This contemporary romance is founded on a strong premise and interesting, relatable characters, but the execution occasionally becomes repetitive or falls flat. Poppy is a travel writer who looks forward every year to the summer trip she takes with her best friend Alex, but, after a falling out that is left unknown to the reader for most of the book, Poppy just hopes their upcoming trip will be enough to repair their friendship and reinvigorate her love for her job. Readers get to know Poppy and Alex through flashbacks to their previous trips, beginning when they met in college, along with the present day narrative of their reconnection and self-reflection

This book boasts moments of brilliant dialogue and banter, captivating descriptions of travel destinations, and plenty of interesting characters met along the way. On the other hand, the tension that is meant to be building between Alex and Poppy, and the anticipation to find out what happened to interrupt their friendship, never seems to find the power its seeking; throughout the whole novel, Alex and Poppy ending up together feels like a foregone conclusion and the revelation that it was the potential of intimacy that drove them apart a few years prior is wholly unsurprising. Overall, People We Meet on Vacation is a fun beach read with some real heart, but it may hold some readers at arm’s length.

This book is so sweet and heartwarming! It’s the perfect summer read that makes you feel happy the whole way through.

In a lot of ways, I feel like this premise has been written about before but there’s definitely uniqueness to the characters that don’t feel replicated. The dual timelines fit the story well.

My critique is I didn’t really like the climax... I felt it was a bit forced for drama near the end.

Recommend if you enjoy: The Simple Wild, Bromance Book Club

I enjoyed People We Meet On Vacation. I loved the visuals that she gave us of each vacation and I really liked how we watched Alex and Poppy's relationship grow and change with each week long adventure. However, it takes me so long to get into Henry's books. I don't know if it's because she is so great at developing her characters and relationships, but the build up is so very slow that I almost give up then am so glad that I didn't. The pay off is worth the wait, but that slow burn is very real in her books. If you loved Beach Read, definitely pick this one up. The emotions are so completely different and in a great way. The vacations, the friendships, the families and history are just exactly what we need right now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review this prior to release. All opinions expressed are my own. Pub Date = 5/11/21.

What an amazing book to read about love and travel during a pandemic. This is an homage to When Harry Met Sally. Poppy and Alex are complete opposites and met at college orientation. Each summer they take a vacation together, until the one after which they stopped speaking. The storyline is not linear - each chapter told from a different point in time, so it takes a little while to figure out where things went wrong. This was brilliant and kept the pages turning. It was also laugh-out-loud funny at many points and also devastating at others. Perfect "light" rom-com that left me thinking for a while after.

I didn't think she could top Beach Read, but Henry has become an auto-read author for me.

This was fun, but I loved Beach Read way more. Did it feel a bit like the sex scenes were too tame? Maybe. (I so loved the sex against the bookshelf last time that nothing could compare). Did it feel like the big drama build up was not really a thing? Perhaps? But overall, it was just enjoyable, not an #omgfavorite.

So this was an adorable best friends to lovers suuuuuper slow burn rom-com. I LOVED Poppy and Alex’s relationship, the dialogue in this is hilarious and got quite a few laugh out loud moments from me. My only comment I think is there wasn’t enough people met on vacation? In the end, Poppy realized she loves traveling because of all the people she met on her travels, I wish there had been more quirky people to really solidify that part of the story. There are hints of people here or there, a few main ones, but I wish there were a few more focused on to make it even more fun! But overall, I thought this was a great read for rom-com lovers. I actually liked this a lot better than Beach Read.

I loved this book so much. I loved Poppy. I loved Alex. I loved every single trip they took together. This was one of those stories that I anticipate will give me a book hangover for weeks. It reminded me of the movie, When Harry Met Sally, but on vacation (that description will make more sense once you read it). I am not easily wowed by romance novels any more, (reading so many of them makes you a tough critic) but this book wowed me. I loved it “down to my bones.”

I ugly cried reading Beach Read, and I ugly cried reading this one too. Emily Henry has a gift for writing those scenes where you so precisely feel the main character’s pain and heartbreak.

I liked this book better than I liked Bench Read. Alex felt more real to me, in some ways realer than Poppy (although this is in large part Poppy’s defense mechanism). The story unfolds interspersing the present with the past twelve years of Summer Trips, so you get glimpses of them throughout the years, which helps you understand how they change and how they don’t.

What was hardest for me to get into was the suspension of disbelief about the facts. Poppy’s travel writer job doesn’t exist like that in the real world, not really, anymore. So the book always felt set in a fantasy world, which is hard to overcome when Henry focuses on little details. I kept thinking, “you focus on getting this right but also there are these magical travel writer jobs at magazines run by a more benevolent Miranda Priestly who choose vacation spots on a whim, not advertising dollars. These didn’t even exist in the years leading up to the pandemic.” And then Poppy’s other job that’s mentioned? Even more fantastical.

Still well worth reading. The chemistry between Poppy and Alex zings.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think Emily Henry and I would be best friends. Her sarcastic sense of humor is absolutely THE BEST. I can honestly say that there are really only two books I have ever read that ACTUALLY made me laugh out loud. Those two books are Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation - both by Emily Henry!

Emily, if you’re reading this: you are the Alex to my Poppy (Or vice versa. I don’t want to make this weird). You know... without the 5% - 15% issues.

I devoured this book quickly, even though I wanted to savor it a little longer.

I. Just. Couldn’t. Wait.

Poppy and Alex are so very different, and yet, they just work. They are best friends. And they spend every summer vacationing somewhere new and having the time of their lives.

Except that sometimes friendships change. And theirs does a few times... sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse.

YOU NEED TO READ THIS! You will definitely shed a few tears, you will laugh, and you will cheer, and if you’re like me, you may just blush a bit, too.

Throughout the entire book, I had ONE ending in mind and I was going to be SO mad if that’s not how it ended. It did NOT end how I wanted it to, BUT I thought the ending was great, anyway. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will be posting this on my Instagram for the blog tour on May 11!

What an absolutely wonderful book! Reading about travel (sigh) and a romance that felt real and true--and wow, can Emily Henry write dialogue! I've loved her writing since her YA novels, but moving to smart, funny and sizzling chemistry romances has been a gift for us all. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but People We Meet On Vacation is a well-written and wonderful tale of love, friendship, and everything between. This will be the beach/virtual beach read of the summer for sure!

For over a decade, Alex and Poppy have taken their Summer Trip together, at least until two years ago. When challenged to remember the last time Poppy was really happy, all she could think of was Alex and that last Summer Trip. In an attempt to recapture the magic and restore their friendship, she plans a trip-on-a-budget in a nod to those early excursions, and in hopes that it can reunite them.

I will describe this book using one word: PERFECTION. I have always found Henry's books brilliant and entertaining, but this was a masterpiece for me. Let me list the ways.

1. Friends-to-Lovers is my favorite tropes, and it was done so well in this book. I loved flipping back and forth on the timeline and seeing this friendship take root and blossom. It was tough watching Poppy resist her feelings in fear of losing her best friend, but I knew it would be worth the pain.

2. The Summer Trips were so great even when they were disasters. There is nothing I enjoy more than going on a trip, and I got to go on one every summer with these two. Like their friendship, these trips evolved. They gradually went from super budget to lush and lavish. Regardless, they were all great to read about, and they temporarily sated my wanderlust.

3. The story spans years. It's such a treat to get the opportunity to see people grow and change over long periods of time. I knew so much about Poppy and Alex, that by the end of this book, they felt like friends of mine. Delving into their history, sharing their failures and successes, being there for big and small events in their lives made this a truly rich experience for me.

4. Henry is the queen of banter. I thought this as I read Beach Read, and I am saying it again. She writes some of best dialog I have ever read. I absolutely adored the humor and wit as I savored every line in this book.

5. This was a slow burn that worked for me. I am not necessarily a patient woman, but everything in this story was done so well, I had no problem waiting for this thing to happen. It didn't hurt that so many fantastic tropes were employed during this tale, and that their was lots of pining and tension and almost moments to feed my needs.

6. The When Harry Met Sally vibes were so strong. This was wholly its own story, but those vibes were there, and I welcomed them with open arms.

7. Poppy and Alex were fantastic. Due to all the years I spent with these two, my love ran deep for them. I liked how they were polar opposites, yet perfect together. I loved their loyalty to their families and each other. I felt so much for them and was one thousand percent invested in their relationship.

I think I could go on for days talking about this book, and everyone can expect me to be pushing it big-time. It was everything I could have asked for and more. This book filled me up with feels, fulfilled my heart's desires, and left me basking in the warm-fuzzies for days.

Having loved Beach Read, I was so excited for a new Emily Henry book and this one did NOT disappoint!

This is the story of two friends who meet freshman year of college. Despite being opposites of each other, Poppy and Alex friendship blooms and they go on summer vacations every year together until two years ago when it all fell apart in Croatia.

Told from alternating timelines, Henry does such an amazing job of writing such lovable characters. She did such a good job of providing depth to both Poppy and Alex and I love their witty banter throughout. The friends to lovers trope isn't usually my favorite because I don't think it builds enough tension as an enemies to lovers trope, but the author does an amazing job with this and I think this will be my favorite friends to lovers book that I've read. I also enjoyed reading about their summer adventures! This was such a cute book that I recommend if you are a romance fan!

*Thank you to Berkley for an advanced copy of this book. I had already bought it as my BOTM pick by the time I got the ARC!

Alex and Poppy go to the same college and are from the same home town. They don’t really get to know each other until she gets an anonymous ride home from someone from the same town, who ends up being Alex.

Poppy is this cool outgoing girl who is quirky, lively, and has a so her fashion sense. Alex is more serious, always taking care of everyone else, and can always be found with a book in his hand. They become the best of friends and travel buddies.

Is one vacation a year enough time to spend with someone you may or not be in love with? Is it worth risking the best friendship you’ve ever had to tell somehow how you feel?

This book was so cute and had me reminiscing and dreaming of vacation with my best friends and hubby. It speaks to being free on vacation and being able to connect so easily with people because of the nature of it. Especially in this crazy COVID time, I was living vicariously through their vacations.

I loved the jumping back and forth between past and present, learning how Alex and Poppy’s relationship developed. Because it was written that way, I couldn’t stop reading; I just wanted to know what would happen next!

As a millennial, I definitely vibed with Poppy. She gets stuck in her life and really needs to do some reflection to understand what is right for her. Even though it was a small portion of the book, I loved that therapy was such a normal thing that helped both Alex and Poppy.

Most of all I loved Alex and Poppy together. Alex was always thinking about what would make Poppy happy. They would pick on each other, dance together, and laugh together! Although Alex is against PDA he had a way of showing Poppy how much he cared with subtle touches. Alex reminded me so much of my husband; tall and handsome, shy in public, but this outgoing ball of energy and so much able to be himself when he’s with just me!

My heart was so full making me thankful for the best people in my life. Even though vacations and destinations are amazing, it’s the people who make them!

“You make me weird. I’m not like this with anyone else.”

Over the course of ten summer vacations, Poppy and Alex, two people so different at first that they were able to become best friends without the worrisome sexual tension causing it to implode. Poppy moves to NYC and gets her dream job as a travel writer. Alex gets his graduate degrees in English literature and creative writing. But as irrepressible as Poppy is, Alex is more khaki by nature. But in their summer vacations, they can be their absolute best selves. The author has stated she was definitely influenced by When Harry Met Sally as she wrote this story. Romantic, fun, endearing and totally full of joy. Perfect summer read. Plus all the travel should ease our COVID desiccated souls.

Every romance writer needs to take notes on character development and chemistry because this novel nailed it. I enjoyed Beach Read but this book was on a higher level to me. I didn’t particularly love Poppy as a character (I didn’t relate to her) but I loved her with Alex so so much that it made up for my feelings about her. I loved all the travel, I loved the back and forth timelines and the build up of “what happened two years ago.” I also find it rare for an ending to feel “just right,” not too rushed not too drawn out, but again I think this book was spot on. So looking forward to her next one!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love, love, love. Perfectly plucky Poppy and handsome Alex make a fun pair to vacation with. I could go on vicarious trips with them for 100 more pages. Essential beach reading.

"𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶."⁣
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{Thanks so much to @netgalley and @berkleypub for this advanced e-copy of 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘞𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘖𝘯 𝘝𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 by @emilyhenrywrites!}⁣
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If you are looking for something cute and light that will cater to your travelbug daydreams, look no further. This is it!⁣
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I was more than happy to sneak away for a few hours with Poppy & Alex on their annual BFF vacation. I thought they were both incredibly endearing characters. I just couldn't help loving both of them.⁣
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Now mind you...they each made a few decisions that had my brain saying, "Whaaaaaat?!" But what is a romance without a little unnecessary conflict and tension?⁣
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This is my second Emily Henry and I am a fan. Looking forward to whatever she writes next!⁣
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I finished People We Meet on Vacation yesterday and have been waffling over how to rate it ever since. I was absolutely blown away by Beach Read and had really been looking forward to experiencing a similar kind of dazzling read in People We Meet on Vacation. Things started off strong with lots of fun banter between best friends Alex and Poppy. The story alternates between the present -- where they haven't spoken in two years and Poppy wants one more vacation to rekindle their friendship -- and their past vacations over the course of their friendship.

By about the middle of the book, I found myself really frustrated with these flashbacks. They seemed to constantly disrupt the tension that was building between present-day Poppy and Alex, which made it hard to stay invested in the romance plot. In some ways, the flashbacks often reinforced how each main character seemed determined to keep making the same bad choices over and over. After a while of this, I ended up not really caring about Poppy and Alex as a potential couple. That said, the writing was absolutely great and kept me reading even when I was frustrated.

I got somewhat sucked back in by the last quarter of the book once we started to get what felt like a romance, rather than a friendship. There were some truly swoon-worthy moments and I absolutely adored Alex. I think if the flashbacks hadn't been quite so frequent -- they often alternated with present-day chapters -- the super slow-burn nature of the romance would've worked for me a bit better.

A lot of romance can be personal preference so what didn't work for me may ultimately make for someone else's great read. The writing in this was just as stellar as Beach Read even though I didn't find the romance as compelling.

Emily Henry is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors!! I've two books from her and both were 5 stars! I just love the way she writes and tells stories. People We Meet on Vacation is the perfect summer read, just like Beach Read was for me last year. I already can't wait to start recommending it to any customer who comes in looking for just that, a good book to read during the summertime.

I loved both Poppy and Alex, together and separately. I love that they were both so vastly different, but were perfect for each other. Alex is *heart-eye emojis* all around, I just love him so much and thought he was the perfect guy. I love Poppy's fun, carefree personality and love how relatable she was. Together, they had the perfect friendship that was so obvious from the start that they were soulmates.

I can't gush about this book enough, I just loved it so much!! I can't wait to read more from Emily Henry. I think she's a fantastic writer, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Emily Henry is back again with a swoon worthy love story that made my cold heart melt. Poppy and Alex 4ever, don’t tell me differently.
4 ⭐️ from me.

Here’s 4 things I loved about this book:

🏝In a time when it’s hard to travel, this story gave me the opportunity to go several places in the pages. From Palm Springs to New York City to Croatia and everywhere in between, Poppy and Alex see the world together, and we get to go right along with them.
🏝 These characters felt as real to me as the acne on my jawline. Raw, emotional, and imperfect, and I loved every minute with them.
🏝 The flipping back and forth of the timeline from present day to a precious swimmer vacation made the whole book engaging from start to finish. If I didn’t love one of the places they visited, it didn’t matter - we would flip back to a different timeline soon after.
🏝The growth of the characters from the beginning of the story to the end was astronomical and everything I hope to see in all the romance novels I read.

One thing I didn’t love about this book:
✈️ The lack of solid, ever present supporting characters made me a little sad. I love a good love story but also love portrayal of great friendships in people as they fall in love. While Poppy had a great friend in Rachel, I would’ve loved to see more of that.

Mark your calendars for 5/11 when People We Meet on Vacation hits shelves!