It has been nearly two years since we’ve taken an actual vacation—a trip with no other people or work attached to it. We are tired, so as we planned our trip, we decided to go to what has become one of our favorite places to relax—Maine.
We had never visited Maine until our daughter moved to Boston in 2020. That year, we did Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It was wonderful! We were there in August of that year, when things were just reopening after the pandemic, so we got to experience it without the usual summer crowds.
A couple of years later, we stayed at York Beach. We found an inn in an 18th-century house, which was fabulous, and we explored the many historical sites and boutiques in the area. The hardest part of this trip was that there were staffing shortages everywhere, so many of the restaurants were only open 3 or 4 days a week!
This year we are heading to an island! Deer Isle is off the coast between Portland and Bar Harbor. Again, we’ve found an 18th-century B&B to stay in! We are looking forward to long walks and lots of reading—all in temperatures 30 degrees cooler than at home!
You might sigh and wish you could tag along. And you can—through books!
Here are my favorites set in Maine:
Muir Harbor series by Melissa Tagg
This series started not long after we’d made our first visit to Maine, and reading these books felt like getting to visit all over again. While Melissa didn’t pattern her fictional town after any “real” place, she imagined it “along the coast,” probably near Camden. I laughed when she told me this, because you’ll find many books set in or based on Camden, Maine! I’m excited we’ll get to spend a half day there on our way to the island!
Sons of Scandal series by Becky Wade
I’m thinking most of you have read these! I devoured every one! I remember when Becky had finished her series set in north Georgia, and she was trying to figure out a setting for a new series. I suggested Maine, since we had come to love it so much. I’m so happy she came to love it as much as we do! Her fictional town of Groomsport is loosely based on Camden.
Orchard House Bed & Breakfast series by Heidi Chiavaroli
My friend Staci Scott first recommended this series to me. Drawing inspiration from Little Women, these family drama/romance books have been great. I’m on book six of the seven now. Since the B&B in this series is actually set in Camden, I’m hoping to recognize a few things while we are there.
Martini Club series by Tess Gerritsen
Another Camden book, although this time the town masqueades as fictional Purity. The first book in this series, The Spy Coast, was a free book from Amazon First Reads. I put it in my husband’s folder in our Kindle account, thinking he’d enjoy this story of spies who retire to Maine and stumble upon a mystery to solve. He enjoyed it and recommended it to me. Now that we’ve read the second one, The Summer Guests, we’re hoping there will be more.
One caveat: this is a general market series. There is language, though not a ton, and generally of the milder variety, with an occasional other.
Lights of Acadia series by Heidi Chiavaroli
The first book in this series—the only one I’ve read so far—is set in Bar Harbor. As it had a tiny spoiler for the Orchard House B&B series, I decided I’d finish that series before reading book two in this one. Not sure where book two will find us, but this series of books incorporates lighthouses into the stories. Romantic women’s fiction. So, so good.
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Ah, the classic. I’ve loved it since I read it to my kids! The illustrations are as charming as the story. I bought this for my granddaughter on our first trip to Maine. I think we need to read it together again!
I’m sure there are many, many more wonderful books set in Maine, so let me know if I’ve missed your favorites! Or tell us which of these I’ve mentioned you’ve enjoyed, too!