Is 'You And Me On Vacation' A Sequel To 'People We Meet On Vacation'?

So I just read You and Me on Vacation and People We Meet on Vacation back to back. That book is called the opposite of its actual name in the UK, which is why so many of you were confused about that one. You and Me on Vacation follows Poppy and Alex over the course of a decade and several summer vacations, alternating between past and present, all building up to the explosive argument the two had two years prior to the present day story. There is no sequel, despite fans of the author throwing her money to write one. If you loved this book, you should totally read Beach Read next. It’s another romantic comedy written by Emily Henry with even more witty banter than this one, but more severe themes.

When I first heard that People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry was coming to the US in 2021, I was excited to read the book that the UK/Australia had already been reading under the title You and Me on Vacation (same ISBN). What?! I had no idea that People We Meet on Vacation and You and Me on Vacation were actually the same book! I had assumed that You and Me on Vacation was a sequel to People We Meet on Vacation. It is not. People We Meet on Vacation is a standalone romantic comedy that follows the annual vacation of best friends Poppy and Alex until things take a mysterious turn and they are forced to confront their issues with each other.

The use of the timeline in the book was also really clever as it skipped backwards and forwards between the two of them trying to fix their relationship in the present and reminiscing about their past vacations. Henry has cleverly avoided writing a set up for a sequel to this book as the ending is very satisfying to the two main characters and their relationship. For books with a similar vibe to this I would also recommend The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren as it has similar amounts of banter and travel and is an enemies to lovers story rather than friends to lovers.

I must admit that initially I was confused why there were two titles for this book. ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ is the title published in the US in 2021, and ‘You and Me on Vacation’ is the title given to this Emily Henry novel in international markets. Both books are about the same story of travel buddies Poppy and Alex, who have been friends for 12 summers. One is a travel journalist, very driven and focused on his career, and the other is quiet and a teacher by day. Throughout their travels together, lots of opportunities for romantic feelings between them arise.

What I find most interesting is how the travel, so a part of typical destination romances, can be used to further character growth in Henry’s novel. Alex’s anxiety is exposed in an Edinburgh hostel, while Poppy’s biggest meltdown of the summer occurs in Tuscany. But instead of feeling like some heavy books, Henry’s lighthearted take on the summer that two people spend traveling to find themselves is the novel’s greatest strength. For a similar but different take on travel-romance that is more intense than People We Meet on Vacation, read Tia Williams’ Seven Days in June, where instead of traveling across the world, two individuals reunite in New York a year after a torrid weekend of sex.