If Netflix’s adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation left you craving more friends-to-lovers romances filled with longing, shared history, and slow-burn tension, you’re not alone. This beloved romance trope thrives on missed timing, inside jokes, and the realization that love was there all along.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best books to read if you loved People We Meet on Vacation. These romances deliver emotional depth, delicious tension, and deeply satisfying romantic payoffs. From some modern day classics to highly anticipated 2026 releases, we’ve got you covered.
The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez
It only takes one night for life to change entirely—and Larissa learned that the hard way after she chose to catch a ride home from a concert. Rather than going with her good friend Chris, she chose to go with his best friend. That one small decision catapulted their relationship, and soon she finds herself with a boyfriend. Chris should be happy for them. Two of the most important people in his life have ended up together. What does he have to be upset about? Yet he finds himself on the sidelines, secretly wanting to make a move that could ultimately end two friendships. He finds himself questioning how something so right feels so impossible. Will he choose to come between Larissa’s relationship or will he fight back the urge to reveal his true feelings?
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Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune
Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old, and despite their headstrong personalities, the two are inseparable. At least they were. On the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, she has no idea if George is going to show up as her best man. As the festivities begin, in walks George, and Frankie couldn’t be happier. She’s surrounded by her loved ones and she’s about to marry the love of her life. But it all comes to a screeching halt when her fiancé breaks up with her in a note on the morning of her wedding. Absolutely devastated, Frankie returns to her family home to sulk. George, however, has a different idea. He wants her to go on her honeymoon with him for a week in Tofino to heal her broken heart. Seeing it as one last chance to repair their friendship, Frankie agrees. It’s there that the two must come clean about the long buried feelings that neither knows how to handle.
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The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Theo and Kit have experienced every relationship possible: childhood best friends, crushes, madly in love, and now estranged exes. What should have been a dream vacation to Europe ended in a brutal breakup during the transatlantic flight, forcing the two to leave each other’s lives for good. During their time apart, the two have done a lot of growing. Theo is a confident, hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day. Kit, on the other hand, never returned to America and is living his best life as a baker at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. All that remains from their past is an unused voucher for a European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date. Nearing the expiration date, the two unknowingly decide to make use of it. It isn’t until they board the tour bus that they discover that great minds think alike. Now they’re trapped together for three weeks in some of the most romantic countries in the world. To prove that there are no lingering feelings, Theo and Kit make a friendly wager to hookup with their hot Italian tour guide. But it doesn’t stop there. It turns into a full-on European hookup competition. What could possibly go wrong?
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Like Lovers Do by Tracey Livesay
Dr. Nicole Allen is driven, focused, and an extremely accomplished surgeon. She’s proven herself at work and far exceeded everyone’s expectations. But when she disciplines an intern, who happens to be a powerful donor’s son, the prestigious fellowship that she’s been awaiting is at risk. Benjamin Reed Van Mont, one of Nic’s best friends, comes from a successful family who runs a medical business empire. Rather than follow in the footsteps of the family before him, he decides to start his own business instead. When his status-climbing ex-girlfiend weasels back into his orbit, Nic proposes a swap. She’ll spend the weekend with Ben at Martha’s Vineyard pretending to be his girlfriend and he’ll have his family intervene on her behalf to prevent her from losing her fellowship. What should be a win-win for both parties ends up showing them that they’ve sorely underestimated their true feelings for each other.
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By The Book (Meant To Be) by Jasmine Guillroy
When Isabelle first began her career in publishing right out of college, she could have never imagined she’d end up here—twenty-five, living at home, working as an editorial assistant years later, and the only Black employee at the publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, she feels completely lost. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a nightmare high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle feels like it’s finally the break that she needs to get the promotion she deserves. All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give a quick pep talk. That can’t be that hard, right? But when she arrives, she finds that Beau Towers is a far bigger handful than she expected. He’s jaded, withdrawn, and equally as lost as Izzy. Despite his standoffishness, Izzy is determined to succeed, and with her encouragement, Beau finds himself writing again. As they work together and the deadline approaches, the two comes to find that they have a lot more in common than either of them expected. Could it be something more or are the two better off just working together?
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The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
Emery Finch never saw herself settling down. But after a blistering night in Vegas, she ended up married to Luca, an impossibly charming landscaper who made her laugh and feel things that she had never felt before. Three years later, she finds herself consumed by work, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and making excuses. Before she can prove that all of the cutting-edge research that she’s been doing is worth neglecting her relationship, a tragic accident leaves Luca without his memories. Desperate not to lose him, she’ll do anything she can to bring him back. While they wait for Luca to recall their special moments together, Emery discovers that she’s been given a chance for a second chance. And this time, she won’t waste it.
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From The Jump by Lacie Waldon
Liv Bakersfield is an overworked graphic designer that lives a life full of “shoulds.” When she’s about to miss yet another vacation with her college friends, she decides that she’s had enough. Before she can convince herself she’s making a mistake, she quits her job and hops on a plane to join everyone in South Africa. Amid the exotic landscape, sunny weather, and safari animals, she finds herself drawn to the emotionally unavailable Lucas Deiss. Their friendship is one of the only remaining solid things in her life, and she’ll do anything to keep it that way. But once they get back to LA, she discovers that her leap of faith sends her right into the arms of Deiss. Liv must decide between doing what she should and risking it all for something that she shouldn’t want.
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The Missed Connection by Tia Williams
Sasha Cruz, a relationship-averse casting agent spends all of her time searching for “types.” She cares more about finding the perfect person for the perfect role than she does finding the perfect man. But on a flight to Paris, she meets a brooding, attractive mystery man and instantly feels a rare connection—only to lose him without exchanging contact information. A panicked email meant for a coworker accidentally goes company-wide, launching an international search for “Seat F.” As the hunt unfolds, Sasha enlists a dangerously charming detective from her past, forcing her to confront whether the love she’s chasing is the one she lost in the air or the one right in front of her.
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Last First Kiss by Julian Winters
Event planner Jordan Carter thinks he’s finally moved on from his first heartbreak—until he’s assigned to plan a high-profile wedding and comes face-to-face with the groom’s man-of-honor: Jamie Peters, the man who once shattered his heart. As wedding prep brings them back into each other’s lives, unresolved feelings reignite and casual banter turns into something much more intense. Between venue shopping, cake tastings, and dress fittings, Jordan must decide whether knowing who he loves is enough to take a second chance on the one man he never forgot.
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Happy Ending by Chloe Liese
Thea and Alex have little in common beyond their divorces, a love of food, and mutual resentment toward their lives. When their exes start dating each other immediately after the split, the two invent a spite-fueled lie, pretending they’re old friends and former first loves. But when they’re invited on a two-week, “two family” beach vacation, the joke starts to feel dangerously real, and Thea and Alex begin to wonder if the story has led them exactly where they were meant to be.
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