Curl up with a quirky small-town Alaskan rom-com that’ll leave you laughing over:
A grumpy local and the sunny tourist who turns his world upside down
A rogue moose who threatens to steal every scene
A vacation you’ll never forget
And a sweet romance that doesn’t need to scald the pages to burn its way into your heart
He had a strict “no tourists” policy…until she broke all of his rules.When … tourists” policy…until she broke all of his rules.When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he’s stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless parade of resort visitors who couldn’t interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way…
Two weeks in Alaska isn’t just the top item on Zoey Caldwell’s bucket list. It’s the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she’s smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham’s world, she may just find there’s more to the grumpy local than meets the eye…and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.
This story of Alaska marries together all the things you didn’t realize you needed: a whirlwind vacation, a friendly moose, a grumpy diner owner, a quirky tourist, plenty of restaurant humor, and a happy ending that’ll take you away from it all.
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This is a love letter to the land and the people who live there. Moose Springs may be a small town and while it is protective it is never small minded. I don’t read a lot of contemporary, but so glad I read this. Also did I say it was genuinely funny?
4.5/5
I will start out by saying that I am SO HAPPY The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler is book one of a series. I loved most of the characters, the moose, the dog, and most of all, the Alaskan setting. This book was a ton of fun and made me laugh a lot, but it wasn’t all fun and games either. There are some more serious moments that I loved, but I also loved that everything came back to romance and laughs. There is some drama in this one which I enjoyed, and I was rather surprised to learn it is a debut novel as well. I thought Morgenthaler did such a great job with all aspects of this novel, and the end made me so happy I cried.
The Tourist Attraction has a ton of characters you will love like Zoey, Graham, and some of Graham’s friends, and others that are very ‘bratty’ rich people that you won’t. But I thought it was a great mix and the good characters definitely outweigh the bad. The animals in the book really added a little something extra to the story and I loved having them in it, they were really their own characters (without viewpoints) and if you are an animal lover like I am you will appreciate this. I couldn’t really get a good read on Zoey. On hand she was super shy, but on the other she was pretty badass! I loved that she wasn’t a weak character, and she was the perfect lead for this story. Elise Arsenault narrates the audiobook, and I had a fun time listening to her voice it.
I listened to the whole thing in just a couple sittings, and it really had me glued to the pages. Even though it doesn’t center around a holiday, I think The Tourist Attraction is perfect for December if you are looking for something fun and sappy without the holiday themes. It just made my heart so happy and I didn’t even mind all of Graham’s little pet names. Also, Growly Bears?? If that’s not a thing it should be! I can’t wait to read/listen to Mistletoe and Mr. Right now and almost went straight into it. Such a fun start to a series and I am officially hooked on the town of Moose Springs!
Another reread (I’m on a roll). Actually moving this up to 5 stars because it was even better the second time and I don’t remember why I didn’t give it 5 stars the first time!
Jake is the best. Nobody can tell me anything differently. And if Jake is such a good dog, then his human is also good stuff, and this is true. Graham is good stuff too. Sometimes a little cliche, but in the absolute best ways!
3.5 stars. This was a mostly cute enemies-to-lovers vibe romance. Graham is the grumpy diner owner who hates tourists, and Zoey is the quirky, down to earth, unemployed and impoverished traveler surrounded by a rich friend (Lana) and Lana’s filthy rich friends. Zoey is determined to get everything she can out of this trip she’s saved forever for, but lots of stuff goes wrong. And she starts to fall for Graham who refuses to entertain the idea of a short term affair with a tourist, but also actively blames other tourists for issues but “Zoey is different”. I didn’t fully love this, but my biggest issues were : the instalove – they just met! It’s like two weeks! And half of it plus, they weren’t even dating and half their interactions were unpleasant?- and the violence – holy moly, Graham thinks pretty much every issue with another man can be solved with a punch to the face or a beating (and no one seems to call him out on that macho nonsense) and even Zoey is kind of quick to violence in the name of self-defense (even when there’s no actual danger) and it’s just forgiven. I’m hoping I’ll like Lana’s story more!
Oh my Alaska! Absolutely LOVE this. I was laughing, giggling, had tears in my eyes and warmth in my heart. This is the perfect rom-com to lift the spirits and bring on the fun.
I bought this and put it aside. Boy, was I wrong to do that. Enjoyable.
It took me a little while to get into this audio book. But then I was hooked and enjoyed it a lot. It was a bit cheesy at times but hey, what do I expect, it is a love story.
The back drop of the Alaskan nature was fantastic and made my heart sing 🙂
My side hurts from laughing so hard. The characters were really likable but it was the goings on that had me splitting a gut.
Moose Springs, Alaska is a small town with a love/hate relationship with tourists. The Shaws built a resort above the town bringing in the rich (thanks for the money) and entitled (please go home). During the summer months the town is packed, invaded by the inconsiderate and unappreciative.
One of the most popular tourist locations is the Tourist Trap, a hamburger joint where they serve burgers and abuse. Lines are out the door for lunch and dinner just to be treated to the abuses of Graham, owner and major disliker of tourists. No matter what he did, the tourists wouldn’t go away. He had one rule, no tourists.
Until Zoey. Her best friend was a frequent tourist to Moose Springs with more money than, well, the people of Moose Springs and a large portion of the country. Zoey saved for years, surviving on ramen, in order to go to Alaska, the only thing on her bucket list. She stands out among the rich and famous. He wants to avoid her. He wants to get to know her. He wants her gone. He wants her to stay.
Murphy’s law should be renamed Zoey’s law. If something bad could happen, it would happen to Zoey. If plans could be cancelled, it would happen to Zoey. If a person could get lost it would be Zoey and she does more than once.
It might not be right but all the bad juju and mess ups had me laughing all the way through. So many crazy adventures.
This book was so much fun!
I spent so much time with a smile on my face, luxuriating in the adorable slow burn that simmered and smoked between Zoey and Graham. I laughed out loud, I smiled so hard, and my heart gave a couple good aches as they sorted through their baggage and worked their way toward their happily-ever-after.
But mostly?
I smiled.
And that felt so freaking good.
There’s not a lot of heat to this story, which was just fine with me. But there were a lot of laugh out loud moments, and a lot of feel-good butterflies. I was completely charmed by Zoey and Graham. The not-so-grumpy hero, and the adorkably sweet heroine were a match made for my heart. The setting and the secondary characters only added to the charm, and I am hooked. I loved this so much! It left my heart so happy and my mind so satisfied. I can’t wait to dive back into more of this series!
Oh My Goodness!!!! So, I am going to be honest about what drew me to The Tourist Attraction….are you ready???? Alaska!
Yup, that’s right, Alaska is what made me start reading. Why you ask? Well, because I LOVE Alaska and I LOVED the Tourist Attraction!
Page 1 had me giggling and I didn’t stop until the very last page!!! I enjoyed Graham’s character immensely; along with Zoey, Jake, and I would remiss if I forgot to mention Ulysses (he gave me a lot of giggles). This story was exactly what I needed: the laughs, the romance, the friends, and being able to “travel” back to Alaska.
If you are looking for a story to get lost in and to meet new friends, grab The Tourist Attraction, and while you are at it, pick up the next book, Mistletoe and Mr. Right; because when you read the little tidbit at the end of TTA, you are going to want to dive right in like me!
I started The Tourist Attraction prepared to be disappointed. I knew the synopsis sounded cute, but I’d recently read The Simple Wild and Wild at Heart and I was afraid I’d be comparing it to two books that had completely swept me off my feet. But try as I might, I couldn’t fight the grin that overtook my face within the first few pages. And I kept finding myself smiling and laughing out loud as I read the rest of this adorable book.
What I liked: Graham and Zoey are adorkable together. Their banter and chemistry is on point. I loved that Zoey was adventurous despite being quieter than her more confidant friend, Lana. Sometimes when our leading lady is the nerdy, quiet type, the author also makes her shy and timid. Not Zoey!
I loved the setting. I think I’m developing an Alaskan fixation with all the books I’ve been reading lately. Morgenthaler does a beautiful job of setting the scene and giving the reader memorable (and romantic) experiences.
I also loved the plot point of the town vs. the tourists. I love to travel, but I’m always thinking about how the locals must feel about strangers constantly rotating through the place they live and love. While tourism is sometimes necessary to keep money coming in, it often also means destroying some of what there is to love about a place. It’s definitely a rock and hard place, and the author succeeds at showing a bit of both sides.
But what I love most about this book is the humor and heart. I laughed, smiled, and got misty-eyed, and that’s the kind of escapism needed right now.
While I love this book and highly recommend it, a few things did bother me. I wanted more of Zoey’s backstory. I kept waiting for it, thinking we’re going to find out why Alaska has always been her dream destination, but we never get it. I also found myself confused by some of the dialogue–backtracking and rereading–but overall these small things weren’t enough to kill my happy reading experience.
The Tourist Attraction is so much fun, and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
I liked this book, it taught me more about Alaska. The character were real.
There’s something about a grumpy hero in a romance novel that just works for me. Graham stole my heart almost instantly. His diner started out as a joke and his customer service is nonexistent, picture lots of grunting and you get what you get with a surly attitude. Then there’s Zoey who is his polar opposite, she’s adorable, sweet, quirky and awkward and I loved her too. So with two main characters that I liked, I was already happy and then throw in an amazing Alaskan setting and it really couldn’t be any more perfect for me!
This had all the rom-com feelings and was super sweet too, very much cutesy rather than sexy but Graham and Zoey’s chemistry was great. It’s a great beginning to a new series, the secondary characters were fantastic and I can’t wait until my next trip to Moose Springs! Oh, if you’re an animal lover there is also plenty to love her taking this to a whole other swoon level.
fun book and an easy read
Had my attention right from the beginning. Laughed out loud. Even my husband enjoyed it.
A wonderful easy read that makes for a beautiful and romantic escape from everyday life!
The Tourist Attraction has been on my list for a while and if I’m being honest, this was a case of the cover made me do it. The cover is super cute and as it turns out, so was the book. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a great job. u2063
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Graham and Zoe were adorable! He’s a local who loves his hometown and hates tourists. She’s a tourist who has always wanted to visit Alaska and saved for years for the trip. There’s also a lovable dog (Graham’s) named Jake who is blind. Y’all know I’m a sucker for a dog. u2063
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I really liked the banter between Graham and Zoe. It wasn’t snarky (usually my preference) but it was so sweet and allowed us to see how many exceptions Graham was making for Zoe. He might have been grumpy but he was also a big cinnamon roll! u2063
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I wasn’t a fan of the chapter length. They were LONG. It made the book drag a little. The conflict was also pretty predictable. u2063
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Overall, super cute but I did find myself missing the steam a little.u2063
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3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Loved it!
This was such a romantic comedy. I LOVED the moose. Who doesn’t fall in love with a horny moose and a blind dog that lives for wearing his PJ’s? The building of the friendship and romance was nice. Can’t wait for “L’s” story.
I loved this book. It made me laugh and cry and root for happily ever after.