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People We Meet on Vacation
by Emily HenryPublished by Berkley, Jove on May 11, 2021
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: AudioBook
Pages: 400
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Length: 10 Hours And 46 Minutes
Source: Library - Libby
Audience: 18+/Adult
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Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.
Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They 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. 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.
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, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.
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?
I’m starting to think Emily Henry’s books may not be for me. People We Meet On Vacation is the second book I’ve read from her, and I enjoyed it to a point, but I didn’t love it. I did like it a little more than Beach Read. I’m a sucker for Friends-to-Lovers storylines, which is one reason I decided to read the book. I also wanted to read it before watching the movie on Netflix. (Yes, I’m one of those who has to read the book before watching the movie.) I can officially say I may have enjoyed the movie more than the book, because the movie’s ending was more enjoyable and made more sense than the book’s ending. The book’s ending frustrated me.
I’ll go into the things I enjoyed. I loved how the book used dual timelines, moving between present and past moments with Poppy and Alex, and how they met and vacationed together every year. I was also curious why they hadn’t spoken for two years, which took a bit to learn, and it ended up being predictable. I loved how they became friends and were complete opposites, which made their story enjoyable and funny at times. I loved Alex immediately, even without his POV, maybe because I could relate to him. He was the voice of reason when it came to Poppy, who pushed him to do things he might have been uncomfortable with, but she opened him up and helped him become a different person on vacation.
Now, about Poppy. I liked her, but didn’t love her. I had an issue with how she treated Alex when it was obvious they both liked each other. I was also frustrated by how she acted when he was with someone else. Alex had his future planned out, while Poppy had no clue what she wanted, which is why Alex was moving on with someone who wanted the same things. It just frustrated me. Then, there were the awkward moments with Poppy when she was with another guy around Alex. I felt for poor Alex the whole time.
As I said before, the ending of the book frustrated me. After Poppy and Alex finally admit their feelings, something dramatic happens, and they split up. The way Poppy realized she cared for Alex felt a bit flat. I liked the movie’s ending more because it worked out better for both of them and showed how they got together. In the movie, Poppy had to show Alex she really cared, and she knew what she wanted in life, finally.
This Friends-to-Lovers story for People We Meet on Vacation was more frustrating than enjoyable for me, so I’m giving it three stars, even though there were some fun moments. I wish I had liked the book more. I just don’t think Emily’s books are for me, but I think my college-aged daughter would enjoy her books more. I do plan to rewatch the movie, though, because I liked the cast and enjoyed the movie a bit more than the book.
POV: Single POV (First Person)
Would I recommend this book? I’d still suggest it to people who already like Emily Henry’s books or enjoy Friends to Lovers and Opposites Attract stories. I just don’t think her books are for me, but I think my college-aged daughter would enjoy Emily’s books more.
Important Note: The movie did make some changes from the book, which I was definitely okay with. For example, Alex and Poppy vacation together one last time in a totally different place than what was mentioned in the book, and the ending is different. There were others, but these were the main ones I noticed while watching.
What to Expect:
🏖️Dual Timeline
🏖️Friends to Lovers
🏖️Opposites Attract
🏖️Slow Burn
🏖️Miscommunication
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