AudioBook information:
Author: Lily Chu
Narrated by: Sarah Skaer
Release date: June 23, 2026
Audiobook Duration: 9 h 37 min
Sign up to start listening to audiobooks and get your first book free and 2 bonus books from our VIP selection! If you like us, enjoy 1 audiobook (and 1 bonus VIP book) a month for just $14.95 (USD). Cancel anytime.
Summary:Â Gilmore Girls meets a reverse Parent Trap in this swoony and hilarious YA rom-com from popular adult romance author Lily Chu, following a teen who, while on a group tour to Japan, teams up with a fellow traveler to keep their parents from falling in love with each other.
Ivy Yu is cursed. Her parents separated six months ago, and she’s fallen into a fog. To help, her mother books an impulsive trip to Japan (cool) on a bus tour (very uncool). Ivy should be grateful, but this summer is her last chance to get her situationship, Connor, to fall in love with her.
When they arrive in Tokyo, it’s even worse than she imagined. Ivy and her Mom are the youngest of a group of seniors. Make that two of the youngest: there’s brooding Matteo, with his single dad, Keith.
Then Ivy discovers her mother and Keith are getting close, and her crush back home is hooking up with someone else. Desperate for some semblance of control and a distraction from the heaviness she can’t seem to shake off, she makes a deal with Matteo to keep their parents apart. Luckily, he agrees—and their devious plans begin.
Dodging nosy old ladies on the bus ride through Japan, their strange partnership begins to blossom into something unexpected and exciting—but can their romantic spark survive the journey?
Reviews:
“Rich and layered, deeply engaging. What truly shines in this novel is Chu’s exquisite descriptions of [Ivy’s] travel throughout Japan.” – School and Library Journal (starred review)
“Chu’s young adult debut features an engaging romance that gradually builds through shared struggles with challenging family dynamics and expectations. An affecting, character-focused slow-burn.” – Kirkus Reviews
About the Author:
Lily Chu is the critically acclaimed author of eight books, and The Vacation Shift is her first young adult book. Her romances have been released in audio as Audible Originals, performed by Phillipa Soo, and translation rights have been sold in nine languages. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her family and far too many (yet not enough) books. Follow her on Instagram @lilychuauthor, or sign up for her newsletter at www.lilychuauthor.com for news and updates.