We started the episode buzzing with excitement (and maybe a bit of caffeine) because we finally had a new book-to-film adaptation to talk about. Not just any book, but Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation.
For those of us who’ve been following Emily’s work since Beach Read, this one felt like a milestone. Shirin got through the book in two days flat, which tells you something about how readable it is. Meaghan hadn’t read much of Henry’s work before, so this was her first dip into the Emily Henry universe, and she came in strong with both the book and the film under her belt.
We gave a bit of background on Emily Henry’s trajectory, from her earlier YA writing in the mid-2010s to her big adult fiction breakout in 2020. Since Beach Read, she’s released a new novel pretty much every year, and a bunch of them have been optioned for film or TV. This is clearly just the beginning. Whether you’re pumped or slightly overwhelmed by this depends on how many romantic dramedies you can stomach in one year.
We compared it to the way Disney floods the zone with Star Wars content. When something works, it gets greenlit from all angles. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but we did chat about how it limits variety in adaptations. Production companies tend to chase sure bets, and Emily Henry’s fanbase makes her a solid investment. Still, it does beg the question: where’s the room for smaller, less “mainstream” stories?
Note
The following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click the play button above orlisten on your favorite platform with the links below.
The Book vs. the Movie: What Stayed, What Shifted
We broke down the structure of the book and how the movie handled the transition. People We Meet on Vacation follows Poppy and Alex, two opposites who build a close friendship over years of annual trips. Their dynamic is built on banter, awkward timing, and the age-old trope of friends-to-lovers. The book uses dual timelines, past summers vs. the present day, to show how their connection grew, fell apart, and found its way back.
The movie stuck pretty close to the book’s timeline-hopping structure but trimmed down the complexity for clarity’s sake. That wasn’t a bad call. Watching it unfold over two hours worked well, even if some parts felt rushed or oversimplified.
When it came to the casting, we were pleasantly surprised. Tom Blythe as Alex and Emily Bader as Poppy were a solid match. Tom played a more laid-back version of Alex compared to the book, where he was a bit stiffer and more straight-laced. We thought the change worked for screen chemistry, even if it shifted his character slightly. Poppy started off in the movie as almost too quirky, leaning hard into the “manic pixie dream girl” vibe, but thankfully, that got toned down fast.
Favorite Scenes, Annoying Tweaks, and What We Missed
Let’s talk scenes. One of our favorites in the movie was the dance sequence between Alex and Poppy. It wasn’t in the book quite like that, but for a visual medium, it totally worked. It was sweet, energetic, and made us root for them. Sure, it wasn’t the Alex we met in the book; book Alex would have rather evaporated than bust a move in public, but for the movie version, it made sense.
That said, we did feel a few cuts. We missed seeing more of Poppy’s chaotic but lovable family, especially since her backstory adds so much to her character’s emotional layers. In the book, her home life shaped her deep-rooted fear of being “too much.”
The movie touched on this, and we liked the explanation they gave, that Poppy pushes people away before they can tire of her. It felt more grounded and relatable than the book’s heavier focus on her internal loneliness. We also missed her best friend Rachel, who had more presence in the novel but barely made a dent in the film.
The same goes for Alex’s background. In the book, he has a huge family, with multiple brothers and a complex past involving his father’s grief and religious upbringing. The movie condensed this down to one brother and kept the rest off-screen. We understood why, but it did flatten his character a bit.
And let’s not forget their famous falling out, the big mystery of what happened two years ago that caused their communication breakdown. In the book, they take a trip to Croatia, which becomes the turning point. In the film, it’s Tuscany instead.
The exact details change, but the heart of the conflict stays the same. Still, Shirin made a great point: even in the book, it’s not totally clear why the fallout was so catastrophic. They kiss, he pulls away because they’re drunk, and suddenly they’re not speaking for two years? It felt a bit stretched.
How the Ending Changed and What It Says About the Story
There were a few key changes in the ending that we picked apart. In the book, Poppy travels to her old high school to track down Alex after realizing she’s still in love with him. She gives a full emotional monologue in front of others. The movie softened that.
Poppy just runs after Alex in a much quieter moment of vulnerability. We actually liked that version. It felt less performative, more grounded, and emotionally raw in a way that felt right for these characters.
Also, the movie made a small but welcome change: Alex and Poppy get to do both. He eventually lands a teaching job in New York, so they can start their life together without compromising too much. That balance was missing in the book, where the choice felt more one-sided. This version felt more collaborative, more grown-up.
Another difference that stood out? Sarah, Alex’s ex. In the book, she’s a bit of a grump. Understandably so, her boyfriend clearly had feelings for someone else. But the film’s version of Sarah is way more mellow. She’s a flight attendant who gracefully bows out, and honestly, we didn’t hate that. The drama between them wasn’t the story we were here for anyway.
Final Thoughts: Was It Worth the Watch?
Here’s the bottom line: People We Meet on Vacation worked better as a movie than we expected. The book dragged in spots and sometimes felt like it was trying to do too much with fairly simple material. The movie knew its lane, a rom-com with heart, and stayed in it. We were charmed by the leads, impressed by the pacing, and glad that the adaptation didn’t take itself too seriously.
Shirin came away from the experience feeling like the movie was more satisfying than the book. The characters had great chemistry, the story was complete, and it all wrapped up nicely. Meaghan, who’s read more of Henry’s work, thought it was a decent adaptation that hit the emotional beats, even if it skimmed over some of the deeper character work.
Will we be reading more Emily Henry before watching the next adaptation? Maybe not. But we’ll absolutely be watching. If future adaptations follow this formula, strong casting, lean storytelling, and good chemistry, then we’re in for some fun nights on the couch with popcorn and feelings.
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