Breakaway Books

Authored by Lacie Waldon; Published 2021; Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that had me looking up a beach vacation, but after The Layover, I was fervently searching for resorts in Belize. How could I not, after hearing about the fun adventures to be had?

The Layover’s heroine, Ava, is a perpetual wanderer, instilled in her because of her parents’ nomadic lifestyle and then pursued in her career as a flight attendant. But her fiance is desperate for her to finally settle down and start a life with him. Ava reluctantly agrees—before getting stuck on a layover in Belize on her last flight with her arch nemesis, Jack.

While I didn’t find the romance itself the most scintillating—the hero wasn’t much to my taste—I did like reading Ava’s struggles to come to terms with her real desires for her life. Her passions for even the minor conveniences of travel shines through clearly, even if she keeps telling herself how much she wants to settle down. I loved the insights into a flight attendant’s life, and I enjoyed getting to know her quirky coworkers. Ava’s life seems about as far as mine as one can get, and it was fun to escape into it. I imagine you’ll feel the same if you live a largely sedentary life and wonder about the prospect of life in motion.

Was it completely transparent that her fiance was wrong for her, almost from the beginning? Sure, but that’s what romances are for. I just wasn’t quite as sold that Jack, the dashing pilot turned flight attendant, was right for her. Thoroughly convinced as I was that Ava was suited for a life of travel, the prospect of life with Jack dimmed in comparison (not, of course, that she would have to choose).

Regardless, the tropical setting is too delightful to pass up if you’re looking for a true escape. Sit back, drink a margarita, and you’ll race through The Layover.