Emily Henry’s romance novel, People We Meet on Vacation, serves as both a love letter to travel and an intimate exploration of the delicate boundary between friendship and romantic love. This isn’t merely another friends-to-lovers tale; it’s a sophisticated examination of how two fundamentally different people can become essential to each other’s existence, even when logic suggests they shouldn’t work together at all.
The novel follows Poppy Wright, a travel writer living her dream life in New York City, and Alex Nilsen, a high school English teacher who finds contentment in the quiet rhythms of their Ohio hometown. Their decade-long friendship, built around annual summer vacations, serves as the backbone of both their lives until one disastrous trip two years ago changed everything. Now, with Poppy trapped in a professional and personal rut, she convinces Alex to take one final vacation together—to either fix their broken friendship or say goodbye forever.
Character Development: Opposites That Somehow Complete Each Other
Henry demonstrates remarkable skill in crafting characters who feel genuinely three-dimensional. Poppy emerges as a wonderfully flawed protagonist—ambitious, spontaneous, and eternally seeking the next adventure, yet plagued by deep insecurities rooted in her high school experiences in their small town. Her fear of being ordinary drives her toward experiences and relationships that promise excitement, even when they leave her emotionally unfulfilled.
Alex, by contrast, represents stability and thoughtfulness. He’s the kind of man who makes carefully considered decisions, values routine, and finds joy in simple pleasures like reading and teaching. What could have been a tired introvert-extrovert dynamic instead becomes something more nuanced. Henry reveals that Alex’s quiet nature masks depths of passion and fierce loyalty, while Poppy’s outward confidence conceals vulnerability and a desperate need for acceptance.
Their character arcs unfold through Henry’s signature dual timeline structure, alternating between their current Palm Springs trip and flashbacks to previous vacations. This technique allows readers to witness how their relationship evolved, deepened, and ultimately fractured. The progression feels organic rather than forced, with each revealed memory adding layers to our understanding of why these two seemingly incompatible people became so essential to each other.
The Art of Romantic Tension
Where Henry truly excels is in building romantic tension that feels authentic rather than manufactured. The sexual tension between Poppy and Alex develops slowly, emerging from genuine emotional intimacy rather than mere physical attraction. Their banter crackles with the kind of natural chemistry that comes from years of understanding each other’s humor, fears, and dreams.
Henry’s portrayal of their physical relationship, when it finally develops, strikes an excellent balance between steamy and emotionally resonant. The intimate scenes serve the story rather than existing merely for titillation, revealing character vulnerabilities and deepening their emotional connection. The author demonstrates that great romantic tension isn’t just about when characters will get together, but whether they can overcome the fundamental differences in their life goals and values.
Exploring Modern Romance Challenges
The novel tackles several contemporary relationship challenges with impressive nuance. Poppy’s career-driven lifestyle and Alex’s desire for traditional domestic happiness create genuine conflict that can’t be resolved with a simple romantic gesture. Henry explores how two people can love each other deeply while wanting fundamentally different futures—a dilemma that feels particularly relevant to modern readers navigating career ambitions, geographical preferences, and life timeline pressures.
The book also examines the concept of “millennial ennui”—that particular brand of dissatisfaction that comes from achieving one’s dreams only to discover they don’t provide the fulfillment once imagined. Poppy’s professional success as a travel writer for a prestigious magazine should represent the pinnacle of achievement, yet she finds herself emotionally numb and professionally burned out. This exploration of success-induced depression feels timely and authentic.
Writing Style and Structure: Henry’s Distinctive Voice
Henry’s prose style has evolved beautifully since her debut Beach Read. Her writing here feels more confident and polished, with a natural ease that makes even exposition feel conversational. She has a particular gift for creating dialogue that sounds genuinely how people speak—full of interruptions, half-finished thoughts, and the kind of shorthand that develops between longtime friends.
The dual timeline structure works effectively, though occasionally the jumps between past and present can feel slightly jarring. However, Henry uses this technique purposefully, revealing information about their past relationship at precisely the right moments to maximize emotional impact. The vacation settings—from the rain forests of Vancouver Island to the wine country of Napa to the sun-baked desert of Palm Springs—become characters in their own right, each location reflecting and influencing the characters’ emotional states.
Strengths That Elevate the Romance Genre
- Realistic Relationship Dynamics: Henry avoids the common romance novel trap of creating conflict through misunderstandings or failure to communicate. Instead, Poppy and Alex’s problems stem from genuine incompatibilities and differing life goals—issues that require real compromise and growth to resolve.
- Supporting Character Development: Secondary characters like Poppy’s roommate Rachel and Alex’s brother David feel like real people with their own motivations rather than mere plot devices. Their perspectives on the central relationship add depth and external validation to the emotional stakes.
- Authentic Female Friendship: Poppy’s relationship with Rachel showcases the kind of supportive, honest friendship that many romance novels neglect in favor of romantic relationships. Their conversations about career satisfaction, relationship expectations, and personal growth feel authentic and add emotional richness to the story.
- Travel Writing Elements: Henry’s background shines through in her vivid descriptions of various vacation destinations. Each location feels meticulously researched and lovingly described, making readers want to book trips immediately.
Areas Where the Novel Struggles
Despite its many strengths, People We Meet on Vacation isn’t without flaws. The pacing occasionally suffers in the middle sections, particularly during some of the flashback sequences that, while charming, don’t always advance the central conflict meaningfully. Some readers might find certain vacation segments more engaging than others, leading to uneven momentum.
The resolution, while emotionally satisfying, comes somewhat quickly after such a slow build. After spending most of the novel establishing why these characters’ differences might be insurmountable, the ultimate solution feels slightly too neat. The book might have benefited from showing more of how Poppy and Alex actually navigate their differing life goals rather than simply deciding love conquers all.
Additionally, while Henry writes excellent banter and emotional scenes, some of the internal monologue can become repetitive, particularly Poppy’s self-doubt and anxiety about their relationship. These moments of circular thinking, while psychologically realistic, sometimes slow the narrative pace.
Themes of Home and Belonging
At its heart, this novel explores what “home” truly means. For Poppy, home initially represents escape and adventure—anywhere but the small town where she felt trapped and misunderstood. For Alex, home means community, continuity, and the comfort of familiar spaces and faces. Their journey involves discovering that home might not be a place at all, but rather the person who makes you feel most authentically yourself.
Henry also examines the tension between contentment and ambition, questioning whether the pursuit of dreams necessarily leads to happiness. Through Poppy’s professional success and subsequent emotional emptiness, the novel suggests that achieving external goals might matter less than finding internal peace and meaningful connections.
Comparison to Henry’s Previous Work
Readers familiar with Beach Read will find Henry’s evolution as a writer evident throughout this novel. While her debut featured excellent character chemistry and emotional depth, People We Meet on Vacation demonstrates greater confidence in pacing and structure. The romantic tension feels more mature and nuanced, and the conflicts more substantive.
Both novels share Henry’s talent for creating characters who feel like people you might actually know, but this sophomore effort shows improved skill in balancing humor with genuine emotional vulnerability. The stakes feel higher here, and the resolution more earned.
Similar Reads and Recommendations
Readers who enjoy People We Meet on Vacation might appreciate:
- Emily Henry’s Beach Read for similar witty dialogue and emotional depth
- Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date for friends-to-lovers dynamics
- Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game for workplace tension and banter
- Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer for small town vs. big city themes
- Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient for characters learning to be vulnerable
- Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue for LGBTQ+ friends-to-lovers romance
- Abby Jimenez’s The Friend Zone for realistic relationship obstacles
Final Verdict: A Romance That Transcends Genre Expectations
People We Meet on Vacation succeeds as both an excellent romance novel and a thoughtful exploration of modern relationships. Henry has crafted a story that honors the complexity of adult love while delivering the emotional satisfaction romance readers crave. While it occasionally suffers from pacing issues and a somewhat rushed resolution, the authentic character development and genuine emotional stakes make this a standout in the contemporary romance genre.
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its refusal to simplify love. Poppy and Alex’s relationship acknowledges that loving someone doesn’t automatically make you compatible, and that successful relationships require ongoing negotiation and compromise. This mature approach to romance, combined with Henry’s engaging prose and vivid settings, creates a reading experience that lingers long after the final page.
For readers seeking romance novels that treat love as both a feeling and a choice, that explore the practical realities of building a life with another person, and that celebrate the transformative power of deep friendship, People We Meet on Vacation delivers in abundance. Emily Henry has established herself as a significant voice in contemporary romance, creating stories that honor both the genre’s traditions and its evolving sophistication.
- Perfect for: Fans of second-chance romance, travel enthusiasts, readers who enjoy character-driven narratives, and anyone who’s ever wondered whether love really can conquer fundamental life differences.
- Content considerations: Contains mature themes, sexual content, and discussions of family loss and emotional trauma.