Last year Emily Henry’s release adult targeted book, Beach Read, was a favorite summer read for me and you can see my review for it HERE. Written in a similar style People We Meet on Vacation is more optimistic than it’s predecessor Beach Read which while it was a contemporary romance, it dived into some darker territory.
In People We Meet on Vacation, Poppy and Alex have been friends since college. Though they’ve drifted apart they still take an annual summer vacation together, just the two of them. Except they haven’t taken a trip in two years, after their last trip left them needed space. But Poppy is missing her best friend and hopes this next trip will bring them back together.
Told between both present and past summer vacations, we get a sense of how their vacations started and eventually reveal what happened two summers ago to halt their friendship. I really enjoyed the alternating timeline since it provided quite a bit of character development. I also love traveling so it was fun to get to see where they went and what they did while on vacation.
Through out the story Poppy is basically suffering through her quarter of a life crisis, which let’s be real, we’ve all been there. The realistic thoughts she has about where she is career wise, and the hard choices she has to make on a professional level resonated with me, since I was in that exact same both a year or two ago.
I binged this book in a night, and the only negative thing I have to say is that I wish Poppy and Alex had just communicated with each other and this would have all been avoided. But then we also wouldn’t have such a quirky, funny, and lovable read!
Last year I gave Beach Read ★★★ ★ , and I loved this one so much more! I hope that all of Henry’s books keep getting better and highly recommend this read for anyone suffering through their own quarter of a century life crisis, if you enjoy contemporary romances, or need the perfect book to read while on your own vacation!
People We Meet on Vacation comes out May 11, 2021. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.
5 Comments Add yours