socially awkward) ray of sunshine that perfectly offsets Myles’ gruff scary exterior. Grumpy/Sunshine tropes ahoy! If you like that kind of story, this is definitely for you. The murder part was very slow and slightly obvious however, given that it’s mainly a romance and not a thriller, I can forgive that. It added a fun and slightly gruesome intrigue into an otherwise super cutesy/sugary sweet love story.
This book follows two point of views. Taylor is a second grade teacher vacationing with her brother after a difficult year of online teaching. She’s set on the perfect trip to help heal her brothers’ broken heart but on the first day in their vacation home, they find a body. Queue bounty hunter Myles, an ex cop who messed up a case and has distanced himself from friends, family, and love to set his sites on bringing in the bad guys and moving onto the next town before connections can be made. Until he meets Taylor with her bubbly personality the moment he arrives in Cape Cod to investigate his first murder since leaving the force.
There were so many things to enjoy about this book. First of all, the banter and dialogue was fantastic through this whole book. Taylor’s outward dialogue was like the perfect representation of inner rambling thoughts of millennials in the TikTok age. Myles’ horror at regular social interactions remained a key point of entertainment throughout the story. And Taylor’s brother Jude and his untimely interruptions kept the frustration high and hilarious. It’s always fun to be able to read a book and feel the chemistry between characters even though it’s just words on a page. This book had mega chemistry.
The murder mystery was a fun element and not something that I’d think would be part of a romance book (see THIS is what I expected when I picked up Verity). This plot allowed for some dangerous elements throughout the story which also gave us a protective love-interest who literally can’t fight his feelings or avoid his crush because he needs to keep her safe. What could be better? The mystery wasn’t that complex but it added just enough to give this book a some excitement outside of just the romance. I also love the stray from the typical third act breakup/misunderstanding. Budding relationships are allowed to have insecurities and early hiccups and I think this book did a good job of showing that side of the beginning stages of love.
My one complaint, I don’t like insta-love. Sure, chemistry and attraction right of the bat is fantastic and I know this was a short read that took place over an even shorter period of time (a one week vacation) but there’s ways to build up that summer fling vibe without love at first site. I think Myles, for being so cold and unattached, got attached wayyyyyy too quickly. It may be believable for Taylor’s character as she’s a dreamer but for Myles it felt very out of character. It was almost like a soulmate trope without actually stating it. Keeping in mind, Myles was married before and Taylor is nearly 30 yet after only one day both claim “love never felt this strong before”. That’s too much too soon. Give me grudging relentless attachment and build up a promising “what could happen for these two in the future” hope but don’t lay out their entire lives together after one day of banter.
Overall, really enjoyed it. It’s a great palette cleanser after some heavy stuff but also the perfect vacation/beach read. My only holdback from giving it a full five stars was the insta-love trope. So 4 stars for this one, if you like Tessa Bailey you should definitely check this one out.