I think I have a new favorite book. “People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry made me feel so many emotions while reading it; happiness, joy, sadness, hope, anxiety, empathy, and most of all, nostalgia. You see, my husband and I couldn’t stand each other when we met, then we became good friends, and then, were both nervous to let the other know how we felt, fearing it would ruin our friendship. We just celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary, so I guess you could say that things worked out.
Poppy and Alex met at the beginning of college and the book alternates between “this summer” and each of the summers from when they first met, to the present. I loved this twist on alternating timelines. I have read so many contemporary romances that I didn’t think I’d find anything that felt as fresh and new as this book. While the “should they or shouldn’t they” premise may not be anything new, it felt so inviting and unique with the characters involved.
I won’t give you the details of Poppy and Alex, but this is the type of book that makes you believe in love and will be the hot beach read this year.

This is the second book I have read by Emily Henry, and I had just as many gushy feelings with People We Meet On Vacation as I did with Beach Read. Is it because it feels so familiar with the Midwesterner characters? This time Cincinnati was featured heavily, and it was so much fun spotting local name drops. Also, Ms. Henry’s one-liners are just so much fun. I had a happy book hangover after finishing this. I love friends-to-lovers tropes, and the unrequited love element added another layer of delightful angst. Please, can I just give Alex the biggest hug ever????

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Poppy and Alex are the unlikeliest of friends - totally opposite personalities, but they become best friends in college. Whereas Alex has a plan to study literature and hopefully become a professor, Poppy isn't sure what she wants to do, so she quits college and starts a blog on traveling for cheap. So begins Poppy and Alex's summer trip tradition. Every summer they go on a trip together, in the beginning it's whatever they can afford, but then Poppy gets a job writing for a travel magazine and their vacations become more luxurious. Unfortunately, two years ago, their trips stopped. Something romantic happened between the two of them and they haven't really spoken since. Now Poppy has everything she has ever wanted, professionally, but she feels like something is missing. She texts Alex and they plan another summer trip, the first after the "incident", in the hopes that seeing him will help her reconcile what is missing from her life.

Better than Beach Read, and I really enjoyed Beach Read, but Poppy may be my new favourite fictional female. She is colourful yet relatable and absolutely laugh out loud hilarious. Her banter with Alex is what made this book for me - the box of condoms, the "call me Ed", I was howling at some of the things she said, and Alex always has the perfect retort for her or explanation for those that don't understand her humour. The travel, the romance, the comedy, even the quiet moments when Poppy reflects on her happiness and their relationship, it all came together to make what I would consider the perfect romantic comedy.
People We Meet on Vacation could have been just a run of the mill story about opposites attract, but instead there is this killer chemistry and slow burn romance alongside these amazing adventures and lots of comedy. If you're looking for a book that will have you laughing out loud on one page and swooning on the next, look no further, I would highly recommend.

I loved this book. I appreciate everything Emily Henry does as an author. This book was the perfect vacation to take while I’m stuck at home. I wanted these characters to come off the page and be my friends in real life.

The whole time I was reading I kept thinking this has major When Harry Met Sally vibes! She mentions her love of the movie in the author’s notes at the end.

If you loved Beach Read you’ll absolutely love this book. The character development is amazing and the banter is perfection! Poppy and Alex are everything.

And I can’t wait to travel again! I loved reading about all their amazing summer vacations.

Pub day - May 11th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very sweet, book that doesn't an excellent job of weaving a present day storyline with a complicated back story without ever feeling bogged down.

I DNF'ed this book at 47%, I won't post anything on goodreads/insta yet in case I come back to it in a few weeks but right now I am not jiving with it.

I read Emily Henry's novel "Beach Read" last summer and I was instantly hooked. I was thrilled to get an opportunity to read her upcoming novel "People We Meet on Vacation."

In this story we meet Poppy and Alex who have been best friends since college, but only friends. They refuse to acknowledge their growing feelings and attraction to one another because they are afraid of ruining their friendship. Each summer they take a trip together, except "something" happened two years ago and they have not spoken since. Poppy, whose career is thriving, still feels as though something is missing and it does not take her long to figure out that the something is Alex.

She invites him on a trip to Palm Springs and they embark on the adventure that forces them to finally deal with all of the pent-up emotions they've been carrying around for twelve years.

In reading "People We Meet on Vacation" we get to witness the lingering effects of childhood trauma and how they feed into our insecurities as adults. Alex, lost his mother as a young child, and became the emotional rock that kept his family together after his father had a difficult time coping with the loss of his wife.

Poppy never felt like she fit in - at school or in her small town - people hurt her and she could not wait to leave Ohio for bigger and better things. She needed to move away from all that caused her pain and all those who made her doubt herself and prove to herself that she was worthy.

In college she meets Alex, who attended a sister school in Ohio and had a generally good experience at school - something that Poppy cannot fathom. They quickly become friends, even though they are complete opposites and have entirely different hopes for the future.

Twelve stubborn years of being best friends and refusing to admit that there might be something more finally come to a head when they must confront their true feelings. To get to this point Alex and Poppy first have to let go of all their hang-ups and deal with their past insecurities.

Poppy has to learn to stop being afraid of Ohio and everything it represents and Alex has to learn to allow himself to feel - even when it can result in potential heartbreak.

I cried my way through the last few chapters and sighed happily through the entire epilogue. "People We Meet on Vacation" was perfect and Alex and Poppy's story will stay with me for a long time.

Emily Henry is truly a gifted author and I cannot wait to see what's next.

This book is exactly what I needed right now. Not only was the story fresh and cute but I LIVED for all the trips I got to experience while reading this. I mean can I just speak for everyone when I say “I miss traveling so much!!!!!” Even the annoying parts made me nostalgic for past trips gone wrong. I can’t wait to get stuck in an airport later this year....

So this is a best friends(ish) to lovers romcom that spans a little over a decade. I loved how every other chapter covered a different trip from the past - it was so fun to read about settings all over the world. But just like Beach Read, what I loved most where the characters. Emily Henry creates some of the most unique yet incredibly real characters that I can’t help but love. And she writes the BEST banter out there - it's the perfect mix of witty and flirty and I just can’t help but smile while reading all the dialogue.

If you enjoyed Beach Read, this is a bit lighter but equally enjoyable. It is the perfect Summer book!

Alex and Poppy have nothing in common, she is wild and free spirited while he is calm and collected however they have been best friends since college. Though adulthood and their careers keep them apart most of the year every summer they take a summer vacation to somewhere new until two summers ago when everything changes. Now as Poppy begins to realize though she has all she wants professionally she is still unhappy she vows to get back to taking her beloved vacations with Alex in hopes to get her life back on track. During their one week trip Poppy is determined to get back to how they used to be but the one problem between them just won’t seem to go away.

I absolutely loved Beach Reads so I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this one. Emily Henry is such a great author and her characters are so relatable. The book switch’s back and forth between present day and summers past and I loved the dual time lines. The banter between these two was so fun. Of course many part were predictable but I still loved it!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley for my ARC!

First of all for my 100th book of the year read I’m so thrilled that it is this book! I could not love this book more. I absolutely adored #BeachRead and this absolutely did not disappointed. This will for sure be high up on my list for 2021.
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What happens when the life you expected is exactly you pictured yet, something doesn’t feel right? Poppy has the exact life she imagine but she feels untethered. She hasn’t felt right since she hasn’t talked to her best friend in two years. Prior to their big fight the one constant in her life was Alex, her complete opposite and best friend.
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Friends since college, Alex and Poppy bonded even if they are nothing alike. Their one constant is their summer trip they take together every year.
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Told in dual timelines in current times and past vacations we see how Poppy and Alex came to a breaking point in their relationship and are now ready to repair it.
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I adore their banter and hearing about their trips. I love how Alex is high strung and straight laced but with Poppy and with Poppy only he lets his hair down and truly allows himself to have fun. Henry writes with heart but also her trademark wit and humor that makes her books utterly relatable and purely charming. This is going to be the absolute perfect summer beach read!
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Thank you so much to #NetGalley and #Berkleypub for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
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This book is available May 11th! Just in time for your summer vacation plans!

A year into the pandemic and the hope of someday being able to travel safely creeping up on the distant horizon, this was the perfect book for me starting off my spring break! Poppy was an outsider growing up and is taken completely by wanderlust in her 20s. Alex is the human equivalent of the khaki pants he wears, and when the two meet in college, they eventually hit it off the second time they meet. Over the next decade they go on vacations each summer, until things happen and then it's radio silence for two years. This story was full of realistic and authentic feelings that grabbed at my heartstrings and made me even more upset that I'm still on dating apps. I loved Henry's first book, Beach Read, and she did not have a sophomore slump with this one!

Ok I think Emily Henry is slowly becoming a fave author of mine. Beach Read was the first book I’ve read of hers and I loved it so so much. When we got this ARC I got REAL excited. But I was also hesitant to start People we Meet on Vacation because, what if Beach Read was a one off? I’ve been in this position before and have disappointed many times. Books really have a way of toying with your emotions don’t they? Anywaaayysss, I started it and could not stop. It was soooo good. Like, read in a day good. I think Alex might be one of my fave male leads in a long time. He is nerdy and shy, but so supportive of Poppy and hilarious too! Poppy has a level of confidence that I could only dream of having and I loved how Henry chose to write this character. I’ve learned that I really enjoy reading the rapport between 2 characters, and Poppy and Alex did not disappoint. More than that, this book really made me want to travel!! This global panny needs to wrap things up so I get get on a plane already!! I only really have one critique which has to do with this “sad puppy dog face” that Alex would use on Poppy to get her to laugh. It was a little repetitive for me and I thought it could have been used a little less. That being said, if you love rom-coms, you’re gonna love this book!! I gave it a 4.5 star rating so I rounded up on here.

A stellar new novel by Emily Henry, People We Meet on Vacation explores the "friend zone' relationship through a new lens. Henry slowly reveals the character's true personalities by juxtaposing their "vacation-life" with their "real-life." Highly recommended.

When Harry Met Sally is one of my all time favorite movies and I think this is a decent homage to that classic film. It's also a great example of opposites attract. An enjoyable read, although something about the ending didn't hit right for me. However, still enjoyable.

I want every who gets this book to head to the beach and make sure they have a few hours of uninterrupted reading because everyone DESERVES to have this book in their lives. 

Alex and Poppy are the most unlikely pair but in the same breath - they complete each other in so many ways.  Their friendship begins with a car ride home back from college and turns into a lifelong friendship that neither can do without. 

This is my first book by Emily Henry and I am in love with her writing.  These characters are now friends of mine.  I want to run into Alex and Poppy on vacation and have drinks with them. I loved how they could be themselves with each other, something that we often find isn't happening in our lives.  We are different people in different situations but these two were genuine with each other and it was refreshing.  Their journey from their early friendship and summer vacations to the present day where they haven't spoken for 2 years since an "incident" on their last vacation.  This summer vacation needs to heal their friendship and their escapades are laugh-out-loud fun to read. 

This book will be on my top reads of 2021 - no doubt.  Grab this book and your beach chair and enjoy the trek!

It didn't even take a chapter to know that this book is special. I assumed going in it would be, because Emily Henry stole a piece of my heart with Beach Read. But with People We Meet on Vacation, she's got a big ole chunk of my heart and I don't even want it back. Poppy and Alex can keep it.

Poppy and Alex have been best friends since their first year of college. Opposite's must attract because they couldn't be more different. Poppy is loose, and silly, and unapologetically herself, whereas Alex is buttoned-up, organized, and holds himself on a very short leash. The summer after their freshman year of college, a tradition starts: The Summer Trip. No matter the money they have (or don't have), Poppy and Alex vow to go on a trip with each other. Even if they lose touch during the year, Poppy and Alex always come back together for the trip and it's like nothing has changed despite the years that keep coming.

The story is told in Poppy's POV and it alternates between present-day and flashbacks of each Summer Trip Alex and Poppy take. Each flashback brings us closer to the present day, building their friendship at an almost maddeningly slow pace. We see the cracks start to form with each trip until we realize why this current Summer Trip is so crucial. Poppy just isn't the same with Alex and vice versa.

The banter in this book is some of the best. You'll snicker, giggle, and downright guffaw while you're reading. Their humor is quick and built from hours and years of friendship. Emily Henry is so talented when it comes to creating believable characters with history and charisma. Poppy and Alex have full lives outside of the pages of this book and it makes them incredibly dynamic. And don't even get me started about the steam. This book isn't loaded with sex scenes, but they are incredibly effective. The one-bed trope has never looked so good.

I can't say enough good things about this book. This is one you'll see me recommending over and over. I can't get enough of Emily Henry. I will read anything she writes and I already can't wait to revisit this one again.

I LOVED this.

Emily Henry is just perfection. This was totally different from BEACH READ, despite carrying over Henry's writing style and voice. The structure of this was so much fun for a romance novel--it reminded me a lot of Colleen Hoover and Christina Lauren's books in terms of organization and dual timelines. It was so sweet. The overarching theme here is what truly makes a "home". Is it a place? A person? How can home be attached to someone who may not choose you back? Golden.

I will always choose enemies-to-lovers over friends-to-lovers...but this one may change my mind. Character development and scene positioning were the stars of this show. ADORED.

5/5

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

*Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

My favorite romance of the year thus far. Reading this made me remember how I devoured Beach Read in the same way. I sat down and read this in the course of one Sunday afternoon. As a firm enemies to lovers fan, I have to say this friends to lovers got me in my feels.

This romance had all the tropes that I could have wished for: years of pining, sharing a bed, two idiots in love who don't know their in love, witty banter, sexual tension, miscommunication - all of it came together to create a romance I absolutely couldn't put down. I was crying by the end of this one, not just welling up, but literal tears streaming down my face.

The characters felt so real, their problems were realistic and that's why this felt so raw and emotional to me. Not to mention, Emily Henry, is a master of witty dialogue. I laughed out loud at multiple points. It was endlessly charming, funny, emotional, and simply delightful.

CW: Bullying, parental death, fear of abandonment