A book to movie adaptation is either a reader’s biggest wish or their worst nightmare. Movies provide the opportunity for beloved characters and storylines to become materialized into reality, but do they really live up to the hype?
In a recent announcement from Deadline, it was revealed that the popular romance book People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry is in the process of being turned into a film. Emily Henry’s work has gone viral on social media platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram over the past couple of years, so a movie announcement is not shocking. With eye catching illustrated covers and intriguing premises, it is no wonder people have flocked to bookstores to buy her books.
People We Meet on Vacation follows the friendship and later romantic relationship between best friends Poppy and Alex over the course of ten years. At its core, the book explores the connection between two people as they grow up individually and how their bond with each other evolves as they go on yearly vacations. Reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally, Emily Henry skillfully crafts her own take on the popular theme in romantic comedies questioning if a man and a woman can just be friends.
Opening a book to a wider audience through a film brings out a lot of mixed feelings in readers. It can be difficult for adaptations to capture the magic of reading and falling in love with a book. However, there is always the chance the team behind the movie adaptation will care about the source material and create a movie that maintains a similar essence. According to Emily Henry in her email newsletter, the team for People We Meet is “devoted to getting it right, and they’re going to.” If the author is confident in the upcoming adaptation, it is safe to say fans should be, too.
With a director on board and the script already completed, it is highly likely that filming for People We Meet on Vacation will begin relatively soon. Fingers crossed that it will be everything that the book is and more.