Spring break has come once again, and with it, plenty of free time to catch up on amazing shows, movies, and books. Whether you’re at home or on a trip away, let’s unwind and relax with these recommendations to excite your spring break.
Books
Beach Read by Emily Henry is set in a beach town where two writers, January Andrews and Augustus Everett, are stuck with writer’s block. January writes romance, and Augustus writes literary fiction, but both can’t seem to get a handle on their writing. The two writers then decide to swap their respective genres as a deadline is approaching in hopes of getting out of the rut they’re in. Both will learn to step into each other’s shoes and grow closer as the summer goes on and their deadline approaches.
Having the beach, romance, and growth all in one book sounds like an exciting way to spend spring break!
Keeping up with Emily Henry, another book by the author, would be People We Meet On Vacation. The book goes between the past and present as readers follow Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen throughout their years of growing closer. They first met in college and over the years took various vacations together and became best friends during this time. As they get older and lead their own lives, they drift a bit apart, and because of this, Poppy decides to take things into her own hands to rekindle their friendship. Poppy plans a vacation just like old times for her and Alex, where things will take a turn and cause a question in their friendship.
With a friends-to-lovers trope and multiple vacation spots, this is a perfect spring read!
As we seem to be sticking with the romance genre, another book I would recommend is The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas. The books follow Catalina Martin, who works at an engineering consulting company and finds herself in a sticky situation. Catalina’s sister is getting married back home in Spain, and the only problem is that Catalina lied about having a date. Aaron Blackford is her coworker, someone she despises, and he seems to despise her right back, yet he offers to be her date. Catalina wonders why Aaron would offer himself and why did she agree?
With a trip to Spain, enemies-to-lovers trope, and fake dating trope, this makes for a fun read!
Movies
One of the most iconic movies of all time is Mamma Mia, and for good reason. The movie follows daughter Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, and mother Donna, played by Meryl Streep, on their island in Greece. Sophie is set to be married soon, and all she wants is for her father to walk her down the aisle, but the only problem is that she doesn’t know who he is. Sophie invites three potential possibilities to her wedding while keeping the secret from her mother for one eventful event.
Greece, love, reunions, and did I mention it’s a musical? Definitely a must-watch!
One of my personal favorites is the musical In the Heights, which is a movie adaptation of the Broadway play of the same name. The movie follows the life of Usnavi, a local convenience store owner, and the busy lives of the Hispanic community during one hot summer in Washington Heights. The audience follows Usnavi and his dream of going back home to the Dominican Republic and navigating his relationships with people at the same time. The movie also shows the different characters’ struggles and dreams and the topic of what it is to leave behind what you once knew.
In The Heights is a beautiful story of community, family, and hardships delivered in a musical format.
I can’t end this without talking about Spring Breakers. The film follows four childhood best friends: Cotty, Faith, Candy, and Brit. The girls want to go away for spring break but realize they are short on money and decide to rob a restaurant in order to pay for their trip. They make it to Florida for their break and have the time of their lives doing everything from drugs to partying. Eventually the girls get arrested but are bailed out by a man named Alien, who turns out to be shady. The girls quickly get involved with his hectic life and get into more dangerous activities because of him.
A group of friends going absolutely crazy over their spring break sounds about right and makes for an interesting movie.
Those are just a few movies and books I would recommend for keeping you entertained over your spring break. From romance to robbery heists to figuring out who is one’s father before a wedding, this is definitely one entertaining spring break.