Book Review: The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

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Introduction

The People We Meet on Vacation is warm, charming, and emotionally satisfying in that very Emily Henry way. It’s a friends-to-lovers story that leans heavily on timing, miscommunication, and emotional baggage — and while it didn’t completely knock me off my feet, it kept me invested from start to finish.

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Quick Facts

• Release: 2021
• Read: December 2025
• Reading Time: Quick, cozy, bingeable
• Pages: 40o
• Format Recommendation: Audiobook or physical — both work well, depending on whether you want cozy listening or beach-read vibes.
• Perfect for: Fans of slow-burn romance, travel-centered stories, and character-driven love stories. People who love Netflix adaptations.

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Genre and Writing Style

• Genre: Contemporary Romance
• Writing Style: Conversational, witty, emotionally reflective
• Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
• Trigger Level: 💀💀 (grief, emotional distance, miscommunication)

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Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows without a doubt it was on that ill-fated final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

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Book Details

Emily Henry’s use of dual timelines works well here, gradually filling in emotional gaps while keeping the tension alive. The travel element adds a fun backdrop, but the real story is the emotional distance between two people who clearly care about each other but don’t know how to say the right things at the right time.

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What Worked for Me

• The chemistry: Poppy and Alex’s friendship feels genuine and lived-in.
• Emotional payoff: When things finally come together, it feels earned.
• Humor and heart: Emily Henry balances banter with vulnerability really well.
• Relatability: Fear of change and fear of wanting more are themes that hit close to home.
• Alex- He is just so damn likeable to me. But I am also a teacher who teaches at the school I graduated from so he feels like home to me.

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What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms

The miscommunication stretches on a bit too long, and there were moments where I wanted both characters to just say what they were feeling. Some of the timeline jumps also slowed the pacing slightly in the middle.

Trigger Warnings Include:

• Grief
• Emotional avoidance
• Anxiety around relationships

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Final Thoughts

The People We Meet on Vacation is a comforting, emotionally grounded romance that doesn’t rely on big drama to keep you hooked. While it’s not my favorite Emily Henry book, it’s a strong, satisfying read that earns its four stars with charm, heart, and relatability.

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📚 Study Guide

Tips for Readers

If you enjoy slow-burn romance, lean into the pacing and let the emotional tension build — this one is more about feelings than plot twists.

Discussion Questions

• How does timing shape Poppy and Alex’s relationship?
• Are some miscommunications inevitable, or could they have been avoided?
• How does travel function as both escape and connection in the story?
• What does emotional safety look like in a romantic relationship?