Long time blog readers know that I read plenty of serious stuff, like the 700+ page biography I’m currently trying to finish. But I also thoroughly enjoy well done light fiction like this one. My book group friends would call this book a “palette cleanser,” and some of you would call it “chick lit” or “a beach read.” You asked for categories of “breezy” and “romance” on this year’s Reading Challenge, and this fits the bill for both of those as well. I loved The People We Meet on Vacation and give it a hearty 5 stars for all those summery genres.

This sweet novel is pitch perfect. The romantic tension between these two best friends builds over the entire book, eventually resulting in some steamy pages. However, it is not at all smutty or bodice ripping. It is about a tangle of abiding love intermixed with genuine friendship, and the complications of sorting it all out.

But mostly, it is endearing, smile-worthy fun, that is sometimes (often?) laugh out loud funny. Although there are some twists and turns, and jumping about through time, this is a happy book. It is one to read with a light heart, which seems all too rare these days, and I don’t think that makes it trite.

I listened to this book on audio, getting it originally to keep me company on my drive to Maine and back a couple weeks ago, but then was on the phone the whole time, and didn’t start it until I got home. I thought the audio production was good, so if you are inclined to listen to it, go for it.

Either way, in print or otherwise, if you are up for a love story that’s neither jaded nor pessimistic, gratuitous nor chauvinistic, sappy nor saccharine, this charming story is a real treat. Enjoy!