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In honor of the movie’s recent release, I thought it would be fitting to review Emily Henry’s “People We Meet on Vacation,” a hilarious novel about love, friendship, distance, and, well, vacation.
“People We Meet on Vacation” is Emily Henry’s first release after her breakout novel, “Beach Read,” which became an instant bestseller in the summer of 2020. The novel follows the 12-year friendship of Alex and Poppy, an unlikely pair from the same small town. Poppy is a spur-of-the-moment extrovert and a travel writer, while Alex is a reserved English teacher.
Poppy’s need for adventure combined with Alex’s commitment to stagnation leaves them at an impasse. They resolve it with a simple pact: one shared summer vacation each year, a tradition meant to preserve their friendship as their lives diverge in opposite directions.
Not to confuse readers, but the romance in this book does not actually unfold between two people who meet on vacation; instead, it occurs between Poppy and Alex as they go on their yearly summer vacation. This is why I am much more partial to the UK title of this novel, “You and Me on Vacation.”
This is personal preference, but I was not a huge fan of Poppy. Her extroverted personality at times seemed like she acted without care for others. At times, her actions lacked a clear motive, and the book would have certainly been shorter if she had confronted her restlessness and fear of commitment.
As someone who is normally not a fan of dual timelines, I found the time jumps to be done very well, both in the book and the movie. The cuts never made me wish I were reading chronologically, instead adding to the mystery of their relationship.
I don’t love pitting novels against each other, although that’s kind of all I do, but I enjoyed nearly every other Emily Henry novel more than this one. If you disliked this novel, I would highly recommend “Beach Read,” “Funny Story,” or “Book Lovers.”
As a film, “People We Meet on Vacation” is the perfect example of a well-done book-to-screen adaptation. I disliked Poppy in the book, but I found Emily Bader’s portrayal of her to be hilarious. I thought Tom Blythe was a perfect Alex Nilsen, and the two had great chemistry. The settings and coloring of the movie were standout pros for me, and they added a beautiful layer that the book could not offer.
Together, this book and movie get 3.5/5 Spinnaker sails.
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