People We Meet on Vacation (2026)

Director Brett Haley’s People We Meet On Vacation, released on Netflix in early January of this year, but is, without a doubt, the perfect film to watch during the summertime. The vibrant colors, gorgeous sceneries, and the fun, exciting atmosphere that this film carries makes everything feel just a little bit brighter when watching it. As the rom-com universe has been itching for another heart-warming creation like the very famous, When Harry Met Sally, many were ecstatic at the news of Emily Henry’s most popular novel, People We Meet On Vacation, coming to life on our screens. Henry is known for writing romantic heterosexual stories that mainly capture the hearts of young female readers, as well as those who live and breathe for a good rom-com. The author has consistently failed to disappoint her loyal fanbase, but with the immense appreciation for the film adaptation of her beloved novel, also brought an unfortunate amount of conflicting opinions.

Starting off with the importance of who to cast in the film, as fans of the book strongly hoped for accuracy, Haley and Henry were heavily applauded for their final decisions. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth were chosen to portray the main characters, Poppy and Alex, and fans were over the moon with this perfect pairing. Bader was previously recognized for her brilliant role in the show My Lady Jane, which has showcased her significant talent and experience in portraying a romantic storyline. Lots of her supporters from her previous roles had no doubt or concern that she was going to absolutely excel at the silly, outgoing, extroverted woman that her character, Poppy, is. And taking a look at her counterpart in the film, Tom Blyth, who has gotten a substantial amount of attention from his performance as President Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, many were begging for him to be in more romantic stories in his future when witnessing the undeniable charm he can bring to the screen. Though Blyth looks identical to how Alex is described in the novel, everyone was highly confident that he would have no issue in exhibiting the awkward, grumpy, introverted personality that brings his character to life. There is no argument that both of these talented actors have exceeded expectations when it came to portraying the “opposites attract” relationship, and all the chemistry that was promised to the readers of the novel.

Though it may have seemed like Haley had all the crucial elements for People We Meet On Vacation to live up to the book, Emily Henry’s supporters voiced their unhappiness with some of the aspects of the film after its big release. As perfect as the casting was, it was more so the structure that led to a lot of strong opinions, and fans of the book have expressed that it may be the reason why the storyline felt very rushed. When the adaptation was first announced to the public, there were some concerns roaming the air about important pieces of the story being left out due to it becoming a movie, and not a short series. Discussing the structure of the novel, Poppy and Alex have visited numerous vacation spots in each flashback chapter, but looking at the adaptation, they left out many of those important getaways to perfectly fit the length of the movie. Whereas, if you were to re-create this epic friends-to-lovers journey into a TV series, each episode would’ve showcased a different vacation the two characters took, while also leaving more room to dive deeper into the significance of each one. A good amount of Henry’s readers felt that even though there was unarguable romance within the film-–-that it was not portrayed to its fullest potential. There were many moments in the novel that were written to display character development, family conflict, and internal struggles that ended up not making the final cut. Fans overall perceived the film as a very surface-level summary of what the book is about, which is why it unfortunately received the criticism it did.

Emily Henry took the romance novel world by storm in 2020 with the release of Beach Read. When People We Meet on Vacation came out two years later, she cemented herself in the romance canon. As a committed follower of Henry’s career, I was delighted when Netflix announced a movie adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation, the story of travel writer Poppy and the shy, quiet Alex. Even though it is my least favorite book she has released so far, I looked forward to seeing one of my favorite author’s work on my screen.

Unfortunately, People We Meet on Vacation didn’t hold up quite as well as I’d hoped. While a younger me was entranced by Poppy’s belief that small towns are a trap that force you to be someone you aren’t and that travel can solve all ills, four years later it doesn't hit quite the same. It does get better as the film goes along, but one hour into a rom-com is far too long to wait before liking about the main character. Part of that is my stage of life, but a far larger part is the fact that this is a male directed film that doesn’t invest in Poppy’s characterization.

The romance is told primarily from the perspective of Poppy, yet she is one-dimensional in a way that she isn’t in Henry’s novel. Actress Emily Bader does her best to portray Poppy’s annoying-yet-lovabable qualities, but it comes off more Manic Pixie Dream Girl than real human being. While that energy was present in the book, it was offset by the fact that Poppy had an interior monologue, none of which we get in the movie version.

Although there was an attempt to include non-white actors in the film, each character serves only as a learning opportunity for Poppy or Alex. Poppy’s best friend Rachel (Alice Lee) goes to Soul Cycle and gives her someone to talk to about Alex. Her boss, Swapna (Jameela Jamil) provides exposition telling us that Poppy was once a great writer despite her current struggles, and encouragement that she will become successful once again. Lucien Laviscount of Emily in Paris fame and Madeleine Akua serve as hook-ups on the route to Alex and Poppy finding each other. It continues to be frustrating when films refuse to flesh out any of their non-white characters. It’s a far too common trope. The film would be far better served by more dynamic roles, and the actors who play these parts deserve it as well.

That isn’t to say there was nothing to love about this movie. People We Meet on Vacation delivers on the lighthearted fun that exists in all of Henry’s writing. Alex (Tom Blythe) clearly loves Poppy, and that energy is enough to make any film worth watching. There were so many scenes—from the dancing at the bar to nearly kissing in Touscany—that left me grinning. If I’d gotten wine drunk and gone to see this at the theater with my best friends, it would have been perfect. At home on my couch, I’m a bit of a harsher critic.

I still found myself cheering for the romance, at first because I was supposed to and then because the chemistry between Blythe and Bader took a messy script and brought it together well. The make-out scene didn't necessarily feel deserved, but it was enjoyable!

People We Meet on Vacation is worth watching if you are a fan of Henry or the romance genre in general. It won't break any boundaries or win awards, but it's a fun first installment in what I hope will be many Henry-inspired book-to-movie adaptions to come.