People We Meet on Vacation

I giggled through the first third of People We Meet on Vacation. This “friends to lovers” theme is a perfect summer read that includes relationship substance and romance. The unusual relationship between Poppy and Alex drew me in and kept my attention. Introduced in college, these polar opposite personalities were less than impressed by what they saw during that initial meeting.Fate threw them together later when Poppy needed a ride home from college and Alex (and his car) provided transportation to her small town in Ohio. A friendship developed during the ride, which blossomed into a rich alliance that spans thousands of miles and years of time.As adults, Poppy lives in New York City, and Alex teaches in Poppy’s home town. They initially vacationed together on penny-pinching getaways. When Poppy becomes a writer for a high-end travel magazine, she invites Alex to accompany her on a yearly trip to an exquisite vacation destination.Exploring the mysteries of their relationship was intriguing. People We Meet on Vacation has a non-linear timeline, taking the reader back and forth to various events and locations. Although I felt the flipping a bit overdone, alternating between the present and the past of these characters works well to keep a reader guessing.The characters repeatedly refer to a time “two years ago” that caused the friendship to explode. This hint teases the readers for nearly half the book before divulging the reasons for the split.Both characters have emotional baggage they bring to the relationship. Poppy brims with personality, humor, and a carefree spirit. But that makes her flighty and unpredictable. Alex is the problem solver, the person who can handle any situation. He is also bookish, set in his ways, and sometimes a spoilsport.The emotional tug-of-war between the two characters is realistic. Poppy and Alex have traits the other is lacking, provide needed support for one another, and complement the other in various ways. Their chemistry is interesting but not perfect, like real life.The final third of the book was predictable, but satisfying. The author, Emily Henry, has held the number one position on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller list for this work, as well as others. She pens a good romantic story and keeps the storyline realistic.Although I enjoyed it, this book should appeal to young adults more than an older reader, as it contained more expletives and sexual situations than I’d prefer. However, don’t let this diminish your curiosity about this rom-com. People We Meet on Vacation reminds us to take a chance on love.

I truly enjoy Emily Henry's books. Her love stories are open door, but they're not raunchy. I also always enjoy the side story of the romance. Where I struggled with this one was the back and forth timeline. At the very least, I wish the chapters were titled by their time instead of chapter numbers, so I could look back when I forgot. I also felt like the start was much slower than usual. I still ended up laughing, crying and swooning as I do over all of Henry's books, though.😁

4.5 Stars ☆“Like a good book or an incredible outfit, being on vacation transports you to another version of yourself.”This book was as incredibly sweet as Beach Read, it moved me, filled me with the same warmth these characters brought to each other, and reminded me of the importance of finding people that feel like home. I felt the emotions, rise and fall tremulously, that being together, even sharing the same communal space, brings as our journeys connect us to people that we may not initially have felt we have anything in common with.“That crush of happiness, that feeling that this is what life’s about: being somewhere beautiful, with someone you love.”Alex and Poppy, Alex being more quiet, bookish, and reserved initially with a penchant for becoming himself once you get to know him, and Poppy, the more wildly spontaneous, bubbly firecracker, have been friends since they met at the University of Chicago and both bring out the inner weirdness and wonder of the other as their chemistry builds with a fervor matched by the electricity and lasting, poignant fulfillment of a beach sunset. My only hesitation in giving this book a full five stars comes from points in the novel where the banter between them was a bit over the top and felt too witty or manufactured to be true to life, which has moments of equivocating, unsureness, and dialogue that isn’t overly beautiful, scripted, or exciting. I did think that the seriousness and rich profoundness of their connection was more well-drawn out in the latter parts of the book, though, which won me over through and through and mostly balanced out my frustrations with being drowned in calculating wittiness.“I’m crying because I’m relieved. Because I will never again feel as alone as I did during those long nights as a kid. As long as I have him, I will never be alone again.”I could feel the swallowing pain they felt at being apart and failing to communicate, as life events happen to both that the other isn’t around to be a part of. I could also feel the want pulsing between them even when things were more strictly platonic and how much it hurts to want when you can’t read the other’s mind and know they feel the same. I desperately, urgently vied for the truth behind their love to triumph in the end and could feel on each vacation they took together, as they are famously known to vacation together to exciting, mouth-watering destinations, how they were there for each other, but also messily would say one thing while meaning another. They would end up with infuriating miscommunications that felt real and catastrophic as the unrelenting heat burning on their latest vacation. I could, however, see past the gaps in their communication and recognize all the love there that existed miraculously even when everything else in life felt wrong and irrational.“He would or he wouldn’t, but in the end, there would be someone, and I didn’t think my heart could take it.”I entered my own journey through reading this book, as I traveled into a whole new dimension with the reverberant, titillating intoxication of flavors, sights, smells, touches, and feelings. Alex and Poppy will stay best kept in a safe, eternal place in my heart.

Great story but there was much too much detail. It took most of the book to really get into it. In the end I loved the characters who were funny and sweet. I’m glad I stuck it out.

The beginning was a very slow pickup for me personally. Once I got about halfway and the characters starting developing and hiding their feelings, that's when it picked up for me. I was really waiting for some spicy scenes though and loved every bit of the book after that. I was really hoping for more of the present love story to play out. This book is very well described in detail of what's going on or the characteristics of everyone and the places. Emily Henry really made it to were you could just imagine you were right there with the visuals she describes.

This one started out a little slow but then quickly pulled me in as I vacationed with Poppy and Alex all over the world. This is a great summer or beach read for rom-com lovers. Just be patient as the story builds and then enjoy the ride.