Who Would Like This Book:
Grab your sunglasses - this is a sparkling, feel-good rom-com that’s equal parts wanderlust and witty banter. People We Meet on Vacation is perfect for anyone who loves friends-to-lovers stories, snappy dialogue, and deep dives into what makes a friendship tick. If you’re nostalgic for classic movies like When Harry Met Sally or crave books that make you want to call your best friend and book a spontaneous trip, this one’s for you. It’s light, fun, and surprisingly heartfelt, with realistic characters you'll root for (and sometimes yell at).
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you’re not a fan of dual timelines, a slow-burn romance, or lots of internal (versus external) conflict, this book might test your patience. Some readers found the back-and-forth timeline a bit repetitive, and others struggled with Poppy’s humor or the heavy focus on miscommunication between the main characters. The plot leans more on emotional buildup than big dramatic events, and if you’re expecting sizzling chemistry or a highly original twist, you may come away underwhelmed.
About:
Poppy and Alex, two best friends with contrasting personalities, have been taking annual vacations together for years until a falling out causes a two-year silence in their friendship. When Poppy suggests one final summer trip to mend their relationship, they head to Palm Springs to confront their feelings for each other. The story alternates between past trips and their current vacation, exploring their deep connection and the challenges they face in transitioning from friends to potentially something more. Emily Henry's writing style weaves humor, romance, and realism, creating an engaging narrative that delves into themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery.
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book addresses themes such as miscommunication in relationships and personal insecurities, which could be triggering for some readers.
Has Romance?
The romance is a significant focus of the narrative and is developed throughout the story.
From The Publisher:
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
A TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON SUMMER READS NOMINEE!
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Newsweek ∙ Oprah Magazine ∙ The Skimm ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Parade ∙ The Wall Street Journal ∙ Chicago Tribune ∙ PopSugar ∙ BookPage ∙ BookBub ∙ Betches ∙ SheReads ∙ Good Housekeeping ∙ BuzzFeed ∙ Business Insider ∙ Real Simple ∙ Frolic ∙ and more!
Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read comes a sparkling new novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.
Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She's a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart-she's in New York City, and he's in their small hometown-but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.
Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since.
Poppy has everything she should want, but she's stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together-lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.
Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?
Ratings (612)
Incredible (69) | |
Loved It (238) | |
Liked It (175) | |
It Was OK (78) | |
Did Not Like (44) | |
Hated It (8) |
Reader Stats (1004):
Read It (640) | |
Currently Reading (5) | |
Want To Read (257) | |
Did Not Finish (17) | |
Not Interested (85) |
20 comment(s)
I know that I'm pretty much the last person on earth to read this, and I'm hating myself for that because where has this book been my whole life?!?!? Emily Henry really had no business infiltrating my brain and making me care about these characters so much. This might be my favourite romance I've ever read.
i enjoyed this book! i thought alex was a really lovely character, and i found myself really loving the way henry writes details in - little things that flesh out a character or a location. rachel wearing high heels to hand wash her dishes. nola smelling like food stuck in somebody's teeth. definitely a well-written book.
my issue was, the happy ending felt somewhat... unearned? by time we finally discover what happened in croatia, it felt so anticlimactic - and don't even get me started on chapter 35. that ending fight and resolution felt so rushed, even in the way it was all gift wrapped at the end. idk. poppy is somewhat self-absorbed, albeit still loveable. alex is autistic and it makes me laugh that the book seems almost afraid to put that label on him. overall, it was fun! just unfortunately not ultimately satisfying.
i was thinking back to reading this book and like there were for sure some good parts and it was well written but idk if i'd reread it. like it wasn't always really easy to read and like i get that but also i wasn't expecting so much heaviness.
4,75/5
Miejscami była nudnawa i za długa, ale bardzo przyjemnie się ją czytało.
Fell a little flat for me compared to her other books, but again Emily Henry is the queen of witty banter.
Just finished, but I will edit this with a more full review, right now I’m giving it a 4.5.
5 hours out of 10 hours audiobook and I'm done
I cannot stop recommending Emily Henry’s books to my fellow book-club members! “People We Meet on Vacation” is one of them. It’s the perfect summer read. I instantly fell in love with her characters and their chemistry. The heartfelt moments they shared made me smile more often than not.
They deserve each other, made for each other. Pick me girl and pick me boy
I hung in there because I enjoyed Beach Read so much, but this one was a rough read for me. I was not a fan of the 10 vacations/10 years concept because it was very jumpy and confusing. I also felt that I got a pretty good description of Alex, but I don’t feel like I really knew Poppy. It was like she was just there to be uncomfortable around Alex, and their friendship just wasn’t very believable. There’s no way these people would go on vacation together every year when they seem so annoyed and uncomfy with each other! With Beach Read, there were well developed characters in the community and a well developed setting. I felt that the vacation spots for each trip in this book were just passing and not important, which may have been the point, but it was distracting to have to fill in so much in my head. If it weren’t for the hype, and the fact that I listened to an audiobook, I probably would not have finished this one.
What can you read after
People We Meet on Vacation?
About the Author:
Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. Find her on Instagram @emilyhenrywrites.
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