You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry - 3/5

Emily Henry proves once again that she’s a brilliant romance writer, perfectly balancing humour, plot, character, and sensuality. Romance is a tough genre, it can easily lose tension or rely on filler, but Henry manages to keep things engaging and heartfelt. While Book Lovers remains my favourite of hers, this book still shows her knack for crafting characters with believable chemistry and witty one-liners. She clearly understands her audience and toes the line of cliché with precision.

That said, this story made me realise the friends-to-lovers trope is starting to lose its spark for me. Watching two people date others for years while clearly being in love with each other felt a bit like emotional cheating, which left a sour note. Still, Henry captures the awkwardness and spark between them beautifully, especially after years apart. The opposites-attract dynamic works well, Poppy as the storm and Alex as the calm.

"Maybe things can always get better between people who want to do a good job loving each other.”