This is the second book I’ve read from Emily Henry, the first being last year’s Beach Read, which I really enjoyed.
Firstly and slightly confusingly - there are two titles for this book - “The people we meet on vacation” which is the US title, and “You and Me on Vacation”, which looks like the UK one. I think because I follow Emily on Instagram and she’s been talking about this book, with the US title, I thought about it as called both titles!

Poppy is an adult who lives on her own in NYC and has a great career as a travel writer. She gets paid to go to cool places (or really hot ones) and they even pay for her trip AS WELL. Her dream job. She has good friends and is a success at her life, her long left behind small town Mid-West upbringing nothing more than a tiny, dusty dot. Except for her best friend Alex, who has moved home and settled there with his on/off again girlfriend.

Although they don’t see each other much, they do make the time to do a Summer Trip, every year since college when they car pooled home for the summer. The structure of the narrative is interesting - going back in time to recount each one of their summer trips from the first to the last - the current one in present day. A couple of years earlier they’d had a summer trip which had ended badly, something that Poppy alludes to in the earlier chapters. Usually, that kind of ‘and then THE BAD THING happened’ annoys me, but the story moves along at such a nice pace there’s no time to get irritated.

On the surface, this is a story that had the potential to be tired and cliche. In the acknowledgements, Henry talks about being inspired by When Harry Met Sally, which I always think is a sign of a great writer - you are influenced by the books you read, the films you watch and the music you listen to - whether you know it or not. So, although that risk is there, it’s taken somewhere new with well developed and likeable characters. They have a genuine set of reasons not to be together - ones which I have discussed and heard from friends and family in real life. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, no matter how much you like or love each other.

There is also a character arc for both of them, which was good to follow along with. I ended the book hoping they’d take me in as a kind of third wheel best friend… That for me is a sign of a good book - when you finish it wanting to know more about their world and how it carries on, and wondering what karaoke trip-let you’d sing together. Probably All Saints, if you were curious.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Penguin for the Digital Review Copy. This is out on 8th July this year so perfect for a bit of sunshine - pre-order it from wherever you’d normally buy books.

You and Me on Vacation

Emily Henry has done it again! 2020 had me falling in love with Beach Read and You and Me on Vacation is nothing different. From the beginning this book has hooked me, Poppy and Alex seem to have the perfect friendship so what could go wrong?

We start by being dropped into one of Poppy and Alex’s holidays, which even despite the rain desperately makes me want to go on holiday. But this book takes you backwards and forwards throughout their 12 year friendship, the beginning of their friendship being so fragile and cherished. Emily Henry manages to make you aware how important Alex is to Poppy and makes you question what happened to disintegrate that relationship from the get go. Honestly, this book got me so worked up in the best way trying to figure out what happened and what was going to happen.

I loved the portrayal of freedom and happiness and how we often link these so closely to our relationships. Poppy needs people around her to bring her to life, or more specifically she needs Alex.

The only grumble I have about this book is that it wasn’t long enough and I NEED more of Poppy and Alex. If you love the opposites attract / friends to lovers trope dripping with witty banter, this book is for you!

Wow. I'm so in love with this book.
I knew Emily Henry had written something special when I came across Beach Read almost a year ago. It then turned out to be for so many one of the best romances of 2020. I can now say that You and Me on Vacation (Or People Your Meet on Vacation -US Title) will probably have the same success. This is the ultimate friends to lovers romance. But, true to her style it's a lot more than that. There's something special about her writing and how her characters feel so real.

Poppy and Alex met during orientation week and are complete opposites. Based on their first conversation they would never think a friendship could bloom between them. But, when Poppy needs a ride home to her hometown and Alex happens to be her ride they discover that all their differences can actually be a very good thing. With each other, they can be who they truly are, weird and complicated, and not really care what the other one thinks.

As their friendship grows, they make a pact to spend all Summer Vacations together. Poppy has a travel blog and is getting big on social media writing about all sorts of adventures. As the years go by things get more intense and complicated between them, and eventually, Poppy is hired to write for a fancy travel magazine, elevating their budget-friendly trips to five-star hotel extravaganzas. Things are changing, but moving on from friendship to romance can be the scariest one of all.

Multiple locations serve as the backdrop for their trips, and the clever writing jumps from their previous summers while intercalating with the current timeline. Present-day Poppy and Alex are summering in Palm Springs and the writing is so immersive you can practically feel the arid air and see the neon pink flamingos popping from the page.

Things that make You and Me on Vacation so special:
The Mutual Pining is Blissful
Opposites Attract/ Sunshine and Grumpy
There. Is. Only. One. Bed
Slow Burn
THE BANTER IS EVERYTHING
It makes you feel things

This is one of those books that I'll keep going back to when I need something beautiful and romantic to read. It's the first chilling sensation of jumping in the pool on a hot summer day, it's the drip of melting ice cream on your fingers, waiting on your porch for your first boyfriend to pick you up, swiping the card for your hotel room on the first day of vacation, opening your first paycheck, sipping champagne for the first time and feeling the tingling sensation of bubbles in the back of your tongue...

I could go on and on. This will definitely be sharing the same space as some of my other favorite romances like The Hating Game and Red, White, & Royal Blue.

Ps: there's a lovely little Easter Egg that shows You and Me on Vacation and Beach Read are part of the same universe and I stan that.

Is it too early to declare this my favourite rom-com of 2021?
You and Me on Vacation is the story of Alex and Poppy, best friends who take a vacation together every year... until everything went wrong two summers ago and they don't talk anymore. Poppy invites Alex for one last holiday to try and bring them back together. This is a story of true friendship, love and adventure.

The chemistry and banter between Alex and Poppy is amazing. I fell in love with them in the very first scene. Their friendship is so beautiful and fun I couldn't help but smile during their interactions.

These characters feel so real. Emily Henry writes them in a way that all their interactions with eachother and other people feel so natural and REAL. I want them to be my friends.

The writing is gorgeous as the story jumps through time, from present day and recounting past holidays Alex and Poppy have gone on together. Emily Henry builds up this anticipation as we wait to find out what went wrong and if they can fix it. My heart is still feeling fragile after the brilliant book.

There's a real feeling of both the 'opposites attract' and 'friends to lovers' dynamic and it was all done so well. I was smiling and laughing in some scenes and practically crying in others because of how authentic Alex and Poppy feel. Truly an amazing read and something I will be recommending to anyone who enjoys a good love story!

This is my first book by Emily Henry and I will be reading more of this authors. I LOVED her storytelling and writing style. I normally read thrillers and wanted a change and I am so glad that I did.

The story follows the main characters Alex and Poppy as they meet as friends and eventually start to have a relationship. This is the perfect example of opposite attraction, they could not be any different. Poppy is loud, bubbly and Alex is quiet and slightly reserved. For me I felt like this book would make an amazing movie.. I never realised this genre of book was missing from my life and I am hooked.

I laughed and cried during this book and never done this before so READ this book ladies and gents, its a really good one and perfect for the upcoming summer.

Thanks so much for an advanced copy of this book to Emily Henry and Netgalley. I will be reading Emily Henry's other books as soon as is possible.

Thank you once again Emily Henry for writing what I didn't know I needed to read.
Let's start from the beginning though, Poppy and Alex are best friends despite being very different people (or maybe because of that) and their Summer Trips are an institution in their friendship, so we see them traveling through the years as their relationship strengthens and/or gets more complicated.
I do like rom-coms but don't usually get very emotional reading them, enter Emily Henry.
I loved this book not only because the characters are very well written and relatable but also because I feel like got to travel the world through their trips and in a time when even leaving town is very complicated that brought a little respite.
So my advice is to pick up this book and enjoy the journey! (Both literal and emotional)

This was a feel good read that had me smiling. It had lots of ups and downs and I found myself rooting for the characters. A really fun, enjoyable read.

A sweet, emotional friends-to-lovers tale, which made me smile, cry and laugh!

So you've probably read friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers right? Well ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to friends-to-lovers, to almost strangers, then back to friends-to-lovers!😂

I adored Beach Read last year, and from the first few pages of You and Me on Vacation, I knew that I would love this too. I tried so hard not to devour it in one sitting! It certainly took me on an emotional roller-coaster, and although I'm sad its over, I was left with all the warm, fuzzy feels!

I mean, what's not to love?
✈Opposites attract,
✈Reading beautiful descriptions of Poppy and Alex holidaying around the world, whilst in my pjs during lockdown,
✈Banter and sarcasm,
✈Slow burn with glorious tension,
✈One bed (yep that ol' chestnut!)

You and Me on Vacation was full of yearning, and it made my heart hurt! Told from Poppy's POV, we switch back and forth between the present day, and into the past as we gradually see Poppy and Alex's friendship develop each year. The writing was witty, and full of fun and laughter. One minute I would be smiling at something heart-warming, the next I would have tears rolling down my cheeks. Emily Henry made me feel as if I had known Poppy and Alex for years. Sometimes friends-to-lovers can fall flat for me, but this book had me utterly invested in their friendship, so I could understand why they hesitated to risk that friendship! They just had such a good relationship, knew everything about each other, and could really be themselves together!

Poppy was so great! I could imagine being friends with her. Fun and hilarious, she was full of energy, and was extroverted and adventurous. I enjoyed seeing her grow, both professionally, and personally. Poppy stood out the most because we only got her POV, but also because she was so relatable. She wasn't perfect, she was quite flawed, her childhood impacting her adult decisions massively, but this just made her feel more realistic to me.
Alex, the introverted, reserved cutie! He couldn't have been more different to Poppy on paper, but I loved how he came out his shell every time he was with her! Alex loved order and routine, as a result of his childhood trauma. This book highlighted for me, the effect that childhood, and how we are brought up, has on our adult lives and choices. Whereas Poppy stormed her way into my affections, Alex crept into my heart with his sweet, genuine, loveable nature. I totally fell in love with them both, with their complex relationship, and just loved how they started to be more vulnerable with each other!

This romance wasn't overly steamy, but you got to have a little glimpse! Usually I do like a bit more 🔥, but this time I didn't care, it was just such a sweet romance, and their chemistry was hot enough without showing too much if that makes sense?

At this point, I would read Emily Henry's shopping list, but will settle for waiting for her next book!

If you want sweetness, friendship, angst, tension, laughs and so much love, give this one a shot!

Exactly what I needed! Romance, travel, friendship, humour, sarcasm and a happy ever after. I just needed to be by a pool! Emily Henry gets this spot on. I was invested in the characters, their story and their emotions. A lighthearted and enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Emily Henry for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Henry and Penguin General UK for the ARC of You and Me on Vacation. This is my personal review.
Poppy and Alex have been friends for many years and each year they take a vacation together. They click together and learn more about each other every year. Then after 10 years there were two years that go by where they did not connect. Then Poppy decides it is time to get back in touch with Alex- she texts him and they plan another trip. Is there sill time to repair their friendship?
This is an exceptionally good read. The connection between them grows as time goes by and you just have to know how things turn out. Going with them on the annual vacations is filled with so many emotions.

Poppy and Alex have been friends for 12 years. After a road trip and a pact to see more of the world, every summer they have been on vacation. A trip to Croatia took a turn for the worst and the friends lost touch - until now. One last vacation will decide their fate forever.

Straight away, I got strong When Harry Met Sally vibes from this book and while the plot wasn’t very original as a whole, it did have some unique standout moments.

I enjoyed the present day chapters the most by far and the tension and chemistry between Alex and Poppy had me holding my breath, waiting for *that* moment.

Poppy’s character was very well developed and I found her to be the most likeable out of the two protagonists. Alex didn’t have much depth and I wish that his character would have been explored further as I didn’t feel much for this character.

There were definitely some laugh-out-loud moments and I found myself feeling fully immersed in the present day scenes with a big smile on my face.

You and Me on Vacation was my first book by author Emily Henry and certainly will not be my last. Overall, an enjoyable and lighthearted read perfect for the summer - and for the poolside once it’s safe to travel again!

4.5/5. this book is proof that best friends to lovers is the superior trope.....

but seriously i LOVED this book. Emily Henry does such an amazing job at weaving our main characters past and their current timelines so well to create tension and make you root for them as a couple. i think the way that Poppy and Alex got together was a little underwhelming, maybe just due to all the tension that was created, but this didn't take away from how much i enjoyed this. it was funny, cute and so easy to read. emily henry has easily become a must read romance author to me!

huge thank you to Penguin UK and Netgalley for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favourite reads this year! If this doesn’t get made into a movie I’m going to be mad...

I am not usually a fan of the friends to lovers trope but Emily Henry got it spot on!

I enjoyed the timeline jumping between past and present. allowing you to piece the characters and story together. I love the dynamic between Poppy and Alex - great banter, sexual tension and genuinely funny.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Poppy and Alex have been friends for years and take holidays together over a 12 year period. This is the story of them going from friends to lovers. Such different people, wanting totally different things from life but then when they stop speaking to each other after one holiday together, will they be able to make things right.
From the very start of the book, you wonder what has happened between them for them not to speak for 2 years and look forward to them getting back on track. However, this part of the story does seem a little predictable. I was so excited to be given the chance to read this book, I am new to Emily Henry books, I had high hopes due to hearing so much about Beach Read. Unfortunately, I just didn’t gel with the characters, even though Poppy is a very likeable character and it is told from her perspective but there were elements where I just didn’t “get her”. There is good humour throughout the book but I struggled with the back and forth of the chapters, from various holidays to the present day. Please don’t let that put you off, I struggle with films that have the same format.
If romance and travel is your thing, this book is the one for you, especially in these time throughout lockdown when travelling isn’t a possibility and you are able to experience the holidays alongside Poppy and Alex.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the opportunity of reading this book prior to release.

A very good feel good read. I enjoyed the relationship between the two characters and it was also informative with different locations well described. Recommended.

In the first week of college Poppy and Alex meet and have absolutely nothing in common. After an awkward conversation both of them are pretty sure they will never see or speak to each other again, forward one year and they are car sharing home. During this journey they start to see each other in a different light and make a promise to go on holiday together in the summer. This becomes a tradition every summer and their friendship grows from this point.
Poppy and Alex get on with their life , loves and work but, always make time for each other and their summer vacation. There are some very funny and tender moments. It becomes obvious that at points they both have feelings which cross the friendship line and this builds throughout the book. Especially after Croatia!
A great read.

Well this was no Beach read that's for sure. In this novel we see current day Poppy and Alex on a holiday after some tension in their friendship and we also see their past holidays spanning over years counting down to the current holiday. I was vaguely interested in the current timeline but the past holidays were very boring to me and I had zero investment in any of it. Felt like we were just hearing about Sarah over and over again and if i'm honest she was such a bland and under developed character there was no emotions evoked from reading about her. Then when it came to the romance we saw less than 30 pages of them together!! Nothing at all happened and by the time it did I was so over it that I didn't have the same affect as I hoped it would. Very disappointing read with under developed plot and characters.

I am usually not a fan of friends to lovers trope because they just give me heartburn and not in a good way. This book was no different. It did give me the typical friends to lover tripe with plenty of miscommunications, absent communications, missed oppurtunities, lots and lots of angst and let’s not forget, the heartburn but in the bestest possible way. Emily Henry does some kind of magic with her writings and makes even a trope I hate feel good. I loved Alex and Poppy so soooo much. It was intense, they were intense but also sweet and fun with with witty banter but also the angst, oh the angst.... I realise I am rambling and that’s because my brain has decided it loves this book too much to form coherent sentences but anyway, I definitely recommend you checking it out if you enjoyed Beach Read and/or if you love friends to lovers. Even of you don’t like that trope, I would still recommend you to check it out because, it’s just too good 😌

🌸 Adult • Contemporary• Romance • Friends to Lovers 🌸

✍🏼 Book Quote:
Touching is such second nature to me that once I accidentally hugged my dishwasher repairman when I let him out of the apartment, at which point he graciously told me he was married, and I congratulated him.
~You and Me on Vacation

This is my second read by Emily Henry and it did not disappoint!

Poppy and Alex meet in College. They have absolutely nothing in common. Poppy is outgoing, quirky and free spirited with a serious case of wanderlust. Alex is quiet, thrives on routine and loves to stay home with a good book. Yet somehow they become best friends who take a yearly summer holiday together.

The story goes back and forth between the current day, where something has happened to break Poppy and Alex apart, and the past when they are taking their many summer vacations together.

Despite working her dream job for a travel magazine, Poppy isn’t happy. She really misses Alex after 2 years of not speaking to him. Before she knows what happening, she’s somehow not only reconnected with Alex via text, but planned a summer holiday with him. Will this be an opportunity to fix their broken friendship and get her best friend back, or a complete disaster?

I really loved this one! Poppy and Alex were such amazing characters who felt incredibly real. Both had their strengths and their weaknesses and I loved how totally opposite they were. Their friendship made absolutely no sense and yet it made all the sense in the world. Getting to see them grow as individuals through all their summer trips was really interesting. I just loved their whole dynamic.

I’d definitely recommend this one to all the romance fans out there. Especially if you liked Emily’s book Beach Read or Beth O’Learys The Flatshare or The Switch.

🎧 Song vibe:
Wonderwall by Oasis

You and Me on Vacation is a clever and authentic love story that’ll make you laugh, cry, and daydream as you travel the world over a decade of summers.

Emily Henry is a true storyteller. She weaves emotional self-discovery with heart-warming romance in You and Me on Vacation, and it plays out beautifully. Like Beach Read, Henry has created the ultimate summer getaway in less than 400 pages. Her writing is sophisticated and intelligent but full of wit and charisma. I found myself smiling one minute and close to tears the next. Even the simplest of sentences are structured in such a way that provokes emotion for the reader.

Poppy’s personality is the perfect narrator for You and Me on Vacation. She’s bubbly, sharp, and relatable. Henry did a great job at creating an authentically flawed but accessible character. Alex’s personality, upbringing, and goals are starkly different to Poppy’s. I mean, he wears khakis. It’s harder to get to know him as we only get her POV, but I still adored him. He has a shy but kind disputation mixed with heartfelt vulnerability that makes him undeniably loveable.

With a split timeline, the book contains flashbacks to different summer vacations around the globe. It definitely provides an escapism aspect that only becomes more entertaining as the adventures unfold. There were moments where I did forget which country Poppy and Alex were visiting, but I love the wanderlust their quests stir up. Plus, Henry’s writing is just as vivid as ever with stimulating descriptions and animated explorations.

Although I dabbled between 4 and 5 stars, ultimately Henry’s writing and my fondness for the characters won me over. You and Me on Vacation is a story of self-searching and true love that’s perfect read for friends-to-lovers fans. It’s independent of Beach Read and stands its own merit, but like its predecessor, is the delightful, summertime escape we all love to get lost in.