A review by sarah_cameron
You And Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I think this is probably the best romance I’ve ever read

Admittedly, I love stories with two timelines that slowly converge. I think they’re an excellent way of building suspense, showing character development over time, and building a rich history, especially when exploring a relationship with a lot of history. Henry does this masterfully.

I was enraptured in this book pretty much from the beginning. Our protagonist is loveable and fun and complicated, she’s independent and complete, she has a family and friends and passions and things she thrives at and things she doesn’t. Her character stands on her own, which I really appreciate in a romance. There’s dependence, sure. But not co-dependence. The balance is struck really nicely, and it means I can uncomplicatedly love and root for their relationship.

Another thing I love about this book is that it’s almost a romance on a technicality - you haven’t met slow burn til you read this -

I’m talking ten freaking years slow burn

. But gosh is the payoff worth it. The thing is, in real life platonic relationships, you can love each other as deeply and fully as in romantic relationships. And though eventually that’s the form this relationship takes, I love that there’s this foundation of trust and devotion between two people who truly and completely know and accept each other. It’s beautiful and sweet and all-consuming and I loved this book.

There were a lot of quotes that jumped out at me, but one of my favourites has to be 

“Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that’s all it takes.”