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Beach #1
Fiësta
Een jaar ertussenuit. Dan moet je iets bijzonders gaan doen. Je moet het goed aanpakken. En tot dusver heb ik het helemaal fout aangepakt. Ik heb mijn eindexamen met goede cijfers gehaald. Voor veel plezier maken ben ik gezakt. En als je zakt voor veel plezier maken, zak je pas echt.
Laura gaat met Tessa, Anouk en Tom naar Spanje. Een tijdje rondreizen en misschien werken in een bar of engelse les geven. Feest vieren, en wat Laura en Tessa betreft, echte Spaanse jongens ontmoeten. Helaas komt daar weinig van terecht. Tom bestuurt de auto en doet alleen wat hij zelf wil: pizza en patat eten in plaats van paella. En als ze dan na veel geruzie toch een perfecte plek vinden om een tijdje te blijven, slaat het weer om. Laura heeft het helemaal gehad. Ze staat op het punt om haar spullen te pakken en naar huis te gaan. Dan ontmoet ze Juan...
Laura gaat met Tessa, Anouk en Tom naar Spanje. Een tijdje rondreizen en misschien werken in een bar of engelse les geven. Feest vieren, en wat Laura en Tessa betreft, echte Spaanse jongens ontmoeten. Helaas komt daar weinig van terecht. Tom bestuurt de auto en doet alleen wat hij zelf wil: pizza en patat eten in plaats van paella. En als ze dan na veel geruzie toch een perfecte plek vinden om een tijdje te blijven, slaat het weer om. Laura heeft het helemaal gehad. Ze staat op het punt om haar spullen te pakken en naar huis te gaan. Dan ontmoet ze Juan...
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2001
11 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Kate Cann
45 books239 followersWhen I was a child, I wanted to be a witch. My first foray into writing was a series of nasty spells full of rats’ tails and bats’ wings. Then, when I turned thirteen, I began keeping a lurid diary, full of adoration or loathing, depending on who I was writing about. I used my later diaries for the Diving In trilogy.
I never thought ‘I want to be a writer’, but I loved books and writing. At school, I was rubbish at just about everything but English, so I went on to Kent University where I did two degrees in English and American Literature. At Kent, I fell dramatically in love with the man I'm still married to. We had loads of fights and adventures, but we kept coming back together. He's still the person I most want to spend time with. Awww!
My first proper job was in a publishing house, Time Life Books, as a copy-editor. I felt very glamorous. I used to go to the huge YMCA on Tottenham Court Road at lunchtime and do aerobics classes (very big in the 1980s and yes - I wore legwarmers). Then I'd fall asleep over my desk in the afternoon.
When my two kids came along, I set up as a freelance copy-editor and worked from home. By chance I got given some teenage books to edit, and I hated the way they treated sexual relationships: they were either full of gloom and doom, or were gushy, unrealistic candyfloss. So I got bitten by the ‘I can do better than this’ bug, and started writing. I remember the first day I started to write - it took me over. I forgot to eat (unthinkable for me) and I nearly forgot to collect the kids from school. About a year after that, Diving In was accepted for publication.
When I ran out of material from my diaries and memories, I realized my daughter and son were teenagers, and started eavesdropping on them. They were extremely tolerant about this although they did sometimes demand money from me.
Big changes have been afoot recently. My kids have left home - really left home, not just gap-year-travelling/university left home, and my old man is doing the sort of work that means he can work from home a lot of the time. So we've sold up and moved into the wilds of Wiltshire and so far I am absolutely loving it. The space, the silence, seeing the stars at night in the pitch black, the owls, the trees, the walks, the great food in the local pubs - everything! I'd started to bring nature into my books - it all started with Crow Girl - and now I'm working on two books about a city girl who gets plunged into the wilds. So the move is very much linked to and helping my writing. I think the sheer beauty and power of nature and how it can get right inside you is something a lot of kids are cut off from today.
I still love London though - the plan is to come up every couple of weeks, catch up with all my old mates, possibly do something seriously cultured like go to the theatre. And I want to travel a bit more, too - offsetting my increased carbon footprint with an enormous compost heap.
I love long conversations, running, reading, gardening, walking and white wine (in moderation of course) and I’m the first to admit I have the life of Reilly (who apparently had a pretty cushy life). I start the day with a run or walk with my dog, when I think about what’s going to happen next in the book I’m writing. Then I have a huge breakfast, and get down to work. I write on (or if it’s cold, in) the spare bed with a laptop, my dog at the bottom of the bed. If it’s sunny, I write in the garden, on a sun-lounger. Tough, ay? I also have this theory that you can’t be truly creative for more than about three or four hours a day, so in the mid afternoon, I knock off, and do my emails and stuff. Told you it was cushy.
I never thought ‘I want to be a writer’, but I loved books and writing. At school, I was rubbish at just about everything but English, so I went on to Kent University where I did two degrees in English and American Literature. At Kent, I fell dramatically in love with the man I'm still married to. We had loads of fights and adventures, but we kept coming back together. He's still the person I most want to spend time with. Awww!
My first proper job was in a publishing house, Time Life Books, as a copy-editor. I felt very glamorous. I used to go to the huge YMCA on Tottenham Court Road at lunchtime and do aerobics classes (very big in the 1980s and yes - I wore legwarmers). Then I'd fall asleep over my desk in the afternoon.
When my two kids came along, I set up as a freelance copy-editor and worked from home. By chance I got given some teenage books to edit, and I hated the way they treated sexual relationships: they were either full of gloom and doom, or were gushy, unrealistic candyfloss. So I got bitten by the ‘I can do better than this’ bug, and started writing. I remember the first day I started to write - it took me over. I forgot to eat (unthinkable for me) and I nearly forgot to collect the kids from school. About a year after that, Diving In was accepted for publication.
When I ran out of material from my diaries and memories, I realized my daughter and son were teenagers, and started eavesdropping on them. They were extremely tolerant about this although they did sometimes demand money from me.
Big changes have been afoot recently. My kids have left home - really left home, not just gap-year-travelling/university left home, and my old man is doing the sort of work that means he can work from home a lot of the time. So we've sold up and moved into the wilds of Wiltshire and so far I am absolutely loving it. The space, the silence, seeing the stars at night in the pitch black, the owls, the trees, the walks, the great food in the local pubs - everything! I'd started to bring nature into my books - it all started with Crow Girl - and now I'm working on two books about a city girl who gets plunged into the wilds. So the move is very much linked to and helping my writing. I think the sheer beauty and power of nature and how it can get right inside you is something a lot of kids are cut off from today.
I still love London though - the plan is to come up every couple of weeks, catch up with all my old mates, possibly do something seriously cultured like go to the theatre. And I want to travel a bit more, too - offsetting my increased carbon footprint with an enormous compost heap.
I love long conversations, running, reading, gardening, walking and white wine (in moderation of course) and I’m the first to admit I have the life of Reilly (who apparently had a pretty cushy life). I start the day with a run or walk with my dog, when I think about what’s going to happen next in the book I’m writing. Then I have a huge breakfast, and get down to work. I write on (or if it’s cold, in) the spare bed with a laptop, my dog at the bottom of the bed. If it’s sunny, I write in the garden, on a sun-lounger. Tough, ay? I also have this theory that you can’t be truly creative for more than about three or four hours a day, so in the mid afternoon, I knock off, and do my emails and stuff. Told you it was cushy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
April 6, 2018
God, I loved this SO MUCH as a teenager. The frustration and passion and friendships! Such a great 'beach read' that I'm pretty sure I read wherever and whenever I could. I also think this fostered my love for open endings.
(It doesn't age SUPER well but the emotions I felt reading it were so wonderful it has to be a 4 star.)
(It doesn't age SUPER well but the emotions I felt reading it were so wonderful it has to be a 4 star.)
July 25, 2015
Despite my lousy rating, I enjoyed this quite a bit—the cover and description promised fluff, and they delivered. It's the end of Laura's gap year, and she's spending the summer in Spain with two friends and a friend's boyfriend...but it's not going quite as planned. Her friend's boyfriend is determined to find as much of England as he can in Spain; Laura feels like she's been cast as the dissident; none of them are getting along.
Opportunity knocks, and Laura grabs it with both hands (while her friends reluctantly follow). And then a boy knocks, and...you know the drill. Drama ensues.
Now...a lot of my enjoyment of this came of the fact that they were in Spain! On holiday! And I'm still sorry to not still be in Spain (even if my experience was nothing like Laura's, except perhaps that both of us saw improvement in our language skills). It's also clearly a book marketed to a slightly older audience than a lot of the YA I read; although this was very clearly YA, the characters are older and more independent and more sexually confident. Sometimes that worked better for me than others (could very happily have done without the occasional slut-shaming), but it was nice to see characters who weren't wrapped up in the idea that loss of virginity and True Love go hand in hand.
What dragged it down was that the characters are...not so pleasant. Laura's generally the most pleasant, which is fortunate, since we're in her head the whole time. Yaz seems like a firecracker at first, but she and Laura get in a pretty epic pissing match over who can get the cute guy—they and Ruth are supposed to be best friends, but cripes, with friends like that...meanwhile Ruth lets herself, and often Laura and Yaz, be a doormat for Tom, who is basically a troll—and that's an insult to trolls. He's selfish, boorish, incredibly rude to everyone, petty, ignorant, xenophobic, racist...he has, literally, no redeeming qualities. (He's supposed to be good in bed, and I think that's supposed to be his redeeming quality, but I can't imagine someone so selfish giving a girl much of a good time.)
And...it occurred to me that beyond Yaz being a firecracker and Ruth not being 'herself' since she's been dating Tom, I never really learned anything about these characters. They're going to uni, but to study what? What makes them friends? What do they want, beyond this summer? Why are they all so insecure that any one of them (yes, I'm including Laura here) would throw over her friends when a cute boy beckons? Juan is supposed to be hot stuff (obviously), but I'm not sold on him either, not when he encourages Laura to ditch her friends and and is...kind of full of it.
It was entertaining summer fluff, and I don't regret a minute of the time I spent reading it—it is entirely possible that I will hunt down the rest of the series at the library. I think my ideal version of this book (other than having very different, more fleshed-out characters) would have Laura spending her whole gap year in Spain, really living there rather than just doing a working holiday...but, well, that would have made it a different book entirely, and this was fun as it was.
Opportunity knocks, and Laura grabs it with both hands (while her friends reluctantly follow). And then a boy knocks, and...you know the drill. Drama ensues.
Now...a lot of my enjoyment of this came of the fact that they were in Spain! On holiday! And I'm still sorry to not still be in Spain (even if my experience was nothing like Laura's, except perhaps that both of us saw improvement in our language skills). It's also clearly a book marketed to a slightly older audience than a lot of the YA I read; although this was very clearly YA, the characters are older and more independent and more sexually confident. Sometimes that worked better for me than others (could very happily have done without the occasional slut-shaming), but it was nice to see characters who weren't wrapped up in the idea that loss of virginity and True Love go hand in hand.
What dragged it down was that the characters are...not so pleasant. Laura's generally the most pleasant, which is fortunate, since we're in her head the whole time. Yaz seems like a firecracker at first, but she and Laura get in a pretty epic pissing match over who can get the cute guy—they and Ruth are supposed to be best friends, but cripes, with friends like that...meanwhile Ruth lets herself, and often Laura and Yaz, be a doormat for Tom, who is basically a troll—and that's an insult to trolls. He's selfish, boorish, incredibly rude to everyone, petty, ignorant, xenophobic, racist...he has, literally, no redeeming qualities. (He's supposed to be good in bed, and I think that's supposed to be his redeeming quality, but I can't imagine someone so selfish giving a girl much of a good time.)
And...it occurred to me that beyond Yaz being a firecracker and Ruth not being 'herself' since she's been dating Tom, I never really learned anything about these characters. They're going to uni, but to study what? What makes them friends? What do they want, beyond this summer? Why are they all so insecure that any one of them (yes, I'm including Laura here) would throw over her friends when a cute boy beckons? Juan is supposed to be hot stuff (obviously), but I'm not sold on him either, not when he encourages Laura to ditch her friends and and is...kind of full of it.
It was entertaining summer fluff, and I don't regret a minute of the time I spent reading it—it is entirely possible that I will hunt down the rest of the series at the library. I think my ideal version of this book (other than having very different, more fleshed-out characters) would have Laura spending her whole gap year in Spain, really living there rather than just doing a working holiday...but, well, that would have made it a different book entirely, and this was fun as it was.
March 11, 2008
I just loved this author's books when I was in my teens, and this book was no exception. Great escapism as you're whisked away into the tale of holiday romances. I couldn't put this down - this author has a way of completely capturing your interest.
March 25, 2016
Mini-review originally posted on Nightjar's Jar of Books.
This book follows Laura, an English teenager who’s just started her gap year, and is on the road trip from hell across Spain, accompanied by her two best friends, Ruth and Yaz, as well as Ruth’s obnoxious boyfriend Tom – the driver, who is the main cause of the “from hell” part of the trip.
I didn’t have very high expectations, going into this book, but I did hope that it might surprise me – and it did, at times. I enjoyed the snarky opening; Laura and Juan’s romance was quite cute in places; and the scene where Laura went into town by herself for the first time, and made friends with the Spanish bus driver was – though short – probably my favourite moment in the book. It was the rest of the book, however, that was rather a let-down.
First up, the characters were simply awful. Tom, as I’ve already said, was an obnoxious bully, and I found it really hard to understand why Ruth hadn’t just dumped him, and this made me like Ruth much less, as well. She spent pretty much the whole book just letting him walk all over her. Yaz showed some promise at the beginning of the story, but her character became less and less likeable as it went on. Even Laura had her moments, coming off as petty, shallow and jealous. All this combined to make the idea of them having been best friends for years and years seem completely unbelievable.
My other main issue with the book was (surprise, surprise!) to do with how Kate Cann dealt with Tom. He showed several worrying character traits over the course of the book, but none of them were ever really dealt with: Laura and Yaz are constantly talking about how awful he is, and how he’s always pressuring Ruth, but they never do anything about it – they never even try to talk to Ruth, even though she’s supposed to be their best friend. Eventually he gets called out for making racist remarks, and I’d hoped that he was going to get put in his place at this point, but instead he just brushes it off, and he never has to face any real repercussions. Worst of all, though, in my opinion, is this scene, fairly on in the book, after they’ve just witnessed a couple having a fight in a restaurant:
“God – that woman, though! Shouting the place down like that! That bloke should’ve smacked her one.”
“He’s joking,” says Ruth at me, not meeting my eye.
“I am not,” says Tom. “You yell at me like she did, babes, and I’ll lay you out.”
So apparently he’s okay with the idea of hitting his girlfriend. And over what? Making a scene? He’d made plenty of far more embarrassing scenes himself already, even though this only took place about a third of the way through the book. But the comment was never brought up again, and when Tom did eventually get his comeuppance (far too late), it was offstage, and very minor – I never for one second got the feeling that he was losing anything that he wasn’t prepared to lose, or that he would learn anything from the experience.
Overall, I’d say that this isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read (or even the worst thing I’ve read this month), and had a few surprisingly cute moments, but mostly it was just… grating. I definitely won’t be reading any more from this series.
February 18, 2021
It’s a book that will make you want to visit Spain on your next big holiday . But definitely without a Tom.
June 27, 2011
This is why I love Goodreads, because It allows me to see my evolution as a reader!
What I love...
So I read this book when i was like 14, and i read it a good 4 times over the course of 3 years. This is not very good writing. It is your standard chick lit book. HOwever, boy is it fun. This book was amazing and left me fantasizing about when i grow up and get to travel the world. The yummy boys and experiences I would have. I liken this book to like eat pray love for the young teenager. Only a lot less soul searching. This book provided me with the perfect escape as well as summer fun reading.
What I love...
So I read this book when i was like 14, and i read it a good 4 times over the course of 3 years. This is not very good writing. It is your standard chick lit book. HOwever, boy is it fun. This book was amazing and left me fantasizing about when i grow up and get to travel the world. The yummy boys and experiences I would have. I liken this book to like eat pray love for the young teenager. Only a lot less soul searching. This book provided me with the perfect escape as well as summer fun reading.
March 14, 2021
5/5 Mijn favoriete jeugdboek en nog steeds geniet ik er intens van. Herinneringen tijdens het lezen van mijn vakanties bij familie in Spanje en ik krijg gewoon warm gevoel van de liefde voor het land en de Spaanse man.
December 7, 2009
One of my favorite books!! I've read this literally 10 times and love it more and more!!
July 7, 2010
i felt cheated. it ended so quickly i don't even know wat happened, theres no hint or nothing!
June 16, 2020
So I was struck with a bit of nostalgia and downloaded Fiesta by Kate Cann which I first read over five years ago when I got the paperback free with a magazine. At the time I remember really enjoying the book, going on to buy others from the same author - Footloose and Escape.
Ugh, unfortunately my memory didn’t serve me as well as I’d hoped but I reckon that’s probably due to the age gap now between my age and the characters in the book.
Laura and her friends Yaz and Ruth have their gap year planned and head off to Spain accompanied by Ruth’s boyfriend Tom.
I’m really missing holidays just now and I love Spain so I was living for this setting! The description of the winding mountain roads and towns made me pine for Mijas and the old town of Benelmadena.
The characters are young, just finished their last year of high school so they’re a little bit on the immature side. I absolutely hated Tom’s character. He’s controlling and manipulative and holds it over the girls that he is the one who is driving them on their trip.
There’s a touch of romance through the book and fighting between the friends all heightens the angst and heat fuelled tension on what is supposed to be an idyllic gap year.
I probably won’t go back and reread the other books but there are others that I remember reading from when I was younger that I’d definitely like to go back to this year.
Ugh, unfortunately my memory didn’t serve me as well as I’d hoped but I reckon that’s probably due to the age gap now between my age and the characters in the book.
Laura and her friends Yaz and Ruth have their gap year planned and head off to Spain accompanied by Ruth’s boyfriend Tom.
I’m really missing holidays just now and I love Spain so I was living for this setting! The description of the winding mountain roads and towns made me pine for Mijas and the old town of Benelmadena.
The characters are young, just finished their last year of high school so they’re a little bit on the immature side. I absolutely hated Tom’s character. He’s controlling and manipulative and holds it over the girls that he is the one who is driving them on their trip.
There’s a touch of romance through the book and fighting between the friends all heightens the angst and heat fuelled tension on what is supposed to be an idyllic gap year.
I probably won’t go back and reread the other books but there are others that I remember reading from when I was younger that I’d definitely like to go back to this year.
July 31, 2019
Yowza, what a feel-good read! Devoured this. Borrowed from a friend who said it was one of her faves in HS and I totally see why. Predictable in all the best ways, and loved living vicariously through Laura. If only this was real life!
4.5/5
“I know it’s crap. Especially as it hasn’t worked. If you have the real thing, you can’t leave it, can you?”
4.5/5
“I know it’s crap. Especially as it hasn’t worked. If you have the real thing, you can’t leave it, can you?”
August 6, 2023
I have been revisiting Kate Cann books after loving them as a teenager but this is one I haven’t read until now. I liked it. A good summer read. Some strong characters. I liked the open ending but I do think at times it hasn’t aged well and I was keen on how the female friendships were portrayed or ended up. A good read.
July 17, 2023
Loved this book as a teenager and it perfectly suited the cottage vacation read I was looking for. There are elements that don’t age well but overall it’s a fun and light read that had me longing for my own villa in Spain.
October 14, 2018
It's good if you like typical, cheesy romances. Otherwise, it's blah.
December 5, 2018
I found this gem in a used bookstore years ago and love rereading it. It's cute and sincere and a bit dated, so no mobile phones. Easy to relate to and easy to finish in a day!
March 2, 2021
Escapist joy 🙌
November 29, 2021
A sweet romance but has a bit of spice..perfect!
Read
January 8, 2022Read January 2022
March 9, 2022
Very cute story about friends and a little romance.
March 27, 2023
2.5 Rating
January 30, 2024
Another absolutely shit house book that I love. Was nice to come back to it after over 10 years .
But wow it’s bad !
But wow it’s bad !
October 1, 2025
een vlot geschreven verhaal over vriendschap en verliefd zijn
soms heel echt en heel realistisch, soms wel erg simplistisch en naief
maar op het einde las je een fijn feelgood verhaal
soms heel echt en heel realistisch, soms wel erg simplistisch en naief
maar op het einde las je een fijn feelgood verhaal
March 27, 2020
I loved this!! So much fun!!
June 20, 2025
Im kinda glad I didn’t have friends like this in my late teens/early twenties because I would have absolutely lost it
June 20, 2019
Laura, Yaz, Ruth, and Ruth's boyfriend Tom, decide to spend their time before university traveling through Spain. Laura anticipates a glorious holiday, relaxing and integrating themselves into the local culture. But the vacation does not turn out at all as she initially imagined. Since they are traveling in Tom's car, he demands the final say about all travel plans - his idea of a good time is spending the nights as cheaply as possible in tourist traps, eating at McDonalds, and having a great deal of 'alone time' with Ruth. The group never stops for more than a night, and their dream trip turns out to be mainly views from the inside of an automobile.
Laura and Yaz lay down the law after a beautiful night in Seville. They want to unpack their clothes, get jobs, and stay in one place for a while. But Tom is a jerk about everything, insisting the four of them do things his way and head for a tourist resort. As luck would have it, they meet Bella and Bobby, who offer them a villa in Ercos - rent free - for the season. They all agree to try it out, and the first person Yaz and Laura lay eyes on is gorgeous Juan. The two young women fall head-over-heels for him. Will Juan reciprocate with one of them? And will Tom agree to stay long enough for a relationship to develop?
This is a delicious summer romance. The scenery is described so vividly that we feel part of the sun baked (and occasionally rain drenched) locale. Laura's persective gives us a sense of adventure, as well as disdain for Tom's horrid behavior. The pace starts out a bit slow, but things speed up and heat up in Ercos. Spanish Holiday is filled with romance, travel, and enough good old fashioned fights to keep tension working overtime - a good choice for the steamy summer months ahead!
Laura and Yaz lay down the law after a beautiful night in Seville. They want to unpack their clothes, get jobs, and stay in one place for a while. But Tom is a jerk about everything, insisting the four of them do things his way and head for a tourist resort. As luck would have it, they meet Bella and Bobby, who offer them a villa in Ercos - rent free - for the season. They all agree to try it out, and the first person Yaz and Laura lay eyes on is gorgeous Juan. The two young women fall head-over-heels for him. Will Juan reciprocate with one of them? And will Tom agree to stay long enough for a relationship to develop?
This is a delicious summer romance. The scenery is described so vividly that we feel part of the sun baked (and occasionally rain drenched) locale. Laura's persective gives us a sense of adventure, as well as disdain for Tom's horrid behavior. The pace starts out a bit slow, but things speed up and heat up in Ercos. Spanish Holiday is filled with romance, travel, and enough good old fashioned fights to keep tension working overtime - a good choice for the steamy summer months ahead!
January 4, 2014
IQ "It's just I've never heard of anyone snogging someone out of politeness before", Laura pg. 205
I read this book for fun as I prepared for my trip to Spain and it wasn't awful, but I'm slowly realizing that I can only handle so many....beachy? frothy? light? reads. The book drags along in the beginning as you wonder how Tom and Ruth are real people because c'mon Tom's a Neanderthal clearly and I have no patience for fools in literature. Not when you could be traveling with your friends Yaz and Laura throughout the rest of Spain. I also didn't get how you could embark on a trip with your friends and not outline your respective goals for the trip, it hardly seems fair. But then the girls start fighting, over a guy, and I hate when that's a plotline so that frustrated me (especially since he basically played one of them. UGH).. I also couldn't figure out why Juan started out speaking with halting English and by the end of the book sounded like he was British. Plus the ending was rather unrealistic, which was disappointing.
I did like the descriptions of small-town Spanish life and it's easy to accept the good luck that befalls Laura and company. The author does a good job writing dialogue, her characters could practically be sitting next to you in Tom's car talking even if they are one-dimensional. And the romantic dialogue is cheesy and the romance moves too fast but I suspect this book would be a nice escape for some. Just wasn't my cup of tea.
I read this book for fun as I prepared for my trip to Spain and it wasn't awful, but I'm slowly realizing that I can only handle so many....beachy? frothy? light? reads. The book drags along in the beginning as you wonder how Tom and Ruth are real people because c'mon Tom's a Neanderthal clearly and I have no patience for fools in literature. Not when you could be traveling with your friends Yaz and Laura throughout the rest of Spain. I also didn't get how you could embark on a trip with your friends and not outline your respective goals for the trip, it hardly seems fair. But then the girls start fighting, over a guy, and I hate when that's a plotline so that frustrated me (especially since he basically played one of them. UGH).. I also couldn't figure out why Juan started out speaking with halting English and by the end of the book sounded like he was British. Plus the ending was rather unrealistic, which was disappointing.
I did like the descriptions of small-town Spanish life and it's easy to accept the good luck that befalls Laura and company. The author does a good job writing dialogue, her characters could practically be sitting next to you in Tom's car talking even if they are one-dimensional. And the romantic dialogue is cheesy and the romance moves too fast but I suspect this book would be a nice escape for some. Just wasn't my cup of tea.
July 19, 2018
This is my second time reading this book and I still love it. Love all the characters - including Tom they all seemed so realistic apart from Juan whom I didn't like so much. The drink sangria sounds good, red wine and lemonade. When I turn 16 (in two years, well one as I am turning fifteen this year) I will enter adulthood and drink that drink.
Oh yeah, I hate Yaz, I hated her from the beginning. I don't like people who you rant to and they just tell you to stop complaining. I didn't think their friendship would halt to a stop and I didn't remember that happening when I had previously read it.
I don't like how Kate Cann writes about love, she makes it seem so easy and although I have never experienced love, from other books I have read it doesn't seem so easy. Juan is not realistic, if he is as good looking as perceived then he won't stick around Laura for ages. He seems like he thinks on the spur of the moment and if he loves another he would just follow his heart. He is too ready to go to London with Laura and their whole relationship is too package perfect it seems on the verge of breaking. When she said they may get tired of each other if he lives with her, and then quickly says I don't think that would happen..well it will. You cannot expect to be around someone 24/7 without resenting each other for a while.
Oh yeah, I worked out she is 21 which is quite old for a YA book.
Still liked the book though.
Oh yeah, I hate Yaz, I hated her from the beginning. I don't like people who you rant to and they just tell you to stop complaining. I didn't think their friendship would halt to a stop and I didn't remember that happening when I had previously read it.
I don't like how Kate Cann writes about love, she makes it seem so easy and although I have never experienced love, from other books I have read it doesn't seem so easy. Juan is not realistic, if he is as good looking as perceived then he won't stick around Laura for ages. He seems like he thinks on the spur of the moment and if he loves another he would just follow his heart. He is too ready to go to London with Laura and their whole relationship is too package perfect it seems on the verge of breaking. When she said they may get tired of each other if he lives with her, and then quickly says I don't think that would happen..well it will. You cannot expect to be around someone 24/7 without resenting each other for a while.
Oh yeah, I worked out she is 21 which is quite old for a YA book.
Still liked the book though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2010
I have always been a fan of Kate Cann and it was in fact her books which got me reading a lot more. These 'Beach books' (there are 3 altogether) are the only romantic books of hers which l haven't read so l was looking forward to reading them, especially now the type of books she writes have changed so they will probably be the last of hers l read.
With this book l wasn't drawn into the storyline straight away but instead was slowly gripped by the book and by half way through l couldn't put it down.
Laura, Yaz and Ruth have been friends for years and have planned a summer away in Spain, Ruth then meets Tom who she quickly falls for. Not able to go away without Tom by her side they all decide very quickly to go to Spain in Tom's car. This, for Laura and Yaz is the end of their holiday dream when they soon realise Tom's idea of a hoilday is not the same as theirs.
Can the girls stick together or will they be ripped apart?
With this book l wasn't drawn into the storyline straight away but instead was slowly gripped by the book and by half way through l couldn't put it down.
Laura, Yaz and Ruth have been friends for years and have planned a summer away in Spain, Ruth then meets Tom who she quickly falls for. Not able to go away without Tom by her side they all decide very quickly to go to Spain in Tom's car. This, for Laura and Yaz is the end of their holiday dream when they soon realise Tom's idea of a hoilday is not the same as theirs.
Can the girls stick together or will they be ripped apart?
October 19, 2011
The first half of the book (the worst vacation ever) was rather frustrating. Primarily because the friend's boyfriend, Tom, was so unbelievably macho and annoying that I found it difficult to believe that any woman wouldn't see through it at least a little bit. What I liked most about the book (besides Juan, the love interest of the main character, Laura) was the descriptions of Spain, its culture, its people, the food, the landscape. The author has obviously traveled there and provided details that a typical travel book would not.
Easy read and I have a special affection for English authors and the "idioms" (if you read the book, you'll know why this is in quotes)they use.
Easy read and I have a special affection for English authors and the "idioms" (if you read the book, you'll know why this is in quotes)they use.
December 2, 2011
I read Spanish Holiday: Or, How I Transformed the Worst Vacation Ever into the Best Summer of My Life. It started out like any quick read or what some may call a fluffy read book which is what I wanted to read. It turned out not to be a quick read and I found myself bored. I did not like any of the characters much at all.
Tom Ruth’s boyfriend was beyond annoying and at times it seemed like she had no back bone at all. Laura was okay for the most part. This may have been okay but it was also very very slow, at least until half way through the book. The ending was very sudden at least to me. I will be reading the others of the Beach Books series.
Tom Ruth’s boyfriend was beyond annoying and at times it seemed like she had no back bone at all. Laura was okay for the most part. This may have been okay but it was also very very slow, at least until half way through the book. The ending was very sudden at least to me. I will be reading the others of the Beach Books series.
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