Start Here
Here are all the Emily Henry books in order, my ranking of the adult romances, and six more books like People We Meet on Vacation.
The quick answer. Her adult romances are all standalones, so you can read them in any order. If you want the closest match to People We Meet on Vacation, read Book Lovers next. If you want more banter between rivals, read Beach Read. This video is spoiler free. That means I’ll describe the setup of each book, but never the endings, twists or late reveals.
Before the Romances
Emily Henry started in young adult. Her debut was The Love That Split the World in twenty sixteen, followed by A Million Junes in twenty seventeen. In twenty nineteen she published two more: When the Sky Fell on Splendor, and Hello Girls, which she wrote with Brittany Cavallaro. If you only want her romances, you can skip these. Her adult era began in twenty twenty. Since then she has published one romance a year, with one exception coming up.
One: Beach Read
Number one in the adult list is Beach Read, from twenty twenty. January Andrews writes happy endings but has lost her faith in love after her father’s death. Augustus Everett writes serious literary fiction and has lost his words.
They are rivals, and neighbors in lake houses for a summer. They make a bet: each will write a book in the other’s genre. Beach Read is spikier and grief heavy, with a lot of talk about writing. It has some open door heat, so check content notes.
Two: People We Meet on Vacation
Book two is the one you just read. It came out in twenty twenty-one, and it’s the warmest of the early books, because it is a friendship story first. One small Easter egg for fans: in this book, Alex reads a novel by an author named Augustus Everett. That is the leading man of Beach Read, so Henry’s books share a tiny universe. I would argue it is also her most structurally clever book, with those alternating vacation flashbacks.
Three: Book Lovers
Book Lovers came out in twenty twenty-two. Nora Stephens is a New York literary agent who has been called the shark of the industry, and is tired of being the villain in other people’s love stories. Charlie Lastra is an editor she clashes with. A trip to a small town in North Carolina, meant to be a sister vacation, keeps pushing them together.
It plays with romance novel clichés, and has a strong sibling relationship at its heart. Like most of her books, expect a few open door scenes.
Four: Happy Place
Happy Place arrived in twenty twenty-three. Harriet and Wyn have been together for eight years, and are now secretly broken up. They haven’t told their friends. Once a year, the whole friend group gathers at a cottage in Maine, and the two must pretend to still be a couple for a week. The story jumps between the present and their past.
It is about the pressure of success and the cost of keeping up appearances. Harriet is a surgical resident, so the burnout theme will feel familiar if you liked Poppy.
Five: Funny Story
Funny Story, from twenty twenty-four, starts with a break up. Daphne is a children’s librarian who moves to a small Michigan town to marry Peter. Weeks before the wedding, he leaves her for his best friend Petra. Daphne ends up moving in with Petra’s ex, a man named Miles. When the exes invite them both to their wedding, Daphne claims she and Miles are dating, and he plays along.
It is a fake dating story with a gentle voice, and for me a cozy one.
Six: Great Big Beautiful Life
Her most recent novel, from April twenty twenty-five, is Great Big Beautiful Life. Two writers, Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson, compete to write the biography of a once famous heiress named Margaret Ives, who now lives under a different name. The heiress spends a month with each writer before she chooses. Meanwhile, the pair uncover family secrets and begin to grow close. It’s set in a small seaside town in Georgia.
It is the most mystery tinged of her books, and has a bigger cast than the others.
What Makes an Emily Henry Book
What do her books share? First, banter. Almost every one is built on two people who talk like they’ve been rehearsing for each other. Second, grief or burnout. Under the jokes there’s usually a heroine who’s lost something, like a parent, a career or a belief in love.
Third, a clear setting. Lake houses, a Maine cottage, a Georgia island, a vacation rental in a heat wave. And fourth, an earned happy ending. She likes her couples to work for it. If you loved those four things in People We Meet on Vacation, you will probably love the rest.
Heat Levels at a Glance
A word on spice. Her adult romances generally run from warm to spicy, and most include at least one open door scene, so none of them are fully clean reads. People We Meet on Vacation sits in the middle, with one fully explicit scene. Among the other picks, heat levels vary a lot, and One Day is more about emotion than steam. I haven’t rated each one, so check each book’s own content notes before gifting one.
What’s Next
What about new books? As of October twenty twenty-six, there is no new Emily Henry novel this year. It’s the first year since twenty twenty without one. Her next book is called Modern Classic, and it is scheduled for April sixth, twenty twenty-seven. Reports say it is a traditional romantic comedy inspired by the film The Holiday.
Several adaptations are in the works too. Netflix has announced plans for Happy Place and Funny Story, and Beach Read is in development, with Yulin Kuang attached. Plans can change, so treat that as news, not a promise.
My Ranking
Now my ranking of the adult romances, which is an opinion, so argue with me. Number one for me is People We Meet on Vacation, because of the structure and the ache. Two is Book Lovers, for the sharp dialogue and sibling bond. Three is Beach Read, for rivalry and heart. Four is Funny Story, because it is cozy and fun.
Five is Happy Place, which I admire, though some readers find its secrets and silences frustrating. Six is Great Big Beautiful Life, which is ambitious and different, and it lands last mostly because it is the least like the others.
Which One First?
If you aren’t sure where to start, here’s my cheat sheet. Want banter between rivals? Beach Read. Want something sweeter, with a fake relationship? Funny Story. Want a friendship that grows into love? Start with People We Meet on Vacation. Want a big, slow, twisty romance with a mystery? Great Big Beautiful Life. And if you’re in the mood for something with a sharp city feel, pick Book Lovers.
Books Like It: Friends to Lovers
Now books like People We Meet on Vacation, starting with friends to lovers. First, One Day by David Nicholls, from two thousand nine. Emma and Dexter meet on the night of their graduation, and the book checks in on them every year on the same date for twenty years.
It’s more bittersweet than funny, and you may cry. Second, Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, from twenty eighteen. Macy and Elliot become close as teenagers over books, and years later they meet again. It jumps between past and present, like Poppy and Alex. Third, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, from twenty nineteen. It is funny and warm, but also deals with heavy things like infertility, grief and chronic illness, so read the warnings.
Books Like It: Banter and Romance
For banter, try The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, from twenty nineteen. A woman in a bad financial spot takes a cheap London flat, and shares it with a night shift worker. They never meet, and communicate through sticky notes.
Next, The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, also from twenty nineteen. It’s enemies to lovers. Two people who dislike each other end up on a free honeymoon in Hawaii, and pretend to be newlyweds. If you loved the fake newlyweds game in this book, this is for you.
For something with a little more ache, try Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, from twenty twenty-one. Two writers reunite after fifteen years for a week-long affair. It has heavier themes, so check content notes.
A Bonus List From Emily
One last bonus. The back of People We Meet on Vacation has a list called What’s in Emily’s Carry-On. It includes Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London and Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory. It also lists Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, and The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon. Those are her own picks, so they’re a great place to start if you trust the author’s taste.
Which Emily Henry book is your favorite, and what would you rank first? Tell me in the comments, and subscribe for more book recommendations.
