When was the last time you were truly happy? For Poppy Wright the answer to that question is easy. The last time she was happy was when she was with her best friend Alex Nilsen. But that was two years ago, and she doesn't know if things will ever go back to how they used to be with him. In a last ditch effort to save their relationship, Poppy invites him on The Summer Trip, an annual event that went back ten years before it all fell apart two summers ago. When they get to Palm Springs, however, it's one disaster after another. Failing to recapture the magic of past trips, Poppy begins to wonder if maybe it's time to start looking forward rather than back.

Emily Henry has done it again! I could not stop reading People We Meet on Vacation. Poppy and Alex are so real and relatable as they move from their college years into the uncertainty of early adulthood. It honestly made me feel seen. Add to that equal doses of witty banter and wanderlust, and you have one of my new favorite books.

Emily Henry's follow up to her smash hit "Beach Read" is likely going to be a huge success. With a non linear plot line that includes a millennial main character venturing off on ten different vacations, readers are sure enjoy escapism in the form of this novel. However this departure from reality is not solely based on exotic locations, Author Emily Henry also provides readers with a slow burn romance, witty banter and a friends to lovers story that will capture hearts.

Among all of the vacations that the main character goes on, I loved the details and the dreamy nature of the trip to Vail. (Hold the drama though!) I appreciated that throughout the book, the main character is dealing with work burnout, fatigue and some internal struggles like loss of directional focus. This provided some empathy for her and connected me to the story. With that being said, at times the dialogue was a bit disorganized and train of thoughts were hard to follow. It can be argued that real life is often like this, but I was left to wonder if that was the intended purpose of those passages.

Themes of friendship, love and home are ever present throughout the novel. The timeliness of this novel is not lost. At a time when many people are feeling a strong sense of wanderlust, this book will arrive into their thirsty hands and provide the refreshment they require. Was this novel perfect for me? No. Was it worth the read? Absolutely yes.

Recommendations: Pick up this novel for a heartwarming friends to lovers romance that is sure to fill the travel void this pandemic has created.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a charming read that taps into the nostalgia so many of us had for our college days, travel abroad, and the one that got away. Our main characters, Poppy, a magazine writer and Alex, a. high school teacher, are winning on every level. And the structure of the novel, flipping back and forth from present to past works to let the reader into their long, platonic relationship before it gets romantic. Sharp dialogue with a sense of fun will remind you of the kind of conversations you used to have in your twenties, before life got complicated. And an HEA that works on every level.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

This is a cute friends-to-lovers romance that has a very slow burn. The story is told with flashbacks of Poppy and Alex's relationship and travels through the years. Slowly, the story of their friendship and crisis is told which is juxtaposed with their present day. As the relationship nuances become more clear, the situation they are in in the present becomes more profound and the combination of the two is a perfect blend.

Great characters, great build and a really enjoyable read.

Emily Henry just writes books for me, books I LOVE. She mixes sassy and sweet and heartfelt with relatable in such a down-to-earth and fun way. Her writing and characters will make you laugh and tear up at the same time. You feel all the emotions, and I love it!

People We Meet on Vacation follows the story of Poppy, a quirky and sweet journalist who's full of wanderlust and ambition, and her journey with her best friend Alex through the summers of their annual vacation trips. Over the years, we see how each trip alters their relationship hovering on the edge of something more.

I ADORE this book! I absolutely loved Beach Read, and this one has the same wit and charm about it that Henry nails so beautifully. She writes the dynamic between these characters so well, and it left me completely smitten. I felt their longing, admiration, and respect for each other and the love!

It was a beautiful, thoughtful story about friendship, finding yourself, discovering what you want out of life, and on top of it all, love, and it will completely melt your heart. This book is 100% a new favorite for me!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Emily Henry surprised me with Beach Read and then she did it again with this book. Yes, give me more millennial love stories that can be sexy but also deeper and darker. I can't help but fall in love with her very FULL characters, their friends, and their stories, while also being completely jealous of all the travelling happening.

There's also just something so relatable about everything Poppy talks about from the feeling of loneliness, to running away, and even to understanding what home really means. I loved every minute of this book. Thank you for pulling me out of MY funk.

Pandemic ennui, I swear to god.

It’s not a traditional love story. It goes back and forth between the present and flashbacks to trips that best friends Poppy and Alex took together. It was a clever way to show how the friendship and eventual love story progressed.

Well, let me start by saying I got approved for this book on Netgalley today...and I finished the book tonight. If that doesn’t tell you how good this is, I don’t know what will! Emily Henry can do no wrong in my opinion, and this book had everything I love in a romance. Friends to lovers, forced proximity (having to share a bed...LOVE IT), witty banter, and more! This is a PERFECT each read and now I am so sad that it’s over. Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! 5 stars from me.

I loved this book! Another homerun for Emily Henry. This was the sweetest tale of friendship, and love in its purest form. The will they won't they struggle kept me "shipping" Alex and Poppy throughout the whole book. This book was a joy to read, and a wonderful escape from reality. I really enjoyed it!

Definitely enjoyed the 2nd book from Emily Henry. The travel theme was welcome after a year at home and the characters were very engaging. Big fan of Alex and Poppy!

I am completely speechless. This book may just be my new favorite romance of all time. Friends to not friends to friends to lovers? The best trope and emily Henry did it SO WELL! The emotions she made Alex and poppy feel and the timelines telling the story? I loved it. I went into this thinking wow this will be hard to top beach read but wow this one blew away any expectations that I had!! I can’t even convey my thoughts about how much I loved it. I am a sucker for romances and this checked every single box. I read it in about 6 hours and could not put it down! I can’t wait for everyone to be reading this book and hopefully loving it like I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emily Henry does it again! God, I think I'll have to come back to this review because I just finished reading this book a few hours ago and I'm having serious book hangover. I had enjoyed Beach Read last year but this one definitely hit a different high with me. I was biting my nails for old friends, Alex and Poppy, to get together. In their quest, they deliver some amazing monologues which ruined me with how honest and vulnerable they were. At a time when I've been questioning if I'll ever find love, reading about these characters find each other was very life-affirming.

It’s been two years since Poppy and Alex have spoken. Though Poppy has everything she wanted, she begins to feel like she is missing something, and knows she needs another summer trip with Alex to find out what she needs. Only problem is that they ruined everything two years ago. Can they find their way back to each other in just one week?

After seeing so many rave reviews for this book, I had to say screw my schedule and read it right away. I had a busy week when I picked it up, which meant I read a bit slower than normal, but it also meant I was able to savor every page of this delicious novel. I loved Beach Read last year so I had high hopes for this one, and Emily Henry did not disappoint! I loved the jumps in timeline taking you through each “summer trip” Alex and Poppy took throughout the book, and I just adored them both so dang much. My favorite romance trope is always best friends to lovers, so I think I loved this book extra just for that! This is one of those stories I wish I could forget so I could read it again! I have my preorder in for my physical copy of this one, and I am here to tell you that you should 100% do the same!

This best-friends-to lovers story is the best thing you’ll read all year. Alex and Poppy have known each other for more than a decade, taking trips around the world every summer. After an awkward encounter leads to two years without speaking, Poppy meets Alex in California for one last trip to salvage their friendship. Their love for each other radiates off of the page, and it was delightful to watch their friendship and feelings bloom. Do your heart a favor and read this book!

I loved these characters, and I loved the entire concept of this book. Two complete opposite best friends find the time every year to go on a vacation and reconnect, and chaos ensues. I enjoyed having the past chapters intertwined with the present day chapters--the backstory on these two was so important, and I really appreciated how the decisions they made on their trip seven or five years ago dictated how they reacted to present day situations. Alex was my type of nerdy, and Poppy was so quirky. Plus, I loved their banter. It was the tiniest bit slow in the first few chapters as I tried to gain my footing in their relationship, but at about 35% I was hooked. Sometimes when characters call each other their home it just seems... out of place. But these two-- their connection was radiating off the page. Their chemistry was palpable. Loved it. If you enjoyed Beach Read, this is a no-brainer. If you love vacation romances, or best friends becoming something more, it's also a no-brainer.

I loved this book even more than Beach Read, which is a tall order! I related to Poppy and her messiness and need to constantly be going somewhere new but also finding home in a person rather than a place. Reading this was the closest to being on vacation that I've been in over a year and it was a delight to recognize the places I've been and add new places to my future travel list. I will be pushing this title on everyone I know!

After reading and adoring Beach Read last year, I was so ecstatic for Emily Henry's newest romance novel (and it did not disappoint)! I appreciate how intentional her storytelling is, with flawed characters trying to navigate a relationship that is both raw and tangible. I think People We Meet On Vacation will be perfect for fans books and movies like When Harry Met Sally, highlighting the best friends to lovers trope,

Emily Henry does it again! I devoured Beach Read last summer (and again this winter), so I was only too excited to get my hands on People We Meet on Vacation. The romance in Henry's latest novel is a similar friends-to-lovers tale, filled with growing sexual tension and fun banter that will have you wishing for a summer romance of your own. While the plot can me a little melodramatic and frustrating at times, the characters and charming enough to have you wishing for more. I'd definitely go on vacation with Emily Henry again.

This is the perfect vacation read from the author of Beach Read. Emily Henry is the master of modern romance.

She creates two unforgettable characters who are absolute opposites in every way, yet they become best friends. Poppy likes loud clothes, crowded bars and traveling the world. Alex likes khakis, school and his hometown. After college, they both want completely different things, but he promises Poppy that he’ll travel with her every summer.

Poppy has everything she wants on paper - a job writing for a travel magazine, a fancy NYC apartment and an influencer best friend. But she’s still not happy. She decides the last time she was happy, she was traveling with Alex.

But after an incident on a trip to Croatia, Alex and Poppy haven’t spoken in two years, and Poppy feels a gigantic hole in her life. She invites Alex on one last, week-long trip to Palm Springs to see if they can make their friendship work again. Poppy’s determined to keep it in the friends zone, but of course, the Airbnb she books turns out to have only one bed.

This is a best friends to lovers story told in a nonlinear narrative. We get to tag along on all Poppy and Alex’s trips, learn their inside jokes and see the depth of their friendship, as they date others but still think the other feels like “home.”

This is one I’ll return to again and again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Poppy and Alex’s annual Summer Trip has been the highlight of their year for over a decade. But two years ago something went wrong and now they barely speak to each other. Poppy is convinced if they just take one last trip together they can salvage their friendship and keep taking trips together forever. But is friendship really what either of them want? 📚 I can’t believe it but Emily Henry’s follow up to Beach Read is just as good, if not better. Poppy and Alex both felt like people I might know in real life, and their relationship with each other reminded me of all my best friendships...just with an added layer of very hot sexual tension (the chemistry between these two is as hot as their desert apartment with a broken AC). An exceptional friends to lovers story that felt real and funny and romantic and sexy as hell, all on the same page. Don’t miss this one.