4.5 stars

Wow another great romance from Emily Henry.

Alex and Poppy are best friends, or they were. They used to go on holiday together every summer but on their holiday 2 years ago it all went wrong and they haven't seen each other since.

Told with a present day story with flashbacks to their previous holidays, You and Me on Vacation is a lovely book about 2 best friends.

Characters were well wrritten and felt like whole people both with complex wants and needs. Alex and Poppy fall right in to the grumpy/sunnyshine trope and I couldn't get enough.

A lovely read which will leave you with a fuzzy feeling and a book hangover. Filled with some of my favourite tropes (best friends to lovers and sunnyshine and grummpy), this is another great book from Emily Henry. I can't wait to read what she writes next

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Firstly, a huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for sending me this ARC! This is the UK edition of People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry.

Honestly, I struggled with this book a little bit to begin with. I like a book that jumps straight into it, but I found that this book spent a little while introducing characters and themes etc; I also struggled a little bit with the jumping back and forth between time periods - just when something good is about to happen in present day, it would jump back in time!

That being said, I did really enjoy the book overall. I really enjoyed reading about Poppy and Alex’s relationship - it was so complex yet simple and easy at the same time. It’s the absolutely perfect holiday read, and I could definitely see myself reading it again. For someone who usually isn’t a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, I found this book to be really sweet, light and heartwarming. I would definitely recommend it to those who love a contemporary novel dashed with a passion for travelling. Even though this book was focused mainly on Poppy and Alex, it definitely made me long to travel more.

This edition is released July 8, 2021, so definitely go and check it out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5 (rounded up to 4)

Oh how I loved this book. I adored Emily Henry’s ‘Beach Read’ so I was hoping to feel the same for this next book but I actually think I liked it even more.
The story is about Poppy and Alex. They meet briefly but then share a road trip and this is where their friendship begins. Even though they are polar opposites they become best friends. Every year they manage to take a vacation together which is full of exciting, inspirational and adventurous trips. I don’t want to give any spoilers away as it’s such a good romance. The story flits between the present and their past, exploring their trips and expanding their closeness. Something happens on one of the trips, boyfriends and girlfriends come along but can they keep it together? All I’m gonna say is be prepared to be hit with all the feels when Poppy delivers a speech towards the end of the book.
There were so many things I adored about this book. First up Alex and Poppy are written so well. Henry has created two perfectly relatable, very real characters.
Secondly, I am so passionate about travel and I felt like I was at every one of the countries that Alex and Poppy visited on vacation. In fact, I’ve popped one on my bucket list.
Thirdly was the overall writing. It was amazing. I was invested in all of it. I loved some of the phrases. The phrase ‘too many wine’ had me laughing out loud as that’s something my husband says to me all the time.
Overall, I loved it! Thank you so much to netgalley and penguin for my digital ARC. I am 1000% buying the print.

Loved this book. A nice light but thoroughly enjoyable read. I really engaged with the characters and was rooting for them throughout. I also liked the swapping between the past and present with the gradual build up of detail on Alex and Poppy’s history, I also liked the writing style and humour. Highly recommend this as some nice engrossing escapism.

"You and Me on Vacation" is a wonderful indulgence of a novel; the book version of snuggling up with a romantic comedy film on a rainy sunday afternoon. Alex is an adorable character who really grows on you as the novel progresses, and Poppy is quirky in all the right ways. A fun, light read.

Poppy and Alex met at college, he is solid and straight laced, she is wild and loves life! They holiday every summer til one year when it all goes wrong. Two years not talking and they are going away again but will they be able to put the past behind them?
I loved Emily’s last book so I was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

🌴eARC Review🌴
I was jumping with excitement when I saw the new book of Emily Henry was available for request and almost passed out when I got approved to read it.

I absolutely loved Beach Read and couldn't wait to read You and Me on Vacation (known in the US as People We Meet on Vacation). But I wasn't prepared for this...it's so beautifully written and will forever live rent free in my mind🤧

What you can expect:
🏹Best friends to lovers
⏳Past and present timelines
❤Opposites attract
🥺Several sick caring scenes
🕯Super slow burn
✈Epic funny travel stories

I have to encourage everyone to read this book, it's emotional and funny and the connection between the two characters is so deep that feels like a fated mates kind of love.

If you've preordered check that your order is still okay since people have been reporting theirs got cancelled. I'm going to order a physical copy myself to reread anytime I want

Thank you @penguinukbooks for my advanced copy.

#emilyhenry #contemporaryromance #amreadingromance #romancebookstagram #bookrecommendations #romancebookreview

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy

I loved this so much!!!
I struggle giving 5 stars to contemporary books as a fantasy reader but I can't not with this one.
This fully lived up to my expectations and hopes after loving Beach Read last year.
The characters were relatable and so cute together. And the writing was addictive and so engaging.

The story is split in different timelines. This worked well for me and helped build the tension.
I can see myself rereading this as this book just made me so happy and I did not want to put this book down.
If you enjoyed Beach Read and adult contemporary romance then please pick this one up.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3509047772?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Well written bit of escapism.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book which is full of sexual tension and romance.

Filled with witty lines, an a swoon-worthy romance plot, You an Me on Vacation is definitely one of my favourite romances now. I cant wait to try out Beach Read as well.

I think I might like this one even better than Beach Read...

This was great, the perfect light-hearted holiday romance, like say, a beach read. Hehe.

This one is a bit of an homage to 'When Harry Met Sally' which is one of my favourite movies of all time, and finding that out only increased my love for this book. I found the complication a little... uncomplicated I guess? But all in all very enjoyable.

Good amount of tension, lots of fun flashbacks to vacations, and a fairly mild amount of smut - comparable to a Beth O'Leary.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy of this one.

Poppy and Alex met in college and it took a few tries for them to become friends. Once it started, they spent a lot of their time together and always took a vacation together each summer- for 12 summers. Along the way there were personal things going on and other relationships but they always did the vacation,.

Now it's been 2 years since they spoke since something happened on their last vacation. Poppy works for a magazine in NYC and gets to travel for work. Alex is a teacher in their hometown in Ohio. Poppy feels like something is missing and gets back in touch with Alex.

Through the book you are taken through their vacations and present day as the story flips back and forth. This did feel a little repetitive at the end but overall I really enjoyed the book and the premise of it. How many friends do we all have that could have been something else if the situations were different? Another great one from Emily Henry!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this.
I was super excited to read this book, after seeing so many fellow reviewers give it 5 stars. It's probably just me, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
The writing is wonderful. The banter the characters had made me laugh a lot. The experiences they had made their friendship solid.
I guess it was just them together and what they did to each other. Can you really not talk to someone you love so dearly for two years? I guess I was frustrated and sad for them both. Didn't leave me with a feeling of happiness.
I know many other reviewers have absolutely loved it, and I'm sorry to be in the minority.
3.5 stars

Perhaps I should not have requested an arc for People We Meet on Vacation as I was one of the few people who last was not particularly enamoured by Beach Read (i know, i know, the oudacity). I actually ended up enjoying this more as I found it to be both funnier and a lot less angsty than Beach Read.
Was People We Meet on Vacation particularly original? No.
Memorable? N o p e.
It was cute, silly, a tad cheesy, and a bit too clichèd for my taste (i get it, the romcom is a genre that thrives on tropes but there are limits: opposites attract, will they won't they, female leads falls and has to be carried by the male lead, one of the is sick so the other has to play 'nurse', the list goes on).

The story is narrated by Poppy (who i could not help but compare to another romcom poppytext) who is the classic relatable 30ish female lead: she is short, bubbly, quirky, doesn't like sports. Poppy's bbf is Alex, who is very much her polar opposite. He is more of a quiet composed kind of guy. They met at university and ever since then they spend their summer holidays together, travelling around America and even venturing abroad. Things change after their trip Croatia (i wonder what could have possibly happened...) and they are no longer in touch.
Two years after their fallout Poppy finds herself reaching out to him. Although she has her dream job, which allows her to do what she loves most (travel), an apartment in New York, and friends, she has become listless. After they reconnect Poppy and Alex go on another vacation together. Poppy wants their old friendship back even if her feelings towards Alex may be less than platonic. Interspersed throughout the 'now' are chapter recounting their previous holidays together.

Alex and Poppy's banter was funny, and most of the narrative focuses on their bond. Their conversations and clowning around often emphasised their 'opposing' personalities. Poppy is loud and quirky, Alex is a bit of an old man. Ahah ensues.
The places they visit are mere backdrops to their banter, and in many ways, they embody the worst type of tourist (their idea of a vacation = my idea of hell). They also have 0 tolerance for heat and tend to focus on the sceneries and cultures they are in (the only thing i remember from their trip to italy is that they eat parmiggiano). On these vacations, they come across funny, eccentric, downright odd people whose function is that of comedic relief.

I might have enjoyed this more if Poppy and Alex had been a bit more interesting. Poppy was just the quintessential romcom female lead and I while she did make me laugh now and then I can't say that I particularly liked her. And I am tired of these stories where the male lead always has to have abs while the female lead is curvy or normal (the other woman instead is 'fit'). Why can' the male lead have an 'average body? Why can't the female lead be really into running or weightlifting?

Anyway, I did like their dynamic and inside jokes. I also appreciated that the male lead wasn't the classic 'i am no good for you' type and we also get some lgbtq+ side characters.
The vacations do get repetitive, and I could have probably done without reading all of them (focusing instead of the 'now). Poppy keeps referring to Croatia without actually saying what has happened but we all already can guess what 'went down' so why drag it on so long? It added no suspense whatsoever, if anything it detracted from the story. Towards the end, I found myself a bit unconvinced by the story's so called conflict.

All in all, it wasn't a bad read and I am sure that it will appeal to diehard romcom fans. I for one found this a relatively entertaining read even if I found some of the lingo (anything poppy's friend rachel says) to be incredibly grating (i have nothing against americans but when i hear 'wine dates' i cannot help but to cringe).

A superb When Harry Met Sally inspired opposites attract, friends to lovers, slow burn rom-com.

The two MC's were just so much fun to read. Poppy is unapologetic in who she is, ready to try (or say a lot of the time) anything. In contrast we have the reserved and reliable but totally adorable Alex. Their chemistry and slow burn romance were written in a very convincing way that made their hesitation in taking things further believable.

The star of the story for me by far, was the dialogue. Both witty and sometimes heartbreaking, there are so many great lines that had me laughing out loud and then tearing up (I'm looking at you Poppy in particular with your powerful and bold speech at the bar). This book was full of the best dialogue I've read in a long time.

This was just the book that I needed to read right now (even if it did make me crave a holiday abroad).

Sometimes you require a good romance to give you a boost of positivity.

Emily Henry nails it with You and Me on Vacation.

A novel with all the feels.

Alex and Poppy are best friends. Every year they go on holiday together and with each 12 months that past it becomes clear that their feelings for each other aren't strictly platonic - with neither of them willing to be the first to let their real emotions show.

I kid you not, I was smiling from ear to ear with every page that I read. Constantly willing these two to get over themselves and make the decision to actually be together.

With clever use of going from past to present, the author does a fantastic job of painting a picture of the fantastic locations, as well as giving us much needed details of the characters pasts.

This let us see just why they are so closed off to the possibility of taking a risk.

Will they, won't they?

The question remains throughout the whole of the story.

This was an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't want to get off of. With all the ups and downs, I was truly invested in this pair.

I won't give away the outcome but despite everything that happens I can confirm that you do get a happy ending.

This book speaks to me (and once you read it, you'll understand the ongoing joke)!

Must confess I got this ARC* because I read "Beach Read" before and loved it so, so much.

Has this book touched me deeply? Parts of it did, in particular, the "be weird and be proud" theme throughout. This is something I've been exploring with my mentor because we humans (and creatives in particular) tend to sanitize our existence to be accepted and fit in. So we don't let our freak fly, what makes us different and special, we make ourselves small and "samey" to avoid get singled out, bullied, made to feel other, or simply an outsider. This and Alex, were my 2 favorite parts of the book!

"You can't outrun yourself. Not your history, not your fears, not the parts of yourself you're worried are wrong." **

Did this book make me cry? A couple of tears towards the end, but nothing too serious so my therapist can relax!

Were the characters relatable? They are flawed like us real-life folks, so yes.

Were the characters likable? Ah, this is a matter of personal preference, obviously. But I must admit that Poppy is a hard pill to swallow. At points she's hilarious, at others she's human, but mostly she's really freaking selfish (poor Alex). Thankfully, as expected of your heroine, she grows along the way and rights her wrongs - that's the whole journey in this book. And here comes my personal preference, in my opinion, she didn't really redeem herself completely. Or perhaps Alex was too perfect in comparison and she never stood a chance? Once you get to the Readers Guide, at the end of the book, you'll understand why that is. By then you may already have accepted Poppy fully and started to love her as much as Alex. Or like me, you may understand, accept her, be happy for her but still not be 100% sold.

Were the secondary characters well developed too? Not particularly, they were there to drive the plot. Was that an issue (in my opinion) in this book? Not that much. One-dimensional secondary characters tend to tick me off, but this book is all about Poppy + Alex's friendship/relationship, so the author gets a pass. Also, they weren't wholly 1D, more like 2D. Would have loved to see more of Sarah (although I liked a lot that she wasn't made into an easy villainy-antagonist), Trey, David + his husband-to-be!

I saw someone asking about smut, so I'm here to say that there's one graphic scene and another quicky after. But honestly, this is not that kind of book and it doesn't need smut. It's a slow-burn romance and I understand that the sex scene was there to give us, the reader, a sense of "ohhhh freaking fiiiiiiiiiinally!!!!"

And finally, my least favorite part of the book: the jumping all over the place between past and present to finally learn what went wrong with the relationship that caused them to stay apart and silent for 2 years. A lot of "dragging" for a very unsatisfactory (in my opinion, obviously) reason. I won't say what it is, because spoiler, but safe to say that it shouldn't have been such a big deal to damage such a strong bond - even if the cause was lack/fear of communication. Perhaps I would understand and accept it from a teenager, but not from a 28 y/o woman+man. I understand why the author took so long to tell the readers what happened and even the placement in the story (good comparison of Poppy's flaw now and then), but my gut tells me the pay-off to the reader wasn't high enough. I was genuinely expecting a much bigger problem.

Having said the above, you may be wondering...

Do I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly! A resounding YES!

I may have the opinion that this book isn't perfect, but I accept flaws, I really like the author and I *love* Alex***!

Hope you enjoy & stay safe :)

xx



* Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for proving this ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

** tons of other lovely quotes and observations in the book, but hard to highlight in a pdf file.

*** Alex is not an alpha, actually Poppy is more of an alpha than he is, but that makes him even MORE perfect. What a delicious character to spend time with! Hope you fall for him as much as Poppy, Sarah and I did :)

Yes, I still stand by my previous review that Emily Henry can do nothing wrong in my eyes. But I am trying to review this book with more objectivity compared to her previous book (Beach Read—which I really loved).

Ah, yes. The familiar trope that we have. Enemies to lovers. Friends to lovers. Why not do them both? Best friends to estranged friends (are they really enemies?) to friends again and ultimately to lovers. Honestly, this is a very refreshing spin to these tropes that we always come back for.

I'm gonna make my review short. I really liked the promise and it's promise to the readers—a fun, flirty, romantic getaway ensconced inside these little pages. The descriptions of the scenes brought me back to wonderful moments when I was island hopping, kayaking, and snorkeling in Palawan. The fresh yet salty breeze and the cool, the seductive atmosphere of the night life with a promise of an imminent lay (joke!) What a moment to remember. Emily Henry's character work was also superb. She is the queen of backstories. I loved the way she introduced me to the characters, their backgrounds, their wants and their fears, and how the narrative weaves smoothly between introspection, flashback narration, and present emotions.

However, my main issue with this book was the pace. It was too long. We went back and forth through time as Poppy relieved the moments where she and Alex were still friends, and then to the time where the status quo of their friendship was woefully uncertain. Sure, there were romantic tensions, but I find them a little lackluster and underdeveloped. The banters were not as snappy and flirty compared to Beach Read, and the overall plot was a little bit jarring. Too much will they or won't they.

All in all: liked the characterization and the summer vibes, didn't like the sexual and romantic tension, the plot was little murky but serviceable. I will still read whatever Emily Henry publishes in the future even though I didn't like this book as much as I liked Beach Read, I still believe that she writes her books with all her passion. And that shows.

I love a love story set on holiday. And this was a slow burn love story set over many holidays, with the main action focused in Palm Springs.

Both Poppy and Alex are d super-likable as characters and their connection feels real. You're really rooting for them throughout. Nothing was overly sentimental and both came across as equals, which feels like a rare and glorious find in a romance book.

In places it dipped into cliché - Poppy's job as a lux travel writer, hated each other when they first met. But overall, both characters felt so realistic that this didn't really matter in the end.

100% would recommend for a holiday romance read.

Poppy and Alex have been friends since they shared a car journey home from college. Their friendship doesn't look like it should work but it does. Every year for a decade they have taken a vacation together until two years ago something happened and they haven't really spoken since.
Poppy is unhappy and she realizes the last time she was truly happy was with Alex. Poppy decides to get back in touch with Alex to see how he would feel about another vacation together.
This was a lovely book, really easy to read and a great story. I really would recommend it.