Cori’s Pick: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

I took a look at this week’s forecast and noticed the temperatures would be above 90 every day.  (tell me you live in Florida without telling me you live in Florida) and so with that, I believe BEACH READ SEASON has officially begun!   Also, we are lucky enough to live in ‘The Chain of Lakes City’ but beach/lake/pool/puddle, it’s all interchangeable here – the key is water, find water, bring a book and ‘poof’ beach read!

My first offering of the season is People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry.  Oddly enough, I did not read Henry’s romantic comedy debut, Beach Read, but after reading her latest, it has instantly shot to the top of my to-read list.  People We Meet on Vacation has everything we look for in a summer read, friendship, love, travel, but there were deeper themes that I hadn’t expected and were a pleasant surprise. 

The story centers on Alex and Poppy.  They have been best friends since their freshman year in college and are also complete opposites.  From their style to their social life to their daily shower requirements, they couldn’t be more different.   Poppy’s in New York and Alex lives in their small hometown in Ohio, but every summer they still manage to get together for a week of vacation together.   And while their platonic love for each other is obvious, neither one can be sure that it’s anything more and we learn that they each have family baggage that hinders them from thinking they could possibly find the love and acceptance they so badly desire.  Chapter by chapter the reader in transported from present day, back to each of those summer vacations, giving us all the juicy details of what keeps their best friend status thriving and what has brought them to their current-day crossroads. 

Grab a chair, find some water, kick up your feet, and plan to devour this book in one sitting!  And swing back this way to find some other great Beach Reads this summer, because we’re in it for the long haul and I’m holding out hope that reading will distract me from all the sweating because you know, hope springs eternal.   Enjoy!