People We Meet on Vacation — Book vs Film Thoughts
I watched People We Meet on Vacation right after finishing the book, and something felt… strange.
Even though I had just read it, I realized that while watching the film, some of the emotional depth already felt distant.
The film, adapted from the book, isn’t a page-by-page translation. Locations change. Certain events are reshaped. Some tensions are softened. And that makes sense stories breathe differently on screen.
The novel, People We Meet on Vacation, is incredibly rich in emotional layers.
It explores personality axes, inner fears, attachment styles, and the silent struggles that shape both characters.
Poppy isn’t just in love.
She’s afraid of commitment, of not being enough, of not fully belonging.
Alex, on the other hand, carries this quiet weight of responsibility. His family dynamics, his sense of duty, his difficulty expressing what he truly wants all of that builds the tension between them.
In the book, their connection grows through hesitation, silence, and years of almosts.
But in the film adaptation, People We Meet on Vacation, much of that psychological depth feels softened.
It almost shifts the emotional center ;making it seem like Alex is the one who openly carries the feelings, the one who takes the first step.
Whereas in the novel, the emotional axis feels much more rooted in Poppy’s internal world.
That said — the film is still fresh.
It feels like a summer escape. Light, warm, easy to watch.
And I genuinely enjoyed the performances.
In fact, once I saw the actors on screen, I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing them anymore.
The movie feels like a vacation.
The book feels like the journey.
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