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Melissa ~ Bantering Books's Reviews > People We Meet on Vacation
People We Meet on Vacation
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She’s all in. Emily Henry, that is.
I wasn’t crazy about her hit novel, Beach Read. I liked it, somewhat, but my feelings toward it were relatively lukewarm and unenthusiastic. Mostly because Henry didn’t know what she wanted the novel to be. Or maybe she did, and the real problem was that the story had a mind of its own and got away from her. Either way, I sensed a war within her writing, a struggle within her story to NOT write a romance novel, and the end result of that battle was Beach Read’s awkward mix of romance, comedy, and writerly introspection.
It fell flat. Resoundingly.
But it appears Henry has since settled her war. Or at least, she’s picked her side of it. And to me, her dedication beneath the front cover of her follow-up novel, People We Meet on Vacation, means this �
Henry is no longer at odds with her talent. She is ready to write the stories she was born to write. The stories we want her to write.
And with People We Meet on Vacation, she does exactly this. It’s straight-up, pure romantic comedy, and it’s so good. Her heartfelt story of best friends turned maybe-lovers, Poppy and Alex, is warm, delightfully funny, steamy, and masterfully crafted. I loved nearly everything about it.
The romantic chemistry between the two friends is HOT. Palpable. Off the charts. Alex is one of the sexiest male leads I’ve ever encountered, and Poppy is clever, hysterically witty, adorable, and not totally unlike Queen Poppy from Trolls. (The personality resemblance is truly uncanny once you see it.)
Henry still has an exasperating tendency, though, to overly romanticize her male leads. She lays it on super thick. I mean, poor Alex, his mouth must hurt something awful. All it seems to do is twist and turn and curve into small sexy smiles and Sad Puppy Faces. His facial-contortion skills are really something to behold.
But this time around, her writing quirks are less irritating. Not as bothersome. Maybe even a little endearing.
Because Henry, she’s all in now. And I’m all in, too.
I wrote the last one mostly for me.
This one’s for you.
� Emily Henry (Dedication Page)
She’s all in. Emily Henry, that is.
I wasn’t crazy about her hit novel, Beach Read. I liked it, somewhat, but my feelings toward it were relatively lukewarm and unenthusiastic. Mostly because Henry didn’t know what she wanted the novel to be. Or maybe she did, and the real problem was that the story had a mind of its own and got away from her. Either way, I sensed a war within her writing, a struggle within her story to NOT write a romance novel, and the end result of that battle was Beach Read’s awkward mix of romance, comedy, and writerly introspection.
It fell flat. Resoundingly.
But it appears Henry has since settled her war. Or at least, she’s picked her side of it. And to me, her dedication beneath the front cover of her follow-up novel, People We Meet on Vacation, means this �
Henry is no longer at odds with her talent. She is ready to write the stories she was born to write. The stories we want her to write.
And with People We Meet on Vacation, she does exactly this. It’s straight-up, pure romantic comedy, and it’s so good. Her heartfelt story of best friends turned maybe-lovers, Poppy and Alex, is warm, delightfully funny, steamy, and masterfully crafted. I loved nearly everything about it.
The romantic chemistry between the two friends is HOT. Palpable. Off the charts. Alex is one of the sexiest male leads I’ve ever encountered, and Poppy is clever, hysterically witty, adorable, and not totally unlike Queen Poppy from Trolls. (The personality resemblance is truly uncanny once you see it.)
Henry still has an exasperating tendency, though, to overly romanticize her male leads. She lays it on super thick. I mean, poor Alex, his mouth must hurt something awful. All it seems to do is twist and turn and curve into small sexy smiles and Sad Puppy Faces. His facial-contortion skills are really something to behold.
But this time around, her writing quirks are less irritating. Not as bothersome. Maybe even a little endearing.
Because Henry, she’s all in now. And I’m all in, too.
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 90 (90 new)
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Kay
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rated it 4 stars
Jul 28, 2021 05:46AM
😁😍 me too!!
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Kay wrote: "😁😍 me too!!"Ha! I'm sure we're not the only ones either. :)
Magnificent review, Melissa! 💖 I adored Poppy and Alex too and was rooting for them All. The. Way.
Glad we both gave her a second chance! Wonderful review! 💖
Great review Melissa! I actually really enjoyed Beach Read, but possibly *because* I'm not normally a romance reader. I have this one and am very curious how I'll feel about it since it seems like a more traditional beach read, ironically.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this one much more Melissa! I have this one on my list.
Aww so glad you enjoyed this, Melissa! I know what you mean about Henry's writing laying it on really thick and sweet with the characters, but I'm glad that didn't bother you much! Awesome review! :)
What a great review, Melissa! I just checked and it looks like my library hold for this one is coming up soon. I'm excited to read it despite, like you, not having loved Beach Read.
Wonderful review, Melissa. I’m so glad this one came thru for you, especially since the last one didn’t. 💐
👏👏 Great review Melissa! I love their chemistry too.
Great review Melissa! I'm glad that you enjoyed this one!
Fantastic review, Melissa! I'm glad to see the author one you over! :) I'll be reading it eventually, and hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as you did!
I’ve just started the audio. I’m enjoying it. I love your review Melissa!
Happy to hear this made you fall in love with her books even more, Melissa! I am really looking forward to it. Terrific review! ♥️
Great review, Melissa! I don't think this book will work for me but I'm glad you enjoyed it!🧡
Michelle wrote: "Magnificent review, Melissa! 💖 I adored Poppy and Alex too and was rooting for them All. The. Way."Thank you, Michelle. Oh, I was rooting for Poppy and Alex, too. I loved them together. :)
Jayme wrote: "Glad we both gave her a second chance! Wonderful review! 💖"Me too, Jayme. Thank you! :)
Jen wrote: "Great review Melissa! I actually really enjoyed Beach Read, but possibly *because* I'm not normally a romance reader. I have this one and am very curious how I'll feel about it since it seems like ..."Thanks so much, Jen. Yeah, if you enjoyed "Beach Read," I think you'll be very surprised by the change of tone. Because like I said in my review, "People" is pure romantic comedy. I hope you will enjoy it, nonetheless. At the very least, it should make you laugh. :)
Holly wrote: "Happy to hear you enjoyed this one much more Melissa! I have this one on my list."Thank you very much, Holly. I really think you will love this one when you get to it. Enjoy! :)
Fabulous review, Melissa! I am so glad you loved this too! What you write about Alex's facial expressions has me laughing out loud!
Excellent review, Melissa! I found your comments on the author's inner-struggle with genre insightful. And poor Alex's mouth! 🤣🤣 Glad you enjoyed this one much more and didn't give up on the author!
I can’t wait to get to this one. I’m glad your second go around with this author worked out better for you, Melissa!
Yun wrote: "Aww so glad you enjoyed this, Melissa! I know what you mean about Henry's writing laying it on really thick and sweet with the characters, but I'm glad that didn't bother you much! Awesome review! :)"Thanks, Yun. I think, from what I remember of your review, I enjoyed it more than you. But I am glad you liked it, too. :)
Regina wrote: "What a great review, Melissa! I just checked and it looks like my library hold for this one is coming up soon. I'm excited to read it despite, like you, not having loved Beach Read."Thanks, Regina. You should know, though, that like "Beach Read," "People" is also an open-door romance. I know you don't particularly care for them, so I wanted to give you a heads up. :)
Kat (Books are Comfort Food) wrote: "Wonderful review, Melissa. I’m so glad this one came thru for you, especially since the last one didn’t. 💐"Thank you, Kat. I appreciate you saying this. :)
Kay wrote: "👏👏 Great review Melissa! I love their chemistry too."Thanks, Kay. Poppy and Alex sure are hot together, aren't they? :)
Lori wrote: "Great review Melissa! I'm glad that you enjoyed this one!"Thank you, Lori. :)
Fantastic review, Melissa! I think you’ve convinced me to read this one! I’m glad it was a hit for you.
I'm delighted your second chance for Henry paid off, Melissa! I love a good rom-com and will definitely look for this when I can. Charming and insightful review! 💗
Hm, you give me something to think about, Melissa; which is the gift of informative reviews. "Beach Read" sounds like it is for me because it is not all about romance and debates the value of non-classic literature. I can't read a straight ahead romance novel and need another vehicle, however a story had better not be unclear on the direction it is taking either. Is this more of a romance?
I was actually a fan of Beach Read (for most of it, by the end a few things started to bother me) and to hear this is even a step up from that? I am SO excited! I have been hearing how dreamy Alex is in different reviews for a while now...hope his face didn't get too tired from all of those handsome expressions! 🥰 Fabulous review Melissa!! :)
I had the same experience with Beach Read, a book I dnf’d. But I loved this one and delighted you enjoyed it too. Lol on Alex’s mouth!
Michael wrote: "Fantastic review, Melissa! I'm glad to see the author one you over! :) I'll be reading it eventually, and hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as you did!"Thanks, Michael. I hope you love it, too. :)
Tina wrote: "I’ve just started the audio. I’m enjoying it. I love your review Melissa!"Thank you, Tina. I hope the audio version is just as good as the hard copy and that you're still enjoying it. Looking forward to your review! :)
Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader wrote: "Happy to hear this made you fall in love with her books even more, Melissa! I am really looking forward to it. Terrific review! ♥️"Aww. Thanks, Jennifer! :)
Nicole wrote: "Great review, Melissa! I don't think this book will work for me but I'm glad you enjoyed it!🧡"Thank you, Nicole. I hope you're enjoying whatever it is you're reading. :)
Meredith wrote: "Fabulous review, Melissa! I am so glad you loved this too! What you write about Alex's facial expressions has me laughing out loud!"Thanks so much, Meredith! And I'm glad my review brought you a few seconds of joy. (I know you know I'm right about Alex's facial contortions, too.) 🤣
Fantastic review Melissa, I need to get this one. So many LOVE it!
This is a wonderful review of a wonderful book! 😍
Lovely review Melissa! I loved this one too!
Derek wrote: "Excellent review, Melissa! I found your comments on the author's inner-struggle with genre insightful. And poor Alex's mouth! 🤣🤣 Glad you enjoyed this one much more and didn't give up on the author!"Thank you very much, Derek. I'm glad you have sympathy for poor Alex -- he needs it. 😂 I'm happy I didn't give up on Henry, too. Giving her a second chance paid off. :)
Nancy wrote: "I can’t wait to get to this one. I’m glad your second go around with this author worked out better for you, Melissa!"Thank you, Nancy! I hope you enjoy "People We Meet on Vacation" as much as I did. :)
Jasmine wrote: "Fantastic review, Melissa! I think you’ve convinced me to read this one! I’m glad it was a hit for you."Thanks, Jasmine. I hope you do give "People We Meet" a try. It's so much fun. :)
Kat wrote: "I'm delighted your second chance for Henry paid off, Melissa! I love a good rom-com and will definitely look for this when I can. Charming and insightful review! 💗"Thanks so much, Kat! I'm glad my second chance paid off, too. Since you love rom-coms, "People We Meet" will likely be right up your alley. I hope you enjoy it. It's hysterical. :)
C. (friends, please call me by name) wrote: "Hm, you give me something to think about, Melissa; which is the gift of informative reviews. "Beach Read" sounds like it is for me because it is not all about romance and debates the value of non-c..."Yes, Carolyn. "Beach Read" ultimately ends up being a romance novel. It starts out differently, though. You think you're reading a more series, introspective story about two writers suffering from writer's block, grief etc. . . . but it ends up being a romance novel. I liked it at first . . . and then I didn't. It's a very uneven, aimless read.
Catherine wrote: "I was actually a fan of Beach Read (for most of it, by the end a few things started to bother me) and to hear this is even a step up from that? I am SO excited! I have been hearing how dreamy Alex ..."Thanks so much, Catherine! If you liked "Beach Read," I'll be curious to see what you think of this one because it IS different. It's pure, hysterical romantic comedy, and it spotlights the type of writing that Henry excels at. :)
JanB wrote: "I had the same experience with Beach Read, a book I dnf’d. But I loved this one and delighted you enjoyed it too. Lol on Alex’s mouth!"Ha! Thanks, Jan. I'm glad you loved "People We Meet," too. And I know you get me regarding Alex's mouth. :)
Barbara wrote: "Fantastic review Melissa, I need to get this one. So many LOVE it!"Thank you, Barbara! Yes, Henry has definitely written a hit. I hope you love it, too. :)
Ha! I love what you said about Alex's mouth. That made me laugh out loud in the office just now. I felt similarly to you about Beach Read, but I am looking forward to this one!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!! Naked Alex 😂. I heard she has another one coming out next year!
