by Emily Henry
Emily Henry does not miss.
This is my third Emily Henry book now (I’m anxiously awaiting the Happy Place paperback to be released) and I can say with confidence that I am as much a stan for her as I am for her characters! I’ve never thought myself to be a romantic person but there is something about Henry’s books that is just reliably charming and not annoying (I say that fully aware of how annoying I am).
Poppy and Alex are best friends. Since meeting as freshmen in university, they have taken a Summer Trip together every year … except the last two years. They actually haven’t been speaking at all since their ill-fated Croatia trip that ruined everything. Poppy though is feeling stuck, and she misses her bestie. So, she tests the waters with a text and the next thing they know, Poppy and Alex are cautiously taking a trip in the height of summer to Palm Springs.
Obviously from the very start we are rooting for Poppy and Alex to end up together. They fit like puzzle pieces, it’s so darn cute! The pair couldn’t be more different, they really don’t have anything but their hometown and alma mater in common, yet they care about each other in the kind of way you can only care about your soul mate. It’s not a true grumpy x sunshine but it’s kind of close, which I obviously love. They are just such lovely people (as I think all of Henry’s characters are), we need to see them have a happy ending.
It’s fear of losing their friendship that has prevented them from crossing any serious lines, it turns out, with good reason. We flip between their present and past trips which expertly builds the tension. Even when things seemed to take a potential upturn, we were thrown for a couple of loops and the will-they-won’t-they trope came into full effect.
“It’s possible that he didn’t reach out to me for two full years because, when we stopped speaking, he didn’t lose something precious the way that I did.”
People We Meet on Vacation, p. 155
What I love about Henry’s books is that there is always a bookish angle to them. In this one Alex is a passionate English teacher and voracious reader—we even have one of Henry’s prior characters referenced as an author. Poppy on the other hand is more of a writer, in fact, she has my dream job as a travel writer! That was so cool to read about and, although this is embarrassing, the success she had with her blog (that led to her job) kind of gives me hope for my own (but truthfully, not much hope as I’m fairly sure my mom is still my only reader 😊).
I think, ultimately, it’s the characters that have made this book so enjoyable. Their banter is sweet and witty, their emotions are relatable to an almost unnerving degree, and their chemistry is undeniable. It’s rare for me to find a romcom I really, really love but Emily Henry’s books never, ever let me down.
“Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other. Maybe that’s all it takes.”
People We Meet on Vacation, p. 310
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