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Marriage Vacation
In season four of Darren Star’s hit TV Land series Y o unger , the editors at Empirical Press are shocked and deeply moved when they read Marriage Vacation, an autobiographical novel by the publisher’s estranged wife, Pauline Turner Brooks. Knowing the book will cause a sensation, they decide they must publish it. Now you can read what the hype is about—including page 58 that had everyone buzzing (...and blushing).
Marriage Vacation is for anyone who has ever fantasized about what it would be like to run away from it all.
By all appearances, Kate Carmichael has the perfect two adorable daughters, a prewar townhouse on the Upper East Side, and a husband who runs one of the most successful publishing companies in New York.
But when Kate attends a wedding and reconnects with successful friends from graduate school, she suddenly sees her life in a different the career she didn’t pursue, the dreams she’s locked away, the empty veneer of her privilege.
When the wedding weekend ends, instead of heading home to her husband and family, Kate gets on a plane and flies halfway around the world. She claims it’s just going to be for a week—two max—just so she can clear her head and reconnect with her lost dreams. But the adventure doesn't go quite as planned.
This provocative and gripping novel Is a wife and mother allowed to have a midlife crisis? And, if she does, can she ever be forgiven?
PRAISE FOR Marriage Vacation
“Marriage Vacation has everything you want an in a fascinating characters, drama, secrets, emotional reckonings, and far-flung adventure. If you love Younger , you’ll love this book. If you’ve never watched an episode of Younger (you should change that), you’ll still love this book. And just wait until you read page 58!”
— Darren Star , creator of Sex and The City and Younger
“This brilliant romp helps us understand why Liza was so excited to discover the manuscript, how any woman could leave the dreamy Charles, and what exactly Pauline—by way of her fictional alter ego, Kate Carmichael—did on that mysterious Marriage Vacation. Pack this heartfelt, insightful, funny, sexy book when you take a vacation of your own.”
— Pamela Redmond Satran , author of Younger
Marriage Vacation is for anyone who has ever fantasized about what it would be like to run away from it all.
By all appearances, Kate Carmichael has the perfect two adorable daughters, a prewar townhouse on the Upper East Side, and a husband who runs one of the most successful publishing companies in New York.
But when Kate attends a wedding and reconnects with successful friends from graduate school, she suddenly sees her life in a different the career she didn’t pursue, the dreams she’s locked away, the empty veneer of her privilege.
When the wedding weekend ends, instead of heading home to her husband and family, Kate gets on a plane and flies halfway around the world. She claims it’s just going to be for a week—two max—just so she can clear her head and reconnect with her lost dreams. But the adventure doesn't go quite as planned.
This provocative and gripping novel Is a wife and mother allowed to have a midlife crisis? And, if she does, can she ever be forgiven?
PRAISE FOR Marriage Vacation
“Marriage Vacation has everything you want an in a fascinating characters, drama, secrets, emotional reckonings, and far-flung adventure. If you love Younger , you’ll love this book. If you’ve never watched an episode of Younger (you should change that), you’ll still love this book. And just wait until you read page 58!”
— Darren Star , creator of Sex and The City and Younger
“This brilliant romp helps us understand why Liza was so excited to discover the manuscript, how any woman could leave the dreamy Charles, and what exactly Pauline—by way of her fictional alter ego, Kate Carmichael—did on that mysterious Marriage Vacation. Pack this heartfelt, insightful, funny, sexy book when you take a vacation of your own.”
— Pamela Redmond Satran , author of Younger
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 5, 2018
542 people are currently reading
6502 people want to read
About the author
Pauline Turner Brooks
1 book59 followersPauline Brooks is a graduate of the MFA program at Columbia University. She is married to Charles Brooks and they have two children. Marriage Vacation is her first novel.
Note: Pauline Turner Brooks is a fictional character from the TV Land television show Younger, played by Jennifer Westfeldt. The biography is of this character. Her name is being used as a pseudonym for a tie-in novel to the TV show. Jo Piazza was the ghostwriter for Marriage Vacation.
Note: Pauline Turner Brooks is a fictional character from the TV Land television show Younger, played by Jennifer Westfeldt. The biography is of this character. Her name is being used as a pseudonym for a tie-in novel to the TV show. Jo Piazza was the ghostwriter for Marriage Vacation.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 601 reviews
June 15, 2018
Okay, okay, yes, Marriage Vacation is a ghost-written tie-in novel for the tv series Younger. Which, unless you are a giant fan of the show (like me!) probably doesn't mean much to you... and you probably didn't run to pick it up on publishing day like I did! But in all seriousness - Marriage Vacation is a sometimes fun, sometimes heavy, and definitely sexy exploration of the middle years of motherhood. Not the early days when babies consume your whole lives, not the later years when your kids are more independent, but the middle... when they're just dependent enough, and when you've been parenting for just long enough, to feel you've completely lost your sense of self. That's where we meet Pauline, an uber-privileged Upper East Side wife and mother who devotes all her endless hours to supporting her husband's career and the lives of her children, all at the cost of herself and her passion for writing.
If you know the premise, you know that this sense of ennui pushes Pauline to take an unplanned extended break from her family, where she goes on some adventures, does some volunteering, and re-ignites her passion for writing. But will it come at the cost of her marriage?
There were a few things I didn't love... Although Pauline recognizes her privilege, it still feels hollow at times, and without giving away too much I think the author (Jo Piazza, in reality) tried TOO hard to make her likable... after all, she did bail on her kids and husband for a year, with no notice. I imagine this was fast-tracked to tie into the Younger Season 5 premiere, and it shows, as the book feels rushed in some ways, lacking depth for any character beyond Pauline. That being said, it was still a light and fun read.
As a fan of Younger, I am DECIDEDLY #teamCharles (page 58, y'all!), so while I like Pauline on the show, we all know she's just a barrier to Liza and Charles getting together. This book is a very sympathetic (albeit, fictionalized) view into Pauline's life, and while there are a few nods to the show fans will pick up on, it also stands alone as a novel about marriage, motherhood, and the self.
Perfect summer read. 3.5 Stars
If you know the premise, you know that this sense of ennui pushes Pauline to take an unplanned extended break from her family, where she goes on some adventures, does some volunteering, and re-ignites her passion for writing. But will it come at the cost of her marriage?
There were a few things I didn't love... Although Pauline recognizes her privilege, it still feels hollow at times, and without giving away too much I think the author (Jo Piazza, in reality) tried TOO hard to make her likable... after all, she did bail on her kids and husband for a year, with no notice. I imagine this was fast-tracked to tie into the Younger Season 5 premiere, and it shows, as the book feels rushed in some ways, lacking depth for any character beyond Pauline. That being said, it was still a light and fun read.
As a fan of Younger, I am DECIDEDLY #teamCharles (page 58, y'all!), so while I like Pauline on the show, we all know she's just a barrier to Liza and Charles getting together. This book is a very sympathetic (albeit, fictionalized) view into Pauline's life, and while there are a few nods to the show fans will pick up on, it also stands alone as a novel about marriage, motherhood, and the self.
Perfect summer read. 3.5 Stars
Read
July 1, 2018DNF, couldn't get behind Pauline as the protagonist. I'm not a huge fan of her in the show, and although the book made her as sympathetic as possible, I couldn't put the show to the side while reading it. I think I would've really liked it otherwise!
June 23, 2018
I wanted to read this because I am a Younger fan...
Urg. Kate (Pauline) is so infuriating that I often wanted to throw the book. I would have rathered a more realistic ending.
*Spoiler Alert*
No way would I have let that selfish bitch come home.
Urg. Kate (Pauline) is so infuriating that I often wanted to throw the book. I would have rathered a more realistic ending.
*Spoiler Alert*
No way would I have let that selfish bitch come home.
June 12, 2018
Really enjoyed this having been a long time fan of Younger (since the first episode) and it was nice to look into "Pauline's world" - however, being #TeamCharles, I do hate to sympathize with Pauline in any sense! This was a great tie in - also would recommend even for those who don't watch the show, totally stands on its own!
June 11, 2018
So, so fun. I'm still Team Liza, but damn do I love Pauline. This book is so great.
January 30, 2019
Have you ever seen the show Younger? (And is it ever coming back? #TeamJosh) If you haven't, then a little backstory: the characters work in publishing and the wife of one of the love interests writes a book under a pseudonym. A book about the time she spent away from her marriage to him, the head of the publishing company. Yep, "Kate" just up and leaves her family on a soul-searching quest and this book is basically about her adventures while she was away. It starts out self-involved and ungrateful but evolves into something more substantial. Kate wasn't away trying to regain her lost youth, just trying to find out who she was outside of her marriage and being a mother. She wanted her life to have meaning, and she wanted to pick her writing back up. I didn't love it, but I wasn't expecting to after meeting her character on the show. But it surprised me. I felt compassion for this woman. I empathized with her. I didn't wholly agree with the decisons she made, but I could understand them to some extent. I kinda didn't love the ending, though. Having said that, p. 58 was everything it was purported to be on the show. 😉 I liked the tie-in but that the book could also be read having never seen Younger.
June 11, 2018
A big hit for Millennial Print. Didn't love the ending though.
April 22, 2022
Easy read. Definitely not anything earth shattering. Predictable ending. I prefer novels with deeper character development. While I appreciated the theme (taking a break, finding your true self), if I had to read one more time how tired the protagonist was of her fancy, rich, Upper East side life I was going to scream! I can’t feel bad for someone who has a nanny and three homes. She was so forgettable, I’ve forgotten her name a day after reading the book.
September 18, 2019
I’m a big fan of the TV show Younger so that’s why I was interested in reading this book. If you don’t watch the show, there’s really no reason to read this one. But it was entertaining.
June 17, 2018
As a tie-in to the TV show Younger, this book is more or less guaranteed to be a bestseller (or at least a hit with fans). It's a beach-read kind of book and easy page-turner. Rather unfortunately, for both Millennial Print and Simon Schuster, it feels like the production process was rushed to coincide with the release of the fictional version of it on the show. There are some typos, shoddy grammar and inconsistencies (e.g. even though the characters are called Karl and Katharine, in one scene Kate recalls her husband scratching a C+K into a dining table...did "Pauline" forget that Charles has been renamed Karl or that they've spelled Katherine with a K instead of a C? In another scene Kate describes leaving the phone lying next to her on speaker but then recounts how it was still on her ear at the end of the call). I find these annoying because I think Liza would have done a better job...the thinly veiled references at Kelsey, Diana and Radha add a fun layer to the series and it's an interesting way to add more depth to a character we have actually not seen that much of on the show. I'm having a bit of a hard time though fusing the Pauline we see on TV with the alter-ego depicted in the book. I wonder if we will see any other Millennial Print books IRL (the one written by the dog, maybe?). This is a fun experiment in a way and makes for an entertaining book club/holiday read with a glass of chilled white. And at least we finally know what happens on p.58!
Want to read
June 6, 2018
If you're a fan of the show Younger, you need to pick this book up ASAP. How did I not know they were turning this into an actual book?!?! So excited to read it!
If you haven't heard of or have never watched Younger, then you are missing out on an amazing show, one that I think every book lover would truly love. It revolves around a woman who pretends to be younger than she is in order to get back to work in the publishing industry, and the whole show revolves around publishing and books! Do I need to say more? Seriously, what other show do you know that actually shows Goodreads on there? They show behind the scenes of what it takes to market a book, keep the publishing industry afloat, and just so much more. My words can't do it justice, but
They even have an author that's basically like George R. R. Martin who has a series similar to Game of Thrones called Crown of Kings! And they have cosplays related to it and so much more!
And if I still haven't convinced you, check out these two beautiful men who are in the show as well.
Oh, and did I mention the show is based on a book?
And one last picture with Charles, who is played by Peter Hermann. Not only he is a graduate of Yale, but he recently just published his own book! I love the talented cast so much.
Also, follow me on my blog here: https://thebookishexpedition.wordpres... for book reviews and a lot more!
April 24, 2020
cool book. couldn't put it down. for those who watched younger it's a nice complement to the story. compelling reading. amazing ability to incorporate past memories into the current flow of time. a bit cliche at times, but a great light reading.
September 24, 2018
Why should you read this book?
Younger fans, I know you recognize this book! Marriage Vacation by Pauline Turner Brooks is the book published by the fictional publishing house Empirical Press on TV Land series Younger. I am a huge fan of the show so when Simon & Schuster recently released this book, I was thrilled. I knew I had to read it!!
Marriage Vacation tells the story of Kate, a woman who’s going through a midlife crisis. After marrying Karl and becoming a mother, Kate leaves her biggest dream behind: writing. When the main character attends the wedding of two of her oldest friends, she faces what she lost. When the celebration ends, Kate needs to make a decision: should she go back to New York to her old life or should she leave for Thailand and try to discover herself?
This book isn’t what I usually read but I thought it was pretty good within its genre. It was definitely the perfect beach read. I basically devoured it in a day because it’s really accessible and a page-turner. If you’re a Younger fan, you’ll love it because you’ll really feel connected to the series. If you’ve never watched the show but really dig romance, then this is also your book!
I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster for the free copy. For more reviews, follow me on Instagram: @booksturnyouon
Younger fans, I know you recognize this book! Marriage Vacation by Pauline Turner Brooks is the book published by the fictional publishing house Empirical Press on TV Land series Younger. I am a huge fan of the show so when Simon & Schuster recently released this book, I was thrilled. I knew I had to read it!!
Marriage Vacation tells the story of Kate, a woman who’s going through a midlife crisis. After marrying Karl and becoming a mother, Kate leaves her biggest dream behind: writing. When the main character attends the wedding of two of her oldest friends, she faces what she lost. When the celebration ends, Kate needs to make a decision: should she go back to New York to her old life or should she leave for Thailand and try to discover herself?
This book isn’t what I usually read but I thought it was pretty good within its genre. It was definitely the perfect beach read. I basically devoured it in a day because it’s really accessible and a page-turner. If you’re a Younger fan, you’ll love it because you’ll really feel connected to the series. If you’ve never watched the show but really dig romance, then this is also your book!
I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster for the free copy. For more reviews, follow me on Instagram: @booksturnyouon
June 21, 2018
Marriage Vacation is a lot like Rogue One. The whole purpose--and really, the only plot point--of Rogue One was to explain how the Death Star could have been so easily penetrated and destroyed by Luke Skywalker in a movie that came out decades ago. It is backstory (yawn), and we know how it will eventually end. The whole purpose of Marriage Vacation is to explain how a woman could abandon her children for a year and still not consider herself a bad mother/person. According to MV, it turns out she is a good person after all and not a selfish hedonist because she is doing good! and writing again! and she desperately misses her children the whole time!
Unfortunately, "how could she be gone for a year?" is the only plot point/unanswered question for the entire 240 pages. It's not enough to keep most readers turning the page, except maybe for Younger viewers who are looking for backstory.
Marriage Vacation also is a lot like Eat, Pray, Love--written in the form of a memoir, a woman describes going on a journey to foreign countries to find herself and reclaim her life. Except... there is no memorable eating, no praying (despite taking place almost entirely at a Zen center), and no successful lovemaking (except in past tense).
However, given that Younger is my weekly guilty pleasure TV, reading Marriage Vacation is proving to useful in watching the current season since the character Pauline Turner Brooks is going on a book tour to promote this book in the first couple of episodes; it's kind of cool and uber meta to see her reading lines from the actual book.
Finally, I want to applaud the ghost writer of this book, who managed to hit all the marks they were supposed to. Millennial Books wanted to acquire this book on the show because of the "hot sex" scene on page 58, and the ghost writer delivered something like that. That writer also managed to drag out one woman's weekend get-away into a year-long sabbatical without making it sound too selfish on her part, and also explained how she managed to live that long without her wealthy husband's money.
So, Younger fans, read it if you want--it's summer, after all. Just don't expect a page-turning experience.
Unfortunately, "how could she be gone for a year?" is the only plot point/unanswered question for the entire 240 pages. It's not enough to keep most readers turning the page, except maybe for Younger viewers who are looking for backstory.
Marriage Vacation also is a lot like Eat, Pray, Love--written in the form of a memoir, a woman describes going on a journey to foreign countries to find herself and reclaim her life. Except... there is no memorable eating, no praying (despite taking place almost entirely at a Zen center), and no successful lovemaking (except in past tense).
However, given that Younger is my weekly guilty pleasure TV, reading Marriage Vacation is proving to useful in watching the current season since the character Pauline Turner Brooks is going on a book tour to promote this book in the first couple of episodes; it's kind of cool and uber meta to see her reading lines from the actual book.
Finally, I want to applaud the ghost writer of this book, who managed to hit all the marks they were supposed to. Millennial Books wanted to acquire this book on the show because of the "hot sex" scene on page 58, and the ghost writer delivered something like that. That writer also managed to drag out one woman's weekend get-away into a year-long sabbatical without making it sound too selfish on her part, and also explained how she managed to live that long without her wealthy husband's money.
So, Younger fans, read it if you want--it's summer, after all. Just don't expect a page-turning experience.
June 16, 2018
As a huge fan of Younger when I heard about this book I nearly fainted. Literally nearly fainted. There have been only a select few (I can only think of Charm from All My Children) that have been featured on a show and created in real life. Being able to read page 58 and understanding even more about what they have been speaking about and will speak about since this book will play heavily into this season is just so cool. I bought it while watching the first episode this season. When it arrived I rushed to see if only the Simon and Schuster label was on it and was delighted as a fan to see both the S&S as well as Millenial imprint on the dust jacket.
Now for the book it is not the next Pulitzer Prize winner but it is good. I turned pages and I craved the story. It is the story of Pauline and where she disappeared to in novel form with the names changed but you knew who she was talking about. While I did not like the ending (the final 10 pages) the first 230 were fantastic. I think I have a little more sympathy for the character of Pauline but at the same time I am still shocked by the idea of someone leaving their family because they need a break and being surprised by the negative repercussions of that decision. Highly enjoyable and very recommended for all but especially for fans of Younger of which this is almost required reading!
Now for the book it is not the next Pulitzer Prize winner but it is good. I turned pages and I craved the story. It is the story of Pauline and where she disappeared to in novel form with the names changed but you knew who she was talking about. While I did not like the ending (the final 10 pages) the first 230 were fantastic. I think I have a little more sympathy for the character of Pauline but at the same time I am still shocked by the idea of someone leaving their family because they need a break and being surprised by the negative repercussions of that decision. Highly enjoyable and very recommended for all but especially for fans of Younger of which this is almost required reading!
September 30, 2018
This book is readable, and perfect to read to poolside. As a fan of Younger it is a fun tie-in but not a necessary read.
January 9, 2019
This is an actual book!
I'll admit to being a bit dubious when Simon Books announced they were making Marriage Vacation a reality, especially knowing they'd have to work to fit in all the book references already made in the show. Well, they delivered. Page 58 did not disappoint, and I really enjoyed the overall book from "Pauline Turner Brooks" (who, yes, I pictured as Jennifer Westfeldt while reading, but who is actually the fabulous Jo Piazza).
As described in Younger, Marriage Vacation features a middle-aged woman living a seemingly perfect life in New York's Upper East Side - complete with husband, kids, brownstone, and enough money to never have to think about money. She's unfulfilled in her career and marriage, and goes off on her own. (Lest you think this sounds like a rehashing of a certain other "middle-aged woman goes off in search of herself" book, well, Pauline's ready for that: "I steeled myself for the clichéd Eat, Pray, Love comparisons." Rest assured, this is a different book. It's also a standalone book so it'll make sense even if you haven't watched Younger - though you totally should.)
Maybe we're not all crazy privileged, but I think most people can relate to wondering how they got somewhere - and how they can course-correct late in the game. I didn't always agree with Pauline's perspective in Marriage Vacation (which I knew going in...). Still, I enjoyed following along on her vacation, and tongue-in-cheek comments as well as recent pop culture references helped a not-so-original story feel fresh. Plus, she made some great points about how women are judged that I so appreciated.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
I'll admit to being a bit dubious when Simon Books announced they were making Marriage Vacation a reality, especially knowing they'd have to work to fit in all the book references already made in the show. Well, they delivered. Page 58 did not disappoint, and I really enjoyed the overall book from "Pauline Turner Brooks" (who, yes, I pictured as Jennifer Westfeldt while reading, but who is actually the fabulous Jo Piazza).
As described in Younger, Marriage Vacation features a middle-aged woman living a seemingly perfect life in New York's Upper East Side - complete with husband, kids, brownstone, and enough money to never have to think about money. She's unfulfilled in her career and marriage, and goes off on her own. (Lest you think this sounds like a rehashing of a certain other "middle-aged woman goes off in search of herself" book, well, Pauline's ready for that: "I steeled myself for the clichéd Eat, Pray, Love comparisons." Rest assured, this is a different book. It's also a standalone book so it'll make sense even if you haven't watched Younger - though you totally should.)
Maybe we're not all crazy privileged, but I think most people can relate to wondering how they got somewhere - and how they can course-correct late in the game. I didn't always agree with Pauline's perspective in Marriage Vacation (which I knew going in...). Still, I enjoyed following along on her vacation, and tongue-in-cheek comments as well as recent pop culture references helped a not-so-original story feel fresh. Plus, she made some great points about how women are judged that I so appreciated.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
September 2, 2018
As a newly obsessed viewer of Younger (did I binge all of the current episodes in like, a month? Perhaps.), I was eager to pick up this meta show-tie-in novel. I’m sure without the background knowledge of the show, this would have maybe fallen flatter, but as a viewer, it was a fun and readable foray into some background of Pauline & Charles. (And added some depth and likability to Pauline, for sure.) I flew through it in a day or two (though it took me a minute before the plot really got going) and would recommend it easily to other Younger fans. Jo Piazza (our ghostwriter here) truly has her finger on how to write women’s fic well, and this was no exception! Three stars only because as a stand-alone novel, this one wouldn’t fall on my list of recommendations to non-viewers.
July 11, 2018
I’ll be honest, it was pretty bland most of the way through. I was intent on rating it a 3-star book but something about that last 25% really pulled me in. That bit was fun to read so it inched it’s way up to 3.5 stars for me.
It’s not new, challenging, very well-written or anything like that but hey, it’s fun and quick and is a tie-in to one of my favorite TV shows to watch, Younger.
So yeah, I’m sticking with 3.5 (rounded down since that is not a Goodreads option).
It’s not new, challenging, very well-written or anything like that but hey, it’s fun and quick and is a tie-in to one of my favorite TV shows to watch, Younger.
So yeah, I’m sticking with 3.5 (rounded down since that is not a Goodreads option).
July 30, 2018
I wasn’t expecting much from this book, but I’m a fan of Younger and was curious to hear Pauline’s side of the story. This salacious summer read did not disappoint! I felt like I was accessing bonus content to the show, but also that I really did stand on its own (without the show) as a good fun read. It even had an unexpected twist at the end that gave me an audible gasp. The perfect read for an airplane ride or a weekend at the beach, I would definitely recommend this fun read!
November 5, 2019
I'm a big fan of the TV show Younger and Sutton Foster. This book was a fun romp that hit all the right notes for me. Perfect escapism and I would check out more by the real author.
July 26, 2018
Audiobook
***5 STARS***
Wow! What a great listen! WHY does this novel ONLY have a 3.5 star rating?! I can connect with Kate on so many levels (besides being a millionaire and actually going on a one year hiatus). Being a mom and wife can be so exhausting mentally. I’m 37 and already feel the same way sometimes. How I’d love to do what she did, I don’t think I could leave my family for that long though. Maybe for a couple of weeks! I don’t judge her by all means, she needed the hiatus and fortunately her husband, even if reluctant, allowed her to go and forgave her. That’s LOVE. You truly LOVE someone if let them go even if you’re unsure of the outcome. MONEY will NEVER make you 100% internally happy. STATUS is only a facade. STATUS doesn’t make you a good person. Lovely story!
***5 STARS***
Wow! What a great listen! WHY does this novel ONLY have a 3.5 star rating?! I can connect with Kate on so many levels (besides being a millionaire and actually going on a one year hiatus). Being a mom and wife can be so exhausting mentally. I’m 37 and already feel the same way sometimes. How I’d love to do what she did, I don’t think I could leave my family for that long though. Maybe for a couple of weeks! I don’t judge her by all means, she needed the hiatus and fortunately her husband, even if reluctant, allowed her to go and forgave her. That’s LOVE. You truly LOVE someone if let them go even if you’re unsure of the outcome. MONEY will NEVER make you 100% internally happy. STATUS is only a facade. STATUS doesn’t make you a good person. Lovely story!
October 4, 2019
A mediocre read. Half the time I couldn't care less what was happening. The story has a great potential to be phenomenal and some people may even love it but I wasn't for me. I did like how Kate came to love herself and find her path again. But that's about it, I didn't care much for the other things.
July 8, 2018
As you may know, I am a huge fan of the show Younger. When I found out that Marriage Vacation was going to become a real book, I was excited and nervous. I know in general that when books are tie-ins for TV, they aren't always very good.
This book is actually surprisingly good. It's a book I would've enjoyed if I had just encountered it randomly, with no idea it came from a TV show. It's really fun. I also like the way it gave us more insight into Pauline. (As backstory, if you watch the show, you know Charles' wife left him and their girls and was gone for a year. If you read the book, you see that there's a little more to it than that. She was constantly talking to the girls and Facetiming; she planned to be gone for a couple weeks, a month at most, and it just kept getting pushed back. And she was doing good things in the world. She wasn't just doing spa days and exotic travel.)
Pauline is a really polarizing character, but I always liked her. (Part of it is definitely because I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Westfeldt; I'm pretty sure it's literally impossible to dislike any character she plays.) This book really cemented that.
Even if you don't watch Younger, this is a super fun book. Grab some wine or a daiquiri and read it by the pool. You'll have the best time.
Recommended.
This book is actually surprisingly good. It's a book I would've enjoyed if I had just encountered it randomly, with no idea it came from a TV show. It's really fun. I also like the way it gave us more insight into Pauline. (As backstory, if you watch the show, you know Charles' wife left him and their girls and was gone for a year. If you read the book, you see that there's a little more to it than that. She was constantly talking to the girls and Facetiming; she planned to be gone for a couple weeks, a month at most, and it just kept getting pushed back. And she was doing good things in the world. She wasn't just doing spa days and exotic travel.)
Pauline is a really polarizing character, but I always liked her. (Part of it is definitely because I'm a huge fan of Jennifer Westfeldt; I'm pretty sure it's literally impossible to dislike any character she plays.) This book really cemented that.
Even if you don't watch Younger, this is a super fun book. Grab some wine or a daiquiri and read it by the pool. You'll have the best time.
Recommended.
June 21, 2021
Time to be honest: the only reason I read this book is that it’s from the show ‘Younger’ starring Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff. I was desperate for more Younger content (the show ended with season 7 this year) and thought it made sense to pick up the book that a main character’s absentee wife wrote (Season 5, my fellow Younger fans!). I didn’t get any more Younger drama :( but what I did get was a surprisingly well-written book documenting Charles’ ex-wife’s adventures for the time she was M.I.A. The book walks through how Pauline had let her impulsiveness and desires take a back seat as she slowly morphed into the ‘perfect mother and perfect wife’ who often ended up blending with the background. When she leaves on a whim, it is both the best and worst decision of her life - she pursues her writing again, volunteers, makes new friends but her relationship with her family suffers. How will they react when she finally gets back? Read to find out. If you liked the book ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, this is the book for you.
February 16, 2019
In season four of Darren Star’s hit TV Land series Younger, the editors at Empirical Press are shocked and deeply moved when they read Marriage Vacation, an autobiographical novel by the publisher’s estranged wife, Pauline Turner Brooks. Knowing the book will cause a sensation, they decide they must publish it. Now you can read what the hype is about.
To find herself…she might lose everything.
By all appearances, Kate Carmichael had the perfect life: two adorable daughters, a pre-war town house on the Upper East Side, and a husband who ran one of the most successful publishing companies in New York. But when Kate attends the wedding of two of her oldest friends and reconnects with successful classmates from graduate school, she suddenly sees her life in a different light: the career she didn’t pursue, the dreams she’s locked away, the empty veneer of her privilege.
When the wedding weekend ends, instead of heading home to her husband and family, Kate gets on a plane and flies halfway around the world. She claims it’s just going to be for a week—two max—so she can clear her head, make headway with her writing, and shake free of the feeling that time is passing her by. What goes from one week, turns into a month, and then another, until she's not sure if there is a space for her left at home.
The latest 'Eat, Pray, Love' book - women goes on a journey to discover herself and find out what is most important to her. It is a lovely story of self-development. Kate goes on a journey that takes her to Thailand, where she will meet people she never expected to meet and take on challenges that she would never have expected. It was a lovely, easy read that I would recommend to anyone wanting to carry on the Younger obsession.
To find herself…she might lose everything.
By all appearances, Kate Carmichael had the perfect life: two adorable daughters, a pre-war town house on the Upper East Side, and a husband who ran one of the most successful publishing companies in New York. But when Kate attends the wedding of two of her oldest friends and reconnects with successful classmates from graduate school, she suddenly sees her life in a different light: the career she didn’t pursue, the dreams she’s locked away, the empty veneer of her privilege.
When the wedding weekend ends, instead of heading home to her husband and family, Kate gets on a plane and flies halfway around the world. She claims it’s just going to be for a week—two max—so she can clear her head, make headway with her writing, and shake free of the feeling that time is passing her by. What goes from one week, turns into a month, and then another, until she's not sure if there is a space for her left at home.
The latest 'Eat, Pray, Love' book - women goes on a journey to discover herself and find out what is most important to her. It is a lovely story of self-development. Kate goes on a journey that takes her to Thailand, where she will meet people she never expected to meet and take on challenges that she would never have expected. It was a lovely, easy read that I would recommend to anyone wanting to carry on the Younger obsession.
July 8, 2025
I was about to give it 2⭐️, but I settled for 1⭐️ because I HATED the main character.
She spent a good part of the book worried that her husband was going to move on. Like, she left with little to no explanation. She left her husband and two girls. She mentioned missing them like two times in the entire novel, and then she would justify herself by saying that no one would judge a man for doing that. But that doesn't make it right!!
She fucking cheating on the husband who took care of the two daughters on his own for a year.
I hated that she kept explaining like she had no other option. When in reality, she just did not communicate with her husband. The husband begged her crying to come back and she said she needed more time. He shouldn't have left her come back. She left them for a fucking year. Like, you're rich, go to fucking therapy if you feel lost.
This was the bad/selfish version of eat pray love.
She spent a good part of the book worried that her husband was going to move on. Like, she left with little to no explanation. She left her husband and two girls. She mentioned missing them like two times in the entire novel, and then she would justify herself by saying that no one would judge a man for doing that. But that doesn't make it right!!
She fucking cheating on the husband who took care of the two daughters on his own for a year.
I hated that she kept explaining like she had no other option. When in reality, she just did not communicate with her husband. The husband begged her crying to come back and she said she needed more time. He shouldn't have left her come back. She left them for a fucking year. Like, you're rich, go to fucking therapy if you feel lost.
This was the bad/selfish version of eat pray love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2019
First up, know this...I didn’t watch the show. I have no idea who Pauline is.
This book was a slow start for me and I wasn’t sure how I felt about the premise. A vacation from your marriage?! A week away from your responsibilities as a wife and mother? Maybe I could get on board with this. (Full disclosure, I was jealous of Kate and her week of solitude!) But to fly half way around the world and leave your family for a year? I had trouble buying into the idea.
I was ready to give up on Kate and her journey, but I’m glad I didn’t. I think every busy wife and/or mother can relate to losing a bit of themselves, forgetting what makes us truly happy inside, or begrudging ourselves the time we need to remain our true selves.
Do not let the bright-colored flippant cover fool you. There’s more to this book than taking off your wedding ring before an exotic girls’ weekend.
This book was a slow start for me and I wasn’t sure how I felt about the premise. A vacation from your marriage?! A week away from your responsibilities as a wife and mother? Maybe I could get on board with this. (Full disclosure, I was jealous of Kate and her week of solitude!) But to fly half way around the world and leave your family for a year? I had trouble buying into the idea.
I was ready to give up on Kate and her journey, but I’m glad I didn’t. I think every busy wife and/or mother can relate to losing a bit of themselves, forgetting what makes us truly happy inside, or begrudging ourselves the time we need to remain our true selves.
Do not let the bright-colored flippant cover fool you. There’s more to this book than taking off your wedding ring before an exotic girls’ weekend.
February 27, 2019
This book is part of the reason why I'm perfectly okay being single with cats. The main character realizes after her two children are in middle school that she never did go on that trip to Thailand. So she just up and abandons her family for a year. This is Eat, Pray, Love, minus the divorce.
Honestly, I found the main character to be very selfish and I felt bad for her poor husband, whose wife just up and leaves him (and their nanny) to care for their kids while she went off to Thailand to live in a yurt. The sappy ending was too much for me.
Now, to go rewatch Younger again to see where this book fits in.
Honestly, I found the main character to be very selfish and I felt bad for her poor husband, whose wife just up and leaves him (and their nanny) to care for their kids while she went off to Thailand to live in a yurt. The sappy ending was too much for me.
Now, to go rewatch Younger again to see where this book fits in.
June 20, 2018
I mean I'm very #teamcharles but I was interested in reading this as an extension of the fictional world of Younger. It was a quick, fun read, although not well written enough to be as amazing as Liza sells it to be in the show? (Though page 58 lives up to the hype.) It's a catch-22. Also, this seems like a weird Millenial Press book, considering it's about a woman older than that demographic? It seems more of a fit for women actually Liza's age. But, I digress, no use unnecessarily poking the plot device, the real-life book does what it needs to do.
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