People We Meet on Vacation Paperback – May 11, 2021

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.

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.

It really felt like Linfield (where Poppy and Alex grew up) was based on the suburbs of Fairfield and Westchester, Ohio. The swampy movie theater had to be at Forest Fair Mall. As someone who grew up in Fairfield, I felt like I Emily Henry had cracked my childhood and teenaged experiences and placed them in equal parts of Alex and Poppy. I, too, was the weird kid who didn’t fit in at school while going to an extremely conservative evangelical church three times a week. Like Poppy, I ran from Fairfield as fast as I could and traveled. 41/50 United States and several countries I too settled in a big city—just a west coast one. I only wish I had made a friend like Alex in college. It took me meeting my husband to find my perfect weirdo. :) I absolutely loved this book and when Emily Henry mentions Kings Island (worked there) and the Beach Waterpark while Poppy was in her fever haze (spent so much time there), I got pretty nostalgic.

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.

I loved how fun and easy to read the book was. However I wished the story forward without so many chapters dedicated to go back in time to build up. The build up was a bit long and took away from the juicy story. Despite my personal preference I did enjoy the story and would recommend it

I loved this book So Very Very much. Just. Wow. There wasn't a slow or 'dull' moment. I felt for and felt like I knew the characters quickly. Could feel and understand their relationship inside myself. It was just wonderful. (I just finished reading this today, after basically binge reading overnight) 0% smut, 100% love story built over years of die-hard friendship. 10/10. My favorite Emily Henry book so far but I've not read them all yet. Actually, might be tied with 'Great Big Beautiful Life' which is also wonderful.

Searching for in all the wrong places when all the time it's right in front of you. Very funny. The author writes that draws you in and allows you to feel what the protagonist is feeling. Great read

The characters were likable and I wanted to see what happened to them, so it kept my interest. Good easy reading for a vacation.