At the start of the new year, “People We Meet on Vacation” (2026) was the film of the month, as it is the first of many Emily Henry adaptations while also giving readers (and viewers) new rom-com adaptations to compare with Colleen Hoover’s.
Hoover’s new movie, “Reminders of Him,” comes out March 13, so in trepid anticipation of its premiere let’s look back at Henry’s masterpiece to see why it adds new life to rom-coms and carves out space in Hollywood for authors.
Both authors write in a formula, yet their books feel drastically different. Hoover writes with trauma at the core of her characters. Lily Blossom Bloom’s life, from “It Ends with Us” (2024), revolves around generational domestic abuse. “Regretting You,” the second Hoover film released on Oct. 24 of last year, centers on a cheating scandal and horrific car accident.
Hoover’s male leads are gruff, hard around the edges, and borderline toxic. However, her greatest asset is giving her female characters choice. I think the autonomy throughout the heavily trope filled books is a bright light in the dark tunnel of Hoover’s works. Lily chooses to break the cycle of abuse, and Morgan and Clara Grant (“Regretting You”) heal from their trauma and find happiness by choosing love.
In contrast, Henry writes about women who don’t need a man, but want one. She writes about a love that evolves and changes with life and age. Her male leads are grumpy but at least have a therapist on call. Each character isn’t bound by their relationship or trauma, but are bound by life. Henry writes about the modern experiences of life from the female perspective.
The slice of life, home town setting of her novels feel quaint, loving and fresh when in conversations with books filled with toxicity and trauma. While there is hyper-sexualization of actors, and characters, with shows and books like “Heated Rivalry,” “People We Meet on Vacation” offers solace in the mundane. We experience life in all forms: happy, sad, sexy and boring.
Both of these authors write within the same genre, yet each of their books, and movies, are met with radically different responses from the public and media. “It Ends With Us” famously created a scandal far beyond the enjoyableness of the film itself. Perhaps it was “People We Meet on Vacation’s” casting choices that allowed the film to thrive in the mainstream environment, but in Glamour’s In Frame interview with Henry, we understand that it could also be each author’s presence on set, as she describes her role on set as an “extra gut check” and says she would “fight for the things that matter most to fans.”
Even though Hoover co-wrote “It Ends With Us,” her movie felt devoid of the original source material and vision transforming into Blake Lively’s Hollywood-style and tone deaf dream. Henry however is breaking the door down in Hollywood by making a permanent space for authors to exist in Hollywood.
“My long-term goal that I am trying to figure out is how I can become an advocate for other writers in this space … I realized that these people who are making the stuff that we’re all consuming ravenously are not really getting a fair piece of the pie. That feels just so wrong to me,” Henry said to Glamour.
While authors never dreamed of being influencers or even celebrities, the social media age most definitely forces accessibility for viewers. It’s that aspect where Henry flourishes and Hoover falls short. BookTok has moved on from mere trauma and toxicity to the desire for real love in new forms and reinventions of tropes.
Which is no surprise that Henry’s “Funny Story,” “Book Lovers” and “Beach Read” have been picked up by studios for adaptations. Henry just announced that Phoebe Dynevor, who debuted in “Bridgerton,” will now star as January Andrews in “Beach Read.” And don’t worry, all your favorite moments will most likely make it to the big screen as Henry is writing the screenplays herself.
Hoover’s new film will most likely relay the same trauma and insane storylines as the rest of her films, with a star studded cast as always. Starring Tyriq Withers, Maika Monroe and Rudy Pankow the film holds potential. Just don’t go into it thinking something like Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl” will kick off the film with Emily Bader and Tom Blyth dancing across the screen.
Both authors offer different variations of the romance genre and while we wait to see their lasting legacies in Hollywood pick up a copy of Henry’s books. It will be a stress-free, non-problematic read to help you through the stress of everyday life.