“On vacation, you can be anyone you want. Like a good book or an incredible outfit, being on vacation transports you into another version of yourself.”



2020 was a difficult year for everyone and one of the things I miss most is traveling (I feel a little stingy thinking about it, I confess), but traveling for me is like breathing. This book reminded me of why I love to travel, and that was one of the reasons I connected so much with Poppy.

First of all I would like to talk about how I was looking forward to this book. I’ve been following Emily Henry's work since Beach Read was released (BR became one of my favorite books, so my expectations were very high). I say for sure that Emily Henry is one of the best authors I have ever read. Her writing is light and lively, she manages to bring real and strong subjects to her books, without making the book itself strong, or exhausting. Her stories touches your soul, and this is extremely beautiful.

Now I want to talk a little about the plot of the book, and its characters (without spoiler!). Poppy is a charismatic young woman, fleeing the past and a life she doesn't want for herself. Alex is reserved, letting it go with just Poppy (as Poppy say “Naked Alex” is the best Alex), he is the opposite of her, but the two complement each other. Poppy and Alex became one of my favorite couples. It is beautiful to see two friends discovering that they are in love with each other, struggling to overcome their fears and their differences. Poppy and Alex are complements, they can even live without each other, but they choose not to, because they know that life would not be so good.

People We Meet On Vacation, as well as Beach Read, brings strong subjects but they are shown in a calm and light way. At no time does Emily Henry ease the pain or the doubts that both characters feel, or try to "wipe the cloth" so that their feelings are not so strong and thus do not make the reader feel uncomfortable. She writes and describes characters and events that you feel are real, but in a way that is not exhausting.

It is undoubtedly one of the best romance books I have ever read. This book speaks to me. It is normal to feel lost, aimless, and this book shows that it is possible to find your way back to happiness.

Emily Henry is quickly becoming an automatic read for me. I'm a sucker for two people who support each other despite not having their own stuff together, and Emily Henry gives me that. I'm also a sucker for respectful pining, which this book also gives me.

Alex and Poppy were characters I immediately attached myself to and I wanted both of them to be happy. Structured around their yearly trips together, we watch as two best friends become immoveable parts of each others life until one day something happens to put their entire friendship at risk. Reading as they deal with the fallout while trying to move forward and figure out what they want in the next phase of their life was a joy.

The book also hit my wanderlust, which is severely hurting right now since I'm not allowed to travel. I miss traveling so much. I feel Poppy's love for it down to my soul while also generally being risk adverse like Alex. Watching both characters get swept up into it for different reason was the balm I needed.

The reveal of what happened two years ago to change their relationship was a little too drawn out for me. Pretty much anyone can tell what happened from the get go, but it was teased for so long that the reveal felt anticlimactic.

A fun book to read about traveling. It didn't make me sad since we can't travel right now, It was perfect escapism from the troubles of the world right now. I love the story, the time flips were seamless and well placed through out the book, only adding to the story itself.

After discovering Emily Henry last year when I read Beach Read, I was ecstatic to come across a digital ARC of People We Meet On Vacation on NetGalley! I loved how she told Poppy and Alex’s story through alternating chapters of past Summer Trips and present day leading up to the trip on which Poppy plans to save their friendship. The witty conversation and unique characters of Poppy and Alex kept me reading, and rooting for them to get together from the first chapter. All the hints of the trip that left them not talking for two years left my dying to find out what had happened between them. If you enjoy a good rom-com, you will definitely want to pick up a copy of People We Meet On Vacation!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, smart, and a quick read. I loved the idea of finding the person you've had all along!

I loved this book! Emily Henry is such a fantastic author. She really pulls you into the world of her books and makes you feel so much!

I loved this! Such a great follow up to Beach Read; Emily Henry has definitely stepped up her game! Would highly recommend for lovers of Christina Lauren.

Is there a way I can just have Emily Henry send all her books directly to me, forever? Everything she writes is pure magic and shines light on my heart (and causes me to cry and have ~emotions~, but anyway...). Alex and Poppy are both so well-written and well-rounded characters that if something happens to them ever, that person will have to deal with me. Seriously, don't miss this book, and please someone talk to me about it when it's out and available.

Easily one of the best books I've read in the last year. It beats Beach Read for me. I cried my eyes out, the characters being so damn relatable. I loved every word. I cannot wait for the next Emily Henry!

If you love slow (emphasis on slow) burn romances, then this is the book for you. For me however I just could not get into it. I still admired the author's writing, and think I would have enjoyed this book more at a different time, but I wish the pace was a bit faster.

I enjoyed this book so much. I am a fan of opposites attract and friends to lovers so I was excited to read this book. And I was a big fan of Beach Read. The author did not disappoint. I think I enjoyed this book even more. The friendship and chemistry between Alex and Poppy was amazing. The vacations were so great to read about. This book was a wonderful reading escape.

If you love a rom com or any type of fictional love story OR might I say love When Harry Met Sally - then do yourself a favor and read this book, preferably if you are about to embark on some sort of vacation, on vacation, or have a drink in hand (but totally not required!). Poppy and Alex meet freshman year in college and are OPPOSITES to say the least. Right away it is obvious these two are not each other's types yet they slowly grow a true friendship that seems to be worth more than any other relationship on the planet (yet, neither will admit it). Over a series of summer trips, the two ebb and flow until they finally have to face reality and figure out what and who they want in life. Very funny and Henry's dialogue is spot on in every scene! Loved it.

Very cute book. Slow burn romance. I enjoyed Beach Read more, but I do like the friends to lovers theme. It also made me miss vacations so much!

Emily Henry’s last novel, Beach Read, was my favorite book of 2020 and the best romance book I’ve read in several years. I HAD to have People We Meet on Vacation when I saw it on NetGalley and it did not disappoint. Alex and Poppy met in college and, while their friendship wasn’t immediate, it grew organically over a several hour road trip from college back to their shared hometown. Every year after, the two take a “summer trip” together, roughing it on little to no budget but creating amazing memories in the process. The side characters they meet along the way contribute so much to this beautiful story, I found myself wondering about the fate of some of those characters when the book ended. This novel flips back and forth between modern day Poppy and Alex who haven’t spoken in two years and what happened on the trips leading up to their falling out.

This is really a story of friendship at its core and I love the build up and backstory of these two characters given to the reader. You get a big chunk into the book before even figuring out what happened on the fateful night that strained Alex and Poppy’s relationship. I really found both characters to feel so authentic with their quirks and flaws, and the small funny moments felt so real. It was a little slow-burning at times but their story and the incredible character development couldn’t have wrapped up so beautifully without the slow buildup. It made my heart so happy!

This book combines the best of friends to lovers, friends to enemies, and enemies to lovers tropes that saturate the romance novel market. The use of overlapping timelines helps to drive home the slow-burn aspect of it all. Henry understands that the audience must form an attachment to these characters in order to care about them and what motivates them; through the book we start to see how Poppy and Alex's friendship has transformed as they grow out of their college selves and into real people. The two characters' clashing feeling about their hometown also gives the audience another layer of conflict, this isn't just about two people who don't know if they love each other--they do, what Henry asks of us is to think about whether or not their differences in class and personal philosophy are stronger than the bond they share.

This was the year that nobody traveled, so of course I instantly wanted to read a book about travel. Poppy and Alex seem ill-matched - she's free-wheeling and playful, he's structure and khakis. She's big city and glamour, he's a small-town teacher. We get to learn about their friendship - and its implosion two years prior - in a series of flashbacks to their decade of summer vacations together. This summer, Poppy is working her dream job and invites Alex to travel with her to attend a wedding, but is really hoping to rekindle the friendship they lost. This was a really fun read, and it's easy to root for their relationship!

This book actually made me laugh out loud several times. Poppy and Alex were adorable together and I loved their back-and-forth dialogue. It was nice to travel a bit since we can't go anywhere due to the pandemic. I really enjoyed this book.

As a professional writer and editor, sometimes I come across someone in The Craft™ whose work I read and just go, "Holy shit, I'll never write as well as this as long as I live or as hard as I try." Emily Henry's just one of those people for me. I'm in awe of the way she puts sentences together and can make them simultaneously hilarious and meaningful. I love how she builds her stories so slowly and intentionally. I can't believe how much she makes me love reading about writers as protagonists, since I usually despise characters in my own profession.

People We Meet on Vacation is not just a masterclass in the friends-to-lovers trope; it's also an exquisite meditation on late 20s/early 30s uncertainty and angst, when you feel like you should have everything together and yet even the most basic parts of adulthood feel absolutely exhausting and futile.

I loved seeing Poppy and Alex's slow descent from awkward strangers to best friends to people hopelessly and recklessly pining for one another at the cost of their own hearts and the hearts of those around them. I equally sobbed at Poppy's eventual realizations about not just her love life but her professional and personal lives too. I already know that I'm going to re-read this book again in 2021; it's just a matter of when.

I'm well on my way to Emily Henry standom, and People We Meet on Vacation is definitely going on The Shelf™.

Content warning: Discussion of parental death, discussions of previous bullying

Once again Henry delivers the goods. Once you meet Poppy & Alex taking one of their many friend-vacations you simply cannot put them down without seeing their quirky relationship through to the end.

The flirty dialogue in Henry's books is SO GOOD and this may be her best work. I laughed out loud at their banter, got all tingly and was genuinely concerned about whether they'd end up together like they were actual people I knew. Not since Romeo & Juliet has a balcony scene been more memorable (*wink wink)!

Alex is a swoon-worthy neat-freak, stud of the highest order! Bottom line, I'm just JEALOUS. Their relationship is definitely something to "aspire to", root for, and devour many, many times.

Whether you're on vacation or not, Poppy & Alex are a couple you've GOT to meet!

This is deeper than the jacket suggests - a friends to lovers arc that feels fresh. The characters are genuine and they both struggle with issues that impact their career choices and their relationship. I enjoyed this every much. More than your average romance.