Best friends Poppy and Alex are complete opposites. She is a free spirit and he is a rule follower. She’s a bit messy and unfiltered, while he is restrained and proper. She likes to go with the flow and he always has a plan. The biggest thing they have in common is an undeniable chemistry than neither wants to confess, keeping both Poppy and Alex in each other’s “friend zone.”

Keeping with a tradition that they have had since college, Poppy and Alex take an annual vacation together. It doesn’t matter where they are living or who they may be dating, this annual vacation is non-negotiable. Years into this tradition, they have a disastrous trip that threatens to end both their friendship and any possibility of a romantic connection. Told in a non-linear fashion, the story unfolds in chapters that reveal their history, the details of the disaster, and the aftermath.

This was my second Emily Henry novel, the first being Beach Read, and I am hooked. Henry has a gift for writing snappy and humorous dialogue, plus simmering tension with clear subtext. I love her characters and developed a pretty deep book-crush on Alex! I think People We Meet on Vacation might have had an edge over Beach Read, because I loved the vacations, especially the last part being in Palms Springs. As a frequent visitor to Palm Springs, Henry has the sights and flavor of the city down to a T, from the colorful, yet dumpy motels to the more fabulous spots.

People We Meet on Vacation is fun and romantic. I like to compare Henry’s books to an episode of Gilmore Girls, which in my world is high praise. The similarities include the rapid dialogue, brand of humor, and quirky characters. However, another similarity is that both have a huge heart and the problems that the characters encounter can be quite heavy. The sweetness present in Henry’s novels is never saccharine, but it is also the type of sweetness that leaves my heart happy.

I read that People We Meet on Vacation is being turned into a movie, which I feel would work very well. I can’t wait to see who gets cast as Alex and Poppy.