Emily Henry shares how the People We Meet on Vacation movie could transform readers' experience of the book

Emily Henry's People We Meet on Vacation is about to reach a new audience as a movie adaptation, which features Emily Bader and Tom Blyth, will be heading to Netflix. The author herself confirms that after watching the film, the original story may never be the same for fans.

Henry revealed her feelings of joy through an interview with E! News, which happened after she not only paid a visit to the set but also had a chance to watch the movie herself in a rough version.

"It was amazing, it really was," she said. "I was lucky enough to get to do some set visits, so I got to see it in real life and knew that it worked. But getting to actually see a cut of the movie, they've changed the characters in my head, which I think is the sign of a really great movie." (Emily Henry to E! News)

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New faces, same heart: How Tom and Emily became Alex and Poppy

Henry said fans would be pleased to hear that the favorite characters have remained similar to their book counterparts, even though the film presents new actors performing.

"It's not like they're totally different people," she explained, "but they embodied the characters in a way that the characters shifted for me slightly and became more Tom (Blyth) nand Emily (Bader) than they were when I initially wrote the book."

The novelist is of the opinion that the public will absorb this as well, and he assumes that the people who have read the books for a long time will also feel the same way.

"And I think readers are going to feel the same way. I think they're going to love Alex and Poppy, and they're going to love Tom and Emily as Alex and Poppy," she said. "It's going to change the way that they reread that book."

She also commented on the quality of the adaptation, stating that it "is just as good as we could have possibly hoped."

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A universe expanded: New scenes with the same spirit

Henry made it clear that the movie is not a direct replica of the pages of the book; rather, it is a creative expansion of her universe of the original.

"I also think there's something really cool about them getting to see content that is not directly from the book, but could be from the book," Henry said. (Emily Henry to E! News) She continued, "I think it's sort of an expansion of the universe in a way that's really fun."

Henry also stressed that the film is still loyal to the essence of the book.

"It's all so good and it's different, but it's different in a way that still feels very at one with the book," she said. "It doesn't feel like it's not a faithful adaptation."

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Easter eggs ahead: Poppy and Alex in Henry’s new books

Along with the new film, Henry's latest book, Great Big Beautiful Life, is now on shelves. She hinted that observant readers would spot a hidden Easter egg in the book.

"There's one in this book that I can remember that I'm excited for them to catch that’s so tiny, but it is an Easter egg pointing to Poppy and Alex," Henry revealed. "There's a reference to them."

Moreover, Henry confirmed that her 2025 novel, Funny Story, involves a covert reference to the favorite pair of characters.

"My favorite one is in Funny Story, and it also points to Poppy and Alex," she said. "But it is discrete enough I don't know if anyone knows that Poppy and Alex are literally on the page at one point."

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Final thoughts: A new way to experience a beloved story

Although the film fans will have to show a bit more patience to see Alex and Poppy's story in movie form, it appears that the Netflix production will, by all means, provide the audience with a never-felt-before heartfelt experience, something that would certainly bring the story of the old days back to life, as well as the thrill of reading it one more time.