It Was One of the Biggest Hits of 2021. Netflix's New Adaptation Makes It So Much Worse.

"Emily Henry, super-popular author of contemporary romance novels with six New York Times bestsellers under her belt, has said that her prepublication jitters always center on one thing: "how the heroine would be received." In 2023, Henry told New York magazine writer Allison P. Davis that this was a matter of self-image, because the author put some of herself in each heroine: "If people don't like this thing about her, reject that thing about her, I am probably going to take it too personally.""

"But Poppy, the heroine of Henry's mega-hit 2021 novel People We Meet on Vacationand a newly released Netflix movie based on said novel, is human licorice to me. Poppy is a manic, "fun" person, addicted to hijinks, always turned up to 11. If you're around Poppy, you're her permanent audience. I say, as a certified hater of travel mindset: This is just the kind of person who loves to travel!"

"The book is told completely from Poppy's point of view, meaning the reader spends a lot of time in her brain, which you may or may not find deeply challenging. Now imagine this kind of heroine on screen, in her full, always-on glory, and you have your buzzy new Netflix film starring Emily Bader and Tom Blyth-one of many recent instances of novels popular with romance readers getting snapped up and adapted (Bridgerton, Heated Rivalry, Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us, and Regretting You)."

Emily Henry experiences prepublication jitters centered on how her heroines will be received because she places parts of herself into each protagonist. Poppy, the central character of People We Meet on Vacation, is manic, attention-seeking, and addicted to hijinks, embodying a travel-loving mindset. The novel is narrated entirely from Poppy's point of view, immersing readers in her perspective in ways some may find challenging. A Netflix adaptation starring Emily Bader and Tom Blyth brings Poppy to the screen, joining a recent wave of popular romance novels turned into high-profile film and television projects. The story follows a post-college friendship and yearly summer trips that shape the characters' relationship.

Read at Slate Magazine