People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

4 out of 5 stars

Now in their 30s and living states apart, free-spirited Poppy and her straight-laced best friend, Alex, have taken vacations together since their college days. But, two years ago something went awry on one of their trips and the pair haven’t spoken since. Desperate to rekindle their friendship, Poppy reconnects with Alex and invites him on one last vacation. 

People We Meet on Vacation unfolds over about 10 years, interspersing snippets from Alex and Poppy’s past excursions with the present day. I enjoyed the main characters in this book. I found Poppy to be an absolutely endearing character and I could relate to Alex’s uber-responsible nature.

In addition to the characters, one of the things I loved most about this book was how often it made me laugh out loud, especially in the first several chapters.

I read Henry’s best-selling book, Beach Read, last year. While I really enjoyed it, I was worried when my book club picked People We Meet On Vacation that it would read like a bad knockoff. It didn’t. Although both novels feature hilarious dialogue and lots of “will-they-or-won’t-they” moments, there are enough differences that People We Meet on Vacation didn’t feel like a tired rerun.

I was also reminded that nobody writes witty banter like Emily Henry. I am officially an Emily Henry fan, and will be checking out Book Lovers, her newest release due out in May.

Bottom line: This rom-com story was exactly the fun, fluffy read I needed in my life right now. 

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