I Love How Netflix’s People We Meet On Vacation Changes Emily Henry’s Book. Let’s Discuss My 6 Favorite Differences

Okay, so I just finished watching “People We Meet On Vacation,” and I need to warn you – I’m about to dive into some major spoilers! If you haven’t seen it yet, seriously, pause here and go stream it on Netflix. Seriously, don’t say I didn’t warn you – there are twists and turns I’m about to unpack!

Overall, the movie adaptation of People We Meet On Vacation stays true to the spirit of the book, but it’s also quite different. The film, set to release on Netflix in 2026, successfully captures the emotional core of Emily Henry’s story, and the actors Tom Blyth and Emily Bader are excellent as Alex and Poppy. That said, the filmmakers made a number of significant updates and changes.

In the book, Poppy and Alex’s vacation starts with a few days of a typical getaway in Palm Springs before attending Alex’s brother’s wedding. The upcoming movie adaptation changes this significantly; it jumps straight to the wedding, and the setting is Barcelona instead of Palm Springs. While I’m unsure about this major alteration, I was very happy to see several other positive changes made to the story.

The Extended Road Trip Scene

Poppy and Alex first meet at new student orientation at the University of Chicago. At the end of their freshman year, they drive home to Ohio together. The story mainly focuses on that road trip and how they get to know each other during the drive.

The road trip in the movie is pretty chaotic. It starts with Poppy being late, causing them to get stuck in traffic. To make things worse, she spills her breakfast burrito all over Alex’s car while they’re stuck! They share a sweet moment at a gas station wishing well, only to discover they’ve locked themselves out of the car. They end up spending the night at a hotel and grabbing breakfast at a diner the next day. Despite all the mishaps, they actually have a good time, and the scene concludes with Alex realizing they love to travel.

So, yeah, this scene is very different from the book, and it’s a way bigger deal that I adore.

Alex And Sarah Are On-Again/Off-Again High School Sweethearts

As Poppy and Alex become friends, Tom Blyth’s character also navigates his connection with Sarah Torval.

Sarah is portrayed as Alex’s longtime crush – a thoughtful and health-conscious classmate he met while working at the college library. They eventually date, and later both end up working at the same school.

The movie adds some backstory: Alex and Sarah are established as high school sweethearts who have an on-again, off-again relationship over several years. I think this makes their connection feel more important and creates more compelling drama as the story unfolds.

The Canada Trip Where Alex Carries The Statue And Then Goes Skinny Dipping

The movie has a couple of memorable scenes in Canada – Alex carrying a sasquatch statue and going for a swim without any clothes. However, surprisingly, those events don’t actually appear in the original book.

This episode, mirroring the original story, features the group meeting Buck and Poppy nearly starting a relationship with him. It’s also where they decide to make yearly vacations a tradition. Alex, however, doesn’t have much of a role in these events.

The movie takes a surprising turn. While Poppy shares a touching moment with Buck after struggling to move a statue, Alex unexpectedly runs into the ocean completely nude and is forced to walk around camp without any clothes. I thought both the nude scene and the statue Alex carried were really funny and charming, and they showed a playful, lighthearted side to his character.

The Pregnancy Scare And The Croatia Problem Are Turned Into One Issue

In Emily Henry’s novel, a trip to Croatia is frequently mentioned as the reason Poppy and Alex stopped speaking for years. We eventually learn they shared a kiss during that trip, which caused them to grow apart. The story also includes a trip to Tuscany and a pregnancy scare as key plot points.

All of this is important because the movie quickly jumps between these events in a single scene. After Poppy worries she might be pregnant, Alex comforts her, and they discover she isn’t. In that emotional moment, they almost kiss. The next morning, however, Alex proposes to Sarah, creating a chaotic situation that ultimately causes a falling-out between their friends.

The movie’s emotional impact was incredibly strong, and it really made their years-long silence feel believable and justified.

Alex Found Out About Poppy’s Lie Before They Slept Together, Which Ultimately Changed The Third Act Breakup

I recently finished People We Meet On Vacation, and honestly, one thing really bothered me. Poppy kept a secret from Alex – she told him their trip to Palm Springs was for work when it wasn’t, and she didn’t come clean until after they’d already started getting back together. It felt like a really late reveal, especially since it came out during a big argument about how they both felt about their futures. It all led to them thinking they couldn’t make things work, which was so frustrating to read!

During the movie, Poppy ended up in Barcelona for a work assignment, but she was initially scheduled to go to Greece. She proposed a different story idea as a way to attend the wedding of Alex’s brother, which she shares during the rehearsal dinner, before she and Alex become intimate. This revelation – that she wanted to reconnect with a friend – is actually what leads to their romantic encounter. If this conversation happened sooner, it would significantly alter the major breakup that happens later in the film.

In the movie, Alex and Poppy split up at the reception when they discover they have fundamentally different views of each other’s futures – she believes he’s tied to their hometown, and he thinks she’s avoiding commitment. They realize their feelings aren’t the issue, but their diverging life paths are, and they decide to go their separate ways. The books reach the same conclusion, but it’s complicated by a hidden secret. I appreciated that the movie kept things simpler, focusing on a purely emotional split without any element of betrayal.

Poppy Chases Down Alex To Confess Her Love

The book portrays Alex as a teacher at work when Poppy comes back to Ohio to tell him how she feels. He’s initially unsure, and she has to repeatedly convince him they’re meant to be together. Their first meeting happens at school, followed by another in the parking lot. However, the movie changes this: instead of being at school, Alex is leaving his house for a run when Emily Bader’s character finds him.

Okay, so then Poppy actually runs after him – which is a huge deal because we find out right away she absolutely despises running! It’s such a sweet, romantic moment. She finally catches up to him at a crosswalk, and they share this incredibly romantic kiss – the dialogue is pretty much lifted straight from the book, which I loved. It was the perfect way to wrap things up before the epilogue, honestly. Even though it’s not exactly like the book, it still captures that passionate confession in their hometown that finally brings Poppy and Alex together. It really worked for me.

While the 2026 adaptation definitely differs from the original 2021 book, I actually think the changes make it even better. I really enjoyed how it all turned out!

2026-01-10 01:12