From the off the scene was set, with an absolute stunner of a scene as our lead, Orla, races to an art gallery to see the work of The Aidan Byrne, a wildlife photographer.

The chemistry was fizzling between the two, and I couldn’t wait to see the backstory. From this to a memory that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up with amazing ecological scenes, beautiful and captivating, but sprinkled with smile moments, accident prone type comedy and gorgeous romance.

I’ll admit the second part of the book, the now, and the epilogue held my attention a smidgen less, but all in all a fantastic read that I’ll be recommending all over the place. Thanks so much to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the book in return for an honest review and for allowing me to be part of the blog tour.

Rating: 5/5

An entertaining and uplifting read that made me smile and kept me hooked.
The story is engrossing and enjoyable, the characters are likable and interesting, the plot flows.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book was so much fun, I really, really enjoyed it. It was jam packed with humour, It kept me engaged and turning the pages. The characters were relatable and interesting. Will recommend.

This is the perfect book to read given the current circumstances. An easy read that was light hearted and very entertaining. Would definitely recommend. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Such a fun book! Friendship, family, house swap-- the perfect summer read! "Staycation" is extremely timely during the current state of the world, and this book was fun to read in the midst of it all! Thanks to Michele Gorman for the the ARC!

Really enjoyable and perfect for this time! Fun and easy. A great summer read--perfect for the beach, vacation, or a weekend at home.

Unfortunately, for me I felt that the character stereotypes in this book were too much. The author tried to highlight gaslighting and mental abuse, I felt that this needed to be a bit more subtle..it actually ended up being quite cheesy.
The idea for the story was good, and the overall plot was great. The characters just did not work for me. Thank you for the opportunity to rate and review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While it is well written, easy to read, I really was not feeling it with the main characters. Harriet was too Type A, Dan was an arsehole, and Sophie was too timid. However, I think that maybe this was the key to why I kept reading. I wanted to see how these characters evolved, when the situation forced them to rethink their vacation and make alternative last minute plans. Did they reevaluate their relationships, learn from mistakes and move forward, loosen up, or realize their worth? To some extent, by the end of the book, there was some realization that things needed to change.
As I said at the beginning, this is well written descriptive book, that kept me engaged - I wanted to know how it ended. However, my lack of connection with the characters and the fact that I felt there was no real conclusion to the issues that developed in the story left me unsatisfied. While this book wasn’t for me, this story is a pleasant read for anyone looking for something nice and easy on a calm summer evening. Advanced copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.3.75⭐️s

Harriet is a working mum who gets through the stresses of life by being super-organised. She loves her labelmaker, possibly a little bit too much, but struggles to relate to her teenage daughter and is infuriated by her husband James. Their 20 year old marriage is on the rocks, and she’s hoping to re-kindle the flames, but she might have left it too late.

Meanwhile Sophie gave up work when she married Dan. And although she loves motherhood and volunteering for charities, she’s starting to feel that she lost herself somewhere along the way. Dan’s obsession with his work and throwaway snide remarks have chipped away at her self-confidence. But is two weeks in the countryside enough to show her that she’s not just the ‘silly bean’ that Dan tells her she is?

I really liked Sophie, her energy and enthusiasm for life are very appealing and I really hoped that she would be able to shake off the chains of her marriage to Dan. It was harder to warm to Harriet, but I suspect that was the author’s intent. She’s abrupt, direct and always looking for the solution to every problem when sometimes people don’t want to be organised. But Harriet also reaches something of an epiphany and it’s good to see how her character grows.

Michele Gorman is very skilled at weaving the two strands of the story together, and adds touches of humour that bring levity to the situation. I laughed out loud at a scenario involving a snail that meets an unfortunate end, not to mention the sudden reappearance of a missing snake.

And the supporting cast in The Staycation are just as important. Harriet’s husband James seems to be very tolerant and laid back, but he’s clearly keeping some kind of secret. Is that why their marriage is so rocky? Sophie’s husband Dan is less likeable than James. He has a secret of his own but this one could be far more serious.

I really enjoyed this book – the characters are believable, the story moves along at a good pace, and there’s one little twist that is resolved right at the end to keep you hooked!

When she sat down to write The Staycation, Michele Gorman couldn’t possibly have known overseas travel would be off the agenda for summer 2020. But if your 2020 holiday is going to be a staycation in your own back garden, this is certainly a read that will keep you entertained!

After reading the curvy girls club by the author I was really excited to read this book but unfortunately I let me down. This book had so much potential but just fell flat. When Sophie and Harriet met at the airport when there flights were cancelled during the ash cloud, they decide to swap houses. This was sold to me as similar to the holiday (one of my favourite films) but it has none of the magic unfortunately. There were so many parts of this book that were ingredients I would usually love in a book but unfortunately for me it just didn't work. It felt like it dragged on and at the end nothing seemed to have been sorted.

The Staycation is the perfect book for your summer... staycation 😂 let's face it, not many of us are going anywhere anytime soon!


This book is light hearted, fun and easy to read, perfect to pick up and put down. I read it over 3 days and found myself really looking forward to picking it up everytime I wasn't reading it! However despite being light hearted, some of the issues it deals with actually run a lot deeper. I felt like Michele did a good job writing about these and bringing them to the forefront of the story, without making it too serious or depressing.


The plot is a bit mad. 2 women briefly meet at an airport and since their holidays are now cancelled due to an ash cloud, they decided to swap houses for two weeks! All I could think about is how I would never do that! Ever!!


But I loved the female characters in this story. Harriet and Sophie are polar opposites yet still build a beautiful friendship. I liked both of them and was rooting for them the whole way through. I won't say too much but I loved the ending for Sophie, it might have all been wrapped up a bit too easily but I personally wouldn't have it any other way. I liked the way both women grew throughout the story and became more aware of themselves and other aspects of their lives.



If you're looking for a bit of escapism in a time where we can't escape, this is a great read. It doesn't require tons of concentration and it's writing style allows you to easily get lost in other people's worlds for a few hours! In a world where everything feels a bit heavy right now this is a nice break from that! Will definitely be looking out for some of Michele's other books!


Ooh and if you don't like snakes, be warned, there is one small passage that may end up giving you nightmares

Two families in desperate need of a vacation learn that it might not happen. Then a plan is formed to switch houses for a vacation. The story switches back and forth between each family’s adventure and the lessons they learned from the experience. I loved the idea of this book. Unfortunately, for me the booked dragged in certain parts.

I was excited to read The Staycation by @michelegorman. A volcano cancels flights and vacations for two families so they decide to swap houses to have #staycations. I don’t know about you, but I miss vacationing and would kill for a staycation right about now. 😅 I really enjoyed this one and will definitely read more from this author. Just a fun, happy, escape which I think we could all use right now! It came out June 1st so go check it out!

3.5 stars
The Staycation is the first book I have read by the author and from the blurb I was really looking forward to reading it. It started out well as I could really empathize with how the characters were feeling but then when they swap their own houses for their different “holiday” things took a decidedly different turn. I struggled to connect with the characters as they seemed a bit strange to me. Harriett with her OCD and Sophie seemed to be a weak woman who was under the thumb. Then their husbands, they both just seemed to be very secretive! Something about them both rubbed me the wrong way.
This whole storyline seemed strange and I perservered to see what would happen. If you are after a book that is different then this may be right up your alley.

This was more than just a fun read, and I enjoyed how more serious topics were covered.

The title is more than a little fitting for our current lockdown situation however!!

The characters were great, but Dan... ugh!

This is one that I would recommend to a friend, definitely not my usual genre, but it was a highly enjoyable read.

I loved this book. It really reminded me of the film the holiday. I loved watching Harriet and Sophie grow and develop throughout, and also loved how it showed you that sometimes not everything is as perfect as it seems.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

🏖BOOK REVIEW🏖⁣
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So many thanks to @michelegorman, @netgalley, @orionbooks & @trapeze_books for this copy of The Staycation! This book was released June 1st, just in time for summer! I think it’s eerily coincidental that most people are spending their summers ‘staycation-ing’ so is there a more perfect book right now? 😄⁣
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Sophia’s family & Harriett’s family are supposed to go on holiday (not together mind you but they meet at the airport). An ash cloud object to this, as all flight are canceled. So these families decide to make the best of it and switch houses for two weeks- a home in central London and a country cottage. What could go wrong?!⁣
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More like, what could go right! From light hearted events such as wacky spa treatments, a lost snake and ruined cupcakes to more deep of issues (infidelity, emotionally abusive relationships, family relationships, mental illness) this book had it all. I will say that I couldn’t connect with the characters very well, everyone’s personality was really irritating to me. That kind of changed towards the end when the women became stronger and less annoying. Also, I sure hated Dan!! I would have given him the boot a LONG time ago!!⁣
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I’d like to mention, since my husband works in insurance, all I could think of was the liability issues in switching homes. Haha! 🤭⁣
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In conclusion, this book was good but moved a bit slow. I wish it would have been a bit funnier and less serious! This book would make a good Lifetime movie. All in all, a solid summer read. ☀️⁣
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3/5 🌟🌟🌟⁣
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#bookreview #igbookreview #thestaycation #michelegorman #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #erinescapingreality #alwaysreading #summerreads #beachreads #bookfriends #bookish #bookaesthetic

Remember the ash cloud from Iceland’s volcano? All those people stranded at Heathrow T5? Harriet and Sophie, with their respective families are there, hoping to fly off for their much-needed holidays but the ash cloud puts paid to that. The two women get chatting and formulate a plan – why not have a staycation, but make it more like a holiday by swapping homes?

Sophie, Dan, and their children head off to Harriet’s home in the countryside, while Harriet, James, and their daughter travel to Sophie’s home in London. Harriet is a neat freak who can’t help herself tidying up Sophie’s house. Dan is a control freak who books lots of spa treatments for Sophie – which is lovely, but is he up to something?

I really enjoyed this story, it’s all totally believable and the characters’ dialogue flows well. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

The story starts at the airport and for me the actual going on holiday is always really stressful I really resonated with the female characters Sophie and Harriet.

Looking for the best in the dire situation, Harriet offers Sophie and Dan their country cottage in return for a holiday in their London home.

On the surface Harriet thinks that Sophie is calm and collected and that her husband Dan takes control, unlike her husband James who is so laid back he is almost horizontal.

Both desperate to be heading away on holiday they are stressed, disappointed and sad that due to to ash cloud their trip to Italy is not going to happen. Harriet is the control freak loves order and planning. She had planned the Rome holiday down to the last detail and this spontaneity throws her into a tail spin. The characters are warmly written and realistic and all have their flaws.

When Harriet, James and daughter Billie reach Sophie and Dan’s house, she really freaks out ! She starts to organise Sophie’s house like her own but finds out that you cannot control everything in your life, which is a hard lesson for her. She also has to contend with the family pet Spot.

Sophie and Dan and their children arrive in the Cotswolds to Harriet and James house with their children they are also in for a surprise.

Sophie is also stressed, dangerously high blood pressure and Dan is the opposite of James though he is attentive and appears kind he is also workaholic. As the story progresses the women start chatting and also start to see the cracks in their relationships.

I really liked the development of Sophie and the storyline regarding Dan is really gripping but I am not going to give anymore away.

This is a fun read with more serious issues and I really liked the female characters and the story.

It was easy to read and enjoyable escapism. It was reassuring to read about other women and their insecurities and it was great to see how the characters lives change in each others spaces.