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nabaraditi's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Bullying and Toxic relationship
sam_rami's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
(early plotline spoilers)
3.5 stars!
This book! I loved it! This goes through the relationship of two college best friends who had summer trips but then suddenly two years ago they stopped talking meaning their yearly summer trips no longer existed. Poppy, who works for a travel magazine is stuck in a rut and wants to get out of it invites her best friend Alex for one more trip, but the feelings about what happened on the trip they stopped talking starts to affect them. This is kind of a friends - enemies - lovers situation. It is beautiful I love this trope. The way Alex cares for Poppy is just so cute and I love it so much. I just wish the flashback chapters would be set up differently, that is just a personal preference because over time I got kind of confused on which summer we were on or what was happening. Their romance totally made up for it and Croatia... I completely recommend this book!
3.5 stars!
This book! I loved it! This goes through the relationship of two college best friends who had summer trips but then suddenly two years ago they stopped talking meaning their yearly summer trips no longer existed. Poppy, who works for a travel magazine is stuck in a rut and wants to get out of it invites her best friend Alex for one more trip, but the feelings about what happened on the trip they stopped talking starts to affect them. This is kind of a friends - enemies - lovers situation. It is beautiful I love this trope. The way Alex cares for Poppy is just so cute and I love it so much. I just wish the flashback chapters would be set up differently, that is just a personal preference because over time I got kind of confused on which summer we were on or what was happening. Their romance totally made up for it and Croatia... I completely recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, and Medical content
emilysines's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Okay, don’t get me wrong, I adored this book! And Emily Henry’s writing style is beautiful, magical, chef’s kiss. I do think the story itself could have been shorter. Loved it overall though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death and Drug use
kelseyfontaine's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I absolutely loved this book! I really identified with Poppy, since I love to travel and her R+R job is pretty much my dream job. I loved her as a character: quirky, witty, and independent. I also really related to Alex as a character: a bit more shy, reserved, and a perfectionist. You would never think to pair the two together, but this book proves that thought wrong. Reading the “current” plot line in the midst of past vacations the two of them took together really drew me in. I was able to piece together parts of their story in my own mind before the ending, so I felt really engaged throughout the entire narrative. Having a more light hearted, vacation oriented story with a mature, adult-like message really stuck out to me as a great combination that I don’t normally get to experience that often, since I usually go for deeper, more emotional books. I highly recommend checking this one out :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
Minor: Drug use
quasinaut's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I read this book too fast. While I was reading it, I loved it. Poppy brought out a side of Alex that others didn't get to see. They had such a strong friendship that really showed through the writing.
But the final third of the book fell apart for me. I couldn't really understand why they so easily stopped talking, why they so abruptly returned to "normal" when they started talking again, why Alex got mad instead of letting Poppy explain herself better. For two people who had been able to be themselves and communicate so clearly as friends, it didn't make sense to me why that completely fell apart once their emotions developed into something more.
This book strongly reminded me of Beth O'Leary's The Road Trip -- a falling out, chapters that alternate between the present and past, two people coming back together. Ironically, I had a lot of issues with The Road Trip while I was reading it, but I appreciate it more in retrospect... And I suspect I'll like People We Meet on Vacation a little less as I get more distance from it. Huh.
But the final third of the book fell apart for me. I couldn't really understand why they so easily stopped talking, why they so abruptly returned to "normal" when they started talking again, why Alex got mad instead of letting Poppy explain herself better. For two people who had been able to be themselves and communicate so clearly as friends, it didn't make sense to me why that completely fell apart once their emotions developed into something more.
This book strongly reminded me of Beth O'Leary's The Road Trip -- a falling out, chapters that alternate between the present and past, two people coming back together. Ironically, I had a lot of issues with The Road Trip while I was reading it, but I appreciate it more in retrospect... And I suspect I'll like People We Meet on Vacation a little less as I get more distance from it. Huh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying
the_disreputable_dog's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One sex scene in the book. It was a great sex scene, too, don't get me wrong, but just the one? Really? The characters were extremely well done, and I loved them a lot. They were sweet, and I found Grumpy Alex very relatable, and it made me enjoy their scene all the more, but only one? I feel like we got short changed. I'm gonna blame the publisher for keeping it down to one, because we did get plenty of time oogling Alex's hot body. I would recommend this book either way, because the actual romance and couple are done really well, and I found myself really rooting for them. I was so into it, I actually fell asleep reading and had to go back to where I remembered stuff the next day. (I read the audiobook of this. If anyone was wondering, based on that audiobook, it appears I slept for roughly half an hour with it going lol.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying and Child abuse
loveisland's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A pretty normie rom com situation but worth reading if only for how lovely Alex is. I'd die for him every time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Death of parent
ktc97's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book lived up to all of the hype! The characters are lovable, the writing is snappy, and the comedic timing of the book is perfect. It had me laughing out loud and crying real tears.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
shaipanda's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is just beautiful - not just in terms of the writing but this just really touched my heart if that’s not too fucking cheesy lol and just made me feel so many thingssss 🥺🥺🥺 - that emoji is really just all of my feelings finishing this book lol
I was so hesitant at first cause of just how white and straight this book seemed to me and while that’s not *inaccurate* necessarily, after getting past that first 50 pages or so which I didn’t totally connect with, I absolutely binged this and tbh this was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump
This book just makes the whole world look a little bit more shiny
Edit: I’m knocking this down to a 4.5 for me personally because despite having an amazinggg experience while reading this I remember very very little about the details of it not that long after I’ve read it which personally means it doesn’t make sense to have it at a 5 star for me - still absolutely loved reading this book though
I was so hesitant at first cause of just how white and straight this book seemed to me and while that’s not *inaccurate* necessarily, after getting past that first 50 pages or so which I didn’t totally connect with, I absolutely binged this and tbh this was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump
This book just makes the whole world look a little bit more shiny
Edit: I’m knocking this down to a 4.5 for me personally because despite having an amazinggg experience while reading this I remember very very little about the details of it not that long after I’ve read it which personally means it doesn’t make sense to have it at a 5 star for me - still absolutely loved reading this book though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
kashby's review
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol