2 Book Lovers Reviews

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See more of Shelley's Contemporary Romance

​I loved everything about this book.  Everything.  This is the ultimate friends-to-lovers romance that had me feeling a whole gamut of emotions. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

I adored Poppy and Alex.  From their first introduction during orientation week at university to their shared car ride back to their hometown, this duo was an unlikely pairing, but they were simply magic together.  Poppy is a colorful character who craves adventure.  She is spontaneous, lively, and outspoken. Alex is strait-laced, responsible, and feels tethered to his hometown.  They may have been opposites, but they complemented each other.  I loved them right from the start.

Every summer, Poppy and Alex went on vacation together.  From low budget to higher end, their vacations were the highlight of Poppy’s year.  There was no one she would rather spend time with.  Two years ago, they had a falling out while on vacation in Croatia.  After that fateful trip, Poppy began to evaluate her life and tried to discover what makes her genuinely happy.  Her life was going in the trajectory that she had always dreamed of, but without Alex it all seemed empty and uninspiring.  The one thing that she was sure of was that she missed Alex, and she was desperate to mend their relationship, and what better way than to embark on a new week-long adventure together.  

The story goes back and forth between the past and the present.  This worked so well for this story.  I got to be there with them and witness the evolution of their friendship, all of their entertaining vacations, for all of the pivotal moments that made their bond so tight.  I also held my breath in fear and anticipation of the trip that tore their friendship apart. 

For me, the best part of this novel was that it was all from Poppy’s perspective.  I enjoyed being in her head, experiencing everything with her: her zest for life, her affection and longing for Alex.  Oh, the longing!  I felt her longing as if it were my own.  I may have fallen a little bit in love with him myself.

It’s a big risk to jump from friendship to a romantic relationship.  If it doesn’t work out, the friendship could suffer and never be the same.  I could understand the hesitancy, but, oh, how I wanted them to just jump in.  I am a patient reader, and the author made this all deliciously slow, and I was perfectly happy to witness this play out all in good time.  I just loved the slow dance of it all.  In my opinion, it was perfect.

People We Meet on Vacation is a well-rounded reading experience.  It is filled with humor and witty banter that had me laughing out loud.  It has great romantic tension that kept the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.  It has all of the emotion, heart, and chemistry that I crave from a book in this genre. I could go on and on about all of the things that I loved about this novel, but just do yourself a favor and read this book and experience it all for yourself.  Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

This is definitely a book for the re-read shelf and my list of favorites for 2021!

*5+ Stars