The People We Meet on Vacation made its debut on Netflix on January 9. Being one of the first movies to come out in 2026, it did not disappoint. The movie is a book adaptation from the famous author Emily Henry. Henry, most notably known for her other novel When Harry Met Sally, is known for classic romance stories.

The movie begins with Polly, the main female character of the story, needing a ride home from college to her small town in Ohio. This is where she meets Alex, a shy boy who has no idea on how to handle a firecracker personality like Poppy. On their journey home there are some bumps in the road which eventually leads them to become friends.

The next summer, Alex goes through a breakup and to help cheer him up Polly suggests going to Canada to cheer him up. On this trip they end up in the middle of the woods with random strangers which forces them to become closer than ever before. After this legendary trip they vow to go on a summer trip together no matter the circumstance.

After this every summer after they go on adventures around the world but something happens. As the years go by their relationship gradually progresses past friends and they begin to develop feelings for each other. With neither one of them being the best communicators it all builds up to a moment in Tuscany. Poppy finally says she only sees him as a friend and he becomes upset and the next day tells her they should not go on any more trips together.

This completely alters their relationship and they do not speak for several years. Alex and Poppy being such close friends means that they also become close with each other’s families. This becomes pivotal when Poppy is invited to Alex’s brother’s wedding where they face each other for the first time since Tuscany. Over the entire trip the tension builds and they finally profess that they have feelings for each other.

Many critics have said that Henry has single handedly saved rom-coms. Though the on screen adaptation changed certain aspects from the perfect, the directors perfectly encompassed the book with the limited amount of time they had. As the year goes on  the trend of traditional rom-coms should carry on and more of these stories come out because the common public is obviously loving them.