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To a reader, there are few things more terrifying than finding out that a beloved book is being adapted for the screen. On one hand, it\u2019s wonderful to know that others have enjoyed the book so much that studios want to adapt it, and it\u2019s amazing to see authors get the flowers they deserve. <\/strong>On the other, it\u2019s far too easy for creators to make adaptations<\/a> that don\u2019t respect the source text. And, for a reader watching that adaptation, that is the most disappointing feeling there is.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Netflix\u2019s recent release of \u201cPeople We Meet on Vacation\u201d \u2014 based on the Emily<\/a> Henry<\/a> book of the same name \u2014 is the kind of adaptation that readers can only hope for. It doesn\u2019t just respect the source text; it actually manages to elevate<\/em> it, which is a rarity. But these are the kinds of adaptations audiences want, especially for romcoms, which is a genre that Hollywood historically hasn\u2019t prioritized.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The movie isn\u2019t a shot-for-shot recreation of the book; there are always some changes that must be made in the name of creating an adaption. However, all the changes made were done so carefully and deliberately, all with the intention of honoring the original story while still breathing new life into it. The movie, like the book, follows best friends Poppy Wright (Emily Bader, \u201cFresh Kills\u201d) and Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth, \u201cThe Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes\u201d) over the span of ten years. Unfolding as a dual timeline, the film switches back and forth between the past \u2014 summers where the two friends traveled on vacations all around the world \u2014 and the present, <\/strong>where Poppy and Alex are no longer speaking. Everything comes to a head when they reconcile for Alex\u2019s brother\u2019s wedding in Barcelona, which is the first time they\u2019ve seen each other in two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The changes from the page to the screen are relatively minor. We see fewer vacations between the two characters, but all the best scenes and moments from their trips are still present in the film, even if they take place in different locations or in slightly different ways. The climactic wedding takes place in Barcelona rather than Palm Springs. Alex\u2019s on again, off again girlfriend is his high school sweetheart rather than a girl he meets in college. We occasionally miss Poppy\u2019s inner monologue, but its absence sets the characters on the same footing in the film \u2014 we know and understand both of them equally. In other words, none of those minor changes really matter when you consider the heart of the story. The film changes some details of Poppy and Alex\u2019s estrangement, and even though that may seem like a major change \u2014 one that is unforgivable to a fan of the book \u2014 it\u2019s just the opposite. <\/p>\n