People We Meet on Vacation Movie
By the Ember team · Updated August 25, 2026
People We Meet on Vacation premiered on Netflix on January 9, 2026. The film stars Emily Bader as Poppy and Tom Blyth as Alex, bringing Emily Henry's beloved 2021 novel to the screen with the same slow-burn chemistry and dual timeline structure that made the book a BookTok favorite.
The adaptation landed with critics calling it a breezy romance with charming leads. It earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Movie and helped push Emily Henry's entire backlist into active development. If you read People We Meet on Vacation and wanted to see Poppy and Alex come to life, the movie delivers exactly what it promised.
Short answer
People We Meet on Vacation premiered on Netflix on January 9, 2026. The film stars Emily Bader as Poppy and Tom Blyth as Alex, adapted from Emily Henry's 2021 novel. The movie earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Movie and is available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
Quick facts
- Release date
- January 9, 2026 on Netflix
- Lead cast
- Emily Bader (Poppy), Tom Blyth (Alex)
- Director
- Brett Haley
- Runtime
- 1h 57m
- Rating
- PG-13
- Emmy nomination
- Outstanding Movie
Where to watch People We Meet on Vacation
People We Meet on Vacation is streaming exclusively on Netflix. The film dropped on January 9, 2026 and remains available to subscribers worldwide. There is no theatrical release, rental window, or competing streaming platform. Netflix owns the rights and produced the film through its partnership with 3000 Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment.
If you are looking for the book before watching the movie, Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation (2021) is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook from all major retailers. The audiobook, narrated by Julia Whelan, is particularly good if you want the full dual-POV experience the film condenses into a single timeline.
Cast and reception
Emily Bader plays Poppy, the optimistic travel writer who drags her best friend Alex on annual summer trips. Tom Blyth, known for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, plays Alex, the reserved literary fiction writer who would rather stay home. The supporting cast includes Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount, Miles Heizer, and Jameela Jamil.
Emily Henry herself makes a cameo as a blonde guest at David's wedding, a detail book readers appreciated when they spotted it.
The film was directed by Brett Haley and adapted by screenwriters Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo. The runtime clocks in at 1 hour 57 minutes, rated PG-13.
Reception has been warm. The film holds a 6.6 rating on IMDb from over 52,000 viewers and earned generally positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics describing it as a breezy adaptation with charming leads. The Emmy nomination for Outstanding Movie signals that the film connected beyond the existing book fanbase and found a broader audience.
Book vs. movie for Emily Henry readers
Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation uses a dual timeline, cutting between the history of Poppy and Alex's friendship and the present-day trip where everything finally comes to a head. The movie preserves this structure, though it condenses some of the flashback vacations to fit the runtime.
The core emotional beats remain intact. The first meeting in college, the annual trips, the fight that ended their friendship, the awkward rekindling, and the slow realization that they were never just friends all land the way they do in the book. Some secondary characters get less screen time, and a few subplots are streamlined, but the heart of the story stays true to what made the novel resonate with readers.
If you loved Emily Henry's prose and the deeply internal way she writes Poppy's voice, the movie will feel lighter. Film adaptations of first-person novels always lose some of that internal monologue. But if you loved the chemistry, the banter, and the specific ache of watching two people take years to admit what everyone else already knows, the movie captures it.
For readers new to Emily Henry, start with the book. Her writing is what made People We Meet on Vacation a phenomenon, and the movie works better as a companion piece than as a replacement. For more Emily Henry titles, see the Emily Henry reading guide.
Every Emily Henry adaptation in the works
Emily Henry's entire backlist is either already on screen or actively being developed. Here is the full verified pipeline as of August 2026.
Released
People We Meet on Vacation — Netflix, January 9, 2026. Stars Emily Bader and Tom Blyth. Earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Movie.
In production
Beach Read — 20th Century Studios, expected release May 7, 2027. Phoebe Dynevor plays January Andrews and Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Augustus Everett. Yulin Kuang is directing and writing the screenplay. Filming began in 2026, with supporting cast including Kevin Bacon, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Davis, and Tig Notaro.
In development
- Funny Story — Announced January 2026 as a film from Netflix, Lyrical Media, and Ryder Pictures Company. Emily Henry is writing her own screenplay. No release date announced yet.
- Book Lovers — In development as a film. Sarah Heyward is writing the screenplay. No release date announced.
- Happy Place — Originally announced as a TV series with Jennifer Lopez's production company and Lila Cohan (Bridgerton co-producer) as showrunner. As of January 2026, the project shifted to a film format, with Emily Henry writing the screenplay. No release date announced.
For the full list of romance adaptations across all authors, including Colleen Hoover, Rebecca Yarros, and Sarah J. Maas, see the romance book adaptations hub.
What to read next
If you loved People We Meet on Vacation and want more like it, start with the rest of Emily Henry's backlist. Beach Read (2020) pairs a romance writer with a literary fiction snob in a summer writing challenge. Book Lovers (2022) follows a New York literary agent who keeps running into the grumpy editor who rejected her sister's manuscript. Happy Place (2023) reunites a broken-up couple who have to pretend they are still together for one last friend group vacation.
For readers who want the friends-to-lovers slow burn in other settings, the best romantic comedy books list covers similar territory. If the opposites-attract dynamic between Poppy and Alex is what pulled you in, try the grumpy sunshine romance books guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch People We Meet on Vacation?
People We Meet on Vacation is streaming exclusively on Netflix. The film premiered on January 9, 2026 and remains available to Netflix subscribers worldwide.
Is the People We Meet on Vacation movie faithful to the book?
The movie follows Emily Henry's novel closely, preserving the dual timeline structure and the core relationship between Poppy and Alex. Screenwriters Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo adapted the story for Netflix with director Brett Haley. The film captures the book's humor and emotional beats, though some subplots are condensed for the runtime.
Will Beach Read be a movie?
Yes. Beach Read is in production as a film from 20th Century Studios, expected to release May 7, 2027. The cast includes Phoebe Dynevor as January Andrews and Patrick Schwarzenegger as Augustus Everett, with Yulin Kuang directing and writing the screenplay.
Is there a People We Meet on Vacation sequel?
Emily Henry has not written a sequel to People We Meet on Vacation, and no sequel film has been announced. The novel and movie both conclude as standalone stories.
Sources
All details verified from official studio releases, trade publications, and platform announcements as of August 2026.
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