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

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is by far the funniest fucking book by Emily Henry, and ultimately my favorite. The friendship between Poppy and Alex is so well-written; their dialogue reads so authentically as people who've known each other for over a decade. They feel so real, with real problems and real insecurities. The sarcastic, teasing banter between them is hilarious—from callbacks of inside-joke phrases peppered throughout the book, to reminiscing about events that happened only between them. And then, the beautiful friends-to-lovers transition. Of course they should shut up and just be together already, but executing the built tension and pining is so well-done. The way the chapters alternate between past and present to build up to their romance was such a good way to drive me crazy. Like, thank you Emily Henry, but also what the fuck.

Don't get me wrong... this book made me fucking cry, too. The following is a list of quotes/moments from the book where I sobbed:
  • During David and Tham's wedding, after Mr. Nilsen's speech, where Poppy narrates, "Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that's all it takes."
  • When Alex and Poppy part at the airport, and she tells him she loves him, and he says, "I love you too, Poppy... That's never been our problem." And they just have to fucking LEAVE?
  • And then after that, Poppy sits alone and narrates, "For the first time in my life, the airport strikes me as the loneliest place in the world."
  • When Poppy meets Sarah at the high school and apologizes to her, "I'm sorry. I wish I'd understood what I was feeling before it had a chance to hurt anyone."
  • And a bunch of shit Alex said, but particularly when he tells Poppy during his big come-to-Jesus confession, "I'm afraid I won't be able to keep getting out of bed if you're gone, and if we had kids, they'd have these horrible lives where their amazing mom is gone, and their dad can't look at them."

Anyway, I can't wait to make the phrase,
"too many wine"
my entire personality for the next few weeks.
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