
Member Reviews

I have given it a 4 star review but only because the last quarter of the book saved it from being a 2 star. Poppy was quite a tricky character to connect with and mostly she seemed to treat Alex without much care but also the sexual tension was totally lacking until we got further into their final holiday together when things for more tense and therefore more interesting.
It is a classic will they, won't they but the first third was a slow burn to be honest and I found myself trying to zip through the book just so I could finish it but as I said it definitely redeemed itself in the last quarter when Alex and Poppy became a lot more raw and vulnerable as characters.
If you are looking for a nice summer read then this one will definitely tick that box. Also I could totally see this book being turned into a movie. In fact I have a feeling that it might have even been written with that hope in mind. Something about the scenes and the ending speech by Poppy that was almost script like.

After seeing so many people raving about Beach Read last year, I really wanted to read a story by Emily Henry. Her new romance book sounded quite interesting and since I usually don’t read many books revolving around the friends-to-lovers trope, I was quite excited about reading You and Me on Vacation. I went into it hoping to find a cute story about friendship and love and, while that is the essence of this book, I found myself quite bored throughout the most part.
You and Me on Vacation is the story of Poppy and Alex, two friends with different personalities who bound together after a road trip to their hometown twelve years ago. They have become best friends ever since and travelled together every summer until two summers ago, when something happened that made them fall apart. Now, Poppy feels that she is not happy and wants Alex back in her life, so she plans a last trip in order to save their friendship.
I really liked the premise and I’m always in for a slow-burn romance but, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I was bored for the most part of this book. It took me a while to empathize with Poppy and I only got interested in the romance once the story reaches the flashback of what happened four summers ago. I kind of liked both the chapters that take place through the last four summers and the last chapters set in the present timeline.
Summing up, You and Me on Vacation wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping for, but it was an okay read with some cute scenes. But despite my review of this book, you might want to check out Poppy and Alex’s story if you like friends-to-lovers romances. I just personally hope that I’ll enjoy Beach Read more than I enjoyed this one once I decide to read it.

I really enjoyed this book. The switching of timelines between the current holiday and the holidays of the past worked well to build the relationship between Poppy and Alex and made you root for them throughout.
You could feel there was such good chemistry between the two characters and at no point did it feel like their relationship was rushed.
Overall a really good read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was a huge fan of Emily Henry’s previous book, Beach Read, it was one of my favourite reads in 2020 so I had seriously high expectations for her latest book, You and Me on Vacation. Poppy and Alex have been friends since university and have spent many a summer holiday together, many of them on a shoe-string budget. When we meet them, we learn that they haven’t spoken for two years and Poppy is desperate to reconcile so they agree to a summer trip but can their friendship be fixed?
This is very much about a friendship developing into a romantic relationship and the obstacles that are often encountered along the way. I liked this aspect of the book and how Henry flitted from the past to the present to show us how Alex and Poppy have got to this point. I have to admit that I liked the characters but I didn’t necessarily love them and there were times when I found Alex a little stand-offish.
You and Me on Vacation was a great read to beat a bit of the lockdown blues though. I think we’re all looking forward to the possibility of summer holidays and it was lovely to escape to that type of environment within these pages. I really enjoyed the author’s descriptions of Poppy and Alex’s different holiday destinations, they were rich in detail and vivid.
You and Me on Vacation was entertaining and enjoyable.

3/5 for this book because I expected a lot from this book but it did not quite reach up to my expectations. Since this is written by Emily Henry, and being that Beach Read was one of my best reads last year I had high hopes for this one. But maybe it's not her writing in this book, maybe it's because I'm not particularly fond of friends to lovers tropes. Upon first reading the premise of this book I was so hyped up to read it, but the hype disappeared upon finishing about 10% of this book. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love pining. However, these two main characters are grown adults who refused to communicate for two years just because of a mild thing that happened. Simple problem that they drifted apart due to miscommunication, and I wasn't exactly a fan of this plot device used for the conflict in the story.
The main characters did not give me the butterflies in the stomach feeling when I was reading their scenes, and that's supposed to be the main emotion that Romance books should let you feel. I did not feel the characters' chemistry. Honestly, the two are better off in a platonic relationship anyway.
Alex, one of the main character in this book, is one of the typical lead guys. I mean his entire personality looks like something patched up from different famous lead guys in romance books and his character did not offer anything new to the table. He's just a nice guy with a conventional pretty face, what is new??
I also could not relate much to Poppy. Her existential crisis was something that sounds like it reeks of privilege. She worked hard, and was able to achieve the somewhat financial stability in her life that she wanted- and yet, she can't be happy because of what? because she needs a partner in life. It's perpetuating the notion that women can't live a happy and satisfied life because they don't have a man.
Although I did not like this book so much, I'd say that I would still be open to read other books that Emily Henry releases in the future. This book felt like a chore to finish but there were few scenes and characters I liked. I particularly liked David and Tham and I wish we had gotten more about them although I know they were just side characters.
Thank you so much to Penguin and Netgalley for providing me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review of this book.

⭐️⭐️ this book was ok. The problem is that I’ve read better in the genre.
Nothing wrong with the writing style, I just didn’t gel with any of the characters, the flashback sections were drawn out and I just wanted to read about present day.

I loved Emily Henry’s debut adult fiction book Beach Read last year, so I was delighted when her publishers sent me an advanced Netgalley copy of her new one! You and Me on Vacation (or The People You Meet on Vacation in the US) is another compelling romance novel, this time set over the course of twelve different summer vacations taken by Poppy and Alex.
The novel is narrated by Poppy, who is an absolute delight of a character, witty, silly and full of lovely little human insecurities. She meets Alex at university and, after a dodgy first encounter, they become best friends. When their first joint summer vacation is a resounding success, they commit to taking a trip together each Summer. After they leave college, Poppy skips town as soon as possible to work in New York City as a travel writer while Alex stays in their hometown in Ohio to work as a teacher at their high school. As their lives start to head in different directions, their annual trips become the one consistent opportunity they have to reconnect.
Alex is also a pretty unique character. He’s a bit of a slow burn and it takes a while for his personality to come through. When it does though it’s worth the wait, his backstory arcing out to impact his decisions and actions in clear and believable ways. However it felt like a fairly brave choice for a romance novel where typically the reader wants to also yearn after the romantic interest. In Beach Read for example, Gus is described as handsome from the off, even though he’s unfriendly, so setting up his attraction for both the novel’s female protagonist and the reader. Conversely, in You and Me On Vacation, nothing made Alex stand out to me as a particularly exciting, well-suited or sexy prospect. so there wasn’t that pulsing excitement for me to want the two of them to end up together. It’s testament to Henry’s writing that, by the end of the novel, I was absolutely rooting for the two of them.
The long term friends set-up is not a trope I come across regularly in the romance novels I read (I’m not sure if it is a popular trope at all as I don’t read tons of romance) but it was a refreshing shake up from storylines featuring sickly sweet meet-cutes or instantaneous explosive lust at first sight type things! On a personal level, my husband and I were acquaintances and then friends for many years before we got together, so there’s that little joy of seeing us reflected a little bit in a love story!
I think I can now safely say I’m an Emily Henry fan. Her writing is smart and incisive so her love stories never become cloyingly sweet or overly predictable. There was the odd thing that I found a little distracting in this novel, in particular I thought that at points the characters started to create more difficulties for themselves which I found a little irritating and took away from my enjoyment. Overall though this is another delightful read from Henry and I'll wait as patiently as possible for the next one!

After finishing Beach Read, I was so excited for another Emily Henry book. So naturally, I scoured the internet for all things about her newest book. After getting my hands on an ARC (and jumping up and down and throwing my arms around in excitement), I started reading it and couldn’t stop.
Best friends to lovers happens to be a favourite trope of mine. Especially with all the juicy pining, tingly feels when they brush their hands together and the long stares at each other. Poppy and Alex had a delightful chemistry from Page 1 and it didn’t stop.
The book switches from different time frames, something that can really throw me off a book sometimes, just because it can be so easy to forget when something happened and leave me in utter confusion. But I genuinely enjoyed seeing how Poppy and Alex met, their friendship and eventual romantic feelings towards each other. It definitely added to their dynamic, making it different from other best friends to lovers books I’ve read, where you wouldn’t really see them building the trust and care they have for each other. The characters were delightful, the secondary characters well developed.
I did, however, find that only hearing from Poppy’s perspective felt a little out of place. I was desperate to hear from Alex’s perspective! Maybe it was just the anticipation I felt!
In short, *this book speaks to me*.
Thank you, Penguin General UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I am, to begin with, not really someone who reads lots of romance novels. Most of them just don't do it for me at all. But sometimes, a romance novel surprises me - such was the case with Emily Henry's "Beach Read" that I ordered on a whim last year and that I liked so much it made me want to read more in that genre again. So of course I was super excited when I heard about Henry's new romance novel and might or might not have performed a little happy dance when my arc of "You and Me on Vacation" got approved.
This one I love even more. Henry manages to connect fluffy romance with more serious topics, which is probably why I adore her books so much. She does it again with her protagonists in "You and Me on Vacation". There are issues of bullying, of loneliness and restlessness, of home (and not having one), of loss and grief and the hardships of moving on. They way these topics are interwoven with the plot and characters while never taking away from the fluffiness and cuteness of a good romance is just really amazing. The writing as such is gorgeous, fun, perfect for the genre.
The romance itself is swoonworthy. It's an opposites attract kind of love story while also being a friendship to lovers romance that takes literally years to finally culminate in a relationship so sweet and healthy it still makes my heart flutter just thinking about it. Poppy is an amazing, deeply flawed, 100% relatable protagonist and Alex is just as amazing as both a character and a love interest. He might be one of my favorite love interests in any romance novel, quite frankly. Henry really knows how to write 'em like this.
There are some side characters that, to be honest, are more or less forgettable. And at some points during the story I did have to suspend my disbelief a liiiiittle too much because a single honest conversation could have basically solved everything. Sometimes it didn't make much sense to me as a reader that this conversation didn't take place - especially because the very essence of their friendship is how open and honest and true to themselves they are able to be around and with each other.
I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with "You and Me on Vacation" and definitely recommend it to both avid romance readers and people like me who do sometimes enjoy a good fluffy romantic afternoon.

You and Me on Vacation is such a heart fluttering and will hit you right to the feels of two best friends from college who make it their tradition to go on vacations every summer. This book is honestly such a fun, emotional and the kind of read that will make you believe in love as well as finding the one who will always make you feel like home.
I absolutely couldn't stop reading this book. The best friends to lovers is always one of my favourite tropes but this story takes it to a whole other level. Their relationship is easy and they always make sure to be true. They love each other unconditionally and it is absolutely heartwarming. This is exactly the kind of romance that is seriously to die for and I'm sure you can agree with me too.
The story goes back from the past and then to the present. So, it will make you feel suspense to figure out what actually happened to the two of them that made their friendship grow apart. You will then have no choice but to continue reading through all the mushy and soft moments between the main characters, Alex and Poppy.
This isn't just a book about romance but it was also about seeking for more to life and reaching out for help when you feel like drowning in one's own struggles and fear. It was also about finally finding home in the one you love most while spending time during vacations that some sounds dreamy and while some sounds a bit dreadful but it doesn't really matter. Especially if you have the best company right by your side.
I really enjoyed reading this book so much and I would seriously recommend you to read this book if you're looking to pick up a romance book filled with different vacation destinations around the world along with important life lessons.

You and Me on Vacation is the best friends-to-lovers romance I have ever read.
While I enjoyed Beach Read last year, You and Me on Vacation was everything to me, and solidified Emily Henry as an auto-buy romance author for me.
This book follows Poppy and Alex, who have been best friends for twelve years, taking summer trips together every year, until two years ago, when they ruined everything, and have barely spoken to each other since. Now Poppy wants to give them a last chance, one last summer trip, where anything could happen.
I loved Poppy and Alex so much. All my favourite romance novels are the ones where I’m equally invested in both protagonists’ emotional journeys, and Emily Henry managed to do that even though she was only writing from Poppy’s point of view, which is quite a feat. This book was full of raw emotion, and she captured beautifully the feeling of loneliness we all feel at some point. I related to Poppy through how lost she was in her life and her loneliness, while I related to Alex because he’s the eldest child in his family, always puts everyone else’s needs first, and is scared to be happy.
One of my favourite things about You and Me on Vacation> was that it had flashbacks to all the summers Poppy and Alex spent together: you get to see them becoming friends, all their little moments of being comfortable and the happiest around each other, you get to see them falling for each other, even though they don’t quite realise it. Because you have all those little moments of them together, you can definitely see the connection between them, and how, despite all their differences, they’re perfect together.
Seeing all the build-up of Poppy and Alex’s relationship was amazing, because it made their relationship all the more believable, and it could make sense that most of the present timeline mostly happened in a week. All the mutual pining was incredible, it really was a masterclass in friends-to-lovers romance. I got so invested in their personal journeys and their romance that I found myself ugly-crying during the scene where it all comes together, and they give in to their mutual attraction, and it hadn’t happened to me in a very long time.
Overall, You and Me on Vacation is my favourite romance of 2021 so far, this book made me so emotionally invested in both protagonists’ personal growths and their romance. It was such a beautiful story, and I can’t wait to reread it again and again.

This book focuses On the friendship of Alex and Poppy, both from a small town in Ohio and both very different. It focuses on the vacations that they take each summer and how they have grown together and apart. I read “beach read” by the author last year and didn’t really gel with the story or characters at all, but I loved this book and could relate to it and to the characters, particularly as I had come from a small Ohio Town myself and now live in a city.

I loved this book - the way the story is told with the timelines mixed together was such a brilliant device to get to know Poppy and Alex. I could happily read a book about each individual summer trip!
Can't wait to see what Emily Henry does next!

It feels like I just finished a Ross and Rachel AU.
It's interesting because I was actually recently discussing that I am really not a fan of friends to lovers dynamic where they're secretly in love and joining for each other for essentially the entire "friendship". For me, it's two people that are simply being dishonest with their own feelings.
This book works, just not for me.
"You and Me on Vacation" (or People You Meet on Vacation) follows Poppy and Alex's friendship. They try and figure out their relationship while also going on fantastic holidays. I think this book will be great for people who enjoy that friends to lovers dynamic generally, but it's just not my cup of tea. Especially as I found that I actually preferred Poppy and Alex as friends rather than as lovers, They really did remind me of Ross and Rachel from friends (much better execution, I really do have to stress). The dynamic there seemed to exist here as well, and I just didn't vibe with it.
Besides the fact that this plot was just not entirely my cup of tea, I felt like the books' timing and the pacing were off. It started off great and really strong, but about a third way into the book, the story began to feel slightly drawn out. For one, I felt like these grown adults should just bloody talk to each other properly. I also felt the big reveal falls so flat because of its place in the plot; there's all this build-up, and it sort of just fizzles away.
Is this a bad book? Definitely not, and there are definitely people I would recommend this book to, but it just wasn't for me.
A 2.5 rounded up.
(Netgalley ARC)

I was both excited and trepidatious to read this book after adoring Beach Read last year, but I needn't have worried, I may have even adored this one more
This book follows Poppy and Alex who have been best friends for ten years...until something happened on holiday two years ago which may have ruined everything, especially their chance at romance
From the prologue the connection and hashtag banter between Poppy and Alex had me completely hooked. I was instantly invested in their friendship and shared history and couldn't wait to find out everything about them
I loved both of them but related to Alex a lot, the poor anxious, routine loving, "boring" bean. His insecurities and goals were so relatable, and the fact that he doesn't have lofty goals of leaving his home town particularly. I'm sure it also doesn't hurt for Poppy that he's ripped
I loved how this book was written between timelines. We mainly get present day with alternating chapters of their holidays together over the years, from meeting in college to the trip that, it's hinted at, ruined everything between them
I'd highly recommend this book to everyone tbh. But especially adult contemporary and romance readers, and people who loved Beach Read

This was a wonderful read, perfect for those who are unable to travel and can cope with reading about travel writers and their holidays, the good and the bad.
It was fun, enjoyable, a will they won’t they, what did happen in croatia teaser of a book. As with her previous book this should be the perfect beach read, if visiting beaches and pools are allowed again.
Highly recommend. Thank you

I couldn't believe my luck when I was accepted for an E-ARC of You & Me on Vacation via NetGalley. I requested the book after reading Beach Read as our fortnightly pick for Behind The Blurb book club. Beach Read made me fall in love with Emily's writing and this book only furthered that.
You & Me on Vacation follows the journey of two best friends through college and the years that come after. They both encounter challenging times & some of these seem to have lasting effects on their friendship, however they stick to their promise of one vacation together a year.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and without a doubt would give it five stars. It offered the perfect form of escapism (in a time where none of us are able to escape to anywhere else), easy to follow with a few twists and turns along the way meaning I wasn't ever bored by the content. I enjoyed how the book flicked between current and past tense, allowing our idea and knowledge of the characters & their struggles to develop as we delved further into their back stories. This book has left me wishing Emily would write a sequel as I'm not finished with the characters!

This book screams beachy read, it has a friends to lovers trope, drama, summer vacations and drinks! Poppy and Alex met at college and have been BFF since, they are polar opposites, and travels together every summer. The story is told in Poppy’s POV, rotating from present day and the past twelve years.
Until one summer vacation where something drastic happens and they stop talking. Two years go by, Poppy is missing Alex so she reaches out and offers one last vacation to see where it leads them! This book made me laugh, cry, & root for romance and I adore Poppy & Alex, they are so relatable and likable! Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK, and the author for a gifted copy.

This book was mentioned in a very popular online bookclub as a must read if you’re looking for a romance to sweep you off your feet. Sadly it didn’t live up to that expectation, but it was an easy read with a relationship that felt realistic. Sadly it was also very predictable and the grand reveal of the reason why Poppy and Alex’s relationship is strained turned out to be a damp squib. Funny on occasion, and with several on point observations, sadly this book just didn’t sing for me. I wanted to love it, I really did but in the end it’s hovering around a 3/3.5.

Perfect pandemic reading.
I really enjoyed watching Poppy and Alex's relationship grow throughout the story. They are both well-rounded likeable, and authentic characters. I particularly liked their inside jokes. Definitely how my friends and I are with each other. The flashbacks to previous summer trips were also a lovely touch. Not only do you understand Poppy and Alex better as characters, but you get to be their travel buddies through Emily's vivid writing. This definitely filled a holiday-shaped hole for me. So, if you are in need of a fun, escapist read full of armchair travel. Pick this up immediately!