People We Meet on Vacation is about two best friends who have exactly one rule: every summer, no matter what's going on in their lives, they take a trip together. It's sacred. It's non-negotiable. Until, somehow, it isn't anymore. So when they finally reunite for one last getaway, it's basically a pressure cooker of unresolved feelings.
And honestly, that's what makes this book so fun. Travel has this way of taking you out of your normal life just enough that you start seeing everything clearly, including the people you're standing next to. This book leans all the way into that. Every destination pulls something new out of these two, and watching their friendship shift and wobble and rebuild across different cities is the whole appeal.
Speaking of the destinations, as an avid traveler, I loved how each destination came alive. Every stop feels like its own little world, and it never feels like a checklist of pretty places.
Also, the tension! These two want genuinely different things out of life, and the book doesn't pretend that's a small problem. It's the classic "I want to go" vs. "I want to stay" conflict, and it's messy in the best way, because real life is messy like that too.
Fair warning though: if you're an impatient reader like some of us (okay, like me), this one takes its sweet time getting to the good stuff. The slow burn is very intentional, and it does pay off, but expect some flipping ahead to peek at the ending. I won't tell.
Overall verdict: a warm, funny, low-key emotional read about friendship, timing, and how the best travel buddy might just be the person who already knows all your worst airport habits.