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A review by emmazucati
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
I received a free ebook via NetGalley via Berkley Penguin Random House. All my thoughts are my own.
Everything about it was just so good. I think a good romance novel becomes great when the author cares more about the people than the love story. It makes the love story better because you're rooting for the love and the life success of the characters. The friendships Poppy has and how she views her own value being more important in the beginning than setting up for cheesy tropes (that definitely appeared later that I definitely loved) made the whole arc of the story so much more meaningful.
Speaking of which, the honesty Poppy has with herself is admirable and realistic. At times I wished we also got Alex's perspective on events, but by the end I much preferred Poppy as the sole narrator because you got to know her so intimately as she found herself throughout the book. I especially loved how she was upfront about her privilege while having valid complaints about her life and how she felt stuck. The character development was done with a lot of care about what millennial culture is and isn't as well as one person's experience with it.
Back to Poppy's friendship with her best friend, I LOVED the social media influencer side plot. It wasn't overwhelming, and again, it was so honest while still considering the fact that it was one person's individual experience. No one was being shoved into a mold or stereotype. And the lady boss??? Promoting good work culture while still having expectations of your employees??? Obsessed.
And the romance!! So much love for this book and I haven't even gotten to the actual love. Poppy felt such raw emotions and held them out for all to see. She reacted to them but still cared for those around her. She read people and reacted off of their vibes and sometimes she was wrong or selfish in her choices but she worked to be thoughtful and it was all just so human. I think it's also what made their banter so perfect. It was the perfect blend of adorable and snarky, with (again!!!) kindness and thoughtfulness towards the other. And neither of them were perfect! Poppy got a little mean and Alex was a little uptight but they wanted to get along because there was so much respect there.
Plus, all the best tropes were there, in one way or another. Friends to lovers, pining, pretend relationship, shared bed, too damn hot, grand gesture.
And finally, my main man Alex. I usually love the male lead in romance novels, but Alex really went above and beyond. I could feel the puppy dog face every time it came up, and I was just as defenseless as Poppy. It's much more common to have a grumpy character who doesn't want to engage in the situation they're stuck with. So to have someone so grumpy, yet so willing to exist in these vacation worlds Poppy has cultivated, was an absolutely lovely time. And he wanted self improvement for the sake of self improvement!!! Incredible.
In short, this is both the perfect and worst book to read when your boyfriend is a state away during a worldwide pandemic in the month of both your anniversary and Valentine's Day.
Everything about it was just so good. I think a good romance novel becomes great when the author cares more about the people than the love story. It makes the love story better because you're rooting for the love and the life success of the characters. The friendships Poppy has and how she views her own value being more important in the beginning than setting up for cheesy tropes (that definitely appeared later that I definitely loved) made the whole arc of the story so much more meaningful.
Speaking of which, the honesty Poppy has with herself is admirable and realistic. At times I wished we also got Alex's perspective on events, but by the end I much preferred Poppy as the sole narrator because you got to know her so intimately as she found herself throughout the book. I especially loved how she was upfront about her privilege while having valid complaints about her life and how she felt stuck. The character development was done with a lot of care about what millennial culture is and isn't as well as one person's experience with it.
Back to Poppy's friendship with her best friend, I LOVED the social media influencer side plot. It wasn't overwhelming, and again, it was so honest while still considering the fact that it was one person's individual experience. No one was being shoved into a mold or stereotype. And the lady boss??? Promoting good work culture while still having expectations of your employees??? Obsessed.
And the romance!! So much love for this book and I haven't even gotten to the actual love. Poppy felt such raw emotions and held them out for all to see. She reacted to them but still cared for those around her. She read people and reacted off of their vibes and sometimes she was wrong or selfish in her choices but she worked to be thoughtful and it was all just so human. I think it's also what made their banter so perfect. It was the perfect blend of adorable and snarky, with (again!!!) kindness and thoughtfulness towards the other. And neither of them were perfect! Poppy got a little mean and Alex was a little uptight but they wanted to get along because there was so much respect there.
Plus, all the best tropes were there, in one way or another. Friends to lovers, pining, pretend relationship, shared bed, too damn hot, grand gesture.
And finally, my main man Alex. I usually love the male lead in romance novels, but Alex really went above and beyond. I could feel the puppy dog face every time it came up, and I was just as defenseless as Poppy. It's much more common to have a grumpy character who doesn't want to engage in the situation they're stuck with. So to have someone so grumpy, yet so willing to exist in these vacation worlds Poppy has cultivated, was an absolutely lovely time. And he wanted self improvement for the sake of self improvement!!! Incredible.
In short, this is both the perfect and worst book to read when your boyfriend is a state away during a worldwide pandemic in the month of both your anniversary and Valentine's Day.