A review by mealsymi
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I’ve never considered myself to be a romance reader. I enjoy stories with a bit of romance but a typical action-packed plot usually with some element of fantasy needs to be present. There are even fewer that I’d give five stars. I first learned of Emily Henry on Booktok where readers toted her as the contemporary romance queen. And after finishing The People We Meet on Vacation I have to agree. In a few hundred pages Henry manages to not only give readers relatable characters, a millennial story, and explorations of tough feelings but gives those who love or don’t love romance an easily digestible story. 

The story revolves around Poppy Wright, a thirty year old travel journalist as she attempts to reconnect with her friend Alex Nilsen they stopped talking two years ago. On a whim, Poppy decides to invite Alex on a trip with the idea of reigniting the love she had of traveling before it became her job when the two used to take a yearly vacation together. The opening scene is a snapshot of one of these trips, and makes it clear that though these two are existing on completely different planes of existence, they are best friends. The reader can’t help but wonder what went wrong. 

Here’s where Henry gets her first point of her writing. I read romance books and I tend to struggle with one thing more than anything: the slow start to any story. A slow start can make the difference between me taking two months to finish a book or two days. I don’t care if the character has a history of lovers or knows their soon-to-be love interest. What I need to be hooked is a character who is trying to get somewhere that doesn’t just involve a partner on their arm. In the 11 page prologue, the reader is given a glimpse of the chaos of these trips and the adoration and that both Poppy and Alex are trying to leave the emotional baggage they carry with them back in their hometown, checking off that box. I was instantly hooked. 

Henry moves the story back and forth between present days and trips of summer past, the reader continues to learn all that happened from the start of their coincidental meeting in college to the present day as Poppy tries to navigate this trip to Palm Springs. The pacing is perfect. I didn’t find a single point in the story where something was focused on for far too long or was unnecessarily repeated too many times. Henry also seems to be a master of comedic timing as well.

From Poppy’s mom delivering a unneeded box of condoms amid “the Muppet-vomit explosion of colorful clothing,” to interrupting what would otherwise be a disastrous fight between Poppy and Alex with a much needed rainstorm that then propels the inevitable hook up, these moment all serve a purpose.

Not only do they provide comic relief during tense times, they help break up the story and move it along seamlessly.  

The one things that I truly found difficult was the huge cast of characters. As someone who reads series more often than single books I’m used to a huge amount of different personalities popping up and then disappearing never to be referenced again. However, the things with this book most of them do pop up but much later in the story. It’s been over a decade and yet high school teachers, middle school bullies, strangers from a cab ride, Alex’s family, Poppy’s family, ex partners, and even a best friend’s mom who is mentioned maybe once previously all appear in what sometimes feels like a sick game of wack-o-mole.

Poppy’s middle school bully comes back in the closing chapter of the book. By then, I had completely forgotten that Poppy’s estrangement from her hometown was motivated by this one incident. A therapist recommended by Poppy’s boss is actually the mom of her friend. Despite Alex taking his grandma’s house, I completely forgot who Betty was when she’s mentioned again tearfully by Alex’s father.

There’s a theme of returning home through out the book but I actually felt like some these characters cheapened the importance of that. 

Perhaps what I loved most about this story is the relatability of the main characters.  I love movies like Under the Tuscan Sun, where the main character is trying to find themselves amidst a disaster of some sort. And as much as I love them, I can almost never relate to the stories. I’m in my twenties with student loans and I don’t have the resources to go on expensive trips or drop my source of income to travel. Poppy doing just that and trying to stay on budget in the background of the story is so simply relatable that I could instantly connect with her. Alex’s emotion and anxieties are easily understandable to those of us with tight-knit families and the inability to leave our loved ones behind even if we love someone. It was not something I expected to see in this book but I would tear up at moments that reminded me of myself or people I love. 

This was perhaps one of the easiest five star I’ve ever given a book. The moment I finished this book, I rewinded my audiobook to the last five chapters to hear the ending again while putting a hold on Book Lovers. Emily Henry has rightfully earned her title as the Queen of Contemporary Romance and I happily bow to her.