We Read People We Meet on Vacation Again Just to Convince You It’s Worth It

People We Meet on Vacation: What to Know Before Netflix’s Adaptation Drops.

Emily Henry’s slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance People We Meet on Vacation is headed to Netflix on January 9, 2026, and this isn’t your typical beach read. Here’s everything you need to know, including a full plot summary, ending spoilers, and a breakdown of the characters that make this story sing.

About Emily Henry

Emily Henry has become one of the most beloved names in contemporary romance, known for her clever dialogue, emotionally layered characters, and bittersweet take on love, timing, and personal growth. Her books consistently blend humor with heartbreak in a way that feels real, lived-in, and impossible to put down.

• 2020 – Beach Read
• 2021 – People We Meet on Vacation
• 2022 – Book Lovers
• 2023 – Happy Place
• 2024 – Funny Story
• 2025 – Great Big Beautiful Life

Since her breakout in adult romance, every one of her novels has earned both commercial success and critical love, and all of them have had their screen rights optioned for adaptation.

Netflix is behind on only two of Henry’s books:

• People We Meet on Vacation – confirmed Netflix film, set to premiere January 9, 2026
• Happy Place – being produced by Jennifer Lopez’s company as a Netflix series

The Setup: Two Best Friends, Ten Summers, One Life-Changing Trip

Poppy and Alex couldn’t be more different.

Poppy Wright

• “A restless extrovert with a loud laugh and a closet full of vintage clothes.”
• “She lives for adventure, spontaneity, and throwing herself into the deep end, whether it’s a new city or a conversation with a stranger.”

Alex Nilsen

• “A khaki-wearing introvert who alphabetizes his books and prefers quiet nights in over crowded airports.”
• “Steady, thoughtful, and a little uptight—he’s the type who always has an umbrella and never forgets your birthday.”

Poppy and Alex first meet during orientation week at the University of Chicago. It’s not exactly love at first sight, Poppy finds Alex stiff and serious, while Alex sees Poppy as loud and chaotic. They seem completely mismatched: she’s a free spirit who dreams of travel and big city life; he’s buttoned-up, quiet, and stays close to home. But a shared ride back to their hometown in Ohio, Linfield, during a school break forces them into close quarters.

That long car ride turns into the spark of an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they click in a way that surprises them both. Over time, their bond deepens through shared jokes, teasing, and genuine understanding. Eventually, their tradition of taking a summer vacation together each year becomes a cornerstone of their relationship—and the heart of the book.

For over a decade, they’ve traveled together: Canada, Croatia, Norway. They’ve laughed, fought, made weird memories, but never crossed the line. Until two years ago, when something happened on one of those trips in Croatia that changed everything.

Now, they don’t speak.

But when Poppy realizes she’s at her loneliest despite professional success, she decides to fix things the only way she knows how by inviting Alex on one more vacation.

After two years of not speaking to Alex, she reaches out via text. She learns that his brother David is getting married in Palm Springs and uses that as the perfect opportunity to reconnect.

Poppy suggests they take one of their signature summer trips again, and when Alex mentions the wedding, she offers to plan the trip around it. She tells him her travel magazine will cover the expenses, but that’s a lie. In reality, Poppy pays for everything herself, covering the costs out of her own pocket despite her limited funds.

So, while the trip happens under the pretense of work, it’s actually a personal mission for Poppy: to repair their friendship (and maybe more) without being fully honest about how desperate she is to fix things.

And just like that, they’re back in a rundown Airbnb in Palm Springs, trying to pretend the awkwardness isn’t suffocating. Old jokes resurface. So do old feelings. But the real question isn’t if they’ll fall for each other. It’s whether they’ll finally be brave enough to admit it.

What Makes This Story Hit Different

People We Meet on Vacation is structured in dual timelines, jumping between past summer trips and the present vacation in Palm Springs. As we track their friendship through the years, we slowly unravel the emotional depth, unspoken longing, and buried miscommunication between Poppy and Alex.

Emily Henry doesn’t just write chemistry; she builds it over time, through late-night conversations, shared beds, broken AC units, and moments that almost become something more. The book captures what it means to truly know someone, to feel seen by them, and to still carry the fear that acting on those feelings might ruin everything.

SPOILER ALERT: Skip the Section Below If You Want to Wait for Netflix

This section includes the full ending and major plot details from the novel. You’ve been warned.

People We Meet on Vacation, Full Summary and Ending

Two years before the current timeline, on their final night in Croatia, Poppy and Alex shared a drunken kiss, an impulsive moment that had been building for years. But when Alex gently stopped things from going further, hoping to protect their friendship, Poppy took it as rejection. The misunderstanding cut deep. What should have been a turning point became a fracture.

When they returned home, they drifted apart, and two years of silence followed. It wasn’t until Poppy reached out, suggesting a new trip to Palm Springs, that they spoke again.

Now, in Palm Springs, Poppy wants to rebuild that connection, not just as friends, but maybe as something more. But it’s messy. Alex is dating someone. Poppy is hiding her doubts about her career. They both tiptoe around the subject of Croatia.

Eventually, it all comes out. Poppy admits she’s not happy, not with her job, not with her life in New York. What she truly wants is to be with Alex, even if it means changing everything. But Alex, afraid of being her “escape,” turns her down.

They go their separate ways.

Once the trip ends, Poppy and Alex return to their separate lives. They part ways without addressing the obvious tension or discussing what comes next. There’s a heavy silence between them, and they don’t communicate after Palm Springs.

Poppy spirals into a period of emotional confusion. Back in New York, she feels deeply unfulfilled, despite having everything she thought she wanted professionally. She eventually goes to therapy, where she starts to unpack her dissatisfaction and realizes the core of her unhappiness: she’s in love with Alex, and she has been for a long time.

After weeks of introspection, she decides to fly back to Linfield, where Alex lives. She doesn’t text or call in advance, she simply shows up at a bar where she knows he’ll be. There’s no dramatic email or written confession beforehand. She tells him everything in person.

At the bar, they talk honestly for the first time since the trip. Poppy admits her feelings and owns up to her mistakes. Alex, though clearly hurt and cautious, eventually opens up too. He tells her that he still loves her, but that he had to let her go because he didn’t think she felt the same.

The story ends on a hopeful, grounded note. In the final chapter, Poppy and Alex are back in New York together. Poppy has left her job at the travel magazine and started writing a new column in a local newspaper called People We Meet in New York, where she explores the city through her own eyes and shares the stories of those who love it. Alex has accepted a teaching position at a college. Once-a-year vacations no longer bind them; instead, they’re building a life rooted in daily routines, shared choices, and being truly present with each other.

The last lines reinforce that their love isn’t flashy or perfect,but it’s real, lasting, and chosen. It’s a soft, emotionally satisfying ending that centers on growth, stability, and the quiet kind of happiness they were both searching for all along.

Where Poppy and Alex Travel in People We Meet on Vacation

One of the most charming elements of People We Meet on Vacation is the yearly trip tradition. Emily Henry takes readers through a string of destinations that map not only Poppy and Alex’s shared history, but also their emotional highs and lows.

Every Vacation Spot in Chronological Order

• 11 Summers Ago – Linfield, Ohio
• 10 Summers Ago – Vancouver, Canada
• 09 Summers Ago – Nashville, Tennessee
• 08 Summers Ago – San Francisco, California
• 07 Summers Ago – New Orleans, Louisiana
• 06 Summers Ago – Vail, Colorado
• 05 Summers Ago – Sanibel Island, Florida
• 04 Summers Ago – Sweden & Norway
• 03 Summers Ago – Tuscany, Italy
• 02 Summers Ago – Croatia
• Current time – Palm Springs, California

Each location reveals a different stage of their friendship, from playful to heartbreaking and builds toward the emotional climax in Palm Springs.

Who’s Who: Main Characters in People We Meet on Vacation

Movie vs Book

While the People We Meet on Vacation novel is an open-door romance, the upcoming film adaptation carries a PG-13 rating. That means some of the more intimate and emotionally raw moments will likely be softened or reshaped for the screen. Still, if the heart of Poppy and Alex’s story stays intact, the film has every chance to capture the same charm even if it plays a little quieter.

Back when the adaptation was first announced in 2022, Emily Henry assured her readers the story was in good hands. She said screenwriter Yulin knew the characters better than she did and praised both Yulin and director Brett Haley for truly understanding the heart of the book and being deeply committed to getting it right.

People We Meet on Vacation arrives on Netflix January 9, bringing Poppy and Alex’s story to the screen, just in time to warm up your winter.