The alternate title for this book can be "What happened 2 years ago?" cause that is all I think about when I am reading the book. I love the way they became best friend is so natural and all their summer holidays together. They have such good chemistry that makes you wonder why the hell they are not together yet! I can't deny that I am quite annoyed that it took them so long to clear it out and the reason they are out of contact for 2 years is not as serious as I thought it should be. However the more I get to know about Alex and Poppy, I can understand why they are afraid to take a step forward on their relationship. It is still fun to read about them as friends but the romantic in me also love to see more of them as lovers. If only we can have more chapters on them being the cutest couple.
Am I the only one google search what a slow loris hand looks like?

A wonderful and emotional love story of two friends that suddenly realize they are a lot more than that. A truly romantic read!

I've got to admit I have been so excited for this since it was announced however when it came round to reading I was a bit nervous because I wasn't sure how it could possibly fare compared to Beach Read (one of my favourite reads of 2020 / all time). But I would now like to formally apologise for ever questioning Emily Henry because she seems to just get better!

The story follows Poppy and Alex. At their first meeting they were convinced they would never speak again, however, a year later during a shared ride home they form a friendship that would last another 11 years. Despite living far apart they reunite at least once a year for The Summer Trip, until two years ago when it all went wrong. Now they have one week, one final trip, to fix everything.

We follow them in the present as well as in flashbacks to previous Summer Trips. We watch their friendship gradually develop, grow and evolve as well as getting to delve into the struggles faced by most in their 20s, and even early 30s, through them. The uncertainty. Constantly striving for more, for what? What is it we actually want? Emily Henry is able to extract from us a multitude of emotions while still making us feel understood and accepted.

Friends to lovers is my favourite trope however in my opinion their actual romance was not my favourite aspect of the story. It had a few of my least favourite things (i mean it took them a looong time) but somehow, the way it was written, with these characters, I still managed to enjoy it.

Overall a fantastic book for fans of a super slow burn friends to lovers or just wonderfully crafted characters who make us believe in them and love them. And yet we still want to shake them for being so unbelievably annoying at times, just like you would a best friend.

**Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin General UK for providing this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are subjective but my own.**

You And Me On Vacation was such a great book! I got to the end and just felt happy. Emily Henry writes so well; this perfect mix of witty, funny and serious, when it’s necessary.

I felt like Poppy and Alex were my friends. The reader is given the right amount of detail into their friendship, lives, how they behave on their holidays.

I really loved this. Thanks NetGalley and Penguin U.K. for the advance copy!

This book follows the story of Poppy and Alex, and their strong 12 year friendship which develops into stronger feelings.

This book was moving, emotional and heartfelt. The timeline layout of the book which switches between past and present helps you to get to know the characters well and you become attached to them very quickly.

This will be a hot beach read for everyone! The must have summer feel good book! Another excellent piece of work from the author of Beach Read!

Emily Henry has done it again. I didn’t think it was possible to top Beach Read, but here we are.

Alex and Poppy meet by chance on their first day of college. They are convinced they will never see each other again. They are complete opposites, until they find out they are nearly from the same hometown and are forced to share a ride home together.

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Each summer Poppy and Alex travel to an exotic destination as “friends “, until one summer they stop speaking. The book is told through Poppy’s POV in the past and present.

I loved reading the history of Poppy and Alex. They never realizes that they were perfect for each other. They were always dating other people. What will become of the two? Read to find out’

3/3.5 STARS
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I found myself constantly wanting to skip the throwbacks to their previous summers which really affected my enjoyment of the story. However, I did like the romance and it was an easy read.

You and Me on Vacation is utterly delightful - Your hearts will be toasty warm after reading it.

While honouring the tropes of the romance genre, the author does not rehash the often frustratingly absurd or ugly conflicts and obstacles that keep lovers at bay.

We need more stories like this, full of love, charm, wit and (please!) vacations in our lives, thank you, Emily Henry.

P.S. I really enjoyed Beach Read, it this is even better!

i dont often read romance but im glad i read this one! the best friends-to-lovers trope was very well executed, i was rooting for them from the beginning.

oh how i miss vacationing, thank you to this book for giving me a great escape.

I felt that Poppy and Alex were both characters you could grow to love. Poppy being the outgoing, outspoken one and Alex is a soft and shy high school literature teacher. They were great for each other, and i wish i could have gone on those trips with them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :-)

This book is flawless. I loved it so much and that is obviously all down to Emily Henry's writing. This book was my first five star read of the year and it deserves all the love and praise. It made me so emotional and I connected with Poppy in so many ways and it's such a beautiful thing to connect with a character so easily. The writing is fantastic, I felt every single thing that was written and I couldn't put it down. It gave me Sweet Home Alabama vibes with Poppy not feeling at home in her hometown and leaving it to make something of herself, but I loved this book ten times more than the film. The timeline in which the book is set is so special, it helps you get attached to the characters so fast, yet the more you read the more you're still learning such basic things about them. It helped us learn the dynamics and the way in which Alex and Poppy bounced off each other so naturally, because we witnessed them in so many different situations. We saw their relationship from the beginning and it helps connect you to them in such a special way. It was brilliant and I will be thinking about it for such a long time. All the praise for Emily Henry, she has such a talent to write something so special and unique.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

« i’ve never really felt alone since i met you. I don’t think i’ll ever feel truly alone in this world again as long as you’re in it. »

This story is told from Poppy’s POV and it alternates between present time and flashbacks of their previous yearly summer vacations together. The first flashback is from twelve years ago and each flashback gets closer to present time.

This is a friends to lovers story. A really good one ! We follow Alex & Poppy through the years and see how they’re happy together, how they need each other when something bad happens, how much the happiness of the other one matters...

Though they’re quite opposites on some levels they are drawn to each other like magnets and the slow-burn romance between these two is everything and then some !

I didn’t know at first what Alex feelings for Poppy were but i was quickly convinced that they should be together based on what they made me feel ! I mean, at times, i wanted to shout at them to just kiss already ! They so clearly wanted to !

The two main characters have a true and unique chemistry. They often forget everything else around them and it’s like they’re in their little bubble of happiness and laughter when they’re together. I really feel like we only see the real « naked Alex » (as Poppy says) when he’s with her and that’s a beautiful thing to witness !

« Maybe things can always get better between two people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that’s all it takes. »

I loved the way they joke together and their witty comebacks, i sure loved to see them vulnerable and real towards each other. This was a really good read and i am now convinced that i love Emily Henry’s writing after having read and loved two books from her. The only question is : when will we get a new one ? 😜

I read Beach Read by Emily Henry last year and did enjoy it so was happy to have received this arc. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in return for an honest review .

Me and You on vacation follows Poppy ans Alex’s friendship over the years and their yearly holiday. I loved this book. It was a complete five star read for me . I loved the lay out of the plot and how we popped from year to year and holiday to holiday. I also loved Alex and Poppy. Alex is my kind of bloke (he likes a library - I am sold) and Poppy is just weird and wonderful . Their families give you the feels and it’s just a wonderful story ❤️.

I have a feeling this book is going to be a huge summer hit. Perfect for the beach. It’s fast paced, fun, emotional and romantic. I think friends to lovers may be my new favourite trope. I also love how we see that while Poppy’s job seems amazing and perfect, she isn’t actually happy and sometimes having everything isn’t that great.

I would completely recommend this book. It speaks to me 😂

This book was EXACTLY what I needed to brighten up a dull lockdown! Thank you to the publisher for offering an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Poppy and Alex met during college and the story traverses from present day to their many holidays and getaways over the years, building a relationship that has its ups, downs, tangled emotions and charts their romantic histories.

I loved Emily Henry's first book, Beach Read, and was so excited to read this. It did not disappoint. Henry is a wonderful new voice in romantic fiction but has added depth and humour to her stories, allowing the reader to become invested in her characters and their journeys.

In You and Me on Vacation, I loved how personable Poppy is and the believable relationship she has with Alex. Both main characters had their flaws and I loved the romantic tension that built throughout the novel. I also adored the different holidays they took, all perfectly described and it had me longing to get away on a holiday immediately!

Cannot wait to read more from Emily Henry, she is now firmly a favourite author of mine!

This book really got me in the mood for a holiday, Poppy gets to travel because of her job and she goes to some amazing places. I have learnt a little about the different countries she has been to whilst reading this book. I loved traveling around the world with her and Alex her friend. I think along the way she realises what could be? she loves Alex as a good friend but could there be more? It is a beautiful and funny and tender story about two friends that travel together but is the thing that they are both missing closer to them both than they think. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to go on holiday again. I can imagine reading this book around the pool, it has a very summery cover too.

This was such a cute book, honestly. Who doesn't love a best friends to lovers novel? The characters were brilliant like always, I loved the way Henry structured the book so we were allowed timely glimpses in Poppy and Alex's past, and I was in (happy) tears by the end. You guys have an absolute TREAT waiting for you this spring!

I love the way Emily Henry can get me swept up into an emotional roller coaster of a romance. Beach Read was my favourite book of 2020, and now You and Me on Vacation is holding the title of my favourite 2021. Alex & Poppy are so unique that it makes the book come alive. I love how Emily can give 110% in her books and still leave you wanting more.

fantastic! the characters step off the pages and their friendship blossoms over their many summer travels, even as life changes around them, until the year it all fell apart and communications ceased..
you cannot help but get emotionally invested in the relationship and the way it plays out, with Poppy reliving every minute and every significant moment even as Alex seems oblivious.
Touch and go for the pairs relationship many times over the ending is a great relief, even if the format lends itself to predictablility you can only be glad that the formula works!

You and Me on Vacation,  Emily Henry

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance

I really wanted to love this, it sounded such fun and yet...it passed the mark for me. It was an OK read, nothing more for me.

I didn't like the past present format, I'm not a fan of this vehicle, but often it works. Here I just felt it frustrated and confused me. I don't really see how else this particular story could have been told though. When we finally got to the reason for the separation, after all the build up I just felt a sense of anti climax.
I guess my main issue is I just didn't like Poppy. I found her shallow, selfish, self obsessed and she clung to poor Alex as her backstop whenever something in her life wasn't going right.
The story is entertaining enough, and has some humorous moments but for me it was just an OK read. I wasn't convinced by the ending that things had really changed, that Poppy had finally realised what she wanted in life, I think I needed something more than just her “I've changed” words.

Stars: Three, well written but one of those novels that just didn't cut it for me.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

Poppy and Alex have been taking vacations together for 12 yers. The book is split between present day as they are about to go on holiday together, and previous holidays they have taken. Will they become more than friends or will this holiday be their last?

Thank you Penguin UK and Netgalley for providing with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex and Poppy meet way back in college that sees them set out on a bad note during the freshers party. Only a year and road trip later do they start to forge a lifelong friendship. But as they get older and move on with their lives, they agree to jet set to a premeditated destination every summer in a bid to hold on to their friendship. Something happens on one of these vacations that causes them to stay apart for two years. But Poppy wants to take one last vacation with Alex to give it her all to mend fences between them, and in doing so, embarks on a journey of self-realisation.

I loved the dialogues in this book - they were the highlight for me. Of course there was drama, miscommunication, and frustration, but when Poppy and Alex were in the same frame, their communication was no-nonsense and direct. I liked the fact that one instinctively knew what the other needed and wanted to hear/do - like they were psychically linked - and this was shown to me (not just told). Bonus points for the '90s pop references and the backbone of this novel "When Harry Met Sally" which is just about my FAVOURITE movies of all time. Reducing one star from the final rating as I was not convinced about Poppy's resolution of her inherent issues, which impacted the way I perceived the climax, as much as I loved it.

Apologies if I gave away any spoilers - but I highly recommend this book for the very organic relationship that Ms. Henry has attempted to develop between two seemingly disparate characters who are bound by friendship.

PRIVATE NOTES: This is the long version of "When Harry Met Sally" that I didn't know I needed!