People We Meet on Vacation surges as streaming hit and reignites interest in Emily Henry’s bestseller

People We Meet on Vacation is having a breakout week on screen and in audio. In the days since the romantic comedy’s January 9, 2026 premiere on a major streaming platform, viewership has vaulted it to the top of the service’s film rankings, while the audiobook of Emily Henry’s 2021 novel has exploded in streams and saves. The double lift—screen and audio—underscores how page-to-screen adaptations can turbocharge a title’s cultural footprint long after the hardcover buzz fades.

People We Meet on Vacation: what’s driving the spike

Two forces are propelling the moment. First, completion and rewatch rates are strong for a January release, a slot often dominated by leftovers from the holiday corridor. Second, the book’s established fan base is mobilizing online with playlists, rereads, and watch-party chatter that keep the title trending across platforms. That feedback loop—book fans fueling the film’s algorithmic visibility, which in turn pulls new readers to the audiobook—has produced an unusually steep performance curve within the first week.

Cast, creative team, and tone

The film stars Tom Blyth as Alex and Emily Bader as Poppy, leaning into the opposites-attract, best-friends-to-lovers arc that made the novel a staple of contemporary romance shelves. Director Brett Haley delivers a grounded, character-first approach: city mouse vs. small-town bookworm, annual summer trips, and the slow realization that their bond is bigger than banter. A supporting ensemble that includes Sarah Catherine Hook, Lukas Gage, Lucien Laviscount, Alan Ruck, Molly Shannon, and Jameela Jamil rounds out the friend-and-family orbit. The runtime (just under two hours) gives space for flashbacks and a present-day reunion to interweave without blowing past the emotional beats readers expect.

Streaming performance and audience sentiment

Early data shows People We Meet on Vacation leading the platform’s English-language films for its debut window, with strong traction in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Social conversation tilts toward the film’s chemistry and travel-romance vibes, while a common viewer gripe centers on the adaptation’s trimming of a couple of fan-favorite scenes—an inevitable trade-off when compressing a time-hopping friendship into a single feature. Even so, sentiment skews positive, and the movie appears to have long-tail potential as a comfort rewatch, a category that performs well in winter.

The audiobook bounce: how big is “big”?

The audiobook is riding a genuine wave, with triple-digit percentage gains in global streams and an even larger rise in user saves across major music-and-audio services. Curated and fan-made playlists themed to Poppy and Alex have multiplied, pulling in artists whose tracks mirror the story’s tone—wistful indie, road-trip classics, and intimate acoustic cuts. This pattern tracks a broader trend seen over the last two years: when a romance novel gets a buzzy screen launch, its audiobook often becomes the preferred entry point for new readers sampling the IP between episodes or commutes.

What the adaptation changes—and keeps

Book-to-film choices largely preserve the central dynamic: decade-long vacations, an unresolved near-miss, and a final reckoning about what “home” means. The screenplay streamlines side characters and tightens the Tuscany and New Orleans threads so the present-day reunion can breathe. Fans will notice a lighter touch on some inner-monologue humor; in exchange, the movie emphasizes physical comedy and quiet micro-gestures that sell the will-they/won’t-they ache.

Release timing and competitive landscape

Dropping in early January gives People We Meet on Vacation room to dominate the post-holiday lull before Valentine’s Day heavyweights arrive. It also positions the title as an on-ramp to a possible “Emily Henry screen universe,” with readers speculating about which novel might be next. For the streamer, the performance helps lock in churn-prone month-to-month subscribers who want fresh romantic comfort watches during winter.

Should you read before watching People We Meet on Vacation?

Newcomers will follow the film just fine without prior context, but the novel adds texture: deeper interiority for Poppy’s career angst, richer detail on Alex’s family obligations, and extra travel vignettes that paint their friendship in warmer hues. If you prefer to savor slow-burn tension, the book first → film second remains the gold-standard pairing. If you’re more vibes-forward, watching first and letting the audiobook fill in the gaps is a satisfying route—especially with those newly expanded listening queues.

Key facts at a glance

• Title: People We Meet on Vacation

• Based on: Emily Henry’s 2021 bestseller

• Premiere: January 9, 2026 (streaming)

• Leads: Emily Bader (Poppy), Tom Blyth (Alex)

• Director: Brett Haley

• Current status: #1 film on its streaming platform’s weekly chart; audiobook engagement up sharply week-over-week

With momentum on both the screen and audio fronts, People We Meet on Vacation looks set to be winter’s comfort-watch-and-listen duo—rekindling affection for Poppy and Alex while introducing a new wave of viewers and readers to Emily Henry’s brand of tender, modern romance.