(Spoiler Ahead)

People We Meet On Vacation recently premiered on Netflix on Jan. 9, 2026, bringing Emily Henry’s bestselling novel to life.

The film is a romantic drama that explores friendship, love and timing. The movie is about two best friends whose annual vacation slowly becomes something deeper.

The story follows Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth) and Poppy Wright (Emily Bader), longtime best friends with completely opposite personalities.

Alex is quiet, responsible and consistent while Poppy is outgoing, spontaneous and always chasing adventure, influencing her career path.

Every summer, the two travel together, creating traditions and memories until one trip causes a falling out that leaves them estranged for a couple years.

The movie moves between their past vacations  and the present, slowly revealing what went wrong between them. When Alex’s brother is getting married in Barcelona, Poppy reaches out to him, unsure whether she should attend. Ultimately, the decision she made transformed their relationship for the better.

I was genuinely surprised at how emotionally heavy the story became. In Italy, when Poppy’s pregnancy test came out negative, it added a powerful layer to her character, revealing her fears of pregnancy.

The tension surrounding the Italy trip, where unspoken feelings came to a breaking point, felt real.

The final emotional confrontation between Alex and Poppy was both satisfying and shocking. Once Poppy ran after Alex, even though she hates it, showed her true love.

Watching Alex and Poppy finally face the truth was both emotional and rewarding.

Overall, People We Meet On Vacation is an emotional, heartfelt and intense movie. I would give my rating a four out of five, because it missed some key plot points from the book.