Tom Blyth stars in ‘People We Meet on Vacation’: all the major changes from the book

Emily Henry’s BookTok favourite has officially made the jump from page to screen. People We Meet on Vacation, starring Tom Blyth as Alex and Emily Bader as Poppy, is now streaming on Netflix, marking the first of several Henry adaptations in the works.

While the film keeps the core will-they-won’t-they romance between two longtime friends, it makes some major changes to the story. Here’s how the Netflix movie differs from the beloved novel.

The ‘only one bed’ trope happens much earlier

In the book, Alex and Poppy meet during freshman orientation at the University of Chicago and later drive home together after being set up by a mutual friend.

The movie skips most of that backstory and jumps straight into a rom-com-style road trip from Boston College to Ohio. That’s also when the iconic “only one bed” moment happens, after they get stranded and forced to share a motel room.

In the book, this trope appears much later during their Palm Springs trip.

Their reunion is completely reworked

One of the biggest changes is how Alex and Poppy reconnect.

In the novel, Poppy reaches out to repair their friendship. Alex invites her to his brother’s wedding in Palm Springs, where they stay in a cramped rental with broken air conditioning and, of course, one bed.

In the movie, the wedding is moved to Barcelona. Poppy is invited independently by Alex’s brother and persuades her boss to let her go. Their reunion feels more accidental than planned, and the apartment is far more glamorous than in the book.

Fans will be relieved, however, that the rainy balcony hookup makes it into the film.

The movie trims down the travel chaos

With a two-hour runtime, the film sacrifices many of the colourful side stories and eccentric characters that made the book so rich.

Some trips remain, inspired by Squamish, New Orleans and Tuscany, and the steamy water taxi scene survives. But several fan-favourite characters are missing, including quirky photographer Bernard and rafting guide Lita.

Their fallout plays out differently

In the book, Alex and Poppy drift apart after a drunken hook-up in Croatia. It’s the first time they act on their feelings, and the emotional fallout quietly pushes them away from each other.

In the movie, Croatia is cut entirely. Instead, their breaking point happens in Tuscany, where they are on a couples’ trip with their partners, Trey and Sarah. The film adds extra drama by having Alex propose to Sarah, which never happens in the novel.

Sarah is a very different character

Book readers will notice that Sarah has been rewritten.

In the novel, she’s Alex’s on-again, off-again college girlfriend. In the film, she’s his high school sweetheart, representing stability and a small-town future.

This shift changes the emotional stakes. In the book, Alex and Poppy drift apart because of miscommunication. In the movie, it feels more like Alex actively choosing someone else.

Alex loses some of his book charm

Readers fell hard for Alex in the novel: anxious, nerdy, emotionally layered and quietly romantic.

The movie smooths him out. His complicated backstory, including the trauma surrounding his mother’s death, is largely sidelined. Many of his quirks, including his fragile cat and creative writing talent, are also missing.

Instead, the film presents a more conventional romantic lead, driven by caution and fear of change.

The ending gets a full rom-com makeover

The movie keeps the will-they-won’t-they tension but delivers it in classic rom-com style.

In the book, Poppy realises Alex is her home, no matter where they are. Their reunion is quiet, emotional and reflective.

In the movie, Poppy literally runs through Ohio to find him, ending in a dramatic kiss in the middle of the street. It’s bigger, louder and far more cinematic.

Final thoughts

While the film captures the chemistry between Alex and Poppy, it trades much of the book’s emotional messiness for glossy rom-com beats.

Some fans will love the streamlined storytelling. Others may miss the depth, chaos and slow-burn heartbreak that made the novel hit so hard.