People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry: Book Review

People We Meet On Vacation

by Emily Henry

Rating: 5/5 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Steam: Explicit
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
Pub Date: May 11, 2021
Available: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop

People We Meet On Vacation Synopsis: Alex and Poppy could not be any different from each other if they tried. Poppy is wild, outgoing, and wants to be on the move; whereas, Alex is quiet and prefers to stay put. When they form a lasting friendship in college it’ll take them on a journey as they spend one vacation together every year. Well until two years ago. Poppy is longing to find her happiness again and they only place she knew was with Alex. After setting them up to go on one last vacation for Alex’s brother’s wedding, Poppy has one week to fix what was broke between them. What could possibly go wrong?

People We Meet On Vacation Review

Oh. My. God. My little heart. How in the world did Emily Henry create the most comforting, heartfelt novel? There are so many great little things about this novel that I absolutely adore. It was like reading a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer. People We Meet On Vacation is going to be one of my comfort reads, I know it.

So beyond all that here’s what I loved and was Meh on with the book. But you should still read it.

Loves:

All the Ohio references! I grew up/live in central Ohio, but I went to college in southeast Ohio and the number of little things that Henry weaves into this novel! It really just made this book all the more endearing to me (and the U Chicago stuff because my BFF went there & I spent a lot of time there too). Hocking Hills, the houses with the cars (especially rural SE Ohio), buckeyes, the teacher’s bar! So true.

This is how you write a friends-to-lovers romance! The angst. The pining. The I want you but I need you in my life so if it’s only as a friend that’s okay too. Ugh. Superb. 100000/10. It’s a slow burn romance, like super slow, and you’re in agony waiting for them to realize they’re perfect for each other and to give it a go, but it’s perfection!

The jumping timeline just adds so much to this novel and really rounds the whole book out. Especially because it shapes the characters so much! So much showing over telling. Plus it keeps you moving because you have to know what happened at every step. A must!

Alex is so freaking sweet. All the little things he does and all of the messiness of their friendship over the past decade was just *chef’s kiss*. He is perfection in khakis.

The wholesome relationships between all the characters. All of them are so nuanced and enjoyable. Not a single one feels two dimensional. I LOVED this.

Long story short, thank you so much Emily Henry for creating one of the best books I’ve ever read. Now I will be mourning the ending of the book because 360 pages were not enough.

Meh:

I don’t know. It ended? There were some moments when things drug out and I kinda wish the ending had wrapped up a little more, but honestly this book was so freaking close to perfection that I feel like I’m grasping for some issues.

Long Story Short:

What are your coping mechanisms for being done? Asking for a friend. But seriously I HIGHLY recommend reading this novel if you haven’t yet. It’s the perfect friends-to-lovers over a decade of building. Like so good. I don’t know how else to recommend you read this. I guess in this sense: if you don’t like people growing and developing and falling in love and travel then don’t read it. If you don’t like funny books with all of the feelings don’t read this book. If you do, however, like any of those things: READ THIS BOOK. Thank you.

If You Liked This One…

Try out Henry’s first adult book Beach Read if you haven’t read it yet. It’s full of different tropes, but still has the great writing that Henry oozes into her novels. Funny, heartfelt, and an absolute delight to read. My full review is here. Another option would be How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton. This book is full of humor and feels very similar to Henry’s writing. It sits perfectly between Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation in tropes and execution. Fabulous read and my full review is here.