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A review by kelly_e
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
3.5
Title: People We Meet on Vacation
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.5
Pub Date: May 11 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Heartfelt • Underwhelming • Adventurous
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Meet best friends, Alex & Poppy, complete opposites who have been tethered to one another since a fateful ride share in college. Poppy is a travel journalist living in New York. Alex is a high school teacher living in their hometown, but every summer they travel somewhere new together. That is until one summer, something happens, and now they haven't spoken for nearly two years. When Poppy thinks of the last time she was truly happy, it's that fateful trip that changed everything. And so she wants a chance to make everything right.
💠T H O U G H T S
This book definitely felt like a getaway/escape filled with adventure and wanderlust. I enjoyed reading about Alex & Poppy's various vacations and it inspired my desire to be transported to one of the beautiful settings. As a side note, I was equally intrigued by Poppy's career as a travel journalist, this sounds absolutely amazing! Both of the main characters are real and flawed, while their banter and humour was fun, and I particularly appreciated the central focus of friendship.
As for the story itself, I definitely had an unpopular opinion. While I enjoy a good friends-to-lovers romantic comedy, this one didn't fit the bill for me. I cannot say whether it's the popularity of contemporary romance right now, but there just felt like way too much foreshadowing in relation to the 'big incident', and when it was finally I was left underwhelmed. Another issue I had was with the structure, there was too much focus on the past and not enough of the now, which made it even more anti-climatic. In my opinion, the author should have stuck to either alternating timelines or alternating POVs, and not tried to do both, as it felt confusing and disjointed at times.
While I wanted to love this one, I just couldn't. It's still a decent read and some many others have absolutely adored it.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like a slow burn romance
• rom-com fans (especially if you liked When Harry Met Sally)
• anyone looking to escape
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I wish I could bottle this moment and wear it as perfume. It would always be with me. Everywhere ​I went, he'd be there too, and so I'd always feel like myself."
"Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that's all it takes."
"You can't outrun yourself. Not your history, not your fears, not the parts of yourself you're worried are wrong."
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.5
Pub Date: May 11 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Heartfelt • Underwhelming • Adventurous
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Meet best friends, Alex & Poppy, complete opposites who have been tethered to one another since a fateful ride share in college. Poppy is a travel journalist living in New York. Alex is a high school teacher living in their hometown, but every summer they travel somewhere new together. That is until one summer, something happens, and now they haven't spoken for nearly two years. When Poppy thinks of the last time she was truly happy, it's that fateful trip that changed everything. And so she wants a chance to make everything right.
💠T H O U G H T S
This book definitely felt like a getaway/escape filled with adventure and wanderlust. I enjoyed reading about Alex & Poppy's various vacations and it inspired my desire to be transported to one of the beautiful settings. As a side note, I was equally intrigued by Poppy's career as a travel journalist, this sounds absolutely amazing! Both of the main characters are real and flawed, while their banter and humour was fun, and I particularly appreciated the central focus of friendship.
As for the story itself, I definitely had an unpopular opinion. While I enjoy a good friends-to-lovers romantic comedy, this one didn't fit the bill for me. I cannot say whether it's the popularity of contemporary romance right now, but there just felt like way too much foreshadowing in relation to the 'big incident', and when it was finally I was left underwhelmed. Another issue I had was with the structure, there was too much focus on the past and not enough of the now, which made it even more anti-climatic. In my opinion, the author should have stuck to either alternating timelines or alternating POVs, and not tried to do both, as it felt confusing and disjointed at times.
While I wanted to love this one, I just couldn't. It's still a decent read and some many others have absolutely adored it.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like a slow burn romance
• rom-com fans (especially if you liked When Harry Met Sally)
• anyone looking to escape
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I wish I could bottle this moment and wear it as perfume. It would always be with me. Everywhere ​I went, he'd be there too, and so I'd always feel like myself."
"Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that's all it takes."
"You can't outrun yourself. Not your history, not your fears, not the parts of yourself you're worried are wrong."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Drug use