In the wonderful world of romantic comedies, there is a tendency to wash, rinse, and repeat. Through each new book and author, we see the same formula – knowing how the story is going to end but convincing ourselves that the saying “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” is a reasonable excuse. But then, every once in a while, we are fortunate to stumble upon an author who takes a familiar troupe, redlines the expectations of the industry, and writes a new version of a familiar tale so fresh, so captivating, that it becomes the new standard. Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation has become a staple in the literary world. Every other social media post on Instagram sings praise to this book. Now it’s my turn to gush over just how enthralling this book truly is.
People We Meet on Vacation is a straight lace vs. free spirit, best friends to lovers, big ball of fun! We meet Poppy and Nick, two people from the same small town with backgrounds and personalities so far apart you could build a highway in between them. After a chance meeting at a campus mixer their freshman year, they go their separate ways, happy to never cross paths or engage in awkward conversation again; however, fate has a sense of humor and when needing a ride home, Poppy finds herself face to face with the last person she wants to be stuck in a car with for hours. What starts as an everlasting prison sentence evolves into a ten-year friendship filled with life affirming summer vacations, incredible memories, and a bond that can withstand anything, well…almost anything. Emily guides the reader from past to present, revisiting each summer trip Poppy and Nick take together, inadvertently counting down to the one that changes everything, forcing us to the present day.
Emily uses Poppy and Alex to touch of two major themes in her book. With Poppy, she makes a fantastic point about goals and drives. The biggest motivation behind making a dream come true is the slight possibility that it may never happen. We hope, we wish, we plan, we pray to any and everything that will listen, doing what it takes to move an inch closer to making that fantasy a reality. But what happens when we succeed? What happens if you are one of the fortunate few who not only makes some of your wildest desires manifest, but succeeds at bringing them ALL into fruition? What happens then? Emily presents that question to the audience, challenging the idea of happiness and fulfillment. Poppy made it to the finish line of how she envisioned her journey ending but it never felt right, something was missing. Yes, in People We Meet on Vacation it so happened to be her best friend (this is a romantic comedy) but in reality, what do we leave behind during the race? What have we deemed as weight holding us back only to realize it was what propelled us forward?
Emily also touched on how we see ourselves through the eyes of others. Whether we are the standout, the weirdo, the cool kid, the smart one, the supporter, the role model – we are typecasted into these roles by the people who enter and exit our lives, forever branded to that identity unless we find some way to break free. With that branding, that expectation, comes fear. Fear of not being accepted, letting those around us down, and/or not being enough. Through Nick and Poppy, we witness its power and capacity of destruction, how fear keeps us from having what we want, asserting itself as a commanding voice resounding in our minds – pushing away opportunities because we can’t stand the idea of being rejected, missing out, or possibly losing it all in the end.
Emily’s book revels not only on the people we have the pleasure of meeting on vacation, but also the people we become. By escaping society’s constant scrutiny, we extricate ourselves from impressions and consequences, submerging into the freedom of just being – raw, simple, fully exposed. The true struggle, the unanswered question, the real resolve is how do we blend those two personas together, finding the essence of acceptance and happiness of where and who we are in life. That profound inquiry is what makes this book fantastic.