People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation is one of Emily Henry’s strongest hits—a friends-to-lovers slow burn built on chemistry, tension, and two completely opposite personalities who somehow fit together perfectly.

Poppy and Alex have been best friends for twelve years. She’s chaotic, adventurous, and obsessed with travel; he’s quiet, structured, and prefers staying home with a book. Yet every summer, no matter what, they take a trip together. Those vacations become the anchor of their friendship—and the place where everything between them gets more complicated.

Two years before the book starts, something happened on one of those trips that destroyed their connection. They haven’t spoken since.

Now Poppy feels stuck in life and realizes the last time she was truly happy was with Alex. She convinces him to take one final trip together to “fix” things, but the emotional distance is harder to navigate than any plane ride.

As the story jumps between past trips and the current awkward reunion, the truth unravels slowly—how much they meant to each other, how much they hurt each other, and how long they’ve both been pretending not to be in love.

Warm, nostalgic, emotional, and addictive, People We Meet on Vacation is a perfect escapist romance that balances humor with real vulnerability. A top pick for readers who love slow-burn tension and travel vibes.