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3.5 rounded up.

This is a sort of Harry met Sally but substituting when Poppy met Alex. Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen have been friends for a while and take vacations together. Poppy works for a travel magazine and Alex is a teacher in their home town in Ohio. The story is told in varying holiday timelines from twelve years ago to now.

Having loved Beach Read I eagerly anticipated this one. However, although I like it, it doesn’t resonate as much as the previous book. The characters are very different to each other with Poppy coming across more strongly. She is very likeable, you feel her tipsy turvy emotions throughout the book which feels authentic, real and relatable. Their relationship comes across well with all the accompanying ups and downs of a genuine friendship, they’re flawed as people are. I really like the premise which is heartwarming in that it’s about finding your emotional and actual home. The dialogue is good, I like the banter between them and there is good use of humour. Since we are Covid home bound one of the best aspects is holidaying vicariously with Poppy and Alex and them walking along the Golden Gate Bridge brought back some wonderful holiday memories for which I’m really grateful! I like the ending, it feels right and we get there eventually.

However, this is a slow burner friends to lovers situation and it takes a while to immerse yourself in. Although you can visualise Poppy very easily it’s a less clear picture with Alex who isn’t as well developed. Is it just me, or is he a tiny bit on the dull side? The estrangement between their friendship which is sort of dangled in front of you in a tantalising way is a bit of a let down and doesn’t feel like much of a big deal. The zipping backwards and forwards in time gets a bit wearing and I just wanted to get in with the ‘Now��!

Overall, although I didn’t connect as well as to Beach Read it’s still an enjoyable book which takes you out of yourself and transports you to some lovely places for a while.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the arc for an honest review.