People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A charming, "meet-cute" story about two best friends (female/male) who take an annual vacation together. The book follows them over 12 years and 12 vacations. I'm usually not a fan of non-linear novels but I can see how it works in this case, interspersing the back story vacations with present day. Incredibly smart, witty dialogue. It should be made into a movie. Where is Nora Ephron when we need her?!?
Re-read 2/2026 - I upgraded the rating to 5 stars this time!
This
was the first book by Emily Henry that I read -- five years ago. I was
absolutely charmed by her writing, the characters, the story, and her
dialog. After reading all of her other books, I wanted to revisit it to
see if it held up. It certainly did...and much more! I really
appreciated it the second time through, especially the structure of the
book with the non-linear timeline.
Because I read the hardcover
book the first time, I wasn't aware of the Reader's Guide / Behind the
Book, where Emily compares her book to a flipped version of the movie
When Harry Met Sally... (which incidentally is one of my all-time
favorite movies). And of course, I'm now looking forward to viewing the
Netflix movie based on this book. Overall, a really wonderful reading
experience!
In case anyone is interested, here's the list of vacations:
12 summers ago - University of Chicago orientation where Poppy meets Alex
11 - The drive together from U Chicago to Linfield, Ohio
10 - Victoria, Canada
9 - Nashville
8 - San Francisco
7 - New Orleans
6 - Vail, Colorado
5 - Sanibel Island, Florida
4 - Sweden / Norway
3 - Tuscany
2 - Croatia
1 - No Summer Trip
This summer - Palm Springs, California
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
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