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lkristin2018's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
3.5
Poppy and Alex met in college. They have very different personalities, but grew to be very close friends. However, at the beginning of the book, it is clear that something happened two years ago to fracture their friendship. Every summer for ten years, they had vacationed together, and they agree to try again.
This is a sweet romantic comedy that also deals with some serious issues, in particular how being bullied and feeling different continues to affect people even after the bullying has ended. It also shows how losing a parent at a young age causes pain that is not easily dealt with, even for adults. And, of course, like many romantic comedies, miscommunication and incorrect assumptions about other people cause many difficulties.
I enjoyed the way Emily Henry wove the story together, alternating the present and the past gradually until the full picture could be understood. I also liked the character development and that both of the main characters went to therapy to better understand themselves. This definitely helps destigmatize seeking help for mental health.
This is a sweet romantic comedy that also deals with some serious issues, in particular how being bullied and feeling different continues to affect people even after the bullying has ended. It also shows how losing a parent at a young age causes pain that is not easily dealt with, even for adults. And, of course, like many romantic comedies, miscommunication and incorrect assumptions about other people cause many difficulties.
I enjoyed the way Emily Henry wove the story together, alternating the present and the past gradually until the full picture could be understood. I also liked the character development and that both of the main characters went to therapy to better understand themselves. This definitely helps destigmatize seeking help for mental health.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
One joke about suicide and one joke about self harm. Lots of drinking and drug references. One main character was bullied and sexually harassed as a teenager and one main character was dealing with the grief of having lost a parent at a young age.chasingpages1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
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
5.0
... "πͺππ π―π¦π·π¦π³ π£π¦ππ°π―π¨ π’π―πΊπΈπ©π¦π³π¦ ππͺπ¬π¦ πͺ π£π¦ππ°π―π¨ πΈπͺπ΅π© πΊπ°πΆ."
I never expected to like "People We Meet On Vacation," a book that, if you've spent any time at all in the #bookstagram or #booktube community, you know all about. I thought I knew all about it, too, and then I finally read it, and lo and behold, it became a five star read. I loved Alex and Poppy's dynamic; their banter, the tension between them, but also they both were so compelling as characters to me. I thought that their separate stories only strengthened the believability of their relationship. They each had family baggage, but still LOVE their family beyond words, and I love that detail so much. Their banter had me cracking up from the prologue all the way to the epilogue, and if I wasn't laughing, I was crying - and not just a little tear here and there. You know the kind of tears where you're hiccuping and you can't even see? Yeah, those kind. I don't remember the last time a book genuinely had me hugging a pillow and weeping, but somehow Emily Henry got it out of me. This chemistry just made me want to scream my head off and highlight on almost every page. Side note, at one point, Alex is reading a book by one of my favorite authors, Sarah Waters. This was destiny.
What else? Every time Poppy was sad, it felt like I was personally being stabbed and then having the knife twisted, so there's that, too!
I know that there are criticisms around this book because of its lack of diversity, and those are valid concerns, and concerns that I have, as well. I don't want anyone to walk away from this review thinking that I don't care about this issue: I do. Although I did give this book 5 stars for how strongly it effected me, I do think the book could've benefitted from a MAIN character who was queer or a person of color. Or both!
I never expected to like "People We Meet On Vacation," a book that, if you've spent any time at all in the #bookstagram or #booktube community, you know all about. I thought I knew all about it, too, and then I finally read it, and lo and behold, it became a five star read. I loved Alex and Poppy's dynamic; their banter, the tension between them, but also they both were so compelling as characters to me. I thought that their separate stories only strengthened the believability of their relationship. They each had family baggage, but still LOVE their family beyond words, and I love that detail so much. Their banter had me cracking up from the prologue all the way to the epilogue, and if I wasn't laughing, I was crying - and not just a little tear here and there. You know the kind of tears where you're hiccuping and you can't even see? Yeah, those kind. I don't remember the last time a book genuinely had me hugging a pillow and weeping, but somehow Emily Henry got it out of me. This chemistry just made me want to scream my head off and highlight on almost every page. Side note, at one point, Alex is reading a book by one of my favorite authors, Sarah Waters. This was destiny.
What else? Every time Poppy was sad, it felt like I was personally being stabbed and then having the knife twisted, so there's that, too!
I know that there are criticisms around this book because of its lack of diversity, and those are valid concerns, and concerns that I have, as well. I don't want anyone to walk away from this review thinking that I don't care about this issue: I do. Although I did give this book 5 stars for how strongly it effected me, I do think the book could've benefitted from a MAIN character who was queer or a person of color. Or both!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Excrement