If You Like Villa Coco…

Villa Coco by Sean Greer (2026) centers around a young man escaping his life. He takes a job in Italy at the home of the Baronessa Lisabetta (aka Coco), a vibrant nonagenarian. The job listing said the role was as an archivist, and there is plenty in the villa to record, but he is also called upon to help with an olive harvest, travel with Coco, and listen to the stories of her life. The narrator has sworn off men, after a series of bad relationships, but nonetheless finds love on his path. The book is also a delightful travelogue of the treats of Italy. Below are other books about folks finding their place in the world, traveling to find answers, and developing unexpected friendships.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Antrim (1922)

Four women who are unhappy with their lives share the expense of renting a house in Italy for the month of April. Through their time away from their routine and the developing friendships between them, they find their way back to happiness. Readers of Villa Coco will enjoy the delight in discovering Italy and the cross generational friendships. Made into a fantastic movie!

The Vacationers by Emma Straub (2014)

The Posts are on a trip to Mallorca. Franny and Jim are celebrating their anniversary and Sylvia is marking her graduation from high school. Being outside of their usual setting allow the characters to reveal secrets and shed old patterns. Jim lost his job after an indescretion with a young colleague, and Franny is deciding whether to forgive him. Son Bobby has moved from real estate to selling protein powders with his girlfriend Carmen, also along for the vacation. Rounding out the group is Franny’s friend Charles and his husband Lawrence, who are desperate to adopt a child.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (2021)

I listened to this novel as an audiobook (narrated by Tara Divina, Sagar Arya, and Paul Panting) and found it a charming read. In the book, Aleisha and Mukesh become friends thanks to a mysterious list of recommended books. Aleisha is a student who works at the library and cares for her mom who is suffering from depression. Mukesh is recently widowed and would rather stay at home with the memories of his wife (herself a devoted reader). When he manages to make it to the library, he asks Aleisha for a book suggestion. She scrambles for a response and relies on a slip of paper that she found in a returned book that lists a series of (real) books: To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice Beloved, The Kite Runner, etc. Fans of Villa Coco will engage with the unlikely friendship between the two.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024)

(CW: suicide)

The Wedding People took me a little bit to get into. (I listened to it as an audiobook narrated by Helen Laser.) But after the first quarter of the book, I was completely sold on its clever writing and engaging characters. The main character is Phoebe, who is miserable thanks to isolation during the pandemic, a divorce, and the death of her cat. She decides to take the vacation she always dreamed of at an extravagant hotel in Rhode Island, where she will commit suicide. She is the only guest at the hotel who is not a part of the wedding of Lila and Gary. Phoebe becomes entangled with the wedding group and finds a freedom in interacting with folks she doesn’t know and will never see again.