People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
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?
Review: Despite being opposites in almost every way, Alex and Poppy have been best friends since college. He is happy to live in their hometown, working as a teacher, and dreaming of having a family. She lives in New York City and works as a travel writer. And every summer for a decade, they go on vacation together. Until two years ago, when they had a falling out and haven't spoken since. But Poppy feels increasingly dissatisfied with her life and realizes that Alex's absence is a big piece of that. And so, she convinces Alex to go on one last vacation with her.
Emily Henry does such a great job at crafting well done rom coms. Her characters have real and complex issues without easy resolutions. The characters have great banter and chemistry. I liked that despite trying to move on and date other people, they both somehow known deep inside that it doesn't compare to the connection they share. I listened to the audio version, which was beautifully narrated by the inimitable Julia Whelan.
Now on to the downsides of this book for me. I do not love friends to lovers trope. It feels less passionate and far less tension. And indeed, in this book it is! The two characters are friends for over a decade before they admit they may be interested in each other. And are we really supposed to believe that two straight friends just happen to be besties that go on trips to romantic locations with each other every year but no way, no how do they have any interest in each other?? No wonder Alex's girlfriend didn't like Poppy at first! Who wouldn't be suspicious of this so-called "best friend" who is a straight and single woman? It just seems obvious from page one to everyone (including other characters and readers) that they are interested in each other, except to the main characters themselves, who act totally ignorant of the other person as a sexual being for much of the book. Just feels very unrealistic to me.
Also, I did not like the structure used in this book. The storyline hops around in time throughout. Back two years, then forward five years, then present day, then back again to college. Give me a love story in chronological order! I do not think this time hopping added to the story, and in fact was just a bit confusing if anything.
I did enjoy this book! But it was not my favorite Emily Henry.
Stars: 3.5
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