I love reading romance, and it’s absolute bullshit some people (i.e. men) have slandered the genre so much some women are embarrassed to admit they read anything in the genre. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a story where two people fall in love, probably fight a little, and maybe even have some spicy moments together all for your reading pleasure. If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you’re well aware I’ve been less than impressed with my recent excursions into the romance book department. I require a certain level of believability in my fiction, especially when it comes to relationships. If two people go crazy for each other too soon or have barely bubbling chemistry it’s hard to invest myself in the story. End rant.
All of this rambling leads me to People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. I’ve been seeing her other novel Beach Read all over the internet for months, as well as more than a few listicles during my mindless scrolling. If you’re a fan of the following then you will probably love this book:
- Friends to lovers romance
- Quirky and off-kilter humor
- Characters who are aware of their flaws
- Stories with plenty of nostalgia
Poppy and Alex have been best friends for over ten years; they also have very little in common. After carpooling back home to Ohio for a college break freshman year, they form an unlikely bond which sticks them together through thick and thin into their thirties. Every summer for those ten years Poppy and Alex have taken a vacation, throwing together memorable trips on a shoestring budget, and stumbling into some strange situations along the way. Two years ago something changed, whatever happened between Poppy and Alex spiraled into two years of silence. Stuck in a rut, left with too much time to think of what could have been, Poppy makes one last ditch effort to save her friendship with Alex. Simmering beneath ten years of friendship and two years of silence is so much more than either of them bargained for.
This is the best romance I’ve read this year. I’m not usually a fan of friends to lovers romances because the ones I’ve read haven’t been done well. There’s always too much immature jealousy and petty drama adding little to the actual story. How hard is it to write a story where adults are capable of doing more than simply jumping to ridiculous conclusions? Poppy and Alex worked well for me in so many ways, but above all their chemistry was solid. Henry has written their relationship in a raw and tender way; you almost feel voyeuristic reading about some of the private moments they share, both good and bad. The heaviness is balanced out well by the goofy humor Poppy and Alex share, which I thoroughly enjoyed because I find a lot of odd shit funny that no one else does (except maybe for my friend Diana).
The format switches back and forth between the present day and past vacations Poppy and Alex have taken. I really appreciated the depth this gave their friendship because when the story starts in present day we know little about Alex. It was a great way to show the complexity of their friendship and how it fluctuated over the years as their lives changed before they reunited. Significant others come and go, careers change, and so do the best laid plans. They go through the highs and lows together; in those moments we get to see the true magic happening. If slow building stories frustrate you this might not be as enjoyable of a read. I think the pacing does lend well to the overall story.
Alex is also pretty much the epitome of a man written by a woman. I know men like him exist in real life, but where are they? It’s strange to say this of a romance, yet I admit the tension between Poppy and Alex was kind of nail-biting to me in the way some thrillers are. I found myself always wondering when they would finally address why they didn’t speak for two years or when they’d stop skirting around things you knew were going to come into play eventually. You can feel the awkwardness in a way that will make you recall all of the socially awkward things you’ve done in your life when you didn’t know what to say or how to act. I could name a few of my own, but I’ll spare myself the embarrassment right now.
Poppy and Alex are two characters who will probably remind you of people in your own life, or possibly yourself. There are some clichés present, when are there not at least a few, but the book isn’t dripping with them. If you’re looking for a realistic, feel-good story you could easily gobble up in a day or two I highly recommend this one. My final verdict is 4.5/5 stars for People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read is already waiting on my shelf.
The Rummy Writer 