People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

4/5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD

Emily Henry does it again. Another book that makes me feel good about my life and where I might end up. Every single time, her characters hit me right in the heart and it always feels like exactly what I need to have read at that specific point in my life. 

Somehow, she can write the same vibe and same kind of characters a hundred times over, and yet I still feel like I learn something about myself as they find themselves throughout the story. They're always flawed, always relatable, and always make me feel like the path I'm on in my life may just end up working out regardless of where it ends up taking me. 

I tend to despise miscommunication tropes, but for some reason it doesn't drive me quite so crazy in this book. Of course there were times that I wanted to shake Poppy and Alex and tell them that they both very clearly feel the exact same way about each other, but for some reason it didn't make me want to completely throw my phone out of the window. I think it's because I have this hopelessly romantic belief in soulmates, and because their friendship is so genuine and fuzzy feeling. It's hard to root against either one of them when they love each other so completely, even as friends. That said, I cannot imagine silently pining after my best friend. Especially finding out a decade later that they always felt the same way. 

I love the general concept of the book - two best friends in the world going on a fun trip just the two of them every summer. I loved the little insights that we got from them with each jump into one of their past trips and the constant wondering what the hell happened two summers ago. I do think that it was a bit less dramatic than you may have anticipated after all of that build up, and I can't totally understand why one kiss would prevent them from reaching out to each other for two whole years, but I guess people handle embarrassment and rejection differently. 

Poppy is such a fun and loveable character. She's naturally a positive person and has that kind of energy that I would find magnetic in real life. There's a fine line to ride sometimes between bubbly and annoying, and I never felt annoyed by Poppy's positivity (just her indecision sometimes). Alex is just a sweet guy. I don't know if I would necessarily say he's the most perfect or obsess-able character I've ever read, but I would definitely fall in love with him in real life. He's charming and goofy even if he's kind of broody, and he's a good sport, especially when everything that could go wrong on their Palm Springs trip seems to go wrong. The two of them are polar opposites, but they're so respectful and mindful of each other's needs and quirks, and I understand the complexities from both sides, so it makes them feel very human to me. I'm like Alex in the way I'm overly organized, sometimes incredibly anxious, get stressed out by theme parties, would find Buck's mini burning man of a home to be my worst nightmare, hate flying, and like to live a mellow life, but I'm like Poppy in the way that I also come from a boisterous, kind of weird family, the desire to generally be a happy person but feeling the need to keep people at an arms-length, feeling entirely insufficent as an adult, and have a hard time feeling settled because nowhere really feels like "home". My biggest beef with Poppy though, is that she only showers once a week and that's fucking insane to me. I'm choosing to forget that fact because that's slightly horrifying. I am definitely with Alex on the showering sometimes multiple times a day to feel clean.

I liked the rotating boyfriends that Poppy had, because they were all so different, and she was able to learn something about herself through each of them because of who she was in each relationship. I do feel really bad for Sarah, even though I was obviously waiting for Poppy and Alex to just get their shit together. I would have absolutely crashed out if I was Sarah and the man I was in love with was so clearly in love with his best friend, who he goes on solo, week-long trips with once a year. 

I understand why people may not love this book, it isn't anything brand new, and it's not my favorite Emily Henry read, but it's a fun opposites-attract, friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance story that's lighthearted enough to keep me going. I think Emily Henry books are just such a good palate cleanser or vibe read, because they're objectively feel-good and have happy endings that make you feel hopeful. 

Also, it's so insanely hot that Alex got a vasectomy. Every man should do this, tbh.