As People We Meet on Vacation arrived on Netflix, fans of the Emily Henry romance novel likely noticed some changes.
The author recently explained why the development of Sarah Torval’s (Sarah Catherine Hook) character feels “so earned” after the Brett Haley-helmed adaptation changed the character from a teacher at Alex’s (Tom Blyth) school to working for her father’s company before becoming a flight attendant.
“I love the change with Sarah’s job,” she told People. “Initially, I was like, her original job, I don’t get. I was like, ‘That feels like a lateral move, but I understand the logic, whatever.’ But there’s some more development with where that character gets taken.”
In the 2021 book, Sarah sees Poppy (Emily Bader) one last time at East Linfield High School because Sarah has a teaching job there with Alex. But in the film, Sarah starts a new career as a flight attendant, and she runs into Poppy at an airport, which is where she notes that the end of Poppy and Alex’s friendship was worse for his relationship with Sarah.
“Watching it with the audience, I just felt like this is so earned, just giving her this extra little beat,” explained Henry. “I love that character.”
Emily Henry attends Netflix’s ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ premiere on Jan. 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Now available to stream on Netflix, People We Meet on Vacation follows friends Poppy and Alex as they spend one week of their summer vacation together, traveling the world, every year for a decade. But after years of trotting the globe, they begin to see each other as more than travel companions.
