Emily Henry has done it again. A light, witty romance that I found difficult to put down. Just a lot of fun to read. Recommended for light vacation fare.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were really well drawn and I think the main relationship was very well developed.

This is one of Emily Henry's best books. I fell in love with Alex and Poppy's friendship and was rooting for them from the beginning to get together. Recommend for anyone who loves romance books and loves a friends to lovers trope.

"I still have a lot to figure out, but the one thing I know is, wherever you are, that’s where I belong. I’ll never belong anywhere like I belong with you."

I think I am an Emily Henry girlie.

This is going to be another review alongside lyrics because "Anywhere With You" by Maggie Rogers is LITERALLY POPPY AND ALEX AND I WILL NEVER HEAR THE SONG THE SAME AGAIN.

TW: burnout, past bullying, mentioned death of a cat, past death of a parent (childbirth), past parent with depression, past death of a grandparent

I genuinely can't think of a book that nails the friends to lovers trope better than this one? I quickly became infatuated with Poppy and Alex. Poppy is a travel blogger suffering from professional burnout and desperately missing her best friend, Alex. But the two haven't talked since a disastrous trip to Croatia, the reason for which you can probably guess but is naturally revealed at the very end of the book.

"I wanna lose my mind in a hotel room with you / Anywhere would do"

Alex is a schoolteacher living in their hometown, a place Poppy refuses to return to. He tags along on Poppy's summer trips and has for the last ten years, so when she suggests one last trip before his brother's wedding he accepts.

It's the worst trip ever.

As an avid traveler myself the vacation parts of the book were definitely the most fun. And I've been to Palm Springs—Poppy was naive thinking off-season in Palm Springs was still nice 💀 made for a memorable story though! Emily Henry knows what she's doing.

"Pack up all your shit and put it in the back / Maybe the miles can make up for the things you lack / I'll go anywhere, anywhere with you"

I literally watched When Harry Met Sally... a week before reading this and got to the end of the author's note to learn that movie was an impression for this book. So now I have declared myself in the friends to lovers era.

If you're looking for positive therapy portrayal, multiple settings (bc they travel), only one bed with broken AC, kisses in the rain, sexual tension so thick not even the sharpest jawline could cut it, and light to moderate feels, bump this up on your TBR.

"Cruising 95 like we got nothing to lose / I'm praying to the headlights like I prayеd to you / Before I found you / Roll the windows down, kill thе radio"

Other than the TWO (!!) nursing back to health scenes, my favorite bits of the book were the flashbacks to other trips. One of the chapters dragged a bit, but I felt like the pacing dragged a bit more in the present day for the last 1/3. It took me one day to read the first 80% and a week to read the last 20%, hence the dropped star. But the nursing back to health trope!! My fav!

"Would you tell me if I ever started holding you back? / Would you talk me off the guard rail of my panic attack? / Look me straight in my center and tell me from the heart / Are you ready to start? Are you ready to start?"

Is this book overhyped? Is it a basic BookTok bitch book? Yes and yes. BUT IS IT INCREDIBLE?? YES.

I'm a cynic when it comes to relationships and don't read romance novels to fill a gap a man should be occupying (in a metaphorical sense, get your head out of Tinder), but I read this book and NEEDED a significant other. Not necessarily Alex. But someone who make me feel like a best version of myself, a comfort human, a person who has seen every inch of my soul and stays anyway. Someone to love me in every sense of the word. And PoppyAlex define that type of relationship.

"You tell me that forever couldn't come too soon / If I'm gonna lose my mind, I'm gonna lose it with you / You tell me you want everything, you want it fast / But all I've ever wanted is to make something fucking last / I'll go anywhere, I'll go anywhere / I'll go anywhere with you"

We could have the conversation about autistic-coded love interests that are not canonically autistic (see also Charlie in The Charm Offensive) in this review, or we could just nod and smile and know that Alex is autistic and Poppy has ADHD and we love two neurodivergent simps.

LASTLY I want to talk about the third act conflict (er, the present day timeline one, not the Croatia one). It was a genuine adult conflict! And it wasn't easily solved by a grand gesture! Or by ONE of the characters caving/compromising and then we have to expect it's happily ever after! I don't love the stress that Real Life can cause, but I love realistic conflicts and I love seeing characters making it work because they'd rather die than not have the other in their life <3

PoppyAlex forever.

"Everywhere I went, he’d be there too, and so I’d always feel like myself."

Thank you to Berkley for the arc like three years ago. Sorry I'm a mood reader and it took me so long.

I'm not a rom-com lover, but this was a much needed palate cleanser after a few dark thrillers. I did enjoy the second chance, friends to lovers storyline and will be reading more by Emily Henry as soon as I can.

Alex and Poppy are the best! They are best friends who go on vacation together every year. Until 2 years ago. Now Poppy asked for one more vacation. This slow burn friends to lovers is everything you would want in a romance. Don’t miss out!

I enjoyed PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION even more than BEACH READ, which is saying something! Writing a romance involving best friends can be tricky, but I fell for both Poppy and Alex as individuals before I ever rooted for them as a couple. Henry keeps the reader guessing enough and takes you on Poppy's journey — both global and personal. It's smart, funny, heart-rending and escapist in all the best ways.

Unlike Beach Reads, I started this book with low expectations, and apparently it was the best decision, because I really enjoyed it.
I loved the slow burn romance, the friends to lovers trope, how she connected with the characters, and the theme behind the story: find that people that feel like home.

Such a great love story. This was a perfect beach read. Love prevails. Highly recommend ❤️ It was fun watching the characters develop and their love grow as they realized how much they really did need each other

okay first off, did i hate this book? no. but did i find really any sort of entertainment in this book? also no.

mostly my problems lie in the characters in this book since there is not a lot of plot going on. the plot mainly consists of flashbacks that we get of the two "best friends", poppy and alex, of all their vacations for the past 10 years interspersed with the current vacation they are on. they had a falling out before this current vacation which put them on pause, and we get a big lead-up to what caused it.

so basically most of this book was hella boring and nothing happened. i have a problem with a lot of romance books today because i feel like they want to be fun and light but also have a little bit of depth too but it just ends of disjointed. if you want to be emotional. GO THERE. if you want to be funny. GO THERE. you can definitely achieve both of those in the same book too but unfortunately, i think ms. henry half assed both aspects instead of putting her emdussy into both.

the big falling out was basically pointless to me personally and this is coming from a very sensitive person who also is petty. while there was some legitimate reasons behind the falling out that i do understand but for grown adults it seemed a bit immature to not talk for that long. this is something i could look past a bit because ya know things get awkward but i think these 2 could use some good communication advice in therapy. as a 19 year old i feel like i have more self aware about communication than both of them combined tbh.

now moving onto my real problems.

poppy is the most pick me, wannabe quirky, white girl i've EVER seen.

alex has the personality of a saltine cracker.

so poppy literally is giving an insecure woman who wants to be different so bad that it simply becomes annoying. to me a lot of her personality and traits resembled that of a 15 year old trying to find themself while experiencing puberty. i'm not saying you don't have identity crises and still aren't finding yourself later in life but it feels as if she's stuck in that stage. again even though i'm 19, i feel like freshman year of high school me related to poppy more than i do currently. and when i tell you i was the most annoying creature to touch this earth then, that says a lot about poppy.

next up, alex. this man literally was unseasoned chicken breast rinsed off after cooking. he had no personality besides being uptight and ya know what i feel like he actually is a realistic late 20s/early 30s white man but i personally do not find that desirable. i need a little spice. a lil zest. and he was giving dry wonder bread. i actually don't blame alex much for this because i think he does have a lil somethin somethin buried in there but this whole book was told from poppy's perspective so we never see anything at all.

i didn't hate these characters together or anything of the sort. i didn't feel like they had no chemistry whatsoever either. i did think that since we didn't have alex's perspective, it was hard for me to truly see how he cared about poppy in a romantic sense.

the writing wasn't bad either but it was unmemoriable. i literally forgot that i read this book and had to put a rating/review.

this is just the most boring romance with some of the blandest millennial characters that i've ever read. i can see it being relatable for some but as a gen z, mixed, black, bisexual, woman this was not giving what it was suppose to. it lacked spice and that's that.

thank you to berkley publishing, emily henry, and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thus book was AMAZING! Emily Henry does it again. This was such a sweeet romance read. I did not want it to end at all.

Another winner from Emily Henry! I think this release has cemented her as one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. I loved the Then/Now storyline -- a structure that doesn't always work for me. While it doesn't top my list of favorite tropes, People We Meet on Vacation reminded me of why I do love a good friends-to-lovers story. The friendship between Poppy and Alex was so well developed, and I loved how it transitioned into something more. As I've come to expect from Henry, the banter and dialogue was so spot on and engaging! While it would be perfect any time of the year, there is definitely something about this read that screams summer. This was my 100th read of 2021 and was the perfect book to mark the occasion. I look forward to re-reading this one... and seeing what Henry does next! I'm So Obsessed With It.

Emily Henry is quickly becoming a must-read for me! I really enjoyed this book, the characters, and the setting. It had me laughing out loud at times!

I absolutely adore Emily Henry's writing style, and have enjoyed all of their books. I found this one to be exactly what I expected, a fun, quick and easy beach read.

The character's back story was executed so well, with alternating chapters of the past and present. Our two main characters went on so many fun vacations, that were awesome to read about.

I found the story itself a bit predictable, but in the best way possible. It was exactly the read I was looking forward to while sitting by the pool. If you are looking for a fun friends to lovers book, look no further.

I finally got around to this book and I was so excited to read it. The start of the summer seemed like the perfect time to read it. I loved Beach Read by this author and was confident I would feel the same about this book. Unfortunately, that was not the case at all. I did not like the characters, they got on my nerves and to me me, it felt like they were entitled. The back and forth of the timeline drove me crazy and I found myself not knowing what period of time we were in throughout the story.

This fell flat for me and I was disappointed.

I was hesitant to read another Emily Henry book after Beach Read, because I wasn't a huge fan of it even though people seemed to really like it. However, I was pleasantly surprised with People We Meet on Vacation! I felt that the characters were much more well developed, and the storyline was easy to follow even though it went back and forth between present and past. I really enjoyed this book! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Absolutely loved this novel and author Emily Henry has become a go-to favorite of mine! If you have read her latest release, Book Lovers, you must try this one and you will not be disappointed! Henry's writing is superb and I love the character development in this story.

Vacation seemed like the perfect time to finally, FINALLY, read People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. Alas, it didn't quite live up to my hopes 😬 I didn't dislike it, but it definitely didn't hit me as hard as Beach Read. The romance is cute, and I love a slow burn friends-to-lovers, but I just didn't care for Poppy which was obviously an issue. If you can't root for your romance heroine, what's the point? She's not the absolute worst, but I found her to be selfish and impulsive in a way that didn't make me especially want her to get her happy ending 🤷🏼‍♀️ ah well, it was still a cute, quick read if not my absolute favourite.

Poppy and Alex have been friends since their first year in college. They are as different as could be. Poppy is carefree, fly by the seat of her pants type and Alex is a buttoned-down, rule-follower type. But every year since college they have taken a "summer trip" together. Even though they live in different cities, they come together for their summer trip. As a travel writer, Poppy gets them the most amazing trips to some of the most exotic locales in the world. Their summer vacations are the one thing that both of them look forward to all year. But two years ago, something happened and they haven't spoken since. Poppy has been adrift ever since. She gives it another try to invite Alex on this year's trip. Only this year's trip isn't for work. And she will pay out of pocket, but it will be worth it if they can repair their friendship. And at the end of this trip is the wedding of Alex's brother. Will Poppy and Alex be able to repair their friendship, or have they grown out of their relationship?


I absolutely adored People We Meet on Vacation. Poppy and Alex are charming characters that make it easy for the ready to connect with early on. As the reader, you don't know what happened two years ago, but Poppy tells the story as she reminisces on trips gone by. I didn't know where the story was going to take us, but I knew I wanted nothing more than Poppy and Alex to become a couple. I firmly believe that men and women can be "just friends," but I wanted Poppy and Alex to become more than friends. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.



Bottom Line - People We Meet on Vacation is one of those books that just leaves you feeling good after you finish reading it. And who doesn't like feeling good?



Details:

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
On Instagram
Pages: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: 5/11/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley

I adored Beach Read and the way that Emily Henry weaves a story. Her authorial voice is clear and fresh. Henry is an expert at craft. And as delightful as the prose of PWMOV was, I felt like the romance was lacking. I wasn’t invested in the story and could have done without some of the side story lines.