People We Meet On Vacation | Emily Henry
"i still have a lot to figure out, but the one thing i know is, wherever you are, that's where i belong. i'll never belong anywhere like i belong with you. no matter what i'm feeling, i want you next to me. you're home for me, alex. and i think i'm that for you too."
Poppy and Alex are two, very unlikely, best friends. He is stoic, "a study in control", the eldest child of an anxious widower, very meticulous and with a strict religious upbringing, that hides his deeply buried kind and goofball personality. Poppy, on the other hand, is a wild child, a spontaneous and messy product of parent who are basically hoarders. And yet - they work together and have a deep, meaningful friendship.
As a travel writer, Poppy has her dream job. And yet she has lost her purpose and feels listless. The last time she felt happy was two years ago, and he realizes with a jolt of pain that it was during her last trip with Alex. They haven't spoken since and their long friendship has been at a standstill. Reaching out after so long, Poppy finds out that Alex is going to Palm Springs for his brother's wedding, so she suggests they resume their annual traveling tradition. Since her company won't cover the expenses, she decides to cover the cost herself but not tell Alex.
The atmosphere is tense, with Poppy trying desperately to make it all seem fine, like the vacations they used to take when they were both broke. But whatever happened in Croatia on their last trip together is looming over them, unacknowledged, but cloying. This trip, turns out to be one disaster after another - the one bed studio, no AC, a shitty car. But Poppy perseveres, wanting things to go back to their normal, despite Alex's protests and offers to go to a hotel.
Whenever Poppy talks badly about their home state of Ohio, Alex seems to shut down. She is now a New Yorker, and he moved back home with his on-again-off-again girlfriend. They can't seem to joke around like they used to and Poppy's growing awareness of his hotness is also contributing to the general vibe. Over time we get more information on their relationship - their trips are presented as throwback chapters and we see their miscommunication and false believes that contributed to the missed chances and finally, the breaking point in their friendship.
But being in such close quarters forces they to finally talk, to air out their grievances and they realize they had been pining for each other for years, smothering the flames and pushing down feelings because it never seemed to be the right time, and the risk of losing the other person entirely had seemed too great.
After the trip, when they each go back to their respective homes, they take the time to finally think, work through their issues and decide if the potential of this relationship is something they see as worthy of a fight.
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