I just love Emily Henry. I loved her with the magic of Beach Read, and now I love her for her latest book (out in May, 2021 in the US and June, 2021 in the UK). In the US it is called People We Meet on Vacation, and in the UK it is called You and Me on Vacation.

This time around we meet Alex and Poppy while they are on vacation. They have been long-distance friends for 10 years, but every summer they make a point to get together for a vacation. But every summer isn’t as carefree and easy as it sounds.

As the chapters transition in a non-linear format (for example, from present day to a vacation from the past, and back to the present, etc.) we learn about Alex and Poppy’s relationship and why they have not spoken for 2 years. In other books, I was not a fan of this style, but in this story I found that it works. I kept turning pages to see what happened in the past that landed them in the situation they were in now, and where they would end up!

WHAT I LOVED

What didn’t I love would be the easier thing to answer. I loved the relationship between Poppy and Alex – how they would banter, how they would support each other, and how they were on vacation. I loved living a life I could never through Poppy. I’m too much of a homebody to travel like she does, so it’s always great to get lost in a story of someone who lives life differently than I do. Then there were Poppy’s parents, who had me cracking up when they gave Poppy a gift before she set off on one of her vacations with Alex (can’t spoil that one!)

The Name Change

As I mentioned earlier, the US title and the UK title are different. I wondered about that while I was reading the book, to see which title I liked better. Both fit the book very well, so I do not dislike any of the names each publishing house chose for the book.

The UK title is very obvious. You and Me on Vacation. Alex and Poppy. They go on vacation. I get that! The US title though. Wow. You won’t discover why it’s really called People We Meet on Vacation until you read the ending. And I loved it. I think me looking into the title differences brought a new perspective to the book that I may not have gotten had I not been looking so closely for the answer. I was not disappointed, and, dare I say, it made me love Poppy all the more.

The blurbs on the back of the book are also different. The US is your standard blurb to get you hooked on wanting to read the book. The UK blurb took a different approach and helped those who do not do well with the non-linear format of the book. They provided a linear timeline of Alex and Poppy’s relationship. I feel like that took away a teeny bit of the magic of having their relationship discovered throughout the book, but for those that struggle to keep the timeline in their heads, it will help!

All in all, if you were a fan of Beach Read, I think you will also be a fan of People You Meet on Vacation/You and Me on Vacation! You can pre-order your copy now.

Aaah this was sweet!
A story told via a series of holidays
Perfect timing when we can't go anywhere in real life although I would read it anytime.
Fun and fresh.

Upon first meeting 12 summers ago, Poppy and Alex strongly dislike each other and would never estimate how much their lives and friendship would change 12 summers later. The unlikely pair develop a strong friendship as every summer they go on vacation together. It wasn’t until a vacation to Croatia where things got heated and slowed their friendship right down. Now Poppy is determined to rekindle what they had with the quest of one final vacation together.

I have thought a lot about how to structure this review because there was a lot I loved about this book and I thought the best way to start is from the cover. As soon as I received this e-ARC I knew I would love it. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and colourful. When the book is released I am definitely going to be purchasing a physical copy to add to my bookshelf. And just like the cover, the story is so bright and colourful with some really descriptive worldbuilding surrounding the characters’ vacations. I really loved how Henry transported us from multiple places and I really felt like they were all different – be that in Vancouver or the atmospheric BAR. Right from the prologue I was hooked. Henry’s witty and charming writing allows for the plot to be easily followed and provide a constant nostalgic feeling. Perhaps reading this in a time of a global pandemic has allowed me to appreciate the descriptions of places and social interactions, but also the flashbacks to many summers ago aids this.

The narrative is anecdotal with loosely alternating chapters of present day and the past. This is a technical and clever choice by Henry to evoke a simultaneous storyline. The reader learn about Alex and Poppy’s first meeting, while also reading where they are presently. There are some really clever choices used with the flashbacks mirroring the next present day chapter. It appears that during both stages of their lives they repressed their romantic emotions for each other and that long-standing emotion provides a more powerful and intense connection. However, this does cause for a rollercoaster of emotions.

The chemistry between Alex and Poppy is never lost. Their love for each other radiates through every page and causes the reader to grow impatient. I know I started to get impatient with them and just wanted the pair to get together because Henry’s beautiful talent forced me to get so invested in them. From the prologue I was rooting for the pair but as the story started I had no idea where it was going to go considering they had lost touch. I enjoyed reading their reconnection. It felt like their wasn’t a dormant part of their friendship and could pick up straight away where they left it. This proves how much of a special connection they have. They both remember small details about each other and this provides a very caring atmosphere. An example which really stuck with me was when Alex wouldn’t let Poppy sleep on the pull out chair due to a potential migraine. It is these small, thoughtful details that made my heart flutter. I also found their heated discussion over Tinder humorous.

The characters of Poppy and Alex were very unique to read and Henry hasn’t made their characteristics predictable. I like how she captured the complexity of love, friendship, and commitment. The difficulties in accepting and revealing true feelings. The honest account also allows for more truth to be explored with Poppy and her job. She has achieved her dream, yet, it was not how she thought. Henry writes how this is OK and reminds the reader that expectations aren’t always met. With this in mind, I especially enjoyed the character of Rachel. As the reader guide at the end of the book stated ‘Rachel has a lot to say about contentment versus purpose’ and that provided a strong underlying message and theme – and is surely something I am going to consider more often, hoping to answer whether both can be achieved or if they are mutually exclusive as the guide questioned.

Overall, I absolutely loved this read and I am excited to pick up more books by Henry. This is the first I have read of this author and am quite excited to read more.

This review will be published 1/7/21 on my blog: www.fortheliterature.wordpress.com

I ADORED this book!
It was just perfect and everything I needed in a book at the moment, just pure escapism!
I loved the characters of Poppy and Alex and the way their friendship blossomed was delightful to read. Im going to recommending this to everyone as their book to be reading over the summer!!

This was wonderful. This authors previous book was a huge hit with me last year and I was over the moon to be allowed the opportunity to review an early copy of their next work. This takes you on an emotional I certainly didnt see coming not only because this cover implies a light and breezy read but the plot does too. It's a real fun time and depth.

You and Me on Vacation is easily the best book I've read so far in 2021. This best friends to lovers story from Emily Henry packed a solid punch, and its been a long time since I sobbed right through the ending of a book.

The present and past narration of the Summer Trips by our heroine Poppy had me breathless- first in hurt for how strained their present relationship was, and then in anticipation to find out what exactly was it that ruined 10 years of friendship 2 summers ago. I think my favorite genre of book is the kind that hurts in all the right spots, and then soothes you right over, and oh, what a soothing Emily's words do. Its an emotionally exhausting journey to be with Poppy and her thoughts and confusion and listlessness, both about her life and about her relationship with Alex, but damn if she isn't so wholly real. She is so herself, and yet struggling to find herself, and the fact that her character has everything millennials dream of, and yet wasn't happy was a great choice for her character. I love that Henry also added in some swift commentary on millennials and capitalism through the delightfully supportive side character of Rachel! The messages of connection and loneliness and unfiltered joy and loss and grief make the book even more real, and a reminder that our love lives aren't independent of the things we experience growing up.

The best friends to lovers trope is one very, very close to my heart. In Henry's book, I mourned the love I couldn't have, and sobbing my heart out from about the 50% mark made the book that much closer to me. Every chapter is so purposeful, every word so intentional in what it intends to convey, that it felt like a book taking my hand and talking to me in the 12 am darkness of my room. This delicious hurt and angst of their story also means that this book isn't one I'm going to be able to re-read, and yet I'm looking forward to my physical copy because You and Me on Vacation is so very important to me.

Beach Read, the author's previous book, was a spur of the moment buy for me from last year, and it ended up being one of my favourites of 2020. So the bar was pretty high going into this one.

After spending the whole day reading Me and You On Vacation from beginning to end, I can safely say that it was just as amazing as I expected, if not more. Emily Henry is now a definite auto-buy author.

When I so completely adore a book, I always find it hard to put together a coherent review that isn't just me screaming in people's faces how amazing the book is and to just buy it right now. So I'll try my best, but be warned that I am also very teary after reading this because I found it so beautiful and compelling, and it just "really speaks to me" (see what I did there).

The basic premise is that Poppy and Alex have been friends for years and used to go on summer vacations together, until two years ago when something happened and they have since stopped talking.
I loved Poppy and Alex. Their banter made me laugh out loud more than once, and I loved seeing their friendship blossom over twelve years or so of summer vacations. Because the book takes you through all those vacations, from the first one to the one that changed it all, it really feels like you get time to know both characters, and I really felt like I was in on the inside jokes they had. From the beginning you know that something is coming, and I was so intrigued that I found it impossible to put the book down. I just needed to read one more chapter, one more slice of their story.

The travelling itself, and the descriptions of the different places they went to, was so well done. It was just the right amount of description to paint a picture and to make me want to visit them all. After being stuck in the house for almost a year, in and out of lockdown, reading about the two of them discovering new places was such a joy.

So all in all, I adored this book and will now be impatiently waiting for 1) this book to come out so I can have it on my shelves, and 2) the next book by Emily Henry which is going to be an absolute torture.

I *loved* this book, in so many ways and for so many reasons. It was exactly what I needed to read, when I needed to read it -‘I have highlighted pages of quotes and scribbled some of them in my journal too. Emily Henry captures feelings and glimmerings of feelings in this book in a way I’ve never read anyone else do.

I love this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Since this is a friends-to-lovers trope, the book mostly concentrated on friendship, eventually leading to love. It is light, adorable, well written, and filled with so many itineraries. I liked travel books; and, that combined with romance is the perfect book for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading Romance novels. If you're up for a slow-burn, friends-to-lover trope romance, then you should definitely read You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry.

Thanks to Penguin UK, NetGalley, and the author for this eARC.

Genre: Romance

Release Date: Expected July 8th 2021

(Previously known as People We Meet On Vacation)



Travel writer Poppy is arguably gorgeous (from certain angles), she's loud, she spills everything and she's really not good at stayng still.

Alex is her polar opposite. Since school he's become a teacher, has the house and the car, and still takes selfies without using the front camera.

But somehow, for the last 12 years they've been best friends, with a pact to spend every single summer together. And after ten glorious summers of being so drunk that matching tattoos slowly become appealing and travelling to amazing places, it was the perfect friendship. Until it wasn't and their friendship turned into just a fond memory. But now Poppy decides it's time for one last trip with her former best friend and this could change everything.

Let's get this right - I had very high expectations going into this. After Beach Read, which was definitely my feel-good hit of the summer last year it was going to be hard to live up to that standard - but I was not dissapointed.

As we travel through our dynamic duo's many summer adventures, we slowly peice together exactly what makes their relationship so special and just how they managed to go from people who had no intention of even exchanging numbers to being each others person. This was the type of story that even though you were pretty certain you knew where it was going, just enjoying the journey on our way there was adventure enough.

This was another perfectly feel-good, completely adorable romance that was exactly the thing you need while sitting in the sun (Even though this is an early review and I've forgotten how the sun feels!) Emily Henry takes all the familiar, comforting tropes of the genre and turns it into something heartwarming magical.





RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐



Thank you to NetGalley and Emily Henry for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Poppy and Alex's shared story is sweet, romantic, and fun. The plot is perfectly balanced between their past and present. The different settings and characters were entertaining, especially these days when travelling for holidays isn't happening.

I already liked Beach Read by Emily Henry, it was a very memorable romance I read last year and I liked how she handled the hate-to-love trope because it's not my favorite. Friends to lovers on the other hand? My absolute favorite thing ever.
Let me tell you why: I just adore the connection the characters have. I love how well they know each other before they fall in love, these little "what if?" moments and I don't know. I just can connect to friends to lovers more because they already know and care for each other. I think that's just important for me when I read romance, that I can really understand the connection the characters have and I totally did with Poppy and Alex.
I am usually not the biggest fan of time jumps in a book, but it worked really well here. Through the flashbacks, you get to know Poppy and Alex really well and understand their dynamic in the present better. I loved the mix of light past summers and angsty current summer, because oh boy, did I want them to reconnect. This book just hit right in the feels for me. Not just because I wanted them to be together romantically, but because you got to know Poppy and Alex through the flashbacks and it kinda hurt to see, that they lost this friendship. And I rooted for them so much! So. Much! I mean, I knew they would (probably) end up together because this is a romance novel, but I still cared a lot about them and how they would rekindle their friendship.
This book doesn't has huge surprises plot-wise, but as I said, I just absolutely adored how Emily Henry wrote Poppy's and Alex's friendship/romance. And romance is all about the emotions for me and I definitely felt a lot of them while reading. That's essentially the only reason why I love this book so much. It pushed the right buttons for me and made me feel a lot and therefore was an amazing reading experience.

(Also, this has the only one bed trope and maybe I laughed a little as I read that scene.)

I felt like reading this book would allow me to take a break from my usual gloomy and/or literary reads, and You and Me on Vacation provided exactly that kind of, erm, vacation I was looking for.

While the characters seem quite stereotyped to me - you have the hyperactive girl on one side and the calm, reassuring guy on the other - their interaction works really well, with a lot of banter and little moments of sexual tension to be found throughout.

The dialogues are smart - in a very "millennial" way, I'd say - and the scenes, which alternate between the present and the past, presenting revealing episodes taken from the previous trips that Poppy and Alex took together - are kept short and effective, which increases the perceived pleasantness and general cuteness of this novel.

As one can image, the vacation settings add a lot of charm, especially during these trying time where most of us are forced at home. It's been pleasant to daydream about faraway places once again.

I give 4 stars - and not 5 - because I feel this book doesn't transcend its genre's limitations. Everything you will find in it belong to the romance genre, and that special something that can make a book universal and appealing in itself, outside of every possible categorisation, is not there.

But, if you fancy an "inside the box", feel-good, light and fun romance, I'm assuming you won't find a lot better than this.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the published for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was offered an advance copy by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, please, keep this book in your future TBRs and get yourself a copy come July 2021! Fairly sure Emily Henry has produced another perfect read for your future summer!
Poppy and Alex met over a decade ago at college, and after that first summer, they are best friends. Every summer, they go on their Summer Trips, and despite some what-ifs, they stay just friends. They date other people, and after one fateful event in Croatia, they don't see each other for two years. This summer is their one last chance to fix everything.
Through flashbacks to every summer they've spent together, we see Poppy and Alex go from university students to established adults, as they visit the world together. But You and Me on Vacation isn't only about their relationship, it's also the metaphorical journey Poppy takes to find out what's next for her in life after she appears to have gotten everything she ever wanted from her professional life.
With the back and forth between the past and present, Emily Henry kept me on my toes, always wanting to keep reading do I could know what's next. After a slightly slow start, I was hooked and had to set myself timers so I would be reminded of the things I actually had to do and force myself to stop reading for a while. And it made my very anxious self want to travel and discover new places. Maybe once the world is better I'll channel my inner Poppy and go discover a new place!
Both a lesson on taking chances and on finding your next self, You and Me on Vacation will charm both romance lovers and those who like their books to take them away.

5 "You're Home to Me" Stars!

"I don't know how to love someone as much as I love you."

I am sitting here in awe. It's official; from now on, when someone asks me for a friends-to-lovers romance recommendation, THIS will be the book I recommend.

What I adored:
* The dialogue - I can't remember the last time I laughed so much during a book. Talk about witty banter. Definite When Harry Met Sally vibes with the snappy and sometimes snarky humor. Poppy is witty and spunky and doesn't really embarrass easily. Alex is quiet and reserved and Poppy just lives to embarrass him.

* Their chemistry - Usually I am not a huge fan of friends-to-lovers because I have trouble "buying" it. That was not the case here at all. Alex and Poppy have such a solid friendship and I got all the reasons that made them hesitate to risk it.

*The travel!!! - Ok, let's face it, none of us have been anywhere in the last year...amIright? We didn't even make it to the coast last year. So I sooooo loved being able to travel along with Poppy and Alex on all of their trips. THIS is what to write as an outcome to quarantine. I see authors asking all the time, Should I write a quarantine read? NO! I personally do not want to read another thing about the Q-word. Give us what we've been missing and THIS is it!

*The romance - All the heart eyes here. Just so genuine and amazingly written. And yes, there is some definite steam that burned up my Kindle.

This book is hilarious, it's got depth, it's got richly developed characters, it has ALLLLL the feels. I could not get enough!

From the blurb, we know that something went down with these two during their last vacation, 2 years ago. Something big. The book is told in alternating timelines - one that's in the past that goes through each of their vacations from the beginning, and then a timeline in the present. That quality made this a book that you just CANNOT walk away from.

For someone who *whispers* has become somewhat complacent with some of the newer releases within the romance genre as of late, this book (as well as Beach Read) is a breath of fresh air!

Emily Henry is an author to take notice of, and I predict that this book will be as successful or more successful than Beach Read was, and it deserves every bit of it.

I'm going to go ahead and say it, even though I know it's only February, but I predict this book will be one of the top, if not the top romance read for me all year! I know it will be on my 2021 Top Reads list!

As soon as I finished, I immediately flipped back to the first page and started again. It was that good! I miss Poppy and Alex now and I want more.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a great read. A true romance but one that kept you frustrated by the characters trying to do the right thing and second guessing each other's wishes. In the end it works out, but through a convoluted story. A story of how your childhood shapes you, with loss of a parent, bullying, and a desires to escape and to have a "home". I really got a feel for all the characters, well described.

i received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review!

i forced myself to go to be last night and not finish this all in one go: i had about 20% left, but it was late for me, and i just couldn't. but it was a real struggle because this book is just so, so delightful. 

beach read was such a surprising book to me, something that felt deeper than i had expected, a romance book that was so acutely tuned into its characters and the questions they had about their lives and their own place within the world. i was interested when i heard about this book an i knew i would read it, but the summary didn't blow me away or anything like that. it looked interesting! i knew i loved beach read! i thought i'd give it a go.

this book is so suffused with emotion and charm. it aches, in that very sharp way that comes with deep affection and almost joy. there's a poignancy to this book from the beginning, something which is excavated every time that the book flashes back to the past holidays that poppy and alex have been on together. something i think that is done so superbly here is the feel of the characters: poppy and alex are sharply-drawn from the beginning, characters that are knowable to the reader even if they aren't always knowable to each other and occasionally themselves. this is written in the first person, something i don't always love, but it's utilised so well here. poppy is our main character and she's a great pov character: smart and extremely funny, finding herself at a point in her life where she feels awful because she's got what she wants and it feels like not enough. 

i think this book explores that well. the idea of what we want, how we get it, what we're willing to sacrifice and what it feels like when you have achieved your goals only to not find the satisfaction to go along with it. both main characters in here are struggling to find ways to be fulfilled and how they imagine that will happen has been so influenced by their individual experiences and it's lovely to see that unravelling and how they get to know that. naturally, the literal and more metaphorical journeys are interspersed here, with a lovely languid pace, that somehow still feels propelling. i wanted to devour this, but it feels like it wraps you up in it too. i loved those journeys. i loved dipping back into these characters shared history and watching them learn each other, watching them fall for each other. 

this is a friends to lovers romance and one that is so well-drawn. i never doubted them for a moment. it FELT romantic and earned, even from the beginning, in the deft use of emotions and language here. it felt like love, and affection, and an instinct towards self-preservation. i loved going on this journey tbh. beautiful, and i'm excited to follow the author.

I wasn't expecting You and Me on Vacation to be so romantic!

I loved this one, I wanted to read it all in one sitting. Poppy is an excellent character, and I love how her personality took this from a standard rom-com to a really well thought out, really well paced read. I could never guess what was going to happen next!

All the characters had a lot of depth, and it made everyone just that much more realistic.

A perfect summer read for sure!

Let me start by saying this book will stay with me for a LONG time. I was laughing, crying, frustrated, anxious, in love! What a book - thank you Emily Henry and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this before it's release in May. Everyone needs to get this pre-ordered now because this is without a shadow of a doubt a solid 5 star read and I know you are going to adore it as much as I did.

What I loved:

The vacations - I loved finding out where Alex and Poppy had been and what they got up to on each trip. It was such a fun element to the story!

I found it very relatable. After turning 30 last year I started feeling a little lost, like time was getting away from me and I needed to figure everything out, so I really felt for Poppy as she tried to find her happiness

This book just made the 'friends to lovers' trope take 'enemies to lovers' top spot for me! I loved the timeline of the relationship, the slow progression, and I was so curious as we slipped from current day to a past vacation, wondering where it all went wrong.. I was hooked from start to finish!

The writing was incredible - I think it's difficult to pull off a book with two timelines but the Author worked wonders with the storytelling, and there was lots of humour and heart throughout.

Well, look out for this when it comes out in July. Emily Henry has done it again, maybe I was one of the few people who didn't pick up Beach Read, but You and Me on Vacation has certainly encouraged me to do that.

You and Me on Vacation blends the genres of romance and general fiction. I would compare it to One Day by David Nichols.

You and Me on Vacation follows Alex and Poppy over ten years focusing o their annual summer trips the one time a year the two best friends have always allocated to catch up and spend time together. When something rocks the friendship the pair stopped speaking. You and Me on Vacation weaves the past and present as the two friends reconnect. It had me laughing and hooked from page one and I can not recommend it enough.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to review.