Read in 2021
In 2020 I read Beach Read – Emily Henry’s debut adult novel – and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d been waiting for the arrival of You and Me on Vacation in the UK bookshops and was unsure whether it would connect with me as BR had done.
Firstly, a little note on the title. The UK title is different from People We Meet on Vacation (US) and it feels more apt. It captures exactly what the book is about. Two people, the narrator, Poppy, and her best friend, Alex, who grow together through their various summer trips.
The relationship that is set up between these characters is heartwarming and beautiful. The kind of connection you might wish you could have with another human being. And EH weaves this intricately through the novel, dancing back and forth between their present trip and those stretching over the past 12 years.
There’s something that feels quieter and more understated in YAMOV than in BR. It bubbles with light, quick, sharp humour, and has a sense of fragility shown through both Alex and Poppy and through the structure of the book.
There is something immensely touching about the two central characters. I saw parts of myself in both – they feel deeply human and full of the questions and concerns and desires and needs we all experience in life. And I felt the novel presented a study in what it means to be soulmates – the connection, the strength, the depth and the trust that that involves.
In short, I really loved this second novel from Emily Henry and would highly recommend. I will be re-reading in the future.
The Literary Land 