I loved this book so much! After reading Beach Read last year I was so excited to hear Emily Henry had another book coming out and it did not disappoint!

Poppy and Alex were such great characters and I loved the dynamic between them despite their differences in personality. I especially enjoyed seeing how their friendship and feelings developed through each year of their summer trip.
I also really enjoyed reading about all of the different places that Poppy and Alex visited and, especially at a time where I can't travel, this really made me feel like I was there with them!

WOW! I loved this book, I am new to Emily Henry’s writing and she did not disappoint! First off I love all the characters in this book, I really felt a connection with the way Poppy was demonstrating her emotions. The relationship between Alex and Poppy was amazing yet unpredictable, I never guessed what was coming next. This book was a rollercoaster of emotions, I was so determined for their relationship to blossom throughout. I could immediately pick this book back up and read it again, which isn’t often the case for me.

Thanks to the author, penguin and netgalley for allowing me to access this ARC.

Okay, okay, once again, I have fallen head over heels for the character Emily Henry has created. Much like Beach Read, You And Me On Vacation made me laugh, cry, and grin maniacally at various points and in pretty equal measure. It's the perfect read for fans of Henry's past work (or fans of, say, Josie Silver, Beth O'Leary, Casey McQuiston, etc.). Another perfect romp of a rom-com.

Loved this. I could not put this down one of my favourite so far this year. I loved the character. This book made me laugh so much will definitely be one of my guilty pleasures for re read when I want to feel good.

February - and in line with Valentine's Day and the month of love, I managed to devour a Contemporary Romance already this month. A book I truly adored in 2020 was Beach Read by Emily Henry and to get an ARC of You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry off the back of that was a real treat. I don't really have the energy for late-night reading and I especially don't have the energy to read into the early hours anymore - but apparently, I made an exception for You and Me on Vacation, starting the book at 11.30 at night and wrapping it up 2 and a half hours later.

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry Book Review

You and Me on Vacation focuses on two friends, Poppy and Alex, who met whilst they were at university in Chicago, although they quickly discover they're from the same place. With Alex returning to their childhood home in Ohio and Poppy relocating to bustling New York City to grow her travel blog and eventually work for a Travel Publication, it's fair to say that their friendship relies heavily on texting, random meet-ups and long-distance calls - and of course, the yearly trip they take together to distant and local locations. Chapter by Chapter, we are taken back and forth between the Present Day and 10 years previously to their first trip together, then their 2nd and so on - unravelling everything there is to understand about the friendship's dynamics and getting to the bottom of the 'rift' that forced them apart just two summers previously. It's easy enough to speculate about the rift but the story does remarkable things in exploring friendships, relationships and getting to the bottom of what you truly want and need,

I adored the characters - Alex is definitely the epitome of a caring and thoughtful man, whilst Poppy is the confident and 'can-do' personality we all wish we had inside of ourselves. Despite their differences, the story definitely works - everything about the story kept me completely hooked and I was really sad to get to the end of it so quickly - ah, the pains of binge reading! I 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves reading contemporary romance books; it was light-hearted for the most part and a very easy, quick read.

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry a five-star read to fall in love with. Simply put this may be the best story I read all year, it will certainly be one that I will come back and re-read so often, I plan on buying the paperback as well, as this belongs on my hall of fame bookshelf. This story will have your heart pounding in a good way and wondering and wishing and just all over the place, it’s so good. You will be laughing your head off at Poppy and Alex, this story is like all of my old favourites rolled into one, it made me smile so much an old lady on my street asked me if I was in love with a new man!! We ended up having a social distanced chat about the book and I promised to pick her up a copy when I picked mine up as she loves the sound of it. In my eyes this will appeal to everyone as it has something for everyone, do not miss this read as its simply amazing.

After reading Emily Henry’s last book ‘Beach Read’ I was interested in reading this next book from her as I liked her writing style, even if I had found Beach Read a little predictable.

‘You and Me on Vacation’ tells the story of Poppy and Alex, friends from college who take an annual summer break together every year and have done so for the last ten years. Two years ago it all went wrong and they’ve not spoken since. Poppy is determined to not let it end this way so invites Alex for one last trip, the make or break chance to save their friendship.

Ok, so after reading a few thrillers in a row I needed a light-hearted, rom-com read and this was the perfect tonic! Yes you might know how it’s going to end, but can you predict what happens along the way and why? Actually no! The characters of Poppy and Alex are everything you want them to be, the will they won’t they box of rom-com genre is ticked but you become fully invested in their journey. The flashback chapters work really well and how the memories are intertwined with the present dialogue is seamless.

I finished this book with a smile on my face and wishing that I could be friends with Poppy and Alex! The book asked you to ‘lose your heart to Poppy and Alex’ and I can honestly say I did! An easy read that does what it’s supposed to, make you believe in happy ever afters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Henry and Penguin for the advanced reader copy.

You and Me on Vacation was wonderful. It was complex, real, and emotional. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in one sitting.

Alex and Poppy meet as freshmen in college, despite growing up on different sides of the same town. They bond during a car-share that is the start of their beautiful friendship, despite being vastly different from each other. Poppy is unique and random while Alex is controlled and methodical. Their relationship is complex and they have a deep connection. Ever since that fateful car-share the two of them take a summer vacation together. Until two years ago. That last vacation ended their friendship and after two years, Poppy reaches out to Alex to see if he'll go on one last trip together and careful-thoughtful-uptight Alex says yes.

Both Poppy and Alex were written with depth and enough layers that I was invested in peeling them back. I loved watching the soul-searching, the millennial questioning of what do I do now, and the friends-to-lovers slow burn. Poppy was witty and funny and I loved the banter in this book.

Emily Henry writes incredible fiction, with well-developed romances. I enjoyed being on the journey of Poppy finding herself and discovering what she really wants in life.

This is a book that you will not want to miss out on.

Perfect Escapism!

A classic 'will-they won't-they' romance, with a sprinkling of holiday escapism... perfect escapist read in a pandemic world..

Alex and Poppy meet on the first day of college; after a rocky start they soon become the closest of friends. Fast forward ten years; Alex and Poppy have taken yearly 'summer trips' together until two years ago when 'something' happened ending their friendship. The novel moves between their various past trips, and the present day which sees Alex and Poppy reconcile their friendship and continue their 'will-they won't-they romance'.

Beautiful descriptions of some beautiful destinations was a highlight, especially at a time when travel is something we can only absorb from our book pages! The plot is easily predictable, and the ending particularly so, but this wasn't particularly a downside, although perhaps could have wound up a little quicker.. all in all, a light and lovely read.

You and Me on Vacation is a brilliantly written book on friendship that turns in to love. Alex and Poppy are both really likeable characters and the depths that come with Alex add extra layers which come across really well. I really enjoyed the cross between their current situation and the flashback to previous holidays that they’d taken together and the more I read, the more difficult I found this book to put down. I love a book that will keep me up until the early hours, wanting to know more, and this is definitely that kind of book. Highly recommend and looking forward to more by Emily Henry.

📖 b o o k r e v i e w 📖 ⠀
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You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry⠀
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Alex and Poppy have been friends since college. Even though they’re completely different, Poppy is spontaneous and wild whereas Alex is dependable and pragmatic, their summer vacations are the highlight of both their years. That is until two summers ago when they ruined everything and haven’t spoken since. Poppy has a great job and life in New York but is determined to repair her friendship with Alex. So she decides to invite him on one last summer vacation, to lay everything on the table and finally make things right between them. She has one week to fix everything, what could possibly go wrong. ⠀
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I really loved this book. Poppy and Alex were fun and interesting characters. Their chemistry and dynamic was really believable, and I loved that we got to watch their relationship develop over a span of 12 years. I also enjoyed how the narrative was spiced up with a few moments of completely believable tension and drama, so, while it was an easy read, it didn’t feel like a cliche, fluffy romance. ⠀
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The narrative switches back and forth between the present and past summers. As Poppy and Alex’s year revolves around their summer trips, each chapter we follow them as they travel to Croatia, Tuscany and New Orleans. This made it the perfect lockdown read and I felt like I was travelling to all of these different places from the comfort of my own home! ⠀
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Emily Henry is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors after reading and loving Beach Read (her first novel) only a few weeks ago. Her characters are fun and enjoyable to read, and she has really unique stories that keep me hooked the whole time. I’d definitely recommend you read her books if you haven’t already! ⠀
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Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced E-copy, You and Me on Vacation will be published in the U.K. in May. ⠀
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Less than 30 pages in I found myself Henry's Beach Read. That's how confident I was that I would love this book and her style of writing.

A perfect story in the friend-to-lovers trope and so heartwarming. I was looking for a light and gentle read and Henry delivered that; she also gave me something (read *someone*) who is so relatable. I'm left with such an urge to read more of Poppy Wright and her frankness in the angst and experience of those in their late20's/early 30's.

The whole book has When Harry Met Sally/One Day vibes (without the tragic ending of the latter); so pick up this book if they were your bag. And if they weren't? I'd still recommend reading You and Me on Vacation.

Emily Henry is up there now with Beth O'Leary as an auto-buy author when I need a romantic read.

Ok, so lockdown 2021 was probably not the best time for me to read this as so many beautiful vacations were detailed and we couldn't leave our house but my travel bucket list is definitely longer now than it was before the read. This is the first book I've read by Emily Henry and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for other books because I loved it. Poppy and Alex are the most likeable, albeit occasionally frustrating, characters and I was instantly in their corner cheering for them to get together. The way the author flipped from the present to their previous summer trips worked really well, and I honestly felt like I was there for a lot of them. I felt like their emotions and the way they stupidly handled their relationship was realistic and it wasn't a simple, boy meets girl end, it was complex like all human relationships are and made the characters believable and more likeable. Would 100% recommend, and will be reading more of Emily's books.

I fell in love with Alex and Poppy. I loved the backstory, how they met and how their friendship grew. I knew from the first chapter when they were pretending to have just met at the bar it was going to be a fun read, and it was. The things Alex said had me giggling. The two are total opposites. There is a serious side, it does get a bit sad in parts. One minute I was laughing the next I was wanting to cry. It was the perfect book to escape from what is going off around us. I loved it

I started off not too keen on this one. I thought the character Poppy was a bit of a privelaged brat and so I took a long time reading the first few chapters. BUT... then I changed my mind completely and I absolutely fell in love with Poppy and Alex. They are just the cutest! I adored their friendship, every aspect - how they met, how they grew closer, the build up of tension, and I was just in it for the whole ride.

It's predictable, and there are some frustrating bits towards the end, but it is a rom com, so really, what else would you expect? I enjoyed Emily Henry's other novel Beach Read, but I enjoyed this one even more. The banter and little in jokes between them was just lovely. Honestly, hetero women are going to LOVE Alex.

Oh I also LOVED the travel stories - especially at the moment when none of us can go anywhere - it was nice to do a little vicarious travelling.

A perfect holiday read.

This book was the perfect antidote to the current state of the world. I would have read it in one sitting, but annoyingly I had to sleep and go to work. Emily Henry has created a vivid world with Alex and Poppy, and I wanted to inhabit it with them for so much longer. With chapters that alternate between the past and the present day, there was so much to love about this book. Reading it felt like putting on my most comfy sweater, and frankly anything that can make me forget about the state of the world right now deserves 5 stars.

This is exactly the type of book I love to read and recommend. It's the type of book that I will get completely invested. As I read further into 'You and Me on Vacation', the more I fell in love with Poppy and Alex. Both of them are such well-written characters. The definition of opposites attract, I would like to say. The book made me experience a whole spectrum of emotions, from laughter to sadness and sympathy for the characters, and that was something I was not expecting going into this. I'm definitely going to be reading this book again and again so that I relive the romance and the cute relationship between Poppy and Alex.

Easy reading, light and lovely story. Just what the doctor ordered to take one's mind off the pandemic!

I really enjoyed Emily Henry's last book 'Beach Read' so was really excited to see this one become available! It didn't disappoint, it was a very similar style and the characters were so believable. Just fantastic, I would recommend to anyone!

This is a long drawn out friends to lovers rom-com from Emily Henry featuring Poppy and Alex, both from the small town of Linfield in Ohio, who meet for the first time at the University of Chicago, initially not taking to each other at all. Poppy and Alex are polar opposites when it comes to personalities, with Poppy the outgoing extrovert and Alex, the more reserved introvert. The two find themselves becoming friends despite their different backgrounds, a friendship cemented each year with their annual vacation together to a variety of locations, only to find their feelings for each other changing, but is it worth the risk to their friendship? In a emotional roller coaster of a story that goes back and forth in time, the pair have not communicated for two years when something obviously big happened between them, Poppy and Alex go on one last vacation, will they finally come together? This was an engaging read told from Poppy's perspective, although occasionally uneven, the conversations between Poppy and Alex being a particular highlight, and one which I can see appealing to many readers. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.