People We Meet on Vacation
4.2 | 112,013 ratings
Price: 15.75
Last update: 02-02-2026
Top reviews from the United States
- Ellen E. WithersFriends to Lovers Theme for the Young at HeartI giggled through the first third of People We Meet on Vacation. This “friends to lovers” theme is a perfect summer read that includes relationship substance and romance. The unusual relationship between Poppy and Alex drew me in and kept my attention. Introduced in college, these polar opposite personalities were less than impressed by what they saw during that initial meeting.
Fate threw them together later when Poppy needed a ride home from college and Alex (and his car) provided transportation to her small town in Ohio. A friendship developed during the ride, which blossomed into a rich alliance that spans thousands of miles and years of time.
As adults, Poppy lives in New York City, and Alex teaches in Poppy’s home town. They initially vacationed together on penny-pinching getaways. When Poppy becomes a writer for a high-end travel magazine, she invites Alex to accompany her on a yearly trip to an exquisite vacation destination.
Exploring the mysteries of their relationship was intriguing. People We Meet on Vacation has a non-linear timeline, taking the reader back and forth to various events and locations. Although I felt the flipping a bit overdone, alternating between the present and the past of these characters works well to keep a reader guessing.
The characters repeatedly refer to a time “two years ago” that caused the friendship to explode. This hint teases the readers for nearly half the book before divulging the reasons for the split.
Both characters have emotional baggage they bring to the relationship. Poppy brims with personality, humor, and a carefree spirit. But that makes her flighty and unpredictable. Alex is the problem solver, the person who can handle any situation. He is also bookish, set in his ways, and sometimes a spoilsport.
The emotional tug-of-war between the two characters is realistic. Poppy and Alex have traits the other is lacking, provide needed support for one another, and complement the other in various ways. Their chemistry is interesting but not perfect, like real life.
The final third of the book was predictable, but satisfying. The author, Emily Henry, has held the number one position on the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller list for this work, as well as others. She pens a good romantic story and keeps the storyline realistic.
Although I enjoyed it, this book should appeal to young adults more than an older reader, as it contained more expletives and sexual situations than I’d prefer. However, don’t let this diminish your curiosity about this rom-com. People We Meet on Vacation reminds us to take a chance on love. - EmmaHeartfelt Summer RomancePeople We Meet on Vacation is such a delightful read! It follows Poppy and Alex, two best friends with totally opposite personalities who have a tradition of vacationing together every summer. The story jumps between their past trips and the present as they try to reconnect after a year apart.
Emily Henry’s writing is witty, heartfelt, and full of charm. The characters feel real—flawed but lovable—and their chemistry is electric. The book beautifully explores friendship, love, and figuring out what you really want in life.
If you love slow-burn romances with humor, emotional depth, and beautiful settings, this one’s a must-read! - SLOANE ????????Beautiful, heart-squeezing, brilliantly romantic. You MUST read this book.Easily the best Emily Henry book. I literally can't stop rereading it, and every time that I do, I notice more details that actually make my heart burst in my chest.
The ultra-specificity, the world-building, the way that Henry makes every character feel so full, so real, so rich with love and personality... there's no book quite like it. Alex and Poppy are forever my loves. - louvejitaTook her long enoughPoppy Wright and Alex Nilsen met in college and, despite all odds, became best friends. Except the town they come from, they have nothing in common and it shows, but during the last decade, they have taken a summer trip together and, until a few years ago, all was going well.
Now Poppy confronts the fact that the on thing that will make her truly happy is rekindling her friendship with him and will get him to take one last vacation that will prove to be the ultimate challenge.
This is my first read by the author and it’s a tremendously fun story with a lot of heart and core feelings that I like in my rom-com reads, but I didn’t love it the way I expected given the hype around Ms. Henry’s work. I liked the way the book is written and they way it goes back to the previous trips as well as the fact that Alex has always known he’s in love while Poppy has taken a little longer to get there.
In a nutshell, it’s definitely a good book, but maybe not the right choice for my first read. I’ll give Ms. Henry’s work another try before deciding whether or not we are not a good fit.
3 starts - JessicaSuper cute and funny!I wasn’t expecting much from this story but oh how surprised I was! It’s super cute and quite funny. Both Alex and Poppy are great characters and I was so rooting for them! They felt so real and nuanced—it was great!
My only complaint is that there’s A LOT of travel descriptions from the past and all that’s fine, but sometimes I just wanted more Alex and Poppy time. Their time in the present summer is the best and my little heart teetered on the edge of breaking as I neared the end of this book because of, yeah, well read it if you want to know—but rest assured it did not break!
Anyway, I would’ve loved more steam and more saucy scenes—these two def deserved them! So if you’re looking for good frequent, sexy swoon material, eh, this might not be the book for you since it is sadly limited in its amount of heat. It’s more like getting a little baby peek at one great saucy scene but hey, I still loved it even though it was the only one. I think I would’ve also enjoyed just a bit more in the epilogue but it was sweet and nice how it was.
Overall a great read and very cute and funny. Though I do wish Poppy had discovered herself a little sooner so that Alex could catch a break and we the readers could squeal with delight sooner. Anyway, it’s worth it imo.