I believe that, much like people, books come
into our lives at just the right moments.
People We Meet On Vacation was one of those for me, and Emily Henry
knows how to write sentiment just right. We meet Poppy and Alex in, what we
come to find out, is an ordinary bit of banter between them while on vacation.
Alex is cool and calm; he rather read a book than socialize. Everything
about him is controlled.
Poppy is the opposite; where he is controlled, she is chaos. She is the
key that unlocks an Alex only she can see, and their dynamic works for both of
them. She is Vintage, whereas he is Kakhi; she's sunshine, while he is moody.
Discussion Questions Number 1
When they first meet, Alex and Poppy are
immediately put off by each other. Have you ever made a friend after a bad
first impression?
As I read, I thought back on when I met Andrew (my best friend and
second husband), and it was a similar story, but ours started at our mutual
best friend's college graduation. I thought I was meeting his cousin again, but
when I saw my husband's face above where Jon's dad pointed him out, I was
curious.
I hadn't met this one.
At the time, I didn't overthink it.
Still, I remember him sitting across from me at one point at the TCBY, then
eventually sitting next to me on this obnoxiously bright orange plastic sofa
where we were both turned inwards, talking with one another. We had a lot in
common, it was easy to talk to him, and his smile and laugh were infectious.
In this case, I was Alex. My husband,
before he was my husband, was Poppy. He was the only person, in a very long
time, who actually talked to me. I felt seen.
Discussion Questions Number 2
What's something you do on vacation that you're
unlikely to do in your daily life? Is there an unquestionable comfort in
anonymity?
On vacation, we try to do new things,
even if that means eating at a new restaurant (we are foodies) or try a new
experience. Like, our last trip to Atlanta for book research, I threw us into
many new experiences, and my hubs enjoyed himself, much like Alex, once he
relaxed. We bar hopped, got lost downtown, found a random Pho place we ate at
twice, and rode Bird scooters around town.
We love the anonymity of vacations.
It's the thought of being out of our norm, doing new things, things we usually
don't do, and chating and enjoying the people we meet along the way. We've made
lasting friendships that way, but we mostly collected stories and memories.
Discussion Questions Number 3
Have you ever met a goal and found that your
reaction wasn't quite what you expected?
I've met a few, expecting to feel
accomplished, excited, and happy. The happiness of meeting the goal lasted, but
not as long as I would have thought. It took being in my 30s to understand that
I was holding my excitement out for others, and they weren't as happy for me as
I was for myself. Others were my parents and a few friends; I realized
that if I kept expecting others to be proud of me, I wouldn't ever be proud of
myself. It was the people-pleasing aspect of my life that I've learned needed
to be pointed to myself, and making me happy.
Discussion Questions Number 4
What is your worst vacation memory? Your best?
I have always loved adventures, the
planned, the unplanned; the more unplanned, the better. Our spontaneous and
off-the-cusp vacations followed the same suit as Alex and Poppy's
'budget-friendly' vacations. My hubs had lost his Airbnb privileges because of
the exciting places he has sent us, but at the same time, it made us cry with
laughter.
Our last budget-friendly trip was to
Gatlinburg, TN, and we stayed at the local Comfort Inn. It was ghastly. Once we
turned into the parking lot, my husband's face fell; he quickly got on his
phone, looked at the pictures, and kept looking up and down while I watched him
sleepily. At that point I think I had two hours of sleep the last 38 hours and I
was cool with throwing down a drop cloth so I could sleep.
Once married, we switched modes back
and forth; on this trip, I was Poppy, and he was Alex. He was in the bargaining
stage of vacation grief as I looked on the App for other places available
around town.
"No,
no, no, this is not the same hotel."
Nothing was affordable without spending
$1000+, of course.
In an hour and a half, we watched three
different floors open up doors and have a conversation out front with
neighboring rooms, another three had dogs tied to the outside bars, trash
everywhere; a random car had evem pulled up, and we watched the most exciting
display I had ever seen in person.
We watched as a lady walked from the car
to the room with her pants around her ankles.
Instantly, we knew we had messed up.
Discussion Questions Number 5
Poppy is going through professional burnout.
Have you ever experienced that kind of fatigue? How did you get through it?
I've become quite adept at the fine art
of professional burnout, mostly because I've been chasing a dream through what
I thought I wanted. I've been chasing the high of writing for over 18 years,
and it took gathering these experiences to realize where I'm supposed to be. I
look at burnout like a chapter ending, so I don't just call it quits right then
and there; I wait until I find the one thing I haven't done yet and try my hand
at it.
In these experiences, I find my passion
in the written word. So I write.
Discussion Questions Number 6
Which vacation of Alex and Poppy's would you
most want to take? Which would you least want to take?
Tuscany, hands down. The least likely
is Palm Springs since I lived in the Desert. It's hot as hell, and the AC bit
is so on point even though I was hot just thinking about it.
Discussion Questions Number 7
Having grown up in a small town, Poppy struggles
to break free of her reputation—or at least struggles to believe she can do so.
When have you felt misunderstood, and how did you get past it?
When I lived in Las Vegas, I had to
live under the guise of a dutiful daughter, a Christian school student, and altogether
be the good girl everyone thought I was. When we moved to Pensacola, I started
to come into my own weird little personality. Into the free spirit I really am.
Truthfully, up until 2020, I felt misunderstood. Still, during that year, I
realised that others opinions of me didn't mean diddily. I began to write more,
read again, and do the things that made me truly happy.
Discussion Questions Number 8
Why do you think it takes Poppy and Alex so long
to admit their feelings to each other?
I think it's the same way it took me a while to admit that I liked my hubs more
than just friends. After so many failed relationships, you stop believing in
yourself. After my ex wore me down so much, in those days that I asked for a
divorce and the onslaught of phone calls, mean Facebook posts, and everything
else that came with that time. Telling Andrew that I liked him was the least
scary out of all the turmoil in my life.
It's the fear of the unknown that holds us back.
Discussion Questions Number 9
Rachel has a lot to say about contentment versus
purpose. In your own life, do you prize one above the other? Are these ideas
mutually exclusive, or can you have both?
I believe we want both, sometimes all
at once, sometimes separate. I know I strive for purpose; I've worked very hard
since my first job at Target to get to where I am today. Owning a business.
Yet, I'm still not content to be here, making great money; I run my own
calendar, I can take a whole month off if I like and not fear the loss of a
paycheck.
But, I've always wanted to be a writer.
I don't think I could be content until I'm there. Time can only tell!
Discussion Questions Number 10
Do you think Poppy and Alex are going to make
it?
Without a doubt.
Link
to Discussion Questions: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry