When I read Beach Read last summer, I instantly became a fan of Emily Henry. There was something new and special about a simple romance story about two rival authors in which she brought in an emotional depth beyond two people falling in love with each other. She explored their own individual struggles and growth that evoked a relatability not just for the two characters, but to the reader as well. After finishing her latest novel, People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry has done it again this time through the relationship of two best friends.
Alex Nilsen and Poppy Wright are complete total opposites. Alex is neat and conventional. Poppy is wild and free-spirited, willing to try new things. While he prefers a quiet life and his career in academics in Ohio, she thrives on travel and adventure and her life in New York. And yet, they have been best friends since driving home together after their freshman year of college.
Since that time, they have always gone on their annual summer trip together, where for the next ten years they got to explore different cities across North America on a budget before later venturing off to countries abroad, all while meeting new people along the way. Each trip was always fun and memorable mostly because they had each other, until it all changed when their last trip ended in disaster. After that, they avoided speaking to each for the next two years.
Realizing that the last time she was ever truly happy was that last summer trip and all the ones before, Poppy decides to finally reach out to Alex and go on one more trip together, this time to Palm Springs. Alex agrees. Now, with only one week in the hopes of restoring their friendship, Poppy is faced with not only wanting to make everything like how it was before, but she must also come to terms with how she really feels about her best friend.
Right off the bat, this book reminded me of When Harry Met Sally... Apart from the fact that the two characters are best friends who could be something more, them becoming friends to begin with through a car share can be compared to the opening scene of the movie (Emily Henry even acknowledges the movie in her Reader's Guide at the end of the book). However, despite the initial similarities, this is a different story and like Beach Read, this is much more than a simple little rom-com.
The friendship between Poppy and Alex and the chemistry they have as best friends is what makes the book so great. Their banter reminded me a bit of how January and Augustus interacted in Beach Read, but there was something endearing and sweet coming from two close friends like Poppy and Alex. They play off each other's opposing personalities while also knowing each other so well, that only they can truly understand each other better than anyone else ever could. This is also what drives the central problem of the story: could they actually be much more than friends?
We have all heard or seen this dilemma before: two friends who obviously have feelings for each other, but do not want to ruin it by pursuing a romantic relationship. And while that is what is going on between Poppy and Alex, I felt the risks on why they were so hesitant in crossing that bridge between friendship and dating by how the author writes them.
Emily Henry does not just give you a description of her characters as they are, she goes further by exploring who they are as people; what they worry about, how they feel, and their struggles that are not often apparent. When you really think about it, how much do we know about a person? We usually have an idea of someone based on how they express themselves from their actions, their clothes, or their personality, but we never really know who they are and how they feel.
Even though Poppy may appear as an extrovert, with her eclectic style and befriending strangers on vacation, she also struggles with loneliness and this internal fear of being unaccepted or unloved when someone sees the real her behind it all. She keeps this hidden, but when she does open up to Alex, even if she felt she may have said or revealed too much, he still accepts her. He empathizes with her and sees her more than how she seems or appears, which is why Poppy trusts him and why she is afraid of losing him, even if it means avoiding the possibility of them being something more. Friends like that are special and rare. This is further emphasized by this passage in the book:
"I know deep down that it's not a good idea...when it comes down to it, Alex and I are not for each other. There might be love and attraction and history, but that just means there's more to lose if we try to take this friendship into a place it doesn't belong." (251)
Now, I do not want to spoil too much than I may have already, but the rest of book itself was great. I liked how Emily Henry alternates between Poppy and Alex in the present during their trip in Palm Springs and their previous summer trips since they first started traveling. I loved all the places they got to visit with the trip to San Francisco and the one in Canada being my favorites. It really does strike a certain kind of wanderlust that can at least be vicariously lived through these two characters. My one minor criticism was the build up and reveal to the what happened on that last trip that ruined their friendship. A part of me had a feeling about what happened, but expected something more. However, because Emily Henry tells the story alternating between the past and present, what happened during that last trip makes sense when it is coincided with what is developing in the present.
This was honestly such a good book and I know I say that (too) often, but this was one of the books I was looking forward to reading since it was first announced and it did not disappoint. I cannot wait to see what Emily Henry writes next.
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