The highly anticipated film People We Meet on Vacation has brought one of the most romantic and fulfilling stories to life. The film, based on the novel by Emily Henry, was released on January 9, 2026. Directed by Brett Haley, starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader, People We Meet On Vacation brings the story of Poppy and Alex from page to screen with deep and thoughtful emotions.
People We Meet on Vacation tells the story of Poppy Wright, played by Emily Bader, and Alex Nilsen, played by Tom Blyth, who meet at Boston College (changed from the University of Chicago in the book) that led to them being acquaintances, best friends, and, ultimately, lovers.
Poppy is optimistic, joyful, and friendly, while Alex is reserved, quiet, and laid back. After meeting, they form a friendship and start taking annual summer trips to different locations. Each location creates new memories, adventures, and challenges for both of them. In the first few summer trips, they immediately become close friends.
After college, Poppy follows her dreams and moves to New York to pursue a career in travel-writing, while Alex continues to stay in Linfield, Ohio, to teach at a high school. As they continue their summer trips each year, the tension between them starts to grow, especially as they have different love interests such as Sarah Torval, Alex’s on and off girlfriend played by Sarah Catherine Hook. Their different personal goals and romantic conflicts cause rifts in their friendship and leave their true feelings for each other unresolved.
Tom Blyth and Emily Bader are so strong as the lead actors with their great chemistry, revealing quiet glances and their moments of jealousy when the characters see each other with other romantic partners. The film also captures the energy of summer through its vibrant settings and colorful clothing. From the character’s outfits to the background settings, each one visually represented the lively concept of the movie. Scenes of characters dancing, laughing, and the playful banter between the two make their relationship more authentic.
Across social media platforms like TikTok, people debate whether or not the book or the film better captures Poppy and Alex’s story. The movie makes several changes compared to the book including the summer trips, the college they attended, changing family details, such as the number of siblings Alex has, the wedding location, and adjusting key plot points such as Alex not proposing to Sarah and the Tuscany fight replacing the Croatia trip.
Despite these differences, Bader and Blyth fully capture their characters in different moments such as the dance scene in New Orleans or the intimate rain confession. They continued to make their moments together engaging and heartwarming. The vacation settings, the characters’ humor, and comforting moments made the movie enjoyable even for viewers who haven’t read the book.
