Since its release in 2021, Emily Henry’s romantic comedy novel People We Meet on Vacation has drawn so many readers, that a film adaptation was created. On January 9, 2026, we saw Emily Brader and Tom Blyth starring as Poppy and Alex for the first time on our screens. While this brings the story to a wider audience, its original fanbase is wondering whether the adaptation has lived up to their expectations.
The novel is about Poppy and Alex, two college classmates who form an unlikely friendship despite their extremely different personalities. Although their characteristics contrast, the two make an annual tradition of taking one vacation together during the summer. The story unfolds through alternating timelines, moving between past trips and present-day events, to gradually reveal the development of their friendship, and the downfall of it. Despite two years of not speaking, they reunite and try to rekindle what they had. The book sparked strong reactions from readers, many of whom enjoyed its realistic portrayal of relationships.
In the film, Emily Bader is able to capture Poppy’s spontaneous and free-spirited nature, while Tom Blyth follows Alex’s introverted personality. When explaining the difficulty of creating a friends-to-lovers relationship, Brett Haley, the director of the film adaptation, explains on Variety, “It was important that Tom and Emily had friendship chemistry and then romantic chemistry, and we could feel that.” Many fans agree that no matter what major parts the movie skipped from the book, Emily and Tom’s chemistry made it an enjoyable watch.
Aside from the chemistry, the film makes several notable changes from the novel. One of the most significant differences is the structure. While the book slowly goes into alternating timelines, the movie simplifies it. While fans understand that this was necessary in order to make it a faster pace, they still feel deprived of the emotional tension that was experienced when flipping each page. The movie also shortens the amount of vacations, which allows little room for the audience to see the same character development as they read in the book.
Viewers unfamiliar with the novel, ultimately enjoyed the movie and even said it reminded them of a nostalgic early 2000’s rom-com. They enjoyed the movie in itself, but readers with prior knowledge of the book felt unsatisfied with certain moments that they expected to see on the screen. Apart from the minor differences, overall the movie was able to successfully convey the story Emily Henry hoped for, a love story that includes the complications of not wanting to ruin a friendship.
Lia Hernandez, a freshman at CCHS who watched the movie before reading the book, shares, “When I watched the movie, I experienced so many emotions. I laughed, I was annoyed, I was really happy and excited at some parts, and at other parts I cried. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and it’s probably one of the best rom-coms I’ve seen in a while.” Whereas I was in some aspects disappointed that they didn’t add scenes that I had been waiting to see come to life outside of my imagination.
This leaves the question, is it fair for movies to be rated solely based off of if they followed the exact storyline of their novel adaptation? Mrs. Killingsworth, an English teacher at CCHS, states, “Books are so unique that you can imagine them the way you want to, but I love how films can move us with sound and people’s body language. It is hard to pick a favorite, they’re both valuable.”
People We Meet on Vacation allowed people to circle back to the debate on book-to-film adaptations. While readers compare each scene to the pages they turned, ultimately the film introduces the storyline to a wider audience in a different form. This could also help reading rates rise, as people who loved the movie might feel compelled to read the book that inspired it. Books and films offer different strengths, and neither is meant to outshine the other. Can books and movies live alongside each other in agreement if they share the same emotional value?
