On June 5, Books on Tap met at Random Row Brewing to discuss People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. Henry attended Hope College and completed a residency at the New York Center for Art & Media Studies at Bethel University. Her first several novels were written for young adults. But she decided she didn’t have anything more to say about teens and moved to writing romance. Her books have a strong appeal for Gen Z. 

A film version of People We Meet on Vacation is expected to be released in 2025. All 5 of her first adult romances have been optioned for film. 

Since this group does not often read romance, there was a bit of discussion about the genre. Romance is a popular genre, and 46% of romance fans read at least one book a week. (Link to NY Magazine article) Yet romance, as a genre, is gendered as specifically for women and therefore somehow lesser. Group members noted that while this was not a book they would pick up on their own, they enjoyed that being in a book group challenged them to read things they otherwise would not. Others enjoyed that it was a fun, light read for summer. 

People We Meet on Vacation is, as the name implies, about travel and vacations. Poppy and Alex seem to have nothing in common except taking a vacation together each summer. Then Poppy dropped out of college to become a travel writer. As one reader pointed out, the annual trip was still a vacation for Alex, it was Poppy’s job. Some questioned whether her relationship with Alex was real or whether he was her vacation from real life. The group speculated about whether the relationship would last. While recognizing that both made compromises for the relationship, most doubted it would last. Up to that point, the relationship had been based on an annual vacation, something that wouldn’t happen anymore. They have never spent enough time together for the infatuation to wear off, and some felt that when it did, all of their differences would start to annoy each other. One reader pointed out that Poppy’s emotions for Alex seemed superficial, based on his looks and that having chemistry with someone doesn’t necessarily translate into a stable relationship. Another point of view was that Poppy’s self-centered personality might actually be a match for Alex being so much of a caregiver.

The book is written entirely from Poppy’s perspective, but some readers wished for something from Alex’s point of view because the reader only gets Poppy’s interpretation of his responses. Was his relationship with his ex, Sarah, actually happy or just comfortable? Poppy’s appeal seemed to be as the exotic in his life. He had a pattern of trauma responses, and readers agreed that he really needed some therapy. He spent his life, from his teens, taking care of everyone else at the expense of his own needs. He followed the same pattern with Poppy, always following her lead. In the end, readers tended to agree that he gave up too much for Poppy, and that she was superficial and self-absorbed. 

Reactions were mixed on the depiction of travel and vacations in the book. Vacations can be a time when we behave differently and do things we wouldn’t normally do. The finiteness of a vacation makes it special. Some pointed out that no matter how much you enjoy a place on vacation, things are different if you actually move there. There was a sense that those who live somewhere feel no pressure to get out and see and do things because they are always there, while those who have a limited amount of time make the effort to explore and experience the area. One reader felt that the trips in the book all ran together with no sense of an individual place. So much time was spent in bars and at the pool, not exploring the place and what makes it special. That getting to know the people was what she thought was best about traveling.

Overall, those who had read this book when it first came out during the COVID pandemic really enjoyed the escapist aspect of the story. But they found it didn’t have the same impact when they re-read it now. Most agreed the book was an enjoyable, light, beach read. Some participants commented that they enjoyed talking about the characters, saying that it had the fun of gossipping without actually gossipping about real people. 

“A Guide to Emily Henry and Her Romance Books” – NYTimes, 4/18/2025