The question on every viewer’s mind is answered with a resounding yes. In the Netflix adaptation of Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, People We Meet on Vacation, the central travel buddies Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen do finally find their way to each other. Their journey from strictly platonic best friends to romantic partners is the core of this hit romantic comedy, but it is filled with missed chances, years of separation, and one dramatic crosswalk confession. The movie, starring Emily Bader as the spontaneous Poppy and Tom Blyth as the more reserved Alex, delivers the happy ending fans expect, though not without putting its characters through an emotional wringer first.
The Foundation of a Complicated Friendship
Poppy and Alex first meet under less-than-ideal circumstances, sharing a stressful car ride home to Ohio after their freshman year of college. They seem to have nothing in common. Poppy is a free spirit with a deep fear of staying in one place, while Alex is a homebody who values routine and stability. Despite this, a series of travel mishaps forces them to connect, and a unique friendship is born. They make a pact to take one vacation together every summer, a tradition that continues for a decade.
Throughout these yearly trips to places like Canada, New Orleans, and eventually Tuscany, their bond deepens. Author Emily Henry emphasizes that showing their genuine friendship was crucial. She wanted the audience to see them as “true, platonic, best friends who love each other” before any romance began. This foundation makes their eventual romantic tension more meaningful, as they both date other people while secretly grappling with unspoken feelings for one another.
The Pivotal Trip to Tuscany and a Two-Year Break
The dynamic between Poppy and Alex shatters during a group trip to Tuscany. While both are there with their respective partners, a moment of crisis brings them together. Poppy, worried she might be pregnant, confides in Alex instead of her own boyfriend. He supports her, and in a moment of charged emotion, they almost kiss.
This near-miss creates immediate awkwardness and regret. Poppy quickly claims she only sees him as a friend, a statement that wounds Alex. The very next morning, perhaps in a reaction to this rejection, Alex proposes to his on-again, off-again high school sweetheart, Sarah. He then tells Poppy that their annual vacation tradition is over. This fracture leads to two years of complete silence between the best friends.
Reunion at a Wedding in Barcelona
After two years apart, Poppy reaches out to Alex to ask if she should attend his brother’s wedding in Barcelona. She learns that his engagement to Sarah has ended. Despite work conflicts, Poppy decides to go, leading to an awkward but fateful reunion.
At the wedding events, old feelings resurface. After the rehearsal dinner, they finally confess their love for each other during a passionate kiss in the rain. They spend the night together, and for a moment, it seems all their problems are solved. However, the next day, when Alex tries to discuss their future, Poppy’s old fears of commitment surface. She hesitates to make a plan, wanting instead to live in the perfect moment.
“I want viewers to feel that sense of home,” author Emily Henry says about the story’s conclusion. “The only way to really have true love and intimacy is to let people see that full, messy version of you.”
Frustrated, Alex tells her that despite their love, their fundamental differences mean they will never work as a couple. He walks away, leaving Poppy heartbroken and alone.
The Final Confession and a Compromised Happy Ending
Back in New York, a miserable Poppy has a life-changing realization. She understands that her constant travel and reluctance to plan for the future have been ways of running from her feelings. She quits her job at the travel magazine and makes a grand, romantic gesture—she flies back to Ohio, the place she always claimed to hate, to find Alex.
In a classic rom-com scene, she literally chases him down the street. Stopping him in the middle of a crosswalk, she delivers a heartfelt confession: she was scared, but she knows now that “home” isn’t a place; it’s him. She is ready to build a life with him, even if it means settling down.
Alex reciprocates her feelings, and the film fast-forwards to show their new life together. In a thoughtful compromise that subverts typical romance tropes, they do not end up in small-town Ohio. Instead, Alex has moved to New York City, where he appears to be teaching at a college. The final scenes show them happy in their shared apartment, planning their next vacation together—this time as a true couple.
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How the Movie Ending Differs from the Book
Fans of Emily Henry’s original novel will notice some key changes in the adaptation. The book uses a nonlinear narrative, jumping between past trips and the present-day attempt to mend the friendship. The fateful trip that caused their two-year rift takes place in Croatia, not Tuscany.
More significantly, Poppy’s journey to self-awareness in the book involves her seeking therapy and gaining clarity about her pattern of avoidance. The movie streamlines this into her airport conversation with Sarah, Alex’s ex-fiancée. This meeting gives Poppy perspective, as Sarah reveals she has also moved on to pursue her own dream of becoming a flight attendant.
Director Brett Haley focused on the universal themes of the story. “We learn about ourselves through love, and I think that’s very much at the heart of Poppy and Alex,” he said. Both the book and movie arrive at the same satisfying destination: Poppy and Alex together, having learned that true partnership means showing your true self and being willing to meet in the middle.
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