Reviews with content warning for Bullying - People We Meet on Vacation

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Book Lovers. When I read Book Lovers first, everyone was saying it was much better than her previous work and I thought they were being cryptic . . . but they were right – this book was missing a spark.

This book is based on Poppy Wright. Every year for 12 years she has spent her summers with her best friend Alex Nielsen. When they met 12 years ago, they hated each other and were pretty confident they’ll never speak again. 11 years ago, they are forced to share a ride home from college and by the end of it a friendship is formed. And a pact: every year, one vacation together. 10 years ago, Poppy discovers that Alex has a fear of flying on the way to Vancouver and Poppy holds his hand the whole way. 7 years ago, they get far too drunk and narrowly avoid getting matching tattoos in New Orleans. 2 years ago, it all goes wrong. This year, Poppy asks Alex to join her on one last trip. A trip that will determine the rest of their lives.

I liked the idea of this story, and I liked the main characters, but I just felt like it was missing something. I think it’s something to do with friends to lovers I've never seen it done well except for Final Offer by Lauren Asher. I find myself skimming through this book especially towards the end, as I can’t stand 3rd part breakups. And I felt like the 2 summers ago big event was so much of a build up for it to be a little hill and not that big of a deal. The only one who really saved this book was Alex. He was so funny and sweet and awkward and the whole time I just wanted to hug him.

I liked the writing of this book, I just didn’t personally connect to it. I didn’t really vibe with Poppy and with her being the main character and main voice during the novel, I was just skimming a lot of it.

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emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was my first Emily Henry and i'm not usually a lover of the romance genre but i'll definitely be checking out her other books. I really enjoyed this! The two main characters, Alex and Poppy, were well-fleshed out (my biggest problem generally with romance novels), their love was believable, and although, true to form, the plot was predictable, the telling of it didn't feel cliched.
The chapters alternated between present day and each of the last twelve Summers... the book felt longer than it needed to be at times and we probably could have lost a couple of those Summers that weren't super crucial to the plot. Not that it wasn't worth it when they finally got together 👀 HELLO.
A great read if you're in the mood for something easy and light-hearted. It made me laugh too.

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nicolescottwv's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted 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? No

5.0

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musingsbynitika's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful 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? No

4.0

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stardustandrockets's review against another edition

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4.5

I may or may not write a full review for this one, but I see a lot of myself in both Poppy and Alex. Also, idk if it's just me, but Alex definitely reads as autistic.

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marioosa517's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I like Emily Henry’s writing, and enjoyed the flipping back-and-forth between present day and past trips. I didn’t relate to the main characters very much, partly I think because they felt a little bit like caricatures.

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itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a fun escape of a book. I was really hoping the actually ending was the ending a chapter or two before, but she went with the classic rom com ending which is fair.

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

this was good yet not my favorite. i was honestly having a pretty great time up until the end. i hated the like last 10-15%. i liked the past and present storytelling. LOVED the sick / comfort scene. i liked alex yet felt like he was such a flat character sometimes??? idk. i think i liked this more than beach read but still didn’t make emily a like “must read” author for me 🫠

⚠️: death of parent, grief, bullying, drug use, injury/injury detail

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