Readers all around the world have found themselves invested in the writings of bestselling author Emily Henry, and People We Meet on Vacation is no exception. As a wonderfully written romance novel that captivates readers to the last page, the novel is appealing even to those who aren’t big romance fans.

As someone who has read many different romance novels, I’ve noticed all of them start to blur together. People We Meet on Vacation was like a breath of fresh air that restored my faith in romance novels altogether.

The novel follows the lives of two best friends, Poppy and Alex, who have taken a trip together every year for a decade. After a severe falling-out, they haven’t spoken in two years. But now they are taking one last vacation, their final chance to fall in love.

While the plot of this novel is unique, I found it was the characters that made it so special. Character driven stories have tendencies to become boring, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth in this case. Henry perfectly fleshes out each and every character, to the point where I can imagine Alex sitting on my couch or Poppy talking to me in the street.

This novel also takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster. From brilliant humor to painful goodbyes, this book has it all. I experienced a very tender feeling when some of Henry’s words seemed to spring from the page and settle heavily onto my heart, only to be replaced with a light feeling as the next page had me laughing out loud.

So much of this books’ strength, however, lies in its beautifully described setting. There were points in the novel where I could feel sand between my toes or hear the hustle and bustle of New York. I truly can’t remember the last time I read a book with such great descriptions.

Although People We Meet on Vacation is a very unique novel, some similarities may be drawn between it and romance author Colleen Hoover’s books. 

When people think of romance books, they usually think of Colleen Hoover. Having read a good amount of Hoover’s books, I can confidently say that People We Meet on Vacation has more developed characters and is overall more descriptive. If you like Colleen Hoover, prepare for People We Meet on Vacation to simply blow you away.

Romance may not be for everyone, but I firmly believe that fans of adventure and comedy would find this book truly worthwhile as well. If you’re looking for something original, descriptive, and flat-out funny, you just can’t go wrong with People We Meet on Vacation.