THE VACATION SHIFT

Two teens team up to prevent their parents from getting together.

Sixteen-year-old Ivy Brown Yu thought she’d be spending the summer before 11th grade winning over her crush, Connor. Instead, Ivy’s Chinese Canadian mom, Lillian, has booked them a two-week summer vacation in Japan. Ivy knows that getting out of Toronto for a bit could spark some positive changes—maybe Connor will miss her while she’s gone?—but she’s never imagined a family trip without her dad, who’s white. Ivy’s parents separated recently, but she’s convinced it’s only temporary. Traveling with a tour group of white strangers who are mostly “way older than Mom,” including several who are loud and obnoxious, isn’t her idea of a fun time, however. First, the nosy travelers keep pairing her up with the only other teen, Matteo Robertson, who’s been forced to come on the trip with his single dad, Keith. But soon the meddlers inflict their matchmaking schemes on Ivy’s and Matteo’s parents instead. As the pair try to keep their parents apart, they discover that they might actually be the ones who are catching feelings. Chu’s young adult debut features an engaging romance that gradually builds through shared struggles with challenging family dynamics and expectations. Ivy also grows in how she navigates her mental health challenges and in the ways she speaks to her family, friends, romantic partner—and herself.

An affecting, character-focused slow-burn.