People We Meet on Vacation is Just Very Average

There comes a time when you live in the online world of bibliophiles when you just can't run away anymore and you must give into the temptation of reading extremely popular books. Popular books can be a good thing. They might be very well regarded. But I have found that a lot of times, being popular is a red flag. It means the book is so popular that some are liking it because of its popularity and others are overhyping it. And there is nothing more disappointing than having you expectations unmet. And mine did not meet for this book.

People We Meet on Vacation is a wildly popular book on social media about Poppy and Alex's friendship as it turns into romance. At first, it might sound adorable, especially if you like that trope, but it is all in the excecution. I found that the book lacked originality and had uninteresting pacing.

My favorite rom-com movie is When Harry Met Sally and I really did not like how obviously based on it this book is. From them not liking each other at UChicago, to Poppy and Alex having to go on a car ride together where they talked about their differences, it all felt so close to the movie that I was actively annoyed. There was nothing original about their story in the slightest.

My biggest issue with the book is its pacing. The time jumps interrupted the flow of the plot massively. It was so hard to concentrate on the story and remember inside jokes from each of their trips. I found myself getting lazy to pick up the book. Furthermore, the story actually taking place in the present was very small, the book was just long due to the flashbacks. I don't think the build up was satisfying and it didn't feel like a long time coming when they got together.

The whole point of having a mystery reason for them not talking after the Croatia trip was to have a big build up to the reveal as well, but it just didn't work. Not only was the reveal of what happened in the Croatia trip very predictable, but it also didn't make the book feel any more meaningful.

The only trip that made me care for them was the Italy trip in which Poppy has the pregnancy scare. The scene between them and how he reacts to it was wholesome and love at its finest. However, one heartfelt scene does not make up for 370 pages of Poppy being annoying and not deserving Alex.

Overall, if you are looking for a fun, vacation book with lovable characters, do not turn to this one, or Beach Read. Stick to Christina Lauren's The Unhoneymooners for a good time.