As I mentioned in my last TBR, one of the books I took with me on my summer vacation this year was Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation. This book came to my attention via an Audible recommendation, based on prior listens of mine, and it just made sense to add it to my island reading list.
The overall story of this book is one of my absolute favorite tropes in both fanfiction and books – friends-to-lovers (second only to enemies-to-lovers LOL). Poppy and Alex are apparently-polar-opposite best friends, who first meet at college and immediately clash, only to really hit it off during a ride-share home to their small town in Ohio. They become best friends, seemingly against all odds, as Alex is as straightlaced as they come, with his khakis and his plans to be a teacher, while Poppy is all loud colors, raucous sense of humor, and a desire to be anywhere but back home in Ohio. But every summer, regardless of where they are in their lives, they come together for a week and go on vacation together.
This book really was all of the things I like in a romance or a summer beach read:
- The characters are quirky, but believable.
- The side characters are hilarious, but actually do something to add to the story/relationship of the main characters and aren’t just there for comic relief.
- The relationship – both Alex and Poppy’s long standing friendship and their burgeoning romance – isn’t perfect. There are miscommunications, but actual attempts at communication!
People We Meet on Vacation was an incredibly easy, fun read. There were times I laughed out loud, and times I stopped to Google possible vacation spots for the future (or mentally crossed off destinations at certain times of year LOL). There was no point in the story where I was mentally thinking “get on with it, already” – it just flows, and takes you along for the ride. It was a perfect “sunny afternoon by the lake” book for me. This is my second Emily Henry book – last year I read Beach Read which was also a fun, quick and easy read, so maybe I’ve found myself a new go-to chicklit author!
Have you read People We Meet on Vacation, or do you have any go-to authors for vacation/summer reads? Share your thoughts or recommendations in the comments below!
Image of people by Burak Kebapci on Stocksnap
i loved this book, can you give me any other friends to lovers recommendations like Poppy and Alex?
Jae gave you one of the ones I was thinking of! Another one is The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, which is kind of a sort of odd-ball twist on friends-to-lovers.
The first one that comes to my mind is the only Emily Henry I’ve read, “Beach Read” — it’s delightful. I also liked Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Rachel Lynn Solomon’s “We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This” was a good YA, or if you enjoy ‘enemies to lovers,’ I liked her book “Today, Tonight, Tomorrow.” (Bonus: the couple from TTT show up in WCKMLT, which is a fun callback.)