Book Review:“People We Meet on Vacation”
Hi friends!
Today, I wanted to take the time to do a book review on the book which started it all. The book that sent me spiraling back into reading, and ultimately, the book that pushed me to start this blog (even if in a non-direct way). The book: “People We Meet on Vacation” by Emily Henry.
Truthfully, it took me longer to finish this book than I would have hoped, but nevertheless, I am so proud of myself for pushing through and finishing it regardless instead of giving up (which seems to be a common occurrence for me unfortunately- we’re working on it and through it. No judgement here). When I first began reading the book it was slow, but by the middle of it, I realized I was fully invested in the lives of Poppy and Alex. I ended up finishing the second half of the book in one day, reading 200 pages of the total 361 in the span of just a few hours between work (that’s also when I realized I got my reading spark back).
“People We Meet on Vacation” follows the story of Poppy, a stereotypical, colorful introvert full of spunk, and on the contrary, Alex, a very straight end, khaki pants wearing type of guy. The two meet at the University of Chicago and despite the apparent differences between the two, they become unconventional friends. Through sharing a ride to go home after freshman semester, the two learn they come from the same small town in Ohio, the same small town which Poppy despises. On this trip home, Poppy asks question after question, and readers can easily begin to see the friendship spark. Eventually, the two agree that every summer, regardless of the regular aspects of life, they will take a summer vacation together.
The story is unique as it skips between “this summer” and the past summers the two have spent together over the last 12 years. “This summer,” the two take a trip to Palm Springs a few days before Alex’s brother’s wedding. However, we see for the first ever that there is tension between Poppy and Alex, tension due to an event which occurred on a trip two summers ago.
Readers are able to see Poppy and Alex’s friendship grow closer through their past trips simultaneously while we see Poppy’s internal struggles through “this summer.”
Poppy has accomplished all her goals- getting a good job and traveling extensively (paid for by her job)- yet she still has this longing for something more, longing for true happiness that she hasn’t ever felt- except for when she is with Alex.
It’s apparent that the two have kept their true emotions hidden, the ‘what-ifs’ of their friendship. But in Palm Springs, things begin to unfold, truths come out, and the heat rises. They finally realize that this is not something they can continue to hide, so they don’t. But still, this leads to trouble and a large fight.
This doesn’t stop their story, though, as Poppy is a ‘tiny fighter’ as Alex would say. She goes to Ohio to confront Alex, and she finally says all the things she has been thinking summers before, and most importantly, that her true home and happiness revolve around Alex. Alex finally admits that he has been scared all this time but no longer is that fear controlling him. In a picture-perfect way (by not being perfect), the two become one, despite all the differences between them.
The epilogue was short and sweet, giving a peak into the future Alex and Poppy will have, continuing their travel journeys, and one of my favorite points is that they will go on a vacation they tried to go on summers ago.
I loved the friends-to-lovers storyline in this book, and honestly, the Netflix movie really did do this movie justice- or more I should say Tom Bylth and Emily Bader made this movie perfect. Emily Henry touched on this in a note to the reader at the beginning of this copy, and I truly was able to see how this movie brought these characters to life as Emily explained it. Rewatching the movie post reading the book, I am able to see all the small details they included, and how the actors encapsulated the characters’ energy was the cherry on top.
Overall, I would rate this book a 3.9 out of 5. The plot was amazing, the characters were amazing, and while it was slow, I believe it added to the love story at hand. I would have liked a little more spice, but given that they were friends for 10 years, it does make some sense. Spice level is totally a topic of to each their own, but when things got hot, man it was on FIRE (like chapter 26- amazing, wow). Regardless, this book was such a fun and easy read, and I definitely recommend to all those girls (and boys perhaps) that love ‘Love’.
Stay tuned for more book reviews in the future! Go read world.
Jess C
New Obsession: Fun Printed Pages
Originally, I was not thrilled about the cover having the movie characters on it, but as I’ve grown to love the movie characters not separate from the book characters, I grew to love the cover.
