Known as the “Queen of Summer Beach Reads,” author Emily Henry’s debut into film adaptations begins with the release of “People We Meet on Vacation,” set to arrive on Netflix on Jan. 9, 2026. Within the last few years, Henry has published six adult romance novels, “People We Meet On Vacation,” being her second. Her first romance “Beach Read,” skyrocketed on BookTok, the book community on TikTok, and every single book she’s published since have become New York Times Bestsellers. “Book Lovers,” sits as Henry’s third adult romance, released in 2022, it quickly became a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Compared to Henry’s other romances, “Book Lovers,” carries the most love and praise on the side of TikTok that readers frequent, self-intitled, “BookTok,” topping many rankings.
On to the novel’s main content, the book follows main characters, Nora Stephens and Charlie Lastra, a literary agent and a book editor, who are considered “literary rivals.” After a meeting that scaled downhill, Nora and Charlie find themselves at odds with one another, but when Nora travels to Charlie’s hometown in North Carolina for the last month of summer, sparks fly between the two of them. Or at least, they should’ve.
My main issue is that the main characters don’t have any chemistry. On their own, the main character Nora has an interesting depth to her, while Charlie isn’t as well written. At the beginning of the book, she’s set up as the stereotypical, city-life, cutthroat ex-girlfriend of the main guy in romcoms who leaves his current relationship after falling for a small town girl who runs a farm or something. Nora’s character arc revolves around letting go, being an older sister, and discovering the true ways to make yourself happy, creating a compelling story arc many can relate too.
However, Charlie, in comparison, is a quiet book editor from the small town the story is set in, trying to keep his family’s bookstore alive. He isn’t as fleshed out as the main character, and rarely ventures outside the given role of “just the love interest” instead of a well-rounded character.
Despite Nora’s character depth, when she and Charlie are together, somehow nothing feels right. I didn’t understand why they liked each other, enjoyed each other’s company, especially Nora towards Charlie. Charlie didn’t carry as much depth as Nora, so I never understood what she saw in him. There also wasn’t a good reason as to why they “hated” each other after a bad meeting. Sure, the meeting left them both feeling rocky, as anyone would be, but to call each other your “enemy” after a bad meeting isn’t exactly mature, I’d argue.
Another big issue I had while reading was the super early kiss, then the typical, “Oh, I’m actually unavailable. We can’t do this. It wouldn’t work.” My investment immediately exited the room. Neither of the characters had learned remotely anything about each other, since we were still in the beginning of the book, and then suddenly they liked each other. I felt like I was spiraling with confusion. What did I miss in the first hundred pages? The more I read, the less I cared. I wanted to read about two characters falling in love, not lust.
Something I did like, however, was Henry’s writing. She has a way with words that feels like you’re experiencing the setting with the characters, and her character theming and introspection is very well done. That’s a factor across all of her books that makes them at least decent.
Currently writing this, I’d rate this book a 1.5 out of 5 stars. Despite this book’s immense popularity, to me it is her worst one. Emily Henry’s writing is witty, descriptive, and at times beautiful, but this book is a good example of how great writing can’t save bad stories.
