I was sent a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Although COVID is stopping us from travelling right now, I was so glad I was able to live vicariously through this book. The entire book was so wonderfully heartwarming. If you're a fan of friends-to-lovers romance that includes hilarious banter and travelling, then you're going to love this book. I absolutely adored Emily Henry's Beach Read when I read it last year, but I think this book truly surpasses it.

Emily Henry is fantastic at writing realistic characters. Poppy and Alex's friendship is one of the best I've ever read. I'm usually not a huge fan of friends-to-lovers but this book has completely won me over. I love the way their entire relationship is told over the course of several years and vacations; even though every time we met them, they were in different places in their lives, it was so easy to see how much they care about each other.

This book had everything I wanted: friends-to-lovers, hate-to-love, one bed, hilarious banter, slow burn. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys romance novels.

As a fangirl of Emily Henry's last book, Beach Read, I knew I had to get my hands on her newest novel ASAP! It's winter in Minnesota right now, so the multitude of sunny vacation spots in this book were amazing. Henry describes them in great detail so you feel like you're right there. I enjoyed the relationship between Poppy and Alex, which was purposely reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally. Definitely worth reading!

This book was all kinds of cute! But it also made me cry, and swoon and look forward to my next summer trip.

Alex and Poppy were perfect, and even though I would have liked to see more of them as a couple, I loved their friendship and how they complemented each other. Everybody claims that “enemies-to-lovers” is the superior trope (and I particularly enjoyed that on “Beach Read”!) but I have a soft spot for the best friends trope. And here it was perfectly executed!

I can see myself re-reading this book in the future, and I’ve already pre-ordered a physical copy for myself.

I loved Beach Read so much, and I was so excited for You and Me on Vacation; I'm so pleased that it lived up to - and exceeded! - my expectations. Emily Henry is such a special writer and, reading You and Me on Vacation, I was struck by her talent. The narrative unfolded so deftly and naturally that it made for a genuinely joyous read. For me, I felt as though I could read all of the writer's love and respect for the genre - and its readers - in the story. Poppy and Alex were brilliantly sympathetic and flawed characters, and the tension between them kept me reading into the night: I just could not, and would not, stop! It was a witty and moving rom-com, and I loved it all.

Ah, I LOVE Emily Henry! If you liked Beach Read, you'll totally love this book, it's every bit as good, and I think I even enjoyed it more, because of the 'what if' element. Also, it is SO nice to read about Palm Springs in the sunshine when it's so cold and snowy here!

Oh man, I really enjoyed this. Partially because they go on holiday and talk about different places and god, don't we all want that at the moment. But mainly because the characters are engaging, fun, and not caricatures of rom com/commercial fiction characters.
Great story, lovely characters, nice depth.

Another gorgeous romantic comedy from Emily Henry. I really shouldn't read her books while I'm struggling to write my own, as it does my confidence no favours - but I just can't help myself. Her characters are so wonderfully textured and funny and she delves into those tricky, complex emotions and hang-ups people have, while keeping the laughs coming. Add in some beautiful trips around the globe and this is perfect escapism.

This book was incredible. Best friends to lovers who work through their issues to be better for each other in a relationship is the healthiest romance book Ive read in a long long time. Poppy was such a joyful qnd silly main character and Alex proved to be the perfect counterbalance for her abundance of energy. Their banter and chemistry had me laughing out loud on nearly every page and awing when they did sometime tender for each other. I loved the travel aspect of the book and the multitude of oddballs they met on their trips. While not prominent characters, they gave this story so much heart. Incredible book!!!

This book was like slipping into your favourite pair of shoes or having the perfect cup of tea after a long day at work. You know that feeling, the one where you feel content and happy and you know for a just a moment in time that everything just feels right. As you might have already guessed I found myself in a lot of like with this story. The characters, the theme and the romance all merged together to provide a wonderful reading experience and I know that this novel will be winning readers hearts all over. ‘You and me on vacation’ is a wonderfully pulled together friends to lovers romance with a healthy mix of real life mixed with a generously hopeful romantic alliance. Emily Henry is an author that seemed to be on everyone’s reading list for 2020 and in my romance reading opinion I think she really deserves the attention that she has gained, I foresee a 2021 with the same kind of following. If you are looking for a slice of lovely in a world that doesn’t currently feel so comforting right now then this book may just provide the perfect remedy.

After loving Beach Read last year, I had high hopes for You and Me on Vacation. This sounds like a setup to say it disappointed me — it’s not, I promise. It would be fair to say Beach Read is still my favourite of the two, but I loved You and Me on Vacation as well.

The story follows parallel timelines: the present, where Alex and Poppy’s relationship has been somewhat broken since some event on a trip to Croatia (you can probably easily guess what event that may be, but in the interests of no spoilers, I’m keeping schtum), and at various times across the preceding 12 years. In the present, Poppy is stuck in a rut in her job writing about vacations for a magazine, so she decides that what she needs to do is go back to the start: on a simple vacation with Alex.

Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and this book did that to perfection. We get to see the build of Alex and Poppy’s friendship in the past, contrasted with their current relationship, a little bit fragile and each of them treading carefully. It’s an excellent way of establishing the bond they have while still growing them towards a romance, so I loved how that was done here.

As with Beach Read, the main two characters are also surrounded by a great cast. And they’re all characters you find yourself easily wanting to root for and read more of, both main and otherwise. Of course, Poppy and Alex are the most fleshed out of them — not a surprise given that most of the book involves scenes between them and only them — but the others do provide an interesting backdrop. Yes, the girlfriends and boyfriends who aren’t Poppy or Alex do sometimes come across a little flat and un-nuanced, but some of that is just because it’s Poppy’s POV.

I think the only issue I did have with this book would be in the third-act break-up. I really really don’t like third-act break-ups, particularly those which aren’t consistent with characterisation, and I do sort of feel like this was one of those. Especially since, to all intents and purposes, both characters had professed their love for one another, so the angst precipitating a break-up seemed to come out of nowhere. I think that’s the reason I’d give this book 4 stars instead of 5. For a bit, it did feel like a 5-star book. Until this.

But if you enjoyed Beach Read or you’re looking for another romance to get your teeth into, this is definitely one to look forward to.

I can tell you right now, January 24th, this will be on my top reads of the year. Mark my words.

Poppy and Alex meet at orientation week in college and don’t think about each other again until the end of freshman year, when they share a car ride back home for summer break and, even though they’re polar opposites, they become inseparable ever since. Right then they establish one of the main pillars of their friendship: The Summer Trip. Every summer, the two of them will go on an adventure somewhere new.

Now fast-forward to present day, 12 years later. Poppy is a travel journalist living in New York (basically getting paid to travel the world and write about it #dreamjob) and Alex is a high school teacher still living in their small Ohio hometown.

We’re told this story through Poppy’s eyes, switching between present time – when she and Alex are in no-speaking terms since their summer trip to Croatia two years ago –, and the past, as she recalls each one of their vacations together leading to that ill-fated trip. Poppy is convinced they can make their friendship work again, all she has to do is take Alex on yet another summer trip, like old times.

This story spoke to me (100% unintentional pun – I’m not crazy, you’ll understand the reference if you read it) on so many levels I can’t even begin to put it into words. Even though Poppy and Alex are like the day and the night, I recognized parts of me in both of them. I’m a let’s-book-this-random-trip-and-see-where-the-wind-takes-us kind of person like Poppy as much as I’m a let’s-stay-home-all-day-with-a-book-and-not-socialize introvert like Alex. They are both relatable, imperfect, insecure and laugh-out-loud funny in their own ways. I could just keep reading about them forever.

The relationship between the two of them and how that friends-to-lovers was inevitable all along was beautifully done. I laughed, I cried and really, really, really enjoyed this book. Like a lot. It’s the perfect opposites-attract, slow-burn, i-want-you-as-my-best-friend-and-also-everything-else-but-it-scares-the-shit-out-of-me we all deserve and all I want to do is forget it so I can read it all over again.

As Emily Henry herself puts it, this is ultimately a book about home. Because it’s less about the places we go than the people we meet along the way. But most of all, it’s about the ones who stay and become home.

Now that’s all said, please excuse me while I go find myself a copy of Beach Read and get book-drunk on that one too, because what else am I supposed to do with my life now?

A massive thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for an e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

Such a delight to read and I was fully immersed in the story between Poppy and Alex. Love to see the relationship between the both blossom with their holidays and love for each other. Perfect for a winter afternoon.

I had hears such good things about Beach Read by Emily Henry I knew I had to ask to read her next book You and Me on Vacation and I have found a new auto-buy author for contemporary romance.

You and Me on Vacation is about Poppy and Alex and their friendship over 12 years and is a Best Friends to Lovers book. If you don't like this kind of Trope then I suggest you put that aside and read this book. I found that Emily Henry had written it superbly and found my love for this trope again.

The book jumps back and forth between the present and the past 12 years. I found this delightful as you got to know both Poppy and Alex from the flashbacks and how they come to be where they are now. Poppy is a travel writer for R+R a magazine and she jets off around the world to exotic places on the company dime. The problem is something is missing from her life, and she realises that its her friend Alex. Alex is a super sweet and also from the description given HOT. He is a high school teacher and writer. Poppy and Alex are complete opposites but they have been friends since their college days and can't be without one another.

It's hinted that something went on between the two of them on one of their Summer Vacations and you get to know what this is towards the end of the book. I found the build up subtle but intriguing as I felt that I got to know the characters by travelling on their summer vacations with them in every other chapter.

The book had my heart in my throat though towards the end as I was wondering what the ending would be, but I am pleased with how it played out and felt that it was the right conclusion. Poppy definitely grew throughout the book and I loved being on the journey with her.

Do you know why I rated it as a 4 instead of a 5? This is because I heard that Emily wrote a real hot scene raunchy in Beach Read however in this book I didn't think it was that, sexy. It was more subtle and loving and I loved that and felt that was right for the characters however I wanted a bit more heat between the two.

I did however love the style of writing, the characters the witty comments between the two, the tension between the two as well. Definitely on pre-order now!

This was an intresting read. Very unsure as it went forward and back. . A third of the way I was gripped and I could not put it down. The air conditioning made me laugh. Going down a degree at a time. All the places they travelled. . Alex had loved Poppy for so long. You were not sure how it would end. I liked Poppies boss..Families can mess you up. A great read

After Emily Henry's superb 'Beach Read', I was desperate to read her next novel. When 'You and Me on Vacation' appeared on NetGalley, I almost dislocated my arm speed pressing that request button! Henry has returned with her characteristic blend of hilarious writing and weightier topics in this fulfilling friends to lovers romance in the style of the classic 'When Harry Met Sally'.

Poppy and Alex meet in college, their friendship first forming during an excruciating shared drive home from college. It is the following summer that their annual tradition is born: The Summer Trip. We follow them across 12 years of their friendship around the world, flashing back and forth between Summer Trips gone and the present summer. (Gosh, it made me miss travelling, beaches, sun, bars...) However, we are told that something happened on the trip two years ago which estranged these two friends and the present trip is their last chance to salvage their special relationship (and perhaps find love along the way).

The concept and the structure are well plotted, each holiday taking Poppy and Alex to a distinct location and deepening their (platonic?!) relationship. The sexual tension over the years is simmering throughout as the reader wills these two to stop skirting around their obvious deep love for one another. The journey sees them come of age, find their way in the world of work, enter relationships with other people, but their deep bond seems unbreakable... until the 'incident' of two years ago. The 'details of this are not revealed for most of the book and most of their Summer Trips are just them hitting bars and enjoying each other's company. I almost wish the flashbacks could have been halved and we could have spent more time seeing how Poppy and Alex cope with addressing their feelings in the present and moving on from how they have previously hurt each other.

Overall, this is a witty and thoroughly absorbing read. Henry has a real gift for writing believable yet enjoyable romance and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next! 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I didn’t know Emily Henry (I might have been living in a cave), and I doubted if I still liked rom-coms. After finishing this book, I can wholeheartedly say: YES, yes, yes, I still do! This is a perfect example of how a rom-com should be written! A perfect love story and I adored it!

I fell for the cover; it’s fluffy and sweet, just like the story. But this book is so much more. It’s like a blanket that warms you up in the winter when you’re curled up in it and never want to get out, or like a warm summer night on the beach when you’re gazing at stars and feel so incredibly happy. It’s cute and witty and funny and beautiful and romantic and so vibrant. The writing is wonderful, the current timeline so perfectly intertwined with those of the past. And Poppy and Alex, who love each other so much, who are meant to be together, so perfect for each other, waiting for so many years. They always had such a strong connection, and they were so real and likable like they could just jump out of the story. I laughed out loud the first time independent and talkative Poppy called serious and self controlling Alex ‘naked Alex’ when he let his guard down. Did I already say that I adored this book? And Poppy and Alex? Because I do!

Like I said at the beginning, I didn’t know Emily Henry, but I certainly do know her now. I crave for another of her stories, so I guess I will be reading Beach Read soon (I have to admit that I already put it on my e-reader).

"Maybe I could do this at home too. Maybe I could be this person who doesn’t brush her hair, who doesn’t mind being sweaty or having sand in all her crevices."

When I got this ARC I was happy like a kid on a Christmas day. I just loved Beach read and I had High hopes for this book.
So, as soon as I got this I read the first Chapter, and stopped, why You may ask?! Well, I was scared to read it whole. I was scared that this book won't be as good as I hoped. But let me say this it is even better. 💖

... I loved that 5% in this book won. I just love the theme here. I love how Poppy and Alex met, and I love all the references to When Harry met Sally. And dear author, I totally agree with you, that at first Harry so boring and annoying, but you just see how the character grows.

“Isn’t that ridiculous?” I groan -laugh. “My life turned out how I hoped it would, and now I just miss wanting something.”

... But Alex wasn't annoying, he was was sweet from the first scene, and I think he thought that Poppy was little annoying when they first met.
They are soooo different, the have only couple of things in common. But it is soo strange that they became friends, at first place. But when they fall they fall hard and for forever.

"No song,” he says. “I bet you’re fun at parties,” I say. “I’m fine at parties,” he says."

They are just so good together.
I hate that they got scared and that they didn't talk for two years.
I must say I just could not wait to read about that THE summer trip, what happened, how it happened...

I love that they are each other PERSON. I think the spark was always there, they were just so young when they first met. And after all the years, and all the other people, they just got to scared to try, but they also got to scared of growing up and leaving one another behind.

"I’ll be fine without you, Poppy.” This is the last thing I want to hear."

I just can not express how I really love this book.
Poppy and Alex capture my heart. I love how chatty Poppy is, and sooo funny. And Alex... So so closed off, but if you made in his inner circle you are there for life.

This really was soo good... And I stared reading this I just couldn't stop until I finished it.
I just don't have in me to give this book rating less that 5.

“I thought you didn’t like holding hands,” I say. “And you said you did,” he says. “So, what ? I just get whatever I want now?” I tease. His smile flickers back into place, calm and restrained. “Yes, Poppy,” he says. “You get whatever you want now. Is that a problem?”

I just can not to reread it again.

I absolutely adored this book!
To quote Poppy and Alex, "it speaks to me".
Both characters are so well constructed and I was a big fan of the way in which it was written.
You immediately feel yourself in Poppy's shoes and I could relate to a lot of what she was going through and could only wish to have someone like Alex in my life.
You are definitely 100% invested in their lives, which is always the mark of an excellent writer.
I loved seeing their friendship play out over the years and the amount of mutual pining for one another, banter, their lives and relationships meaning that things never quite lined up for them to be together and basically all of the This Summer/Palm Springs chapters were SO GOOD!
But I couldn't get enough when it came to every chapter, so much so that I devoured this book in just a few days.
This was also the perfect recipe for current times, given that we can't travel, as this book took me all over the world from the comfort of my home.
I will be recommending this book to everyone and I cannot wait to see what Emily Henry does next.
I've already downloaded her first book, Beach Read, to read next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this arc!

Poppy and Alex are friends since college, they are complete opposites but they also feel comfortable and themselves while in each other's company. Every summer they go to on vacation together in a new place, this lifelong tradition ended two years ago.

This year while Poppy tries to remember when she was last happy, she knows it was when she was with Alex, she reaches out to him in order to organize a new vacation. A trip to remember and save their friendship.

The writing is so so good and with a clever sense of humor.

The story is divided in the past and present, letting us see the changes in their lives through the years. It was interesting to see it, but I was more invested in the present narrative.

Poppy and Alex felt so real in this book, two characters with a lot of history and deep feelings between them. I could see how much they loved each other but I didn't feel the chemistry I expected.

*I received an ARC through the publisher and this is my honest review.

This book was stupid cute. Like, so cute that I was sitting on the bus, grinning like a dork, grateful to be wearing a face mask so people couldn’t see my stupid smile. I loved this and I now officially love Emily Henry and will forever read whatever she publishes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for inviting me to read this. feel this will firmly be in my top 5 reads of the year.