People We Meet On Vacation (by Emily Henry)
This post isn’t really a book review. It’s about my experience trying (and ultimately not finishing) People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry—and what that decision says about my relationship with reading.
I see books as more than entertainment, escapism, or sources of knowledge. Each one is a relationship. I choose to spend my limited time with it, and that commitment matters to me.
I lost my enthusiasm for this book shortly after I placed a library hold on it. I even debated canceling the hold. Still, when it finally became available, I committed to giving it a fair shot. If I didn’t like it, I told myself, I wouldn’t read any more of Henry’s books. This would be my make-or-break test. (Romance isn’t a genre I read often, so picking up her work was always something of an experiment.)
I knew I was starting at a disadvantage because of my lukewarm attitude. Still, I tried to stay open-minded as I began the audiobook. It was… okay. I wasn’t hating it. I did roll my eyes at the mention of the protagonist’s influencer career, but I pushed past that. The story’s constant shifting between past and present left me feeling confused, though. I usually enjoy that dual-timeline style, but it didn’t work for me here. My mind kept shouting, “Get to the point!” and “Where is this going?” That kind of suspense feels mismatched in a romance for me (though I know it works beautifully for many readers).
Because I often listen to audiobooks while doing other tasks, I had time to reflect during breaks. The book was fine. I wasn’t compelled to keep going, but I wasn’t ready to bail yet either. Then I remembered my real intention with reading: to spend time with books I love. Since this one wasn’t sparking joy, why force it?
I switched over to my next audiobook, The Room Next Door by Wendy Walker, which felt like a breath of fresh air. But I couldn’t quite let go of the Henry book. I went back and forth, picking it up again briefly before setting it aside. I even checked Goodreads ratings—People We Meet on Vacation is clearly one of her most popular titles. Was I missing something? Or was I overthinking it, as usual, and secretly looking for a reason to bail so I’d have one fewer author to keep up with?
In the end, I realized the ratings and other people’s opinions didn’t matter. I simply wasn’t loving it. After years of being conditioned in college and grad school to finish every assigned text regardless of enjoyment, it’s still hard for me to walk away from a book I’m not enjoying. But I’m working on giving myself permission to do exactly that.
This post isn’t a dig at Emily Henry. I’m genuinely happy for her success and for the many readers who adore her stories. I hope she keeps writing them. Her books just don’t click with me consistently, and that’s okay. I’ll keep searching for the ones I can’t put down—the stories I fall in love with right away.
My experience with People We Meet on Vacation even spilled over into my time with The Room Next Door. You can read that post here.
You’re welcome to take a look at my reviews of a couple of other Emily Henry books, which are linked below. Additionally, I’ve included a link to an author event I attended via Zoom for the release of Happy Place with Emily and Carley Fortune.
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