Poppy and Alex have an unlikely friendship. Poppy is free spirited, quirky and outgoing. Alex is quiet and prefers to stay indoors with a book.

They meet during orientation week in college and become friends after an awkward car ride home.

After college they mostly live far apart however every summer they take a trip together and go on exciting adventures.

Until one summer, everything falls apart.

Now, after two years of not talking, Poppy is determined to fix things with Alex. She manages to persuade him to go on one last vacation where she has one week to convince Alex to give their friendship another go.



Beach Read was one of my absolute favourite reads of 2020. So i went into this one with my fingers crossed, peaking through one eye, just in case it didnt live up to Beach Read.

I cannot put into words how ECSTATIC i was to find that it surpassed my hopes.


Its scary how perfect this book was (for me). I feel like the author stole my dreams (like the giant in the bfg hehehheheh) of the 💕perfect romance book💕 and picked every single trope that i loved and mashed it into one book.




Here are the tropes this book included: best friends to lovers (the superior trope). Grumpy/sunshine. witty banter. there's only one bed. opposites attract. slow burn. lots of yearning and pining. TENSION FOR DAYS.


The writing was like a bowl of chocolate mousse. Smooth, lovely and addictive.

After the first spoonful (or in this case: page) i could not put it down!


We follow their friendship from the day they met with chapters alternating between past and present.

At the time i read this (January 2021) i had been in lockdown for almost 10 months.
And when i tell you i was living vicariously through Alex and Poppy 😉🚣‍♀️. I felt like i was there with them visiting these beautiful places. ((Lowkey jealous of them tbh 💅🏽 ))


Poppy was so cute and i loved her so much. I found some parts of her so relatable and i just wanted her to be happy.

Alex was.... *whispers*.... everythingggggggg.
My sweet cinnamon roll introvert. *weeps* i want him 😭.

Y'all can thirst all you want over your smirking badboys. Just leave Alex with me mmkay?


I really enjoyed the chapters set in the Past. We get to see Poppy and Alexs' friendship grow and it was beautiful to see how much they cared for each other before romantic feelings came into play.

And then the Present chapters were filled with tension and yearning. *dies*



You and Me on Vacation/People We Meet on Vacation made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me 🥰'aawwwwwwww'🥰 - just,, ALL THE FEELS

In conclusion, this book was *chefs kiss* from beginning to end and i wish i had a physical copy so i can highlight all my favourite parts and stain the pages with my tears of happiness.

(If you are Emily Henry and youre, by some wild chance, reading this: hi i love you so much can i be your best friend? Pls tell everyone alex is mine)


« e-arc kindly sent to me by Penguin Random House and Berkley in exchange for an honest review »

I finished this book almost a month ago and I still feel the same. What a great book, I loved this!

If you’re a fan of second chance romance, friends to lovers or a romance story with a bit more heart/depth, you’ll love this! This is what I was hoping for from The Beach Read.

Emily Henry’s writing made me believe the feelings, the chemistry, the angst and I felt them, hard! I was SO invested, I cried too. I rarely re-read but I would definitely delve into this again in the future.

It’s not all sweetness and light, there’s discussions of heavier topics - mental health and death of a parent being the main two that stick with me.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. However, these opinions are my own.

the ten summers two friends didn’t get together and the one summer they did.

You and Me on Vacation is a split timeline novel surrounding Alex and Poppy, two friends from college who go on a big trip together every summer.

This is everything I needed and more for a sunny bank holiday read. It had every trope imaginable and I lapped it up. I wasn’t a big fan of the scene at the bar, but that didn’t stop me from speeding through this and loving every second of it.

I’ve not read Beach Read yet but I am definitely looking forward to it after enjoying this!

I absolutely loved this book, it was the perfect mix of cute, funny, emotional, angsty love.

I'm not usually a romance reader but I heard such good things about this book and it didn't disappoint.

I stayed up into the small hours to finish Poppy and Alex's story because I had to see how it ended. Every time I told myself I would put it down at the end of chapter I'd blow straight through into the next one.

I loved the set up of seeing their friendship develop over the years with flashbacks of their summer vacations. And I adored that the ending wasn't a tied up happily ever after and there were some real conversations and self learning.

I can't wait to read Beach Read.

I am a major Emily Henry fan. I was so excited to get the chance to read this book. I enjoyed the story and the way the characters had such tension throughout the entire book. I liked how the two timelines came together. I will encourage my friends to read this book. The travel the characters did was amazing, especially in this time that we can't travel. It made me feel like I was able to go somewhere without leaving my house.

A typical friends-to-lovers troupe that did not disappoint. I wanted a light, summer read and that it is exactly what I got. I can see this being made into a movie and I would definitely watch it!

I found a great deal to like in this book. The friends-to-lovers trope is an old one, making the ending obvious right from the start, but it was very well done here. Alex and Poppy were sweet together, and their banter was clever and fun. They were real three dimensional characters with backgrounds and histories that explained a lot of who they were. I liked the multiple timeline structure, flashing back and forth to previous summers.
But the predictability of the plot and the repetitiveness of the holidays in different places made this slow-going for me. And there was a "big reveal" which seemed anti-climactic when it finally happened.
All-in-all a fun light-hearted read which wasn't quite for me.
With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the e-ARC of this book.

Read this until way past my bedtime. In one sitting, of course.

I enjoy Henry's writing.

Really enjoyed how this friends-to-lovers story enfolds.

Simply said: I absolutely adored this!!!! I sobbed through the last pages because I just love these characters so much 🥺❤️ The story was a bit slow to get into and obviously the romance is very slow too as the book spans 12 years if i’m correct but I really enjoyed it! Highly recommend, especially a great read during the summer months i think!

I just didn't want this book to end, absolutely loved the characters and wanted to be part of the story. An uplifting summer read for anyone staycationing

I had high expectations going into this and I was a bit let down. I know Emily Henry's books are a mix of romance and 'real-life' issues so I knew that going in. The travelling and the dual timeline were the elements I really liked the most. At first, I didn't care about the characters, they felt very generic and I would not be able to pick them out of a crowd. Halfway through the book, I warmed up to them but I still didn't love them. The romance was cute and angsty however, I felt like the conflicts were forced. For example, Alex would give a reason for why he lied but that reason was so weak and didn't make any sense. The only purpose was to add to the angst and not his character. Just small things like that didn't make this my favourite but I enjoyed this overall!

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own!**

This was really cute, and it felt equally refreshing and strange to read about all the travelling! Made me miss holidays so much!

I loved following Poppy on her travels with Alex and seeing their friendship blossom after years of 'what-if?'. I usually can't stand miscommunication however here it felt valid as neither of the character's wanted to risk the friendship and were fearful of what's next - it felt really realistic.

I could connect with both of them. Alex is the quiet, reserved bookworm who stayed in his hometown and likes the settled life (which is me now) and Poppy the adventurous, 'always felt like an outcast', 'wanted to escape' her hometown/past for the exciting life without roots - which was me in my early 20's. They had such a beautiful chemistry together and I could feel myself screaming "JUST KISS ALREADY". However it did feel worth it when they finally did. The balcony scene in the rain, need I say more? Very hot!

I would say the pacing was a bit off at times, and it did take me some time to get settled and invested in the story. Some bits near the end felt rushed and things at the start felt slightly dragged, but I feel that with a lot of contemporary romances so I don't see it as a fault of the book - just my personal feelings/enjoyment. The writing was very easy to read and flowed nicely, I would definitely look forward to more books my Emily Henry - and I need to actually read the rest of her released books!

Narrated through vacations taken by the protagonists, Polly and Alex, in different years, we get to know their story as friends and the love they have felt for each other for a decade. After falling out two summers ago, Polly decides to contact Alex again and proposes a summer vacation. This will be their last chance to fall in love.

This book was just what I needed at the moment: a light-hearted, friends-to-lovers romcom, sometimes funny and silly in the best of ways. It not only reveals the superficial aspects of two friends falling in love, but also who Poppy and Alex are, where they come from and what they are looking for in life.

At times I just wanted to scream at them because they clearly should talk more about their feelings. A lot of their issues were due to lack of communication and that was annoying, as there were a lot of lost opportunities to get together and be honest about what they felt for each other. But that is also part of life and the source of many conflicts within relationships.

However, I would be lying if I said I enjoyed it 100%. I struggled to read it at points because of how superfluous some parts were. I think this story could have been way shorter. It was also too dialogue-heavy for my taste, and I think some dialogues were a bit cringy, but these are rather personal preferences.

Read this if you are looking for an easy and light friends-to-lovers romcom!

Where do I even begin?! I absolutely adored this book! As soon as I saw this featured my favourite tropes (best friends-to-lovers/right person wrong time) I had to request it. This was my first Emily Henry novel but certainly not my last. I plan to read Beach Read next month and I am really looking forward to it!

You and Me on Vacation was such a delight and had my squealing chapter after chapter. Right away the chemistry is flying off the page and it is definitely reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally, A Lot Like Love, One Day and the like while having it's own unique premise and charm.

Alex was so adorable and honestly a dream boat. Chiseled, clean, respectful, and filled with banter? I would like one please. And he would do anything for his chaotic counterpart, Poppy. They spent summers going back 10 years together. Poppy goes after what she wants and is completely herself in every situation. She loves to stand out and wear funky outfits while planning amazing getaways. Poppy works for high scale traveling blogs which gets her amazing holiday perks! Despite all the glamour, I still really related to Poppy. She is actually down to earth and recently reached a rut in her life. This coincidentally coincides with her abrupt end to her friendship with Alex. Two summers ago, something happened.

We have dual timelines where we see the last 10 summer getaways leading up to the present timeline. Poppy realises she was last happy when she was with Alex and creates an opportunity to spend a summer together again like old times. While we see them stumble back awkwardly into their old ways, we learn about their old dynamic and how Poppy was falling in love all those years. The pining was so beautiful to read. Did I mention there is only one bed?

I have to end this here before I get really spoilery but if any of this piques your interest at all, I urge you to pick it up! I am confident you will fall in love like I did. I think I might go reread it now..

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for the ARC! This title releases July 8, 2021.

**review will be posted on my blog, bookstagram, all other social media, and retailers closer to publication**

This book was phenomenal, friends to lovers excellence if you will. In this story we follow two best friends, Alex and Poppy, who always take an annual summer vacation together. After a mysterious incident two years ago the two have drifted apart but Poppy proposes one last trip to save their friendship.

This book was full of mutual pining, inside jokes and amazing chemistry. The romantic tension between Alex and Poppy was just so well done I was sold on them as a couple almost immediately. I felt like they knew and understood each other so intimately and it honestly was so swoon worthy. The mortifying ordeal of being known is so worth it! This was really gripping, loved the writing, the humor, the banter, the angst! It was just so great 🥰

I read it in under 24hrs because I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend!

Emily Henry has done it again and blessed us with the perfect summer read! I adored Beach Read, and her newest, People We Meet On Vacation/You And Me On Vacation, is just as fantastic. In this story, we meet Poppy and Alex at age 30, mostly platonic friends since college. They are very different, but have a deep bond. Since college, they have had a tradition of going on yearly vacations together. Henry takes us through each vacation over the year and their friendship. I adored the vivid descriptions of each place visited and am now dying to travel! Some parts were a little frustrating due to poor communication between Poppy and Alex. I really liked that both characters grow and become more self-aware of how their actions influence others. I listened to the audiobook, which was wonderfully narrated by Julia Whelan. Definitely pick this one up if you’re seeking some escapism and fun romance!

Thank you Penguin General UK and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Loved it! Poppy and Alex are polar opposites but I loved their relationship and seeing glimpses into all their travels. Super cute follow up to her first Beach Read! Can't wait to read more from Emily Henry.

I found this story very refreshing. Although the plot itself is very simple, the characters are lovable, complex and everything but cliché, which made them relatable.

This is a story of friendship, self-search, fear of growing-up and moving on, and I really felt connected to the author: it feels like she was writing from experience.

Unfortunately, for me, the ending unecessarily dragged a little and could have been simplified, but I really enjoyed this fun and summery story.

📖 Read this book if you like: fiction, comedy, contemporary romance, chick lit, light and fluffy read

📚 If you enjoyed this book, you might enjoy: The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent, the Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Books, for sending me the eARC of You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry, in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not usually a romance reader, but after reading a lot of longer fantasy/sci-fi books, I thought it was time to pick up something lighter and fluffier, and I'm so glad I did. You and Me on Vacation (or People We Meet on Vacation if you have the US edition) is a romance book following two best friends and the different vacations they take over the course of ten years.

The book is told in a format I really enjoyed, going back and forth between their current (and possibly last) vacation and each one they've ever taken. You know that on their last trip something terrible happened and they haven't talked for two years, and I loved seeing how they are now and the mystery of how they got to their falling out.

Part of why I loved this book so much was definitely how much I loved and related to Poppy. She's an incredibly flawed character, which made her feel real, and I not only empathized but saw myself in a lot of her struggles. I loved seeing someone in their late 20s struggling to find their path in life and what she really wants to do with it. Even though she has a dream job and most people going through her situation probably don't, I related so deeply to her lack of direction and with thinking you've always wanted something only to realise that wasn't the case.

I also really loved Alex and his stoic-but-charming ways. I loved how each brought out the best in the other and their incredible chemistry, especially as friends. Friends-to-lovers is my favourite trope, but I need that mutual pining for it to work, and this definitely has a lot of it. The fact that we get to follow them through the years and see them getting closer and starting to rely on each other is amazing, and it made me root for them throughout the whole book.

I will say, their big fight did really annoy me and it was the only thing I didn't love about this book. You can tell pretty early on what happened to make them grow apart, but their fight does not justify two whole years of not even texting one another. It was simply a case of miscommunication and, had it happened in real life, it would've been cleared up in a matter of weeks at most. Even if it was reason enough to possibly break up a friendship, a big proper conversation would still be needed, and it made for a very frustrating situation. The only good thing is that we only find out what happened by the end of the book, two years after the events when they're already sorting it through. So it isn't as infuriating as it could've been.

I also really enjoyed the writing style. I had never read anything by Emily Henry (Beach Read took the book community by storm last Summer, but I never got to it) but I definitely plan on reading more of her books next. Her characters felt real, and the writing just sucked me right in. I also adored the settings and the different places they visit. As someone whose favourite thing is to travel and who hasn't properly left the house in a year and a half, I was living vicariously through their trips and now want to plan all the post-rona vacations.

If you're looking for a heartwarming romance and you love friends-to-lovers and When Harry Met Sally, I definitely recommend this one. It hit me in all the right places and it was a joy from beginning to end. It's become one of my favourite romance books I've ever read, and it felt like reading an old-school 1990's romcom.

I had such high hopes for this one. Unfortunately it was a flop for me. Almost to the point of not finishing the book.

While Alex and Poppy's friendship is enjoyable and their banter is hilarious, it was a little too hilarious, a little too unrealistic. In between all the joking around and silly comments, there's a couple deep bits where the characters voice their insecurities or family dramas and it just seemed off. Way too much silliness in this one. Not for me.