4.5 stars

Headlines:
Roller coaster friendship/love
Holiday vibes
Chem-is-try

There was nothing that I didn't enjoy about Emily Henry's upcoming release. The fact that she delivers on summery read to remember (again) and that I was lucky to read and listen in tandem to this book. Both formats were as good as one another.

You and Me on Vacation was told over a number of summers, charting the most lovely friendship; in the main this was platonic...until it wasn't. Then, oh boy, the chemistry set fire to the pages, slowly.

In all the ways, both Poppy and Alex were opposite in personality and goals. They worked so well as friends and their summer trips were fun expeditions and something they both lived for. I loved seeing these trips unfurl as the years were recounted. I loved the people they met, the places they went but nothing was more interesting than THIS SUMMER. I loved getting back to that narrative.

The pages of this book, the minutes of the audio just turned themselves and I was sad to get to the end. Emily Henry knows how to inject just a little drama and tension with a great contemporary story. I'm here for next summer's installment!

Narration-wise, this was single POV and single narration and it was excellent. I got all the sense of characterisation and the emotional feels from the listen. It's such a perfect format to absorb the story while on literal vacation!

Thank you to Penguin for the gorgeous book and audio early copies.

I was kindly given a copy of this book by NetGalley & Penguin General UK in return for an honest review.
I was really excited for this book, as last year I read and absolutely loved Beach Read by Emily Henry and so I wasn’t surprised when I also really enjoyed You & Me on Vacation. I read it every chance I could; I was just so interested to find out more about Poppy & Alex and if fate would be on their side!

They are two friends that are complete opposites and shouldn’t really click, but somehow they do. But only after giving each other another chance, when they unexpectedly meet for the second time for a shared car ride back to their home town for the summer.
That summer, they made a promise that no matter what - even if they’re apart the rest of the year - every summer, they’ll take a trip together. That is until 2 years ago, when they took their last trip and haven’t spoken to each other since.
Poppy is now feeling lost in her life and decides to take the plunge & ask Alex to join her on another (potentially final) trip in the hopes of getting things back to how they were & feel true happiness like she used to whenever they adventured together!

I thought the flash backs to each trip were such a lovely look into their friendship, each one creeping slowly towards revealing THAT Croatia trip that supposedly ruined everything - which I desperately wanted to know what the hell happened!
All the while apprehensively reading about this current summer trip. Wishing things will work out between them, despite things going so wrong on all aspects and almost assuredly heading to a further disaster!
Completely safe to say I was fully invested in Poppy & Alex’s story and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I will definitely be looking to read more of Emily Henry’s books in the future.
If you love a ‘will they-won’t they’ story full of funny flashbacks and loveable characters, you should definitely give this a read!

I loved Beach Read and was unsure whether I'd love this as much. Turns out I loved it even more it was incredible! I loved how it showed the split POV and showing how Poppy was slowly falling in love without making it obvious. Alex and Poppy felt like such real honest characters and I loved it all from start to end!

Emily Henry, I will read anything you write!!

I loved Beach Read and am pleased to say that People We Meet on Vacation is just as good. I loved the diversity of both the main characters and stayed up most of the night finishing this one.

Not so much a story about travelling adventures, as they rarely leave America. It is a long look at the relationship of two people, Poppy and Alex, and how one wants to stay put and grow roots, while the other wants the opposite. Can they overcome this and be more than travelling friends

If When Harry Met Sally was a book set in the present day, this is it! The drive home from college, the timeline flipping backwards and forwards, and best friends wondering if there's something else going on there. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The friendship between Poppy and Alex is sweet and they go on amazing trips. The second half dragged a little and I was anxious to reach the end. I also had some trouble believing that two adults could be in such denial about their relationship. But it was light and fun. I even liked this better than Beach Read. A perfect book for summer vacations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

IF NOBODY GOT ME I KNOW POPPYALEX GOT ME (no, but seriously I've been in the worst reading slump for ages, and this book dragged me right out of it. I haven't been this giddy over anything in forever.)

People We Meet on Vacation was my most anticipated read of 2021 (to the point where I literally screamed when I found out I was accepted for the ARC). However, after loving Emily Henry's last novel, Beach Read, I was worried I wasn't going to enjoy it as much. Well, I'm here to tell you that not only did I love People We Meet on Vacation even more than Beach Read, but it's become my favorite romance novel ever. (And that's saying a lot, because I LOVE romance novels.)

What can I say about this book besides the fact that it was perfect? It literally feels like Emily Henry wrote this book for me. Best friends to lovers is my favorite trope, and Alex and Poppy are literally everything to me. I love how we got to see the progression of them meeting and slowly becoming friends, until they got to a point where they couldn't live without each other. Emily Henry is such a talented writer, and I loved both characters so much.

The whole time I was reading this book, I was so giddy, especially because it reminded me of my favorite movie, When Harry Met Sally. Then I got to the endnotes, and Emily Henry said it's one of her favorite movies too, and it inspired this book. Like I said, this book literally feels like it was written for me!!!

Anyways, I highly recommend People We Meet on Vacation to everyone. I finished it in one day, and Poppy and Alex are all I can think about. I'm definitely going to be rereading this one forever, and I can't wait to see what Emily Henry does next.

This book was like a cozy warm blanket I never want to get out of.

Poppy and Alex have been solid best friends since 11 years. Despite being complete opposites they have a friendship we all wish for. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.
Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.
Now Poppy convinces Alex to take one more trip. Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

This book is Emily Henry at its best. After Beach Read last year, she became an instant auto buy author for me and I thought how could she top that but peeps, she did, she topped that.
I absolutely loved Poppy and Alex to bits. Uhhh, how do I explain what all this book has made me feel. Right from making me laugh out loud to making me cry big fat tears to making me swoon, this book did it all.

In conclusion, all I’d say is if you want to feel all fluttery, warm and buttery, this is perfect for you.
READ THIS BOOK, IT DESERVES ALL THE LOVE

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General UK for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review

Check out this review on my blog- https://myreadingcorner376957027.wordpress.com/2021/04/29/you-me-on-a-vacation🌸🤍/
I would absolutely review this book on Amazon around publication for it deserves the world

You and Me on Vacation is told across numerous timelines, current day and Poppy and Alex's holidays 12, 11, 10, 7 and 2 years ago. This multi-timeline allows the friendship between Poppy and Alex to unfold in a realistic manner over time and I think this worked beautifully for the story.

This was the escapism that I craved, I read this in one sitting and would highly recommend to anyone that wants to get lost in a book.

Well this was my first Emily Henry book and it won’t be my last.... this story was just so well written and beautiful. I’ve always been a huge enemies to lovers trope fan ...but now I’m a friends to lovers trope fan too... yep, this one did it for me... just wow! The build up and tension over the years was just mind blowing. I wanted to hop in the story and become friends and travel with them!

Alex and Poppy have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. Poppy lives in New York City and Alex lives in their small hometown — but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one amazing week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, out of the blue she’s texts him and convinces him to take one more vacation together — lay everything on the table, make it all right, a week to fix everything... or ruin it all over again...

I enjoyed this book even though it was predictable. The first half is better than the second half but the fact it jumped between different years kept an interesting twist and wasn’t complicated even when it could have been

📚I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion, but  while I enjoyed reading this book, I feel like I enjoyed The Beach Read more.  I feel like the banters in The Beach Read made me laugh more, and the characters of The Beach Read also dealt with more difficult situations that gave more depth to the story. 

📚I also realise now that the friends-to-lovers trope is not my favourite.  I definitely prefer enemies-to-lovers!   Instead of finding their inability to admit their feelings to each other, I just find it unbelievably frustrating.  “Clearly you guys are best friends for good reasons.  And physical attraction is there.  Life is short.  Get on with it!”  was all I could think😂  (Trope preference is my personal thing, so if you enjoy romance books,  you should definitely give this a try! ❤️)

📚Having said that, the banters in this book are still good!  Poppy and Alex are both very likable. I thought Poppy’s parents are hilarious.  Other characters are interesting, too.   I love reading about travels. There is also an importanr life lesson too.  All in all, it is a enjoyable read.  If you are an Emily Henry fan or a rom com fan, I think you might love this book!

This book speaks to me ❤️
I wasn't sure if she could top Beach Read, but I think she has. I feel like I've been wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket, and I almost wish I hadn't devoured it all in one sitting so I could stay in Poppy and Alex's world a little longer.

Poppy's loud and charming character was super relatable and I loved seeing how that balanced with Alex's more quiet stoic manner, but what I loved most was how they brought out the best in each other. Those little moments where they truly let their guards down with one another were beautifully written and peppered throughout the story perfectly, so the progression felt natural and not rushed. Their banter with each other was hilarious and so fun to read, and I loved all the little jokes they collected over their trips 🥺

I don't always like stories that jump around, but the way it was structured actually worked really well, and I loved that we got a slow reveal of Poppy and Alex's history, as it built more tension in the real time story. Juuuuust as you were feeling a bit of tension it would cut away, which had me squirming with anticipation because I NEEDED THEM TO JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY .I already knew Emily Henry was amazing at tension building because she had me on the edge of my seat with Beach Read too, so I'm so glad it was brought here as well!

If you love friends-to-lovers, opposites attract to heart-aching-missed-opportunities, some witty banter and amazing travel stories then this is going to be your favourite read of the year guaranteed!

This was a great read focusing on the relationship between Poppy and Alex, friends since college who although holiday together around the world have never been more than friends.... until now.

The book take us back and forward in time to witness some of their travels and their current trip to Florida to celebrate Alex's brothers wedding. Although they have not spoken in two years, Poppy lures Alex on the trip under the guise of a writing assignment for her blog. What follows is a disastorous weekend culminating ultimately in each character finally realising their feelings for one another.

I loved the concept of this book as we got a detailed account of the friends pasts and how they became the Poppy and Alex we see today. The deails were incredible and the storyline flowed beautifully.

Would love to read more by this author - thanks for the advanced copy, highly recommended

I love when Harry met Sally and I adore the friends to lovers trope so I obvs was vvvvery excited for this and you know what!? Emily Henry did not disappoint. I should clarify friends to lovers only works for me when both parties like and are attracted to each other but suppress those feelings for reasons ab or c and that’s what happens here I hate the alternative where it’s like we’ve been friends for years but I can now see ur hot and maybe the loml likeee, were you not exposed to both all this time??? Anyways I loved how poppy and Alex meet and are complete opposites but like each other 3% and as we follow them on each vacation they go on the number soars I loved that so much. The chemistry and love, fear and angst ughhh between poppy and Alex was so good and real. They discuss their desires and fears for love, marriage, children and commitment in a way that I haven’t really seen in romance novels. This was perfection. I mean what else is there to say.

have you by any chance been looking for...

10+ years of mutual pining?
angsty speeches about how much you love a person?
opposites attract?
second-chance-best-friends-to-lovers?
and there's only one bed????

then, my friends, look no further.

i LOVE this book so, so much. it's incredible how i came into it with sky high expectations because i'd already loved this author's previous book, Beach Read, just like pretty much everyone else on this earth. any reservations that i might've had about whether it would live up to my expectations or not flew out the window the moment i started it: i knew this was going to be, at the very least, a highly enjoyable read.

part of this has to do with the way emily henry writes characters. poppy and alex feel like real people at all times; they rely on tropes to come to life but they become so much more than that and it's amazing how by the middle of the book one of them would say something that'd make me think, "yeah this is such a poppy/alex thing to say", like i'd known them for years and not for the span of the previous 100 and something pages.

this is a smart book. there's a tendency of people to turn their noses up to the romance genre as a whole because it's often dismissed as less-than literature, or erotica for stay-at-home-moms, and that has always been an incredibly dumb thing to believe (it's also something that i, for years, made the mistake of thinking as well). the reason i say this book is smart is not because of dense vocabulary or poetic prose, but because it conveys the complexity of human relationships and feelings in a way that doesn't feel watered down or simplified, and yet it comes across as such an easy thing to understand.

it's structured in a dual timeline format following along poppy and alex's old summer trips until they suddenly stop two years ago, and the summer they're at now. right at the beggining of the book poppy goes through a thinking exercise where she tries to pinpoint when exactly she staretd feeling underwhelmed by her life, when she realizes the last moment she felt true, easy happiness was with alex by her side. (that right there was the beggining of my swooning. it was not the end.) so she tries to set them up to go on one last trip to fix everything that went wrong between them, trying desperately to show him how much she needed him without having to actually say the words.

i loved the way the story is told because we get to see all of the heartwarming, precious moments that made their friendship into the all-encompassing thing it is, while also following them when they don't have that anymore and fully understanding why it's so difficult for poppy to accept losing him; because we also care for them so, so much.

the big conflict at about 80% of the book initially lost me a little bit. i thought it was a silly thing to happen and that it should never have turned into The Big Fight that it did. but emily henry has such a strong grip on her story that for the final 20% stretch of the book, she fully convinced me that it did need to happen in order for both the characters to grow and finally be with each other they wanted they'd been wanting to. it was sort of silly, yes, but because they weren't ready or mature enough to deal with their feelings. and the way she shows them working for it, even if it's for a quick part at the end, really made me understand why it had to happen this way.

and i'm usually not someone who's easily convinced of things.

i know most of y'all are already planning on picking this one up when it comes out, but let me preach to the choir here: get this book. read it. then feel free to message me crying at 2am once you're finished it like i did to all of my friends.

Poppy and Alex have been best friends since college. They’ve holidayed together over the years and share private jokes but are complete opposites. Poppy, feeling unfulfilled with life, realises she misses Alex and their vacations together (something happened two years ago in Croatia).

The narrative flips between ‘this summer’ and the past summers. Over the course of flashbacks we are taken back to the start of their friendship and subsequent holidays until the ill-fated Croatia trip (which was a bit of an anti climax tbh). This plot device was a little overused, and didn’t help with the overall pacing of the story. I found it overlong, the central characters seemingly incapable of admitting how they really feel about each other and dragging it out over ten years. It’s a pleasant enough, if predictable, romance. A fluffy light read, perfect to take on your own holiday.

A funny, light-hearted read following the story of Poppy and Alex through their 11 year friendship.
A proper will they or won't they that doesn't disappoint
A really great read.

People We Meet on Vacation has been on my list of highly anticipated reads for a while now and after finally getting my hands on a copy, I couldn't recommend this book more highly! It was incredible and I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.

Although, I do own Beach Read, I haven't read it yet and so People We Meet on Vacation is actually the first book by Emily Henry I've read. It certainly won't be my last though and I'm dying to pick up Beach Read after this! Henry's writing style is beautiful, succinct and so darn easy to get lost in. So much so, that she managed to make me absolutely love a trope I don't usually pick up very often: friends to lovers.

Alex and Poppy meet in college and don't immediately click. They are very much opposites in every way, but through special circumstances, they build an unlikely friendship that spans years, relationships and many summer vacations in various destinations. The story is told from Poppy's POV but provides great insight into how the summer vacations and their friendship progressed through the years.

As a character, I found Poppy to be incredibly relatable. She knows who she is but at the same time is equally lost and confused about what she truly wants in life. Because of this, she's always chasing a feeling or dreaming of an escape. She's often views by others as flighty and wild. It takes a lot of time and self-reflection to understand what she's truly chasing is a person who loves and accepts her as she is.

On the flip side, Alex is known for being mature, overly serious and responsible; sometimes to the point of being mistaken for boring. I actually really liked Alex a lot. He's dependable, reliable and grounded. In relation to my other favourite book boyfriends, I would put him on the same level as Joshua Templeman (The Hating Game), Jonah Riggs (The Simple Wild) and Reid Sutherland (Love Lettering). So basically, I have a new favourite book boyfriend in my list!

I won't give too much more away about this book but will say it was absolutely magical. I absolutely adored this and want everyone to read it and love it as much as I did!

I really enjoyed this quirky but sweet novel. It has an interesting premise and excellent characters. I loved the main characters, Poppy and Alex, they were both rich complex characters. I loved the description of all the vacations, and I found myself reading fast to get ahead to see what happens. The novel is about finding yourself , what you want and the place that you call home. Sometimes working yourself out takes time, as it does here for Poppy and Alex. I found this novel immensely enjoyable, readable and original. Highly recommended! Thanks to Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business. and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.