I am a huge fan of romance books. I have been a member of Booktok for longer than I have been in college, and I have had to replace my Kindle twice from overuse. Those reasons, plus my reading hours logged and volume of romance books read, make me a qualified book-to-movie adaptation critique, and today I will be using those talents on Emily Henry’s bestselling 2021 novel turned 2026 movie, The People We Meet on Vacation. This review is not based on book accuracy, because come on, so many things have changed, but strictly on my enjoyment when watching this movie. So starting now… SPOILER WARNING.
First things first, this is a Netflix adaptation. That means it’s only going to be filmed one way, with glossy visuals and pretty locations, with a preferred bright aesthetic and something to hook you within the first 10 minutes to support retention. That’s not me complaining – trust me, I love my Hallmarks as much as the next guy – just an observation. Our two main characters are extroverted Poppy and type A Alex, being stuck in a quirky roadtrip back to their hometown in Ohio as strangers who turn into friends.
I love Tom Blyth, who plays Alex, from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Emily Bader, who plays Poppy, from her show My Lady Jane. That’s why I am so disappointed that they fell short for me. I’m not saying they ruined the movie, I’m just saying I would have preferred actors I don’t know to play Alex and Poppy, only because I have a much easier time getting wrapped up in a movie if I don’t associate the actors with other previous characters I loved. But I digress.
With the actors we got, I think they did a fabulous job of capturing how overzealous Poppy is, and how much Alex absolutely hates it. I prefer my book boyfriends broody and quiet, only opening up for their girl, and that is exactly how Alex is. I loved that they kept that in the movie and didn’t rewrite him as a positive sunshiney guy, as that is Poppy’s role in the relationship.
A few months after their traumatic road trip home, they go on a camping trip together, their bond sparks, and the plot of the movie is born: a vacation-a-year pact that takes them all over the world, together.
I would like to add, for my non-watcher/readers who are just reading this review for fun, Alex has an on-and-off girlfriend this entire time. Like literally start to finish. If that turns you off from the movie because you like to stay loyal in your relationships, that detail isn’t in the books, so go read those. It turns me off personally because I am in a relationship and my dream is to be a fashion/travel journalist, so the idea of going on an annual intimate trip with someone other than my partner is just… wrong. Not that we are comparing the book to the movie here, I’m just saying the girlfriend addition to the movie is an odd move.
After the tradition becomes their thing, the movie cuts to a montage of them jet-setting around the world on Poppy’s work card (she is a travel journalist – dream job!) and making memories that quietly cement their places in each other’s lives. My favorite aspect of their love story is that, although we, the viewer, always see their chemistry, Alex and Poppy’s love sneaks up on them, innocent and scared of what it means for these friends who never want to lose each other.
As the movie moves through, you are reminded of the difference between Poppy and Alex, and how they want completely different things in life. Alex wants stability, living in Ohio with a plan and a wife, while Poppy never wants to be in the same place for long, constantly discovering the world. This is why their love story is so important: they choose each other and the life they can make together, instead of dropping their dreams for love. That is also why it takes them so long to get together, but I digress, again.
The main tension from the book comes from Poppy and Alex’s attachment to each other. Alex is the only real thing in Poppy’s life, as she spends her time jumping from location to location and partner to partner, while Poppy is the only thing keeping Alex from settling down and starting his life. When Poppy realizes this, she suppresses her feelings and throws herself into her spontaneous life. When Alex realizes his feelings, he does what most men do: lie to themselves. Alex fights to convince his heart and brain that he is happy. Spoiler alert: he fails.
Another spoiler alert: Alex’s relationship fails. (After he gets engaged to his girlfriend on a trip with Poppy and her boyfriend). A lot happens on that double date trip, but I think you should just go watch the movie and find out!
Now our (Poppy and Alex’s) obstacle is just fear and miscommunication. Poppy doesn’t know Alex and his fiancée broke off the engagement, and Alex doesn’t know that he is about to see Poppy and has conveniently forgotten to tell her about his empty ring finger. At this point, the movie follows the romcom checklist:
- Both characters misunderstand the relationship: check
- The characters realize they can’t live without the other: check
- There is a big love declaration: check
- Everyone lives happily ever after: check
Bonus points if one of them fights the big love declaration (go watch the movie), but overall a predictable and satisfying ending. Alex admitting he has always loved Poppy is my favorite trope, and I am happy Poppy gets the security that she is not crazy and unlovable; she just wasn’t looking in the correct places. The movie works because it knows exactly what it is: a fast-paced Netflix rom-com, with beautiful locations (shoutout NOLA), laugh-out-loud moments, and swoony tension that leaves you thinking about the characters until you go to bed.
Watching romance heroes in their day jobs as journalists is nothing new to me, as I fell in love with journalism through fictional women, specifically those in the fashion journalism field. From Andie Anderson to Carrie Bradshaw, I am always going to connect to the female protagonists when they are journalists, and Poppy is now a part of this list. I see the same shared love in Poppy that I see in my previous journalist heroes, reminding me in this light-hearted romance why I love journalism – something that feels important to hold onto during my second semester senior year, when it feels easy to lose sight of why I started this degree in the first place.
The reason I feel so connected to Poppy’s character is that she is facing a reality that has quietly become a future fear of mine: the idea that achieving your dream job does not automatically mean you have built a life you love. Poppy spends the entire movie chasing her dream, only to realize in the end that what she needed the whole time for happiness was right in front of her. That fear feels uncomfortably real and relatable as I am on the edge of my own future, measuring my success on milestones achieved rather than moments and memories I should cherish as my college career passes before my eyes.
In the end, the story People We Meet on Vacation is a story of relatable characters we all wish to be: people who chase their dreams, but not at the expense of love. Reminding the watcher that happiness comes from various aspects of life, and that having your best friend by your side can always make it a little easier.
