20 Books Like People We Meet on Vacation and More Emily Henry Books
In this list of books like People We Meet on Vacation, we have put all the best books about going on vacation just in time for summer. And of course, we could not leave out more Emily Henry books from this great list.
Reading about a vacation while on a vacation is ironic, but so much fun. Don’t have plans to go anywhere? Take an escape through books like People We Meet on Vacation although, fair warning, some of these vacations are not ideal for relaxation.
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People we Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Do you believe Harry (from When Harry Met Sally) when he said “women and men can’t be friends.” ?
We are sure that he’s wrong, but one of our favorite tropes is friends to lovers. People We Met on Vacation is the latest beach read from Emily Henry and it’s addicting.
Poppy has been best friends with Alex since a car ride home from college a decade ago. Since then, they’ve gone on vacation together every year until 2 years ago when it all came crashing down.
Will they recover their friendship with one more trip or will their relationship be irrevocably ruined? This is the perfect beach, poolside read, or vacation read. You should be sure to add it to your summer reading romance books list.
Romance Books Like People We Meet on Vacation
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
I absolutely adored this charming second-chance romance set at a lake house. It was one of the most popular books on Instagram this summer, and for good reason.
Sam is the teenage boy we all needed in our lives growing up, and he gets better with age! Meanwhile, I was rooting for Percy to get her happily ever after with Sam the whole time. I was swept away by their summer love story and you will be too! It is a perfect choice for a list of books like People We Meet on Vacation.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
I loved this adorable romance and as soon as I read it I knew this vacation book was perfect for a list of books Like People We Meet on Vacation.
Olive and Ami are twins. While Ami seems to be lucky in everything, Olive knows that if it can happen, it will happen to her. So when everyone gets food poisoning at Ami’s wedding except Olive and her nemesis Ethan, she can’t decide if her luck has changed. This is the fake dating trope to the extreme- fake marriage.
As the two head out on the free, all-inclusive honeymoon that was supposed to be Ami and her new husband, Olive hopes they can call a truce long enough to enjoy the trip. If you are looking for grumpy sunshine romance books, this one should be at the top of your list.
Royal Holiday (The Wedding Date #4) by Jasmine Guillory
Looking for a last-minute Christmas Read or the perfect holiday book? Royal Holiday was the perfect first read for winter break.
When Maddie gets Kirsten’s dream gig (styling a Royal or let’s face it, hanging out with a Royal), she brings her mom, Vivian, with her to England. Vivian meets a very handsome gentleman who happens to be the Queen’s private secretary.
Sparks fly but will this be more than just a holiday romance? This adorable read is a perfect holiday/vacation read, especially for those who love a royal romance, and is a must-read for anyone who loves Emily Henry Books. Whether or not you are reading the Jasmine Guillory books in order, this romance will be a perfect holiday read.
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
Do you love Christmas movies? Are you obsessed with Romance books? Do you need to swoon? If you answered yes to any of those questions, stop everything and order In a Holidaze. This is possibly my favorite Christmas novel of all time.
I adored Mae and Andrew’s love story. It’s set up like Groundhog’s Day with Mae repeating the same Christmas vacation until she gets it right. And man… does she get it right. Peppermint Kisses, Sexy Sledding, Snowball Fights, Christmas Tree trimming… this book is oozing with cheer-filled holiday goodness with a few scenes that are steamier than a cup of cocoa.
There is a reason this book made our best books of 2020 list! This vacation read is the perfect pick for a list of books like People We Need on Vacation.
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Ok, so I adored To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, but this YA romance felt much more juvenile. The love triangle, the antics, it was all just a little too young for my tastes.
Set when Belly turns 15, at the beach house she visits every summer with her mom, her brother, and her mother’s best friend’s family, this coming-of-age is geared towards 15-year-olds for sure.
I read it for the reading challenge, and while I didn’t love it for me, I’ll be interested to see how it gets adapted though! This sweet pick is perfect for a list of books like People We Meet on Vacation and it recently became an Amazon adaptation.
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
When I learned that Tessa Bailey used Schitt’s Creek’s Alexis as her inspiration for Piper, I knew I had to read this grumpy sunshine romance.
After getting in trouble one-to-many times for her party-girl lifestyle, Piper and her sister are banished back to their late father’s hometown in Washington.
While she’s learning to be responsible and money-conscious for the first time in her life, she needs to try not to fall for a local fisherman, Brendan. This is a sailing novel with heat!
This is such a great pick for enemies-to-lovers books and it is perfect for books Like The Love Hypothesis. It is also a steamier choice if you love Emily Henry books.
Ultimate Beach Reads 2023: The Hottest Summer Reads
Looking for more beach reads? Check out our Ultimate List of Beach Reads for 2023
Thriller Books Like People We Meet on Vacation
Thrillers may seem like a strange genre choice for a list of books like People We Meet on Vacation; However, these thrillers all take place on vacation- even if it is a vacation I would NOT want to go on!
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
February 2021 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Oh boy, was this a creepy haunted house book! I wish I had chosen to read it during the wintertime instead of the summer because seeing snow while reading it would have made it that much creepier.
With dead bodies piling up, and a blizzard keeping the guests of the fancy sanatorium-turned-hotel stuck inside, will Elin be able to solve the mystery before she becomes a victim herself? This is such a great blizzard book for mystery book lovers and is perfect for anyone who loves locked room mysteries or isolation novels.
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
August 2021 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
A thriller that had me on the edge of my seat! Two best friends, Emily and Kristen, commit an accidental murder on vacation in Cambodia when they try to stop Emily from being sexually assaulted.
But the following year in Chile, it happens again. As Emily begins to suspect something is off with her best friend, she starts trying to distance herself from Kristen. But Kristen wants to keep Emily close.
With a narrator that is unreliable, because she can’t seem to trust her own instincts or memory, the twists and turns keep coming with this thriller. If vacation books are your thing, this thriller from books like People We Meet on Vacation is such a great pick. And, it is a perfect for books with unreliable narrators.
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
Don’t you feel that some books are just meant to be listened to and not read? That’s how I felt about Daisy Jones & The Six, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Echo, and now Saint X. Each of these full cast audiobooks brings the novel to life.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Saint X. I think I was suspecting a thriller or a mystery because the story opens with an 18-year-old girl who dies on her tropical vacation with her family. Her then-7-year-old sister, Claire, is our narrator. Now in her 20s, after a chance meeting with someone connected to the case, Claire is trying to figure out exactly what happened all those years ago.
The story is also peppered with accounts from a few other key people in the case. Each one of these players is a different narrator which just made the entire production feel real. But it doesn’t quite fit into one genre. It’s also a book about the relationship between sisters, even those separated for years, and was perfect for our list of books about sisters. The other part of the story that I love is the subtle commentary on race and class that are woven throughout.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
June 2020 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Real talk. I’ve just read THE thriller
The murder sets the scene and then we get the story in flashbacks without knowing who is murdered until the end. I’ve become very picky about thrillers recently and this one is hands down my favorite of the year so far. It also made our Best of 2020 list! If locked room mysteries are your thing, this is perfect for you as well.
Can you guess who is the killer in this pick from our list of the best British mystery books?
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
This is the Ultimate Beach Read Thriller! It’s all about 2 girls who hire a couple to charter them a boat to a deserted island.
But the island isn’t so deserted after all. As their relaxing trip turns deadly, we learn about the back story that brought each person to their destination.
It’s a wonderfully addicting isolation novel that is great in audiobook format as well. This vacation thriller is a perfect choice for books like People We Meet on Vacation.
The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman
Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought I was going into a family drama like The Vacationers by Emma Straub, but it opened with a murder. I literally sat up at that point and thought “well, well, what have we here?”
It was a dynamic family drama with secrets, lies, and tension…and the whole time I was trying to figure out who had committed the murder and why. I loved it! Truly a perfect summer read and a perfect pick for poolside reads or for anyone who lives Emily Henry books.
Contemporary Fiction Books Like People We Meet on Vacation
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Rebecca Serle has done it again with this book set in Italy. Katy’s mother, Carol, has died and left Katy to take their trip to Positano alone. When Katy leaves she is uncertain about everything and whether she will return to her marriage.
Then, the impossible happens, and Carol appears at Katy’s hotel. She is in perfect health and thirty years old. She is not the woman Katy thought she knew. As she gets to know her mother, she realizes more about herself.
This beautiful contemporary fiction book set in Italy is well-written and a must-read book about grief. However, the touch of magic in this book puts in on our best magical realism books as well. This is one of our favorite books about mothers and it is a perfect book club book. Can you tell we love this book?
Castle of Water by Dane Huckelridge
This is a wonderful contemporary fiction book about love and survival. It is so much more than it appears on the surface. It’s a beautifully written book about a vacation gone awry.
When Sophie and Barry find themselves on an Island as the sole survivors of a plane crash, they learn to depend on each other. The book moves seamlessly from the past to the present, weaving an intricate tale. It’s one of Kirsten’s favorite books of all time. We also included this one in our list of feel-good books!
If you are looking for vacation books, this is a perfect pick from the list of books like People We Meet on Vacation.
Summertime Guests by Wendy Francis
Well, this book was such a treat! It takes place at a seaside resort over one fateful weekend. We get a glimpse into the lives of the various guests and what brought them to the resort.
Oh and did I mention it opens with a woman falling to her death by the resort pool? Was it a murder? Was it a suicide? Was it an accident? And which of the guests is the victim?
It’s a light read perfect for the beach. Check out more beach reads at our beach read hub!
The Vacationers by Emma Straub
This book starts off with a family headed on a vacation to the Balearic Island of Mallorca. All seems well as Franny and Jim are celebrating their 35th anniversary and their daughter is headed to Brown University in the fall. But, not all is what it appears, and the secrets everyone is keeping come pouring out over the course of the two-week vacation.
Extended family and friends are all gathered in the house where rivalries are rekindled and old wounds are opened. This is one pick from the list of books like people we meet on vacation that is perfect for anyone looking for some serious family drama.
Historical Fiction Books Like People We Meet on Vacation
Haven Point by Virginia Hume
What a wonderful read. I truly can’t explain how much this book swept me away to Haven Point as I learned about four generations of the Demarest family.
This story focuses on the great-grandmother, grandmother (Maren), mother, and daughter (Skye) as they spend their summers in the waspy coastal town. Secrets unfold, loves bloom and fade, and the ties that bond are explored.
A wonderful beach read with heart, I hope you take a chance and get swept away too. It’s one of the best family saga books I’ve ever read.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
I adored this second-chance love story that wasn’t too girly. There was intrigue and insight into Hollywood today verse 60 years ago. It’s actually about a secret love affair revolving around the movie Cleopatra and the small, seaside hotel at the center of the story.
I guessed the big reveal pretty early on, but it was still a wonderful book set in Italy about how love had, lost, and then found again can impact our lives. It’s one of my favorite books set at hotels!
Montauk by Nicola Harrison
I was expecting a lighthearted read, but this book had more soul than I was expecting! Set in 1938 in Montauk among the glamorous world of Manhattan’s summering elite, it was full of secrets and romance. It’s sort of like a historical fiction version of an Elin Hildebrandt book with romance and personal growth as our heroine discovers true love in a sleepy beach town.
I shed a few tears at the ending – which took me completely by surprise by the way! There is a short, not-so-graphic rape scene – so if that’s a trigger for you, steer clear. Otherwise, I applaud this debut and recommend it for your beach bag!
More Emily Henry Books
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is an author who is always consistent with her romances. In addition to making an entire list of Emily Henry books, you can find a few of her books on our Ultimate List of Romance Books. To me, nothing says “summer reads” like Emily Henry
Harriet and Wyn have been together for years until they broke up 5 months ago. The only problem is that they still haven’t told their best friends and now they will be sharing a room during their yearly vacation with their friends. How hard can it be to keep up the facade of a happy couple? If you love fake dating books, this is one of the best.
There is something special in every one of Emily Henry’s romances and this newest book is no exception. It is one of the best books of 2023 and it’s also a perfect beach read!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
As soon as I saw what this book was about, I knew I wanted to read it. I love Emily Henry books. Nora is a literary agent who is a shark for her clients. Her life is books and will stop and nothing for her job or her little sister, Libby.
When Libby begs Nora to take her to Sunshine Falls, the setting of one of her most famous books, she reluctantly agrees. When they get there, the town does not look anything like the book describes. In addition, her literary nemesis, book editor Charlie Lastra is in Sunshine Falls.
Now, Nora and Charlie find themselves together in a plot twist neither of them could see coming. This amazing romance about books is perfect for our list of Books Like The Love Hypothesis and is a must-read if you loved the book.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
This is one of the best romance books I have read in a long time. What could be better than a romance about writers? January is a romance writer who no longer believes in love. Until she was 28, she led an idyllic life filled with the ideas of perfect love.
Augustus Everett is a literary fiction writer who has never believed in love. They could not be more different. When they find themselves living next door to each other they decide to help each other overcome their writer’s block by challenging each other to a writer’s duel. This might be my favorite pick from our list of enemies-to-lovers books. It is also a perfect grumpy sunshine romance. Emily Henry books never disappoint!
