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.

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The Wicked King by Holly Black

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I never expected to love this series as much as I did. The last book in the main series is everything I ever wanted in a fantasy novel and more.

Picking up a few months after Jude’s banishment, we find our heroine back in Elfhame at the request of her twin sister. Taryn seems to be following in the family business and has murdered her husband, and needs help to escape being caught. This moment slingshots Jude back exactly where she wants to be: facing her husband. From there, Jude finds herself reclaiming her throne and breaking a powerful curse she never knew existed.

Perhaps what is so unique about this series is it’s departure from the typical love interest. Cardan Greenbriar isn’t the prince charming in every other young adult book. Jude loves him and he most definitely loves Jude but in no way does he ever overshadow the heroine. Instead, Cardan becomes a damsel in a majority of the situations. They’re not equals in any shape. Cardan’s rise to power comes as a part of his birthright and Jude’s forceful hand, while Jude’s comes as a result of her quick thinking and her political intrigue. While Cardan shows his own prowess for politics and skills in other areas, he’s never once seen overshadowing Jude. And perhaps that’s what makes him lovable. I could write analytical essays about how Black does a phenomenal job of switching traditional gender roles in this series, all under the feminization of Cardan. But I will spare you in that regard.

Family is a major theme throughout the series and the last book is no different. Jude finds herself confronting not only the actions of Cardan, but her adoptive father Madoc, and her sisters. Taryn, who seems to do anything to feel like she belongs in Elfhame and Jude, who just wants to find some purpose in this place. The two seem be constantly pushing away from each other like twinned magnets, only to find themselves together again when they’re desperate. For the first time in quite a while I didn’t have to read about how one sibling gives up a part of themselves for the other or comes to a massive understanding about the other.

While the play on family dynamic is a major win for this series, it is also missing in someways.

Jude and her twin still seem at odds by the end of the book. For the problems that they have had the entire series, I would have at the very least hoped to have seen a resolution in the final pages.

Now, one can’t expect decades of family trauma and strained relationships to be cleared up in a few hundred pages. However, some sort of understanding between the two that suggested they were working on their relationship would have been nice. That being said, it seems Black has already provided a solution with her book The Lost Sisters. I haven’t read it but it is on my TBR for the year.

As a close for the series, I have never been so happy but such a complex story being closed in such s simple and lovely way. A true fairytale at its core.

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mealsymi's reviews 89 reviews

mealsymi's reviews
89 reviews