People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry follows Alex Nilsen and Poppy Wright, two best friends who met at the University of Chicago and spent years taking an annual summer trip together, until a falling out in Croatia left them no longer speaking. Told through alternating flashbacks and a present day timeline, the story unpacks the evolution of their friendship, the slow burn tension, and the almost relationship that never quite crossed the line.
As a self proclaimed Emily Henry stan for life, and with the Netflix adaptation arriving in just days, I finally dusted off my long neglected copy of People We Meet on Vacation from my TBR to see why it is such a fan favorite. This book is pure Emily Henry, with sharp banter, relatable characters you cannot help but root for, and nearly tangible sexual tension you cannot help but notice every time Alex and Poppy are on the page together.
That said, the miscommunication trope felt a bit reckless, especially considering these are two adults in their thirties who clearly love each other. Still this was enjoyable and left me feeling grateful for my own relationship thanks to its portrayal of being in love with your best friend.
Read our full summary, review, and list of spicy chapters for People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry below. This post contains spoilers.
People We Meet on Vacation
Description
Tropes
- Slow Burn
- Friends to Lovers
- One Bed
- Miscommunication
Review
Which Emily Henry book is your favorite?
Which Emily Henry book is your favorite?
Overall Impressions 😊
People We Meet on Vacation is my third Emily Henry book. As a genre, I adore contemporary romance, but I also look for witty banter and endless pining. Basically, I want to be kicking my feet, giggling, and squealing every other page.
Before People We Meet on Vacation, I had read two Emily Henry books. Book Lovers hit every box in my contemporary romance checklist, and Great Big Beautiful Life was good, though I am not a fan of insta love. Even so, I really enjoyed the story.
People We Meet on Vacation leans heavily into friends to lovers and a slow burn, although I am not quite sure how it managed to burn so slowly considering how close knit Alex and Poppy have been for twelve years. While they were not ready initially, there were so many instances where they could have addressed their feelings, given the mutual trust and respect they have for one another. I found it a bit unbelievable that they avoided addressing the elephant in the room for as long as they did.
It also did not grab me as quickly as Book Lovers did. I was hooked on that book from the first page. People We Meet on Vacation got there, but it definitely took longer.
There was a lot of vacation time, sometimes reading almost like a travel blog, although I did enjoy learning all of their inside jokes. The way Alex and Poppy’s friendship sets its roots and slowly turns into love speaks to me, especially since my partner and I also share an endless amount of inside jokes.
While the banter and dynamic between Alex and Poppy carried the book, there was too much focus on travel logistics and the Croatia incident. The buildup felt huge, only to result in a letdown. I could not believe that this was what caused Alex and Poppy to stop speaking for two years.
Overall, this was a good time, but you can definitely tell it’s an earlier Emily Henry work and did not quite live up to the hype for me.
Perfect For Fans Of… 🌟
First and foremost, this is an Emily Henry book. If you enjoy her writing style, with quick comebacks, witty banter, and fantastic humor, you will definitely enjoy this.
Friends to lovers is very strong in this one. It follows a friendship that extends over many years, and the yearning is great. Although there are not many external challenges keeping them apart, they manage to get in their own way so often that the yearning becomes thick enough in the air for you to feel their frustration.
This book also uses dual timelines. If you enjoy piecing the story together through a mix of past and present day scenes, you will likely enjoy this structure, although the final reveal was a bit of a letdown for me.
Beware though, there is a strong miscommunication trope in this book. If that is an ick for you, this might not be the book for you.
Characters 👥
I liked Alex and Poppy, especially their opposites attract friendship. Friends to lovers is endearing for a reason with those stolen glances and secret moments.
Poppy is the youngest child and has a lot of image issues due to being bullied when she was younger. Having been bullied myself and still thinking sometimes about my high school bullies, I understand the mark it left on her. I connected with her desire to run away from who she was perceived as and her reckless nature. While her insatiable wanderlust was not for me, I love my house lol, I do understand trying to find yourself anywhere but where you are supposed to look. I did not care for the fact that Poppy is not a girls girl though. If she was not going to speak up about how she felt about Alex for years, she should have realized how a female partner would feel about their obviously non platonic friendship.
Alex is a black cat who turns into a golden retriever for Poppy. He has become the caregiver for everyone he knows, and he has known how he feels about Poppy this entire time while wondering if Poppy would ever feel the same. I get why he would be conflicted and why he would not want to ruin the friendship. Again, I have the same issue with him though. I understand wanting to move on from Poppy, but stringing Sarah along when he clearly loves Poppy was occasionally hard to read.
That being said, I love them both, and I like how they make each other better. Their chemistry was great, and they truly got to know one another, grew up into adults, and have been with each other through thick and thin. Sixty years from now, I know they will still be together, and that makes me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy.
Plot 🗺️
The plot’s setup is pretty great. Alex and Poppy’s friendship and how they have fallen in love over different locations is fantastic. You are reading about their trips, yet each summer trip is a canonical moment of them falling further in love with each other. I thought it was a wonderful add on, especially with the added mystery of what the hell happened in Croatia. Like I said, it occasionally did too much travel stuff when I wanted more stolen glances, but overall it worked.
It took me a moment to fall into the rhythm of the book. The start was a bit slow, but once they went to the present timeline summer trip, I was all in. Occasionally the really early friendship building trips were a tad bit boring, but my favorite reveal of slow burns spanning so many years is the “I’ve been in love with you all along” moment, and I loved rethinking about those scenes at the end. That part truly paid off for me.
The Croatia reveal did not work. There is no way an incident that small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things caused everything to fall apart. Miscommunication? Really? A friendship grounded in twelve years of sharing truths and building respect falls apart quietly because of miscommunication? Alex would never ghost Poppy, period, let alone for two years based on what happened in Croatia. And Poppy would never go that long without texting him, being a certified yapper. Trust me, I am a certified yapper as well, I would know.
I am a hater of the third act breakup, and I did not love this one either, though it was not the worst. I can kind of see where Alex was coming from, and it was the kick Poppy needed. I did not love how they were suddenly ready for a long term relationship after going to therapy for two seconds, but sure. Of course, the grand gesture was there.
I loved the epilogue so much. It was grounded in reality and true to the characters. I can see Poppy and Alex ending up exactly where they did.
My Favorite Quote 📣
“Maybe that’s why he can handle the public affection. Maybe, like me, when we’re together he feels like no one else is there, like they’re phantoms we dreamed up as set dressing.”
Emily Henry, People We Meet on Vacation
Writing Style and Narration ✍️
Emily Henry’s writing style is what makes me a lifelong reader of hers. Her dialogue and the interactions between the characters always speak to me. The comebacks are so quick, and I find myself laughing constantly. It is perfect for this genre, and I really enjoy finding myself in her worlds.
The dual timeline felt great to me, and I enjoyed finding out Poppy and Alex’s history. I do not think a full chronological first read would work as well for me. I also found the timeline switches were placed perfectly, with us going back to a summer trip flashback just when tension gets high in the current timeline, it just works for me.
Like I said, I found the actual travel activities were almost too much in focus, but I was not deterred too much by it, because it was filled with great Alex and Poppy moments.
Synopsis
What did you think of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation?
What did you think of Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation?
Alex and Poppy Meet at the University of Chicago
Poppy and Alex both attend the University of Chicago. They’re both from Ohio, Poppy from East Linfield and Alex from West Linfield. They are clear opposites. Alex is wearing a University of Chicago T-shirt and khakis, he’s quiet and clearly reserved. Poppy is wild and short. They part ways without exchanging numbers.
At the end of their freshman year, Poppy’s roommate arranges for her to carpool with someone back to Ohio. Poppy finds out this person is Alex, and the two of them find themselves in a fateful car share. Initially the drive is awkward, Alex wanting quiet and control so he can focus on the drive while Poppy wanting to listen to music. Their discussion of what they prefer ends up turning into hours of talking about what they like and dislike, planting the roots of a friendship.
During that summer, they hang out together, going to karaoke and to movies, becoming friends and bonding over their desire to travel together.
They spend the next school year attached at the hip, going to parties and studying together. Poppy isn’t sure what she’s studying, but Alex wants to study creative writing and English.
The Summer Trips Until Croatia
At the end of their sophomore year, Alex and Poppy take their first summer trip to Vancouver Island. It is Alex’s first time flying, and Poppy comforts him. Poppy thinks about the five percent of their friendship where she wonders if maybe they are not as platonic as they think. They stay in a retirement village, go on hikes, and Poppy thinks she would be happy traveling and seeing new things for the rest of her life. They meet Buck, a water taxi driver who eventually invites them to stay at his house in a tent in his front yard. Poppy makes out with Buck, and Alex still has a crush on Sarah Torval, the girl from their university library. They spend the night in their tent, promising each other they will always take a summer trip together.
At the end of their junior year, they decide to go to Nashville. Poppy is dropping out of college. She wants to travel for a living, and her travel blog is taking off. After Poppy’s mother insinuates Poppy and Alex are having sex by giving her a giant box of condoms, Poppy and Alex talk about sex. Poppy has never had sex, while Alex has had sex with a girl from the library.
The next year, they go to Northern California. Alex is working on his creative writing master’s, while Poppy is working in Cincinnati as a bartender. Poppy lost her virginity to Julian, a moody artist. Poppy gets drunk and asks Alex to sleep in the same bed as her, later realizing she has confusing feelings for Alex.
The year after that, they go to New Orleans. Poppy has moved to New York, her social media is taking off, and she is dating a chef named Guillermo. Guillermo does not like her family. Alex is in Indiana and is texting Sarah. Poppy realizes she is happier in New Orleans with Alex than she is in New York. She reads Alex’s short stories for the first time, realizing she loves him.
Poppy breaks up with Guillermo because he looks down on her. Meanwhile, Alex and Sarah move in together, and Poppy can tell Sarah does not like her. Despite her concerns that Sarah might not let Alex go on a trip with her, they go to Vail, Colorado for their summer trip. Poppy twists her ankle on the trip, and Alex carries her off the trail. Poppy tells Alex that as long as he is in this world, she will never feel alone again.
The next year, Sarah leaves Alex for being boring, and Alex is miserable on their trip to Sanibel. Poppy realizes on this trip that not only does she love Alex, but she is in love with him. Poppy begins working at R+R, a luxury travel magazine, and starts receiving very fancy travel offers.
For their summer trip that year, Poppy plans a trip to Norway and Sweden, including a stay at an Icehotel she knows Alex will love. When she comes down with pneumonia, she tells Alex to go without her. Alex instead shows up in New York and takes care of her. The two spend time cooped up in her apartment and become closer, cuddling and touching one another while Poppy is sick. They do not speak of their closeness afterward and go back to being friends. Poppy knows Alex wants a life and family, while she wants to satisfy her insatiable wanderlust and does not think they will work.
Alex and Poppy are in committed relationships, Alex with Sarah and Poppy with Trey. They invite their significant others to Tuscany, who they met on a trip to Linfield. During the trip to Linfield, Betty, Alex’s grandmother, asks Poppy if she loves Alex, to which Poppy responds that she will never love anyone as much as she loves Alex. Betty wistfully says she wishes Alex knew that.
In Tuscany, the trip begins awkwardly, with Sarah clearly not liking Poppy, while Poppy makes an effort. Eventually, they warm up to each other a bit and enjoy the vacation. One morning, Poppy realizes she is late and buys pregnancy tests. Alex sees her come back into the house with the tests and tells Poppy he will be on her side no matter what. The tests are negative, but they share a charged moment afterward where they hug in a way that is not entirely platonic. Alex is shaken because he lost his mother to childbirth. Poppy decides she needs to stop getting in the way of Alex’s happiness so he can move forward with Sarah, even though she is still in love with him.
The Summer Trip in Croatia
R+R sends Poppy to Croatia, and she takes Alex with her. Poppy and Trey have broken up after they stop having fun together. Alex and Sarah have broken up for unknown reasons, although in the past year Alex and Poppy did not speak much after realizing there was more to their friendship in Tuscany.
In Croatia, they are third wheeled by a photographer named Bernard. One night, after getting drunk, they finally get some alone time. Alex sneaks into Poppy’s room.
They goof around and eventually make out for the first time. Poppy wants to have sex, but Alex stops them since they are drunk. Poppy, feeling rejected, says she will pretend like nothing happened. Alex is not sure if he can.
They go on to not talk for two years.
This Summer
Poppy is unhappy. She is in a rut despite having achieved everything she wanted out of her career, but her travels are not giving her the joy they once did. Realizing the last time she was happy was when she was with Alex, Poppy thinks about a way to recover their friendship.
Eventually, she texts Alex, who texts her back. They talk about his cat and his grandmother, who both passed away, and about their friendship over the years. Poppy works up the courage to ask Alex to go on a summer trip with her. She lies to him and says R+R is paying for a good old fashioned affordable trip to Palm Springs, where Alex’s brother is getting married.
Poppy is not sure if Alex is still with Sarah since they are on again off again. Their reunion at the airport is warm, and they hug each other, but things are definitely weird after Croatia.
They begin reconnecting on their way to the apartment they rented. Poppy remembers the time she was bullied in high school, the reason she left East Linfield for where Alex now teaches.
They arrive at their room and realize the air conditioning does not work, it is ninety degrees, and there is only one bed.
They go to the pool, which is very crowded, and Alex, with his amazing body, makes it difficult for Poppy to resist the sexual tension between them.
Poppy and Alex go out to eat, and Poppy finds out both Alex’s grandmother and Flannery O’Connor, his cat, passed away. Feeling hurt that she missed big moments in Alex’s life, Poppy feels even more driven to fix their friendship. She is determined to make their friendship what it was.
Poppy wakes up in the middle of the night to find Alex having a back spasm, something he has been dealing with for a while, another thing Poppy does not know. She takes care of him, despite Alex hating getting help. Eventually, Alex makes her go enjoy herself, even though Poppy just wants to be with him.
Alex is looking at jobs in New York, which excites Poppy, but she knows there is more he is not saying. She wonders if Sarah is part of the equation, which Alex answers noncommittally. He accuses Poppy of being able to not look back. Poppy tells him she does not want him to marry Sarah because she takes him for granted.
Poppy helps with Alex’s Tinder profile, and the sexual tension between them continues rising.
They fall asleep on the bed together and wake up cuddling, with Alex being clearly aroused and Poppy wanting to climb on top of him.
They spend the day enjoying Palm Springs’s budget summer attractions. Alex is less than enthusiastic, he is carsick and suffering from heat exhaustion.
When they get back to the hotel, Poppy is frustrated the vacation is not going the way she wants. Alex tells her it is fine, but Poppy says she wants things to go back to the way they were. They fight, Alex yelling at her to stop trying to make their friendship what it was since it is different now. They are both very frustrated with each other, and Poppy begins crying, worried she will lose Alex if she does not fix their friendship during this trip.
Poppy tells him all she wants is Alex, and Alex pulls her to his chest. They hug, and they kiss. The desert storm breaks, and it begins raining. They have sex on the patio.
They are issued a refund for their room and check into a hotel. They shower, and when Poppy gets out of the shower, she finds Alex sleeping. She swears she is going to make sure what happened in Croatia is not going to happen here.
The next day, Alex does not mention what happened between them, and they spend a normal day together. Later that evening, Poppy tells him he can hook up with other girls at the wedding, which confuses Alex. When he asks her about it, Poppy confronts him about ignoring what happened. Alex tells her he did not want to jump on her every time he looked at her. The two have sex again and go to the rehearsal dinner.
At the rehearsal dinner, Alex’s brother is thrilled that they arrive holding hands, finally. Alex has been caring for his brothers since they lost their mother to childbirth. When Alex’s father complains that losing people is difficult, Poppy reminds him that Alex has been holding their family together all these years, not him. Alex appreciates Poppy’s directness with his father.
Alex’s brother David tells Poppy that Alex was going to propose to Sarah but never did.
They return to their hotel after the rehearsal dinner, and Poppy feels like she has been holding Alex back, knowing she is probably the reason Alex did not move on with Sarah. They have a fight about it, and Alex tells her he has been in love with her since they met, and Sarah never stood a chance even though he tried to be with her. He even got a vasectomy after Poppy’s pregnancy scare and bought a ring. Knowing that was not fair to Sarah, he ended their relationship.
Poppy is afraid of what comes next. At the airport, she confesses R+R did not pay for the trip and that she tricked Alex into going on a vacation with her. Alex thinks she just wanted to use him as an escape when he has been in love with her for a decade. He tells her they cannot speak for a while and that Poppy needs to decide if she is all in or not. They part ways, heartbroken.
People We Meet on Vacation Ending
When she returns to New York, Poppy realizes Alex never regretted their kiss in Croatia, but how it happened. Swapna, her boss at R+R, realizes Poppy is doing poorly and asks her to speak to someone. Poppy starts going to therapy. Poppy begins learning to sit with her discomfort rather than running away.
She runs into Jason, her bully in high school, and realizes she cannot run away from her problems. She decides to quit her job and goes to Ohio.
She goes to the high school and runs into Sarah. She apologizes for the way she blocked their relationship. Sarah tells her Alex never moved on from Poppy, even when he and Poppy were not talking, but Sarah tells her that if she and Alex can realize how they feel about each other, that is what the universe needs.
Poppy finds Alex at a teacher’s bar. There, she tells him it was never about the vacations, but the fact that they were there together. He is all she wants, and she is all in. She has been pushing Alex away because she was afraid of him rejecting her. She tells him she would move back to Ohio for him. Alex tells her he loves her, but they do not make sense. Poppy accepts the rejection, glad she told Alex how she felt, and goes to the parking lot and begins crying.
Alex runs after her and reveals he has been in therapy too, and that he has been afraid of loving her because he will lose her one day. They both agree they are terrified of being in love, but they get together.
Poppy and Alex are living in New York. Poppy has a column named People You Meet in New York. Alex is writing and is a substitute teacher. They are going to travel to Sweden and Norway, and will try to live in Linfield. As long as they have each other, they know they are home.
Spicy Chapters
How Spicy is People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry: 2.5 🌶️
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 33
FAQs
Why do Alex and Poppy stop talking?
They drunkenly kiss in Croatia, then both pretend like it didn’t mean anything. After that they don’t speak for two years.
What happened in Tuscany?
Poppy and Alex go to Tuscany with their current partners Sarah and Trey. There, Poppy has a pregnancy scare which Alex comforts her for and they both realize their relationship is not platonic.
Does Poppy get pregnant in people we meet on vacation?
No, it’s just a pregnancy scare!
Does Alex get a vasectomy in People We Meet on Vacation?
Yes, Alex gets a vasectomy after Poppy’s pregnancy scare in Tuscany.
If you like slow burn vacations with near tangible tension… 🌍❤️
I adored People We Meet on Vacation. Friends to lovers and “it’s always been you” are irresistible tropes for me, and Emily Henry’s wit and charm make this a great book. Although there are some character inconsistencies and miscommunication icks, it is still a good contemporary romance and should be a fun time, especially if you like comparing movies and book adaptations.
In case you are curious, People We Meet on Vacation is dropping on Netflix on January 9, 2026, starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader.
If you read the book and watch the movie, tell us what you think. We will be sure to share our thoughts on whether the book and movie work together and which one we prefer. Overall, this one felt cozy, fun, occasionally frustrating, but still very much worth the ride.
See you in the next post!
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