I’m big on friends-to-lovers romances so People We Meet on Vacation was right up my alley. As far as a summer reads go, this checked all the boxes for me. It’s funny, emotional, and romantic. I think Emily Henry did a great job writing characters that you want to root for. The banter never felt over the top, the pacing was great (I loved the use of dual timelines to tell the story), and the globetrotting fed into my wanderlust.

The last time a book made me cry was The Stationery Shop and People We Meet on Vacation has done just that to me.

I went into this book not knowing too much about the premise of the story, but on the flipside, knowing that Emily Henry is hugely popular and I was lucky enough to get the e-arc of this novel. What I wasn’t expecting was to be so moved to tears. This was a novel filled with movie worthy moments. Kisses in the rain, unrequited and requited love, and powerful moments filled with electricity and what ifs.

This is a story about two friends who are so wrong and so right for one another, but don’t ever cross the line until one night on the last trip they took together two years ago and the last time they really spoke. Poppy is a free spirit, while Alex has a routine but allows Poppy to push him out of his comfort zone whenever they go on their summer trips. But now that no longer happens, Poppy feels stuck in her job and in her life. And so, she spontaneously invites Alex on a work trip to Palm Springs where Alex’s brother happens to also be getting married at. As the two reunite, they are forced to confront their feelings and figure out what is best for them as friends or possibly something more.

This was a beautiful tale and I must say, I think I like the friends-to-lovers trope. Although it might seem it’s impossible for them to have explored more than friendship over the span of several years, I didn’t feel that way at all. I felt that Poppy and Alex were complex characters that needed to take the time to figure out who they were and what they wanted. It took me a lot time to figure out what it was I wanted to do as a career resulting in me going back to school again and getting a degree in my now career.

This is another book that I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil it for you. But just know that this was a tearjerker and one that I will be rereading once my TBR is back to a manageable length.

"𝘖𝘯 𝘝𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵."

𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 was one of my favorite books of 2020 so my expectations for 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗩𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 were high. It definitely exceeded them.

Poppy and Alex meet as college freshmen and despite being complete opposites (Alex is an emotionally repressed academic and Poppy is a loud, free-spirit) the two become best friends. After graduation, they move to different cities but vow to continue their annual summer trip no matter what. The story is told in flashbacks - present day where Poppy and Alex are estranged and she tries to lure him into another vacation and back in time to the trips they've taken over the years which eventually reveal what went wrong between them.

No one writes banter like Emily Henry does. The exchanges and verbal volleys between Poppy and Alex had me laughing out loud. Despite their differences, you can see why they connected and how they bring out the best in one another. Henry mentions that "When Harry Met Sally" was an inspiration in the author's note and it shows in the opposites attract and friends-to-lovers (and enemies) storylines but it's really the repartee between them that reminds me most of Harry and Sally. I loved both characters, flaws and all, and their beautiful friendship and would be totally happy if they were people I met on vacation. Put this one on your summer reading lists! Even if you don't get away, it will transport you.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Poppy and Alex have been best friends since college. Alex returned to their hometown to work as a teacher, while Poppy moved to New York City to work as a travel journalist. But every summer, Poppy and Alex go on vacation together. These vacations are special to both Alex and Poppy. But something happened two summers ago in Croatia that pushed Alex and Poppy apart. They haven't gone on vacation since Croatia. This summer, Poppy reaches out to Alex about going on vacation and when he agrees, Poppy is determined to use this vacation to save their friendship.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: there is something magical about Emily Henry's writing. She uses the most perfect descriptors and expressions to describe a character's feelings and thoughts in a way that I find completely relatable. For this book in particular, I related to both Alex and Poppy in different ways. Alex's fussiness about certain things was like a mirror reflecting my own fussiness about the same things. I honestly did not realize how fussy I was until this book 😂 I also see pieces of myself in Poppy. Her uncertainty about where she belongs and where she wants to be in life echo my own uncertainties in life. It was honestly a breath of fresh air reading a book about a hero and heroine who felt real and relatable.

Poppy and Alex's story is told in the present day and through flashbacks of their past vacations. It was absolute torture waiting to get to the summer vacation they spent in Croatia. The flashbacks are mostly told in chronological order, but sometimes they jump around in time, which caused a bit of confusion for me. Because of that, it sometimes took me a while to re-orient myself and determine what stage of life Poppy and Alex were at. It also took such a long time to get to the Croatia chapter that by the time I got there, it sadly felt anticlimactic.

Regardless of these minor complaints, I thoroughly enjoyed Poppy and Alex's friends to lovers romance. They honestly gave me all the feels, which is not surprising considering this is Emily Henry we're talking about. Not many authors can do the friends to lovers trope justice, but I think Emily Henry did an incredible job writing this romance in way that feels real and genuine. I just love her prose and storytelling style so much!! I am already waiting for her next book!

This book is loads of fun for a rom com. It is sweet and laugh out loud funny. I think fans of Beach Read will adore this one.

Do you ever read a book and feel like it's your perfect book? Like somehow the author reached inside you and pulled the story from somewhere in a dark corner of your heart? That's this book for me. Every word of this book gave me butterflies, made me laugh out loud, or left me feeling wholly seen and understood.

There are 5 star reads - of which I've read plenty this year - and then there are books like that this that stamp themselves on your heart forever.

Emily Henry has officially solidified herself and my favorite rom-com author of all time. This book not only made my heart flutter, but laugh out loud more times than I can count.

These characters were deeply flawed. But I've never related so viscerally to characters before - I felt completely cracked open while reading this. These characters really embody what it feels like to be a millennial and a little lost in your 30s. And I loved that exploration.

This is friend to lovers perfection and I'm pretty sure this book has ruined me for this trope forever - nothing else will ever compare.

I loved that the relationship is messy and far from perfect - and the way the main characters hurt others in the cross-fire is definitely addressed. But no matter their faults, I fell head over heels for these characters. Their chemistry charged off the page, and the slow burn had me panting by the time they confessed their feelings.

But on top of all that, simply the way this book was structured was perfection. This played with timelines in the most wonderful and impactful way. Between the present day chapters, you're moving through time as the characters meet and travel together. Each of the past chapters follows a pervious trip they main characters took - allowing you to fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other.

All in all this book was everything to me. I won't soon forget this story and it's definitely one I'll return to again and again.

This review is live on Goodreads and will be posted to my blog on May 14 @ 9am

If you loved Beach Read, get ready for another beautiful story of love and how it can knock us upside our heads if we try to run from it!

I finished this book in a single sitting and wanted... no needed, to get to the ending. I fell in love with our two main characters, Poppy and Alex, and screamed more than once, out loud, how I felt about what they were doing to my heart. If you've ever wanted a safe space to just be you, this book will give it to you. It will remind you what real love and absolute heartbreak feel like.

Get ready for a rollercoaster that is expertly woven from past to present by Henry, giving you, dear reader, the rose-colored glasses needed to look fondly back on your mishaps and long for memories that are not yours. Clear your schedule! You're going to want to binge this one.

My favorite rom-com this year. I loved Beach Read last year and enjoyed this follow up one too. This one is a sweet, light-hearted, playful read. Just what I needed to read to bounce back from a run of "meh" books. This kept me engrossed and entertained throughout wanting to read about Poppy's and Alex's trips and friendship. I think fans of Christina Lauren would enjoy Henry's books. While they are an entertaining rom com style there is a bit more depth to the characters than I typically find in most of this genre.

Alex and Poppy can sum up my thoughts about this book best: "it speaks to me."

Alex, a teacher, and Poppy, a travel writer, have been friends since their freshman year of college when at a chance meeting they discovered that they both grew up in Linfield, Ohio. Though they are wildly different (Alex in his khakis and Poppy in her 70's jumpsuit), they become fast friends and end up taking a Summer Trip every year for 10 years. But 2 years ago, something changed...and they lost touch. Poppy decides that they need one last Summer Trip to try to salvage their friendship and fix what is broken. This brings us to "This Summer," where all my favorite chapters of this book take place. Alex is the calm to Poppy's wild and somehow they totally click, despite each other's quirky and annoying traits.

People We Meet on Vacation is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance, but also an expertly plotted romantic comedy. It's a love letter to traveling and wanderlust, and the perfect read after a year of mostly being at home while the world shut down to exciting travel. I loved the characters and the laugh out loud moments in this brilliant beach read perfect for summer. I hope you love it too!

Oh.
My.
Swoonfest.
Maybe that's not a word (autocorrect doesn't like it) but it epitomizes this book. I laughed actual bursts of hilarity and cried actual salty tears. I'm not accustomed to all of these feelings bubbling from my face.
Poppy is mildly eccentric from a mildly eccentric family. She gladly escapes her hometown, the loneliness and bullying, to college and over the next twelve years seeks only change. Change of faces, change of homes, change of scenery. The only constant in her life is Alex, the man she never would have intentionally befriended in college, but he has Sad Puppy Face and a knack for loving her just the way she is. They're 95%ish always platonic.
The cyclical humor in this magic. I can't get enough when an author hints at or references different parts of the book throughout. It's my favorite and Alex is what book boyfriends are made of.
Thank you to Emily and the team behind her for this beautiful book. I already ordered it from Book of the Month, forgot I did that, and ordered the UK cover from Book Depository. (Let's be honest, that cover is some kind of fantastic).
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

There was so much to love about PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION. While I enjoyed BEACH READ, I really felt like Henry upped the ante with this one in so many ways. The writing here is so...for lack of a better word...smooth like it just glides right off the page making it so easy to gobble up 100 pages in one go. The storyline (which in an author's note at the back Henry says was partially inspired by WHEN HARRY MET SALLY) felt relatable and moving, as these 30-year-olds struggle with things not said, paths not taken, choices still to make. I loved both Poppy and Alex, and though I felt like this book could have shaved off 40 pages and been *chef's kiss* I very much enjoyed it and am so excited to see what Henry does next.

I received a gifted galley of PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Publication Date: 5/11/2021
Rating: 4.5 / 5

PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION follows travel writer Poppy and her teacher best friend Alex. By random chance they met in college and learned they had very little in common, but still a solid friendship emerged. Over the years they have gone on vacation together during Alex’s summer vacations, first traveling on a limited budget for her travel blog and eventually starting to graduate to more elaborate plans on her travel mag employer’s dime.

In the present day, however, something has gone wrong and the relationship has fallen flat, though the reader isn’t quite sure what happened. Feeling a bit lost in life, Poppy reaches out to Alex to try to rekindle their friendship with another budget trip to Palm Springs. Alex agrees, but things are still a bit awkward, not aided by the fact that they’re traveling in the peak heat of summer with no AC and problems galore!

I was immediately sucked into this book and it was the light hearted read that I needed to kick off my month! The book progresses with a narrative bouncing back and forth between this summer and the travels of summers past as the reader slowly catches up on Alex and Poppy’s history together and where things went off the rails.

I really loved the banter between Poppy and Alex and seeing their friendship and something more develop over the years. This was also a fun read because it provided several vicarious vacations in a single book, though the present day trip to Palm Springs left me feeling uncomfortable on their behalf! I’ve done Palm Springs in the heat of summer before, but we at least had a lovely air conditioned room to go back to!

This would be a fantastic beach read as we head on toward summer!

If you liked Beach Read, don't wait to pick up this new release from the same author. This is another of my most anticipated releases of the summer and another that lives up my expectations. I really loved how this story was told with 3 timelines and we got a glimpse into each summer trip and what happened in Poppy and Alex's relationship. This is another book where a communication issue causes all the problems, but I didn't mind. This is a book begging to be read outside!

Everything that Emily writes is just a dream, and People We Meet on Vacation was no exception. I loved this book so much, I am still quietly weeping as I write this. Emily's writing and character development is just so beautiful, you immediately find yourself invested. This book had a sloooow burn, which only made me more invested. I love the idea of opposites attract and Poppy and Alex just fit so well together, given how different they were. The deep foundation of friendship they built was beautiful and inspiring and so incredibly romantic. Alex was so swoony too. Just all the heart eyes. Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC.

4 stars
This focuses on Poppy and Alex, two best friends taking summer vacations consistently for over a decade and then something happened that kept them apart for two years. But in the present, we see their reconnection as we read about their past and unravel the good and the bad that happened with their friendship.

Poppy is a tiny, loud, vibrant travel blogger turned travel magazine writer. She has wanderlust and left their hometown as soon as she could in search of finding fulfillment and curing loneliness. Alex is her quiet, stoic, anxious, disciplined best friend who also happens to be tall, built, and handsome. He is more of a reserved academic, just wants to be accepted and loved, and thrives on stability.

They seem like opposites but eventually become so close that they truly see each other and know each other better than anyone. But their future outlooks and goals always clashed. And one moment changed things so much that they lost two years. Will time apart and a new outlook change things for the better or worse?

It was easier to just enjoy their vacations and not deal with her actual issues and hide their feelings so that they didn’t rock the boat of their friendship. But when they did it anyway neither really reacted well and it caused an even bigger void. But now they have to figure out a way to make it work. They can’t go back to their old level of friendship no matter how they try, but they can’t move forward until they resolve the actual big issues between them and figure out what they both really want and need and come to some sort of resolution. Their vacations had been a reprieve from their real lives, but now they have to decide if being together is important enough to make changes and sacrifices to accommodate the other into their day-to-day lives and merge their different goals and planned futures. But it is scary because it has the potential to be a big win or huge loss...again.

This is a witty, quirky, slow-burn, heartfelt, friends-to-lovers novel. It is layered through the years and through your vacations and builds to this new adventure. I am not a big fan of time jumps and this one had plenty. I always seem to hate the interruption from the present to transition back. But the summer trips were the foundation of their friendship and also part of the demise so they were important. But I still felt myself reading fast to get back to the current day. This one had a plot point I do not think I have ever read in a romance book, but the character established clearly defined reasons to make such a choice. So it was an interesting twist.

This is a new release from Henry, who is a successful American rom-com author. As with her release last year ("Beach Read"), this one is aimed at the customer looking for a fun, light summer read. Reminiscent of "When Harry Met Sally", the book tells the tale of two best friends (Poppy and Alex) who agree to travel together every summer, in spite of their very different personalities. It is set in present day, but in many chapters we go back to their many getaways. Two years ago something happened on the trip and they have not talked since. In the present Poppy reaches out, finally acknowledging that she is only truly happy when she is with Alex. Thus is a great recommendation for fans of the genre. While totally predictable, it was funny and I really enjoyed it.

Emily Henry creates characters with realistic depth. The dialogue is hilarious and at times piercing which adds more reasons why I was rooting for the characters. The travel aspect of this book adds interest and makes the pacing just perfect. The growth of each character and the growth of their relationship is my favorite part of the story. I can't wait for Emily Henry's next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Books, and Ms. Henry for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This is the second book I have read this month with two emotionally handicapped individuals. And IDK but maybe I'm too old and impatient for alllllllllllll this angst. I think I recall Beach Read featuring a lot of (imho) unnecessary angst, drama and wallowing as well. But here there is no terrific narrator to distract me, just the glare of my tablet and the printed words. So. Let me explain why I felt (and might I add, I seem to be one of very, VERY few) so lukewarm.

After thinking it over, I think this book accidentally hit Every. Single. One. of the tropes I *most* dislike. We have: repressed old man in a hot young man body, who from AGE SIX was single-fathering three younger brothers and a father. (((Let me note here: I have a seven year old. It would take a reeeeeeeeeal special personality to be responsible for four other humans at age six.))) This man is content to sit back and endlessly wait for his ultra-dense love interest to realize what's going on. As in, he literally waits... A DECADE. x_X

We also have the textbook manic pixie dream girl. (AKA, my most UNfavorite trope, of all time, ever.) Quirky, bubbly, snarky, center-of-attention Poppy with her electric-colored clothes and grudges held from middle school. Poppy who takes her man friend on long vacations with her every summer and then legitimately wonders WHY his girlfriend doesn't really like her?! because she's so nice! and charming! and friended her on instagram! ***facepalm*** And of course, MPDG's, I mean Poppy's, fancy NYC job is being paid to travel and social-media document it. Of COURSE it is. (Maybe this one was just jealousy on my part, since I haven't traveled in two years, because pandemic.)

So there was this vacation two years ago where Something Happened (let's all guess what) and now MPDG Poppy and Midwestern Alex haven't spoken in two years. MPDG Poppy accidentally texts Alex one day and after a few terse exchanges, invites him on a trip and subsequently wrangles an invitation to his brother's wedding in Palm Springs. Thus ensues a tense vacation in which it is more than obvious to the reader what the problem is. It is in fact obvious to EVERYONE, except for MPDG Poppy. I just wanted to shake her. I hate big miscommunication tropes and Poppy's behavior was just so ostrich-y and willfully oblivious that I frankly wished Alex would drop her on the spot for self-care (not to mention self-respect) purposes.

Despite cute and engaging writing, charming dialogue, and a fun premise, I just felt mildly to moderately irritated with Poppy the entire time. But, like I said, I'm firmly in the minority on this, so please don't let me stop you from reading :)

.Poppy and Alex. 2 best friends with nothing in common. Poppy is vibrant, restless, and full of wanderlust. As a travel writer, she rarely is home in New York long enough to care for a house plant. Alex a reserved, disciplined, high school English teacher has settled back into their hometown in Ohio. The two mostly live their lives separate, except for their annual summer trip, where everything feels possible, perhaps even something more between two old friends. But after their last trip to Croatia, the two friends haven’t so much as texted each other. When Poppy learns Alex is going to be in Palm Springs for a wedding, she packs her bags in hopes of rekindling their friendship. The only problem is Poppy can’t quite shake the feeling that friendship is no longer the only thing she wants with Alex.

What a fun ride full of inside jokes, quippy banter only best friends can muster, and 10 summers worth of adventures to get lost in. Poppy and Alex’s characters and history were lovingly and thoughtfully crafted. I adored the narrative structure of flashbacks to previous trips with the present summer. I could not put this down, and cannot wait for more from Emily Henry, who is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For most of the past 30 or so years, I have avoided just about any and everything considered romance and rom-com. It just never worked for me. I would try some of the stories that people loved so much and it just felt - dumb. Too much. to perfect. Not real or honest. Not real life. Then last year, I heard about this book "Beach Read" by Emily Henry. I kept reading glowing reviews for this book, but - it was romance. I read the summary, it took place in the part of the world I grew up in - not many books go that route - and I was curious. But - it was romance. Finally, I bought the book and DEVOURED it in a day. I laughed, I cried, I got happy, I got sad. I had more emotions for that book than anything before or since. I told everyone to read the book. A few months passed and I thought 'Did I really love that book so much?" so I read it again, and loved it all over again. So when I heard about this new book by this new, magical author, I couldn't wait to read it. When I was awarded an ARC, I was too happy for words.

And, I just finished the book. And I LOVE this book too. It's so much different, but so similar. The characters are so well developed, you feel like they are real. The story progresses through flashbacks and flash forwards, leaving me (& my usually mystery reading mind) wondering ' what happened?!' And then ALL the emotions start - the happiness, the love the sadness - so many tears I couldn't keep reading, but I had to know how it ended! This book - wow! Just - this book!

I'm not a rom-com fan - after Beach Read, I tried other chick lit type books and 1 or 2 were ok, but nothing swept me up the way that one did. Until now.

Also, I think I'm a slightly older version of Poppy, so there's that. I could identify with her want and need to get OUT and AWAY from her tiny home town where everyone remembered what happened in Junior High and how odd her parents were. I had those same desires to GO and SEE and TRAVEL, to reinvent myself again and be a different person. I never wanted to return to my hometown - I GOT that feeling, I've LIVED that feeling, and Emily Henry writes it SO PERFECTLY. It's like she reached in my head, took those images and feelings out, and put them on paper. I have never in my life read or watched or experienced ANYTHING that reflected that feeling before.

I glanced over some reviews, saw some people comment that the ending was too long and drawn out. Maybe. But, since I just binge-read the last 24% of the book I have to say that I needed that 'down time' with Poppy before the ending was revealed. If there would have been a "6 months from now" chapter heading, skipping over Poppy's reflection and thought process, it would have felt abrupt, I think. I think it - well, this book "speaks to me".

For me, a 5 star rating means I LOVED the book, it became part of me and who I am. I will recommend this book to every single person I meet (well, already have), have highlighted sections, have quoted text and plan to re-read it again very soon. I give out very few 5 star reviews. I do not hesitate at all to give this book 5 stars.

Unfortunately, this means I have to wait at least a whole more year before the next Emily Henry book.