You and Me on Vacation follows friends Poppy and Alex who met at college and eventually become unlikely friends. They start a tradition where they go on holiday together every year, When we first meet Poppy we know that something has happened and they haven't spoken for a couple of years. Can one last holiday save their friendship?

This was a fun read and I would recommend it if you are after a friends to lovers romance. I personally preferred Emily Henry's previous book. My main issue was I found the event two years ago that you were working your way towards a little anticlimactic.

I would continue to read Emily Henrys romance books as they are so easy to get through and this book made me miss going on holiday, When and where is the next trip?

4.5 stars

You and Me on Vacation is @emilyhenrywrites’ second adult novel. I read Beach Read last year with the masses and while I enjoyed it, it didn’t light me on fire like it seemed to everyone else. THIS book however I absolutely loved!

The story follows main character Poppy and her best friend Alex. They’ve known each other for 12 years and their “thing” is their summer trip. A vacation they save up for on their pitiful university job salaries and make the most of, their friendship playing a huge role in the enjoyment they have.

When we first meet Poppy, she hasn’t spoken to Alex for two years. She’s unhappy at work and in a bit of a funk. When she realises the one thing that makes her truly happy is her summer trip she texts Alex out of the blue. The story goes from there and flip flops between the past summer trips and the present.

At first it’s unclear what transpired between the characters to cause the two year gap in their friendship but as the story unfolds it starts to become clear that they both have harboured feelings for each other and have been worried to act on them.

I love a true friends to lovers romance so this was right up my street. I loved the build up of chemistry between the two characters and I found their friendship so endearing I was really rooting for the characters.

If you’ve enjoyed this I think you’ll like anything by Lindsey Kelk.

Loved this book, such a wholesome read and really made me want to go on holiday!

I really enjoyed seeing how the characters developed and a romantic relationship formed from an unlikely friendship

Poppy and Alex have been best friends ever since college. Despite being polar opposites of each other (Poppy is free spirited, loves adventure and travels for a living. Alex is more stable, has a job as a teacher and knows he wants to settle down in life), the two really get each other and are probably the most relaxed and honest versions of themselves when they are together. Every year they've gone on some epic summer trip, except they haven't spoken in 2 years after falling out. When Poppy gets a chance to plan another trip for them to Palm Springs, she's hoping it's just what they need to heal their friendship. Or maybe she should just start being honest that her feelings for Alex are more than just friendship?

This is a cute opposites attract, friends-to-lovers story. I liked seeing their friendship evolves over time and adapt to their new lives and new partners. We get the present storyline of them in Palm Springs where the first days are a holiday and the last few days are dedicated to the wedding of Alex's brother. We also get flashbacks from when they met and each holiday they had over the years. The flashbacks are what make this a fun summer read, as you get to explore these new locations with the Poppy and Alex and as there's not a lot of travelling being done at the moment, it's pure escapism. Vancouver Island, New Orleans, Nashville, Italy, San Francisco to name a few of the locations.

I was rooting for Poppy and Alex throughout the novel, it's hard not to. But I did find the book to be a bit slow moving at times. Part of the reason for this is the number of flashbacks. They met 11 years ago and we see a snippet from nearly all of those summers. While it's interesting to see their friendship and see how their feelings over the years change, to actually reach the point of them acting on this happens after we're at 2/3s off the way through the book. Which is a bit late for me, as there's not a lot of time to see them enjoy this realisation. I think if you don't mind a longer build up, you may enjoy this book more than I did. Overall I did like the book, it was a fun summer read, it's perfect to read lying in the sun!

You and Me on Vacation was such a delightful read, Poppy and Alex were just adorable.

I am a huge fan of friends to lovers romance and this definitely ticked all the boxes for me.

This is a book that you will give a big hug to when you are done, a big thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this book to read and review.

Poppy and Alex meet at college and find themselves to be exact opposites of each other. A year later, on a car ride home they surprisingly become friends and plan outings every Summer from there on. Their vacations are full of adventures at exotic places of Vancouver Island, New Orleans, Nashville, San Francisco etc. However, the story starts with Alex and Poppy's friendship on hold due to their falling out two Summers ago. As Poppy decides to give their friendship one last chance with a Summer trip to Palm Springs, they rekindle their friendship and something more.

Well, this book was a perfect Summer read for me. I loved the plot, the characters, the flashbacks and also the build up of the story from history till the present. It is a cute friends-to-lovers story where we get to feel their sweet and warm friendship evolve into a deeper level of comfort and understanding between the two. Alex and Poppy have this shared haven of Summer that they look forward to, where they are their real, honest selves. I loved how they valued their friendship and everything that came with it.

Poppy is a chirpy, cheerful and fun loving girl whereas Alex is a reserved, guarded but kind hearted boy. Their vacations are every inch of perfection as they sleep in tents, walk on streets, meet people, make friends, and learn their stories. I laughed and enjoyed along with them, sensed their brewing likeness and their precautions to protect their friendship. I also loved Poppy's family - they are affectionate and friendly, and Alex's brother, he is fun. I must admit, I found all the characters to be amazing.

Over the years, as they adjust to different jobs and lifestyles, we see the characters mould and transform to move ahead in life. However, we also see snippets of fear, loneliness, grief, haunting memories of dear ones. Saying that, the book only briefly touches these points while being very uplifting and a light read. The alternations between the Summers past and the Summer present increased my curiosity. I couldn't put down the book until I was done.

Overall, You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry is a fantastic, light-hearted Summer read that I definitely recommend to everyone. Also, I can't wait to read Beach Read! Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

Thank you to George Taylor at Penguin Random House for my invitation to the tour and for my copy of the proof in return for a fair and honest review.

Poppy is a travel writer who has it all but she still isnt happy. She has the Instagram lifestyle and has achieved what she wanted so is perplexed that she still doesn’t feel content.

In the past she has holidayed with her best friend Alex but even that has stopped now. So after a heart to heart with her friend Rach she sends him a text late one night and is surprised but happy when he replies straight away.

Alex seems like a really good guy from the outset, a teacher and fitness addict and has been Poppy’s friend since college, however on their last trip away something happened and they have only spoken briefly so when he texts again Poppy decides to be brave and see if he wants another vacation.

This is such a fun book I liked Poppy and Alex immediately and I loved going back through their friendship and getting to know more about them. It’s about love,friendship, regret and contentment.

The author loves When Harry Met Sally and I can why in this joyful read. I was totally engrossed in their story and the will they, won’t they premise. I absolutely loved it and I am awarding Alex and Poppy my couple of the summer award as I didn’t want it to end.


A sublime summer read !

5 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞

Loved the idea of meeting a friend for a holiday every year without fail. We should all do that more often!

I love Emily Henry, her books are amazing and such a feel good read. I could really connect with the characters and it made me really feel summer holiday vibes.

I loved this book! Highly recommended for fans of romance and smart comedy. The characters were super engaging and very genuine. Some echoes of 'When Harry Met Sally' which can never be a bad thing.

Alex and Poppy both from Ohio, meet at Uni. At first, they don't like each other and believe they have nothing in common as their personalities are totally different. When they meet again the following summer, they share a car ride and strike up a friendship, holidaying together every summer after... until a fateful one two years ago. As a result, they don't speak anymore but Poppy convinces Alex to take one last trip to Palm Springs.

Emily Henry's novel has two wonderful characters in Poppy and Alex and their various relationship stages were wonderful to read about. You and Me on Vacation is so well written, and I was overcome with a wide range of emotions, from pleasure to sadness - it made me upset, and it made me smile. There is plenty of substance to the characters and the plot toys with themes of trust, love, and taking risks, though it is still a lighter read. A second chance romance with added humour, there is some smart dialogue and I really did not want to put You and Me on Vacation down. A superb and thoroughly enjoyable novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book tells the story of Alex and Poppy. They meet at college and find out they come from the same area of the US and make friends on a trip back home. They decide to take a vacation together every year and go to all sorts of places. Poppy is a travel writer so gets to go to all sorts of places fully paid for so when she takes Alex they pay for his ticket between them but of course they get extras thrown in because of her job.

The book tells of their various vacations and the things that happen to them, the people they meet along the way. Then one holiday they have a falling out and don't speak for a long time but finally get talking again and take another vacation. They have both had relationships in the past with other people but are they destined to be together or will they just remain friends?

My only criticism of the book was that it kept flipping back in timeline from current time to the past and whilst I understand why it was written this way I struggled with it, but that is my personal preference.

Alex and Poppy come alive in this wonderful friends to lovers / opposites attract romance. Emily Henry has a knack for making characters that feel like real people, they are flawed and layered and don't always do what you expect them to.

Alex is calm, collected and stable.
Poppy is loud, changing and all over the place.
They have different dreams, and even though they were raised in the same state, their plans for the future are, as Alex and Poppy themselves, completely opposite.

"Two fundamentally incompatible people with absolutely no need to impress each other"

I adore reading about people falling in love without really trying, I love when it just sneaks up on them even though everyone around them is like: DUH!! and in this slow burn, it takes them some good years to understand how deep their connection goes. This is told in alternating chapters of past trips, and recent distance. For most of the book we have no idea why they pulled away in the first place, and frankly if I had to choose something that I didn't enjoy about this book was that aspect, this was dragged to the that point that when revealed it seemed very anti climatic. But I guess in real life, and with people like Poppy and Alex is would have made sense.

Also Poppy's struggles with "having everything you wanted" and still not being happy, spoke to a younger me very much. I feel like this is something that most people go through when the stablished path that we have for our life ends. And they way she deals with it was great to read.

Last year I felt in deep love, and deep cries, over Emily's Beach Read, it was the wittiness of her dialogues, the moments of introspection on deep topics, and the real sense of "these people belong to each other". All of these aspects can be found in You and Me on Vacation. All of these aspects make this book compelling and readable. I also enjoy the way she deals with heavy topics, and the repercussions of big life events in her characters actions and traits.

Overall, this book is worth the hype for every one that enjoys a well paced friends to lovers in the best When Harry Met Sally style.

You and Me on Vacation (also published until the title People We Meet On Vacation) is a charming romantic comedy from Emily Henry.

When Poppy met Alex (that’s a deliberate reference) on the first night of college O-week, their short conversation, and wildly disparate wardrobes, was enough to convince her that they never need speak again, but the pair are thrown together at the end of freshman year when they carpool home for the summer. Though the two quickly discover they have little in common, except that they were both raised in Linfield, Ohio, and dislike that boats are given female names, the road trip sparks a friendship that sees Poppy, and Alex promise to vacation together every summer.

You and Me On Vacation unfolds over a period of about twelve years moving between the past, describing Poppy and Alex’s annual summer adventures, and the present, where the pair have tentatively reunited after an unnamed incident that caused a rift in their friendship. The structure works well to develop each character, and provide context for their relationship.

Friends to lovers is my favourite romance trope so You and Me on Vacation had immediate appeal for me. I thought Henry’s portrayal of the connection between Poppy and Alex was wonderful. Their banter, studded with teasing, in-jokes and obvious affection, is funny and sweet, their chemistry is evident. I could relate to the pairs fears about ruining their friendship with a romantic entanglement, especially as they seem so incompatible, with Poppy’s carefree spirit contrasting with Alex’s steady nature.

I imagine many twenty-somethings will likely relate to Poppy, one of Henry’s character’s refers to Poppy suffering ‘millennial ennui’, her career goal met, she’s restless and wondering what’s next. Though she thinks all will be solved by another vacation with Alex, to move on with her life, Poppy needs to deal with several issues, particularly those stemming from childhood bullying that affect how she sees herself and the decisions she makes.

Witty and heartfelt, I found You and Me On Vacation to be an easy, engaging read.

I loved Emily Henry's last novel, 'Beach Read', so I was delighted when I was approved to read her newest novel, 'You and Me On Vacation'. I'm happy to say that this book was another lovely read.

The book tells the story of Poppy and Alex, who meet at college and go on holiday together every summer after that. This is a funny slow burner, with a friends-to-lovers trope. The main characters are flawed and somewhat likable, but it annoyed me that a lot of the plot and angst could have been resolved simply by having the characters communicating properly with each other instead of throwing away their friendship and not talking for 2 entire years.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and was rooting for the characters to get together as a couple, which is what you want in a contemporary romance.

Contemporary Romcom….
Entertaining, contemporary romcom. A colourful, quirky and suitably flawed cast of characters and a fun storyline, which jumps between timelines, although in danger of being somewhat drawn out. Overall an escapist beach or holiday read from armchair or otherwise.

This was a really cute story.
Poppy and Alex had undeniable chemistry and you couldn't help but cheer them on!
Really well written and easy to read story.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I absolutely adored it. I found that the way the story was narrated took a little bit of getting used to with the shifts between past and present but once I got used to this I was hooked. Poppy and Alex’s relationship was just so intriguing and I found myself really invested in them from the start. Alex is just everything I adore in a romance book! The book had a real summery feel to it and was a bit of much needed escapism in the current climate. I was grinning from ear to ear reading the epilogue! I highly recommend this book.

I'm a bit on the fence with this one as it wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing either.
And definitely it wasn't as good as Beach Read.
I think that's the problem with writing a smash hit great book - all the others ones will be compared to it.

You and me on Vacation has a great premise and (I was very excited, but idk, I feel like it felt flat for me.
I'm not a huge fan of miscommunication and repressing your feeling for 12 years, so I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as I probably should.
I'm also not a huge fan of friends having to eventually become lovers at some point. Like, can't friends just stay friends? I think that would be a better outcome for this book.
(I'm not putting spoiler brackets here, because COME ON the outocome is literally there in the blurb).

The writing is great, as usual, and I enjoyed these Then chapters when we gradually learnt all about Poppy and Alex's relationship. They were cute and fun.
The NOW chapters were ok too, maybe not as interesting qas they should be, but they were fine. I loved the part about Alex's brother's wedding! His brother stole the show for sure.

Overall it's not a bad book. It's just very forgettable.

Emily Henry captures the essence of the ideal summer read with this story of two best friends, once so close, who seem to have lost their way and in a last ditch attempt to save their friendship Poppy invites Alex to share one last holiday together.

With a friendship that spans years, Poppy and Alex know pretty much everything they need to know about each other but that doesn't stop them from hurting each other and as their combined stories takes us on their shared holidays, from present to past, so we begin to learn more about them as people. I liked them both, Poppy is quirky and fun, whilst Alex is a bit nerdy and serious, and yet is the perfect match for Poppy, the trouble is they need to discover their true feelings and find their emotional connection before it is lost forever.

Emily Henry writes this type of immersive friends, to enemies, to lovers genre really well and as usual brings a quirky sense of fun, interesting drama and a will they, won't they romance to the story. In this difficult time when we are just seeing the light at the end of this long, lockdown tunnel any book which brings a sense of summer fun, hope, and romance is to be welcomed and You and Me on Vacation is right up there with the best of the summer reading genre