Written by Casey

I’m sure that everyone has loved seeing the hype that book-to-movie adaptations are getting right now. I know that I have. Most recently, People We Meet On Vacation, written by Emily Henry, is my latest obsession. I might be a little late to the train, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hop on.

People We Meet on Vacation is the heartfelt story of Poppy and Alex, two best friends who fall in love with each other after a decade of trips to destination vacations together. The two have a falling out, as happens with most friends who hide their feelings, and now they are on their way to Alex’s brother’s wedding in Palm Springs (book) and Barcelona (movie). 

The book was released in May 2021 and the movie was released on Netflix in January 2026. 

Book-to-movie adaptations can be tricky, especially when the book is by a beloved author. Henry primarily writes romance novels and even had a hand in creating the script for the movie. Even so, there were parts of the movie that were changed from the book to better fit the flow of the story. 

The first, as mentioned earlier, is the Palm Springs versus Barcelona wedding plotline. I feel like this was a pretty big change, considering Barcelona was a destination wedding for the sake of the movie plot. It was still interesting and still fun to have the wedding there, but in the novel, everything that could go wrong does. 

Another plot point that was changed for the movie was Alex’s proposal to his girlfriend and Alex and Poppy’s first kiss. Alex and Poppy do not share their first kiss in Tuscany, as the movie portrays. It was actually in Croatia when the pair was on another trip. 

Alex proposes to his girlfriend, Sarah, in Tuscany, and in the movie, that is the crucial moment where his friendship with Poppy ends. For those who don’t understand, the impression is created that Poppy was coming between Alex and Sarah’s relationship. 

A plot point that didn’t really make sense as to why it was changed was the fact that Alex and Poppy knew each other already by the time they headed back to Linefield, Ohio. They met at their University of Chicago orientation in the book, whereas in the movie, they meet for the first time returning home from Boston College. This didn’t make much sense to me because it was such a minor and major plot point, but I let it slide.

As I watched the movie, though, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. There were so many things left out from the movie. There was no Nashville trip, no Colorado trip, no Vail trip, and probably the most important plot point: Alex never got his vasectomy.

Alex getting a vasectomy is a huge plot point that the movie misses, especially because it ties into his family history. Alex’s mother dies in childbirth, and while on a trip in Tuscany, Poppy has a pregnancy scare. This part lines up with the movie. But what doesn’t is they never mention anything about a vasectomy. 

When Poppy has the pregnancy scare, this is the moment Alex decides to go through with the procedure. There is no discussion with Sarah, and he doesn’t tell Poppy until after it happens. I think if this were added to the movie, it could have given more depth to Alex’s character. 

The movie was good, but it felt like we were just scratching the surface with this adaptation. With the original source material, it felt like there was more depth than what we got on screen, which is the problem that I find with adaptations. 

I would still rate the movie a 4 out of 5 stars! 

Rating: ★★★★

You can currently watch People We Meet on Vacation on Netflix.