Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
27: People we Meet on Vacation Part Two - Plot Analysis
29 Plays1 month ago
In Part Two, we tackle the full plot of People We Meet on Vacation, unpacking the dual timelines, the summers that shaped Poppy and Alex, and the long road to their eventual turning point. We walk through the major story beats, emotional highs and lows, and the moments that define their relationship across a decade.
We also compare how the adaptation handles the novel’s structure, pacing, and key scenes—what stayed true to the book, what changed, and how those choices affect the story overall. From missed chances to finally saying the thing that’s been unsaid for years, this episode is all about whether the adaptation captures the magic of Emily Henry’s original.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Book Watch Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello listeners. Welcome back to another episode of book watch this week. We're continuing our discussion of people we meet on vacation by Emily Henry and it's brand new Netflix adaptation. I'm Jordan.
00:00:12
Speaker
I'm Sarah Day. and I'm Chris. And we'll get started right after these messages.
00:00:25
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you're a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
00:00:49
Speaker
Okie dokie. Welcome back.
Analyzing 'People We Meet on Vacation' Structure
00:00:51
Speaker
um We are going through the plot of People We Meet on Vacation this week. Last week we talked about the characters and the things that were same, different, on it what we liked, what we didn't like. um And we were struggling to talk about it because so much of the character's development is tied into the plot and we didn't want to do too many spoilers for this week's episode. But We're here, we're doing it. And so we're going to start um in chronological order. So this book does a lot of flashing backwards and forwards between different points in time, 12 summers ago to the present, then 10 summers to the present, back and forth until everything kind of catches up to itself. But we are going to go as much as possible in chronological order. So we're going to start 12 summers ago in the book, which is Poppy and Alex's orientation week at University of Chicago. That's where they're going to college. In the book, they like chat a little bit in orientation and then are like, this guy's lame. This girl's weird.
00:01:57
Speaker
We're not really going to hang out. And they don't talk to each other for the rest of the school year. And that's pretty much it.
First Summer Trip: Poppy and Alex's Road Trip
00:02:03
Speaker
and So then we'll flash forward to 11 summers ago when they do reconnect kind of on accident because Poppy had been telling her roommate that she's trying to find a ride back to Linfield, Ohio, her hometown. And her roommate is like, oh, I have a classmate who is from there. You could probably hitch a ride with that guy. And it's Alex. Huh. What a coincidence. they start their first summer trip road tripping from Chicago back to Linfield, Ohio.
00:02:38
Speaker
and that's the beginning of their relationship they argue about music she's asking him all these questions what do you like what do you not like um i felt very much um attracted to alex because i was like hey we're the same person and basically like very similar to this guy um what did you guys think of these first couple of chapters and and how they came out in the movie Yeah, well, obviously the first chapter is not in the film. We first are introduced to Alex with that carpool scene and her saying, you know, thanks for the ride. And she's an hour late and he's repacking the trunk. Very important to have a clear line of sight. I mean, it is. It is.
00:03:24
Speaker
He's not wrong. um In the last episode, I had mentioned, like, I felt he came off a little douchey in this scene. um but I really like her and I really like how they bounce off of each other. And I think even though he is not into it, i think their chemistry is still there. So I like to see that best early on. I mean, he almost crashed in their car because of her.
Chemistry Through Humorous Incidents
00:03:51
Speaker
i don't think he was looking at that burrito. Yeah. But the burrito scene is hilarious when she is eating in his car and he looks over as he's pulling forward and splatters the thing is stopping too quick, splatters the burrito all over place. I don't know how it was his fault. Oh, entirely.
00:04:10
Speaker
No, it's her fault. She used to be like, I would never get into a stranger's car and just start pulling out a burrito and start eating it. I feel like she was so rude for that. She offered him a burrito too.
00:04:21
Speaker
I know, but I still would like, can be late or you can be a slob and eat in my car. You can't do, you got to pick one. got to pick a struggle Well, she was because she got the burrito.
00:04:33
Speaker
But I didn't ask for the burrito. you I asked you to be on time. I don't think he would missed that traffic even an hour earlier. i think he's just being a curmudgeon. So like I said, I'm very much an Alex person. an hour late is ridiculous. Like, no, I don't care. i mean, I don't care if he's a curmudgeon or not. Like, I would be mad about an hour as well. Like, 10 minutes, 15, 20 where I'm like, okay, where are you? But an hour, absolutely. I was left. I was surprised he stayed. He's good guy. enough.
00:05:03
Speaker
I mean, I'm chronically late to everything, so but I don't think I would have been an hour late, not without communication at least, although I guess this was 12 years ago. so Well, it also depends on like what you're late for. like If it's your best friend and you see each other every week and you're running late, like whatever, but this is a total you know a stranger basically, and you're doing her a favor, and the least she could do is show up on time, but that's just me. Mm-hmm.
00:05:32
Speaker
Even if it's your best friend and you're going on a trip together and ours ridiculous. Well, you have to figure out how much you can take advantage of this person. She had to, you know, figure out where the line was for her new best friend. Apparently there is no line. He's, he's just down for whatever with her.
00:05:48
Speaker
Fair enough.
Vancouver Island Trip: Book vs Movie
00:05:50
Speaker
All right. So then we have 10 summers ago, which is their trip to Vancouver Island in Canada. It's the first official summer trip that Poppy and Alex take. Um,
00:06:01
Speaker
This is where they meet Buck, who we mentioned last week in the character episode. So he is like, he's giving a very somehow, even in Canada, he's giving California surfer guy vibes to me as someone who lives in California can confirm that's what people are like here. um And he is like,
00:06:21
Speaker
He drives a water taxi. He's taking them around the island and showing them these cool places. He's like, oh, like you guys want to in the book, they are living in like the old people side of town. And so he's like, oh, like if you guys want to hang out with like some people your age, like, you know, you can hang out with me and my friends. And he takes them to his house that like there's a bunch of tents set up in the backyard where there's just like a throng of teenage to early 20 year old people just hanging out, drinking beer, getting high. having a good time. just you know It's not like a rager party, but like they're partying, for lack of a better word. um
00:07:00
Speaker
And that's ah Poppy and and Alex. That's their first time hanging out with people like that. They are just trying to get get their feet under them and see what's going on.
00:07:11
Speaker
And then they both kind of find these, each of them finds their own hippie to start kind of hanging out with and like maybe they're going to hook up, maybe they're not. um And then this was probably the first like super big change from the book. In the movie, there's a whole skinny dipping thing and then there's the whole, Buck has a tattoo about Memento Mori and that throws Poppy off. um And none of that happens in the book.
00:07:41
Speaker
Right. um We have the condom scene on the next one, but i'm pretty sure that happens before they go on the camping trip, though. So I think they meet at their parents' house first and then head out on this trip, too. Yes.
00:07:54
Speaker
in In the book, the big condom scene with the parents happens the following summer before they go to Nashville. But in the movie, they condense those. We don't go to Nashville at all in the movie, but we do get the condom scene with the with Poppy's parents before they head out to Canada. That's right That's right.
00:08:12
Speaker
which was like a funny, horrifying thing. It was really so funny. the book she asked and like does the sex talk with the dip does the sex talk with the dad happen no in the book not the way that it happens okay i know the condom things i know the condom thing happens and that's that was pretty identical with the whole big box and she's like this is way too many condoms and then showing it to alex but we're gonna have the whole sex talk really added a layer the conversation with with poppy's dad did not happen the way that it happened in the movie um The movie was like, it was very funny and very much leaning into the comedic side of it all and like the ludicrousness of that type of situation. um i don't know. My parents are a lot more like Alex's parents or like Alex's dad. We're like, don't really talk about it. it's you know It's your personal private business and we're not just like out in the open talking about that sort of thing. So like I was very much, again,
00:09:11
Speaker
having the Alex reaction of like, Oh my God, you people are crazy. Like, what are you doing? Like, why are you talking about this out loud? Like I was not ready for that. I don't know. that I don't think i would have expected it either. But then again, i mean, her family in the book is pretty crazy. So, and so that translated pretty well as a movie, even if it was a ah little less of the cluttered house style, like every memory saved sort of thing, but it was there.
00:09:38
Speaker
yeah it was My parents had valid concerns. like they They were valid for for thinking that and for wanting to protect her in that way. But coming from my background, I was like, you guys are weird.
00:09:52
Speaker
I did
Trips to San Francisco and New Orleans
00:09:53
Speaker
appreciate that they kept the lambskin line the movie. The book you mentioned is because she didn't know if he was allergic to anything. So she was totally looking out for him and her and everything.
00:10:05
Speaker
What did you guys think of the rest of their trip to Canada? it was fine. i mean, again, it it was the foundation we needed for the film of their you know relationship and their character arc. So that's really the start of it. um So combining the trips and adding some stuff with the whole... um oh is it is this the part where she falls and sprains her ankle and he has the carrier?
00:10:35
Speaker
No, that happens a different in the in the um book. I think it does happen when they're camping. But not in Canada. Not here. But not here. Not okay here. Yeah, I think that's what I'm, because I know it doesn't happen that while they're, they're they are on a hike in the book. And in the movie, it's walking back yeah New Orleans, I think. Yeah, in the in the book, it was it was on camping and he had to basically carry her back down the mountain or something like that. It was Colorado.
00:11:03
Speaker
Colorado. Question mark? Maybe. See, I thought that was going to happen when they were looking out at the view, the beautiful view, and it didn't happen. So I actually thought they were going to cut it until we saw it in New Orleans. I'm like, oh, that's different. But it worked. I know we're getting ahead of ourselves, but it worked with them coming back to the house. And then the boyfriend was there as a surprise and, you know, kind of interrupting that moment.
00:11:30
Speaker
As with most modern films, I feel like they ruined a lot of the film in the trailer because even the ankle thing was in the trailer. A lot of these moments were there. So um that's always a disappointment when they pull a lot of the big moments that way and you kind of lose
David's Wedding: Book vs Movie Settings
00:11:46
Speaker
that. ah The surprise of some of those things, but it was still enjoyable. But I think I saw a lot of the big moments right there in the trailer.
00:11:56
Speaker
um Yeah, so they kind of combine a lot of what happens nine summers ago in Nashville with the Vancouver Island trip. um Alex and Poppy, like they go to Nashville, everything's fine. and They talk about their sex lives or a lack thereof in Poppy's case. And that kind of ties back to um the scene in Canada with Buck. In the book, Poppy just straight up says, like, I don't want to have sex. And that's the end of it. And he's very cool about it.
00:12:27
Speaker
and she And they don't. And that's it. um Versus in the movie, she does... she actively says multiple times, like she does want to have sex with him. And then he takes his shirt off and she sees the Memento Mori tattoo and she starts thinking about death. And she's like, I can't do this now that I'm thinking about death. um Which I think is an it's an interesting choice to change her personality.
00:12:52
Speaker
decision in that way where like in the book again she very much says like I just don't want to and that's that versus like coming up with some other reason for her to not want to or like to be like turned off in that moment um I thought it was an interesting choice to change that And the difference of him kicking her out in the book too, because he wants to go try and find somebody else to naked Alex interrupting because he lost his clothes in the skinny dipping accident or incident was an interesting change of the focus there. i mean, it was entertaining to, you know, see Alex having to, I mean, imagine having to walk back there next day and a romper that you borrowed from your short friend.
00:13:36
Speaker
That's gotta be pretty entertaining. But I think that was an interesting change for sure.
00:13:45
Speaker
And then we'll scoot along. So eight summers ago, they go to San Francisco. Alex has finished college. Poppy is working. And they talk about their life goals. And Alex talks about getting married, having kids. And Poppy is very much into the nomadic lifestyle. Like, I just want to travel. I don't want to be tied down. And so that causes some problems for the two of them.
00:14:10
Speaker
And that conversation still happens, but not in San Francisco, right? It happens on one of their other vacations or just like throughout the story it's alluded to over and over.
00:14:24
Speaker
It must be, Yeah. with Sarah at the table when they're doing like that conversation is kind of where that comes out I feel like because they start and I feel like they combine a lot of summers in that well is it Barcelona in the movie oh and Barcelona yeah yeah for the wedding they go to Barcelona versus in the book they're in Palm Springs Okay, no. where Yeah, where's this the double date trip? with Tuscany.
00:14:47
Speaker
So I feel like they combined a lot of summers into that trip in the film. Like the double date, her finding out about the engagement didn't happen there. Like he didn't get engaged. Wait, I'm getting ahead. I'm getting feisty.
00:15:02
Speaker
Hold your horses. this is This is the part of the movie that starts to unravel for me. I still love the film, but I like a lot. I'm like, a no. Hold your horses. We're almost there. realized they didn't have time. Okay, so yeah, so not a lot happening summer eight summers ago in San Francisco. We'll scoot ahead to seven summers ago in New Orleans. Poppy is dating a guy named Guillermo. They pretend ah ah separately Alex and Poppy pretend to be a celebrity couple who are a Broadway like power couple. um And they go out and just like they get into fake fights and during karaoke in front of people. Like, I know you're sleeping with the makeup artist, that kind of thing, like completely fabricating their life stories in front of all these strangers.
00:15:51
Speaker
And then they kind of like deepen their emotional bond with each other. Alex shares his short stories that he started writing. and Poppy thinks about her like loneliness and how she's always felt lonely in life. In her family, she talks about how she's kind of the odd man out. And then at school, she was bullied and she was an outcast and she was on her own. And then all through her life, she just has always felt like nobody really gets her.
00:16:19
Speaker
But then she reads the short story that Alex wrote. and She's like, oh, Alex gets me. um And so that's a very sweet moment for them in the book that we don't get in the movie.
00:16:33
Speaker
Yeah, they have the in the initial road trips where we get the moment of her talking about her bullying and stuff. And it was there and we see them do the acceptance thing of he accepts me and I believe him.
00:16:44
Speaker
But other than that, we yeah, they moved a lot of this one around a bit. um I did like the karaoke scene in the bar New Orleans. I thought that was really fun. um getting to Getting to see like weird Alex come out and like his weirdness coming out, matching her weirdness, and how they actually like are a lot more compatible than you would think. Because if he cause he always is seen and described as like this boring, like uptight, put-together kind of guy, but like a boring, uptight, put-together person. is not going to put on crazy outfits and do a karaoke dance and make up these lies to strangers with you. Like I'm a boring, uptight, put together person. Like I'm not doing that typically speaking.
00:17:33
Speaker
i i mean, now I might, now I might let my weird side really come out, but like up until I read this book, I would be like, there's no way you could ever convince me to do that. Like I would like, no, that's so weird, but he's weird with her. going to find you a green wig or so a purple wig or something.
00:17:49
Speaker
okay but like he he is weird he's just is you know he just hides it a lot more than she does um and so i think i thought it was really sweet to show like he is capable of being weird with her and they are like really evenly matched in that way they match each other's weirdness
00:18:10
Speaker
yep they deserve each other but they're not together We deserve each other.
Tuscany Trip: Tensions and Revelations
00:18:16
Speaker
That's what kept going through my head the entire time. Watching this film and reading the book.
00:18:23
Speaker
was wicked. All right. then six summers ago, we have Bale, Colorado. um Poppy's broken up with Guillermo.
00:18:36
Speaker
Alex and Sarah have finally gotten together after some convincing on Poppy's part. Poppy actually has to like talk Alex into being with Sarah. um and the This is where she sprains her ankle. um They actually reconnect with one of the hippies from the Vancouver Island commune in the book. In the movie, they don't even go to Colorado in the movie. That doesn't happen. But in the book, they reconnect. um And this is where Poppy springs her ankle and Alex carries her he's like, you can't call me Seabiscuit and like tell me to hurry up and like, just let me help you. um And so it's just another like sweet little memory that they have where you can see their love for each other continuing to grow deeper and deeper.
00:19:24
Speaker
um Five summers ago Sanibel Island, again, cut from the movie, This is where Poppy realizes like, oh, I might actually be in love with him, like for real, for real. And not just like that little 5% that she had kept alluding to.
00:19:39
Speaker
and then four summers ago, we've got the Sweden slash Norway trip that gets canceled because Poppy gets pneumonia. And this is in the movie. This is kind of like the moment where she seems to realize like, oh,
00:19:55
Speaker
I really love him. And he really loves me. He's given up this trip. He could have still gone on. like It was a trip paid for by her company for her to go and like do work, basically, that she was allowed to bring him on. And then she has to you know she has literal pneumonia, so she can't go. And her boss is like, well, everything's already paid for and it's nonrefundable. So like if your friend still wants to go, he can.
00:20:19
Speaker
And instead of choosing to go on this once in a lifetime trip that's already all paid for, he gets on his flight to New York for the layover. And instead of taking the layover and going to Europe, he goes to her apartment and takes care of her and helps her feel better. And that's when they, in the movie, that's when they both kind of start to acknowledge their feelings for each other. And it starts to get a little steamy. Yeah.
00:20:46
Speaker
I was going to take you to an an ice hotel. I think that's just the fever talking. no no Yeah, it was pretty funny. And the ah her what she has like pneumonia or something in the ah book. And whereas it's just a fever, and just a kind of a some sort of head cold or something movie that just has her down a bit, which I mean, it definitely changed the amount of time he had to spend had to spend there in the movie. But he does. And it.
00:21:17
Speaker
it is a good moment to connect and see that he cared more about making sure she was okay. then going on this vacation, it showed that she is his home and his vacation is to go be with her. I liked that.
00:21:29
Speaker
two and then we've got two summers ago, the big one that has continued to be alluded to, um throughout the present summer that they're currently in, they always, she always, she,
00:21:42
Speaker
keeps talking about and referring back to what happened two summers ago in Croatia. And so we finally get to two summers ago, but I think we're missing three summers ago. i was about to say, did I miss three summers ago? Because that's the double date, right? I just skewed. Okay.
00:22:02
Speaker
that That's my bad. I did the script, guys. So of so where is three summers ago? That's the Tuscan trip. It was a castle in Tuscany. in Tuscany.
00:22:13
Speaker
Yeah. In the book too? Yeah. Okay. Okay. But they, so this is where they combined three summers ago and two summer groves in the movie. They had the double date and the pregnancy scare and all of that in this one. And so much has changed. So.
00:22:33
Speaker
and then you The pregnancy scare. What? Get on your soapbox. This is where it was, right? Yes. Okay. The biggest thing I had about the change of the pregnancy scare in the film is that Alex didn't cry. Like his the whole thing with his mom dying in childbirth and that was like he was so scared that she was going to be pregnant and face that same fate. And just didn't feel anything from him in this scene other than like waiting, you know, it was all coming from her.
00:23:04
Speaker
um and like she cried. I don't really remember her reaction in the book so much, but I, this was my first real like, this was his supposed, this was supposed to be his emotional moment and it just kind of fell flat.
00:23:17
Speaker
I agree. Cause it is big emotional depth for him. I mean, uh, it's what in the book causes him to go and get a vasectomy right afterwards to make sure that he doesn't put somebody else in that position. And, uh, it's part of the, do I need to move forward with Sarah or am I going to, what am I wanting for myself here? It makes him really think so.
00:23:37
Speaker
Yeah. Um, Yeah, and then we also get, like, Trey, Poppy's boyfriend, and Sarah. We finally get to meet Sarah in person in the in the book and the movie when they're in Tuscany. and The whole thing is just like so incredibly awkward.
00:23:56
Speaker
Like I hated every second of it. like i We saw Sarah and I was like immediately don't like her. Like she is coming off with such an attitude towards Poppy and everybody. And then I, again, i reflected later and i was like, that actually makes a lot of sense. And I would probably have been the same way if I was her. um And then Trey, i so I still hate. I still think he's the worst. He was like super rude, which he's not in the book. i will so I will say he's not like that in the book. He was very kind to Alex and Sarah and Poppy in the book the all the way through. But he was a super douche in the movie. Yeah.
00:24:40
Speaker
And I just don't think Poppy would go for a guy like that. i don't know. I mean, unless it's because like, unless the movie was trying to portray that he's so different from what Alex is and like that she's just thinking that's what she wants because of her lifestyle. And she's like the nomadic lifestyle and that's not what Alex wants. So she's thinking that.
00:25:00
Speaker
um But again, I just don't think she would date somebody that lets me. And maybe it was like how, like, i I don't think so how Sarah was acting in Tuscany is how Sarah always acts. I think that was directly because she was in close proximity to Poppy and she felt threatened by her. So maybe Trey was also acting like that because he was so close to Alex and felt threatened by Alex. and You know what i mean? like Good point. So that could have been it too. like He might just be a super douche or – it He could have been like that because, you know, again, he has that gut feeling something's going on between my girlfriend and this guy. And I got this is my girlfriend. I got to do something about it, you know, kind of thing. um So it could have been that, too.
00:25:43
Speaker
But yeah, the whole thing was just very awkward. So then, yeah, but they have the the pregnancy scare where she can't, Poppy can't determine if she's just like already getting a hangover and has a headache and is throwing
Emotional Confrontation at David's Wedding
00:25:56
Speaker
up from all the wine. Because, i mean, you're in Italy. Obviously, you're going to drink a ton of wine. So she can't figure out if she's just sick. She's like, oh my gosh, my I think my period is late. Like, we I got to get a pregnancy test.
00:26:09
Speaker
And In the movie, an interesting change, she goes and gets Alex to help her through this moment versus in the book, she bumps into him when she's returning from the local convenience store, which is like 40 minutes away. So like it's like 5.30 in the morning. Because he always gets up and runs. Yeah, he always gets up and runs at 5.30 in the morning. She bumps into him. And so he happens to be there at this moment that she is feeling really alone and she really needs the support. versus in the movie they had her choose to go and wake him up and get him and and pull him into this moment um which is yeah another interesting interesting choice um for them to to do that and make that her choice instead of happenstance um
00:27:01
Speaker
And then they engage. So then there's the pregnancy. We already talked about a little bit. They take away Alex's like emotional depth by not telling us the viewer about the whole backstory with his mom and why he's upset. He doesn't even get that upset. um And then they come back and him and Sarah are engaged, which like when we were watching it Sarah was like freaking you. Sarah Day was like freaking out about it. And I was like, i don't really get it. Like, yeah, like, whatever and then I read it and I was like he didn't even get he didn't even buy a ring like he looked at a ring and was like I should get that for Sarah and then was like no that doesn't feel right I'm gonna break up with her like the same day he breaks up with her he gets his vasectomy he does like and he like just he moves on in that like that day he he doesn't even buy a ring let alone get engaged to Sarah in the book at all so I'm with you that was I didn't like that either yeah
00:28:00
Speaker
I didn't like it. um the whole i just felt like this whole section of the movie was just so rushed and jumbled compared to the book.
00:28:13
Speaker
I didn't like it because it makes... it makes Alex seem less sensitive than he is. Like in the book, he's very sensitive. He cares very deeply about Poppy and his brothers and his dad. Like he's a very caring person and he's very considerate. He thinks of others before himself always. And the way that it came out in the movie was he very much was doing it and not thinking about the impact it would have on Sarah to get engaged to her when he doesn't actually love her as deeply as he loves Poppy. um And even if he doesn't acknowledge how much he loves Poppy and that she's like, you know, the true object of his desire... He still knows that he's not fully committed to Sarah. They've broken up two or three times already. And that's not fair to her.
00:29:00
Speaker
and I didn't like that change in his character that he did this, like whether it is to get back at Poppy because he's angry at her, for to like protect, to to be selfish for himself. Like, I'm not going to keep waiting for Poppy. I'm going to do this for me. Like, he didn't think about Sarah in that moment. And I didn't like that at all.
00:29:21
Speaker
I agree. Because in the movie, Poppy kisses Alex the night before. Like, after the pregnancy scare happens, the kiss, and then the engagement. And I'm like, I don't... Like, you... like I agree. Like, he's being selfish, trying to rush into this engagement, even though he apparently had the ring the whole time. And, like...
00:29:44
Speaker
not give in to the feelings that he has for Poppy because she finally kissed him. Like she made the move. Whereas in the book, he's the one that kisses her. In Croatia. After he after he's already had this realization that he doesn't want to be with Sarah, he breaks up with Sarah. She's broken up with Trey. They're both single because when she kisses him in Tuscany, that's cheating, girl. so Like you just cheated on your girlfriend yeah or you know,
00:30:07
Speaker
she Yes, she kissed him technically, but still, like you still kissed her. There was a kiss that was shared between you and a woman who is not your girlfriend. And then the next day you propose to her. hate that. Yep.
00:30:20
Speaker
I mean, a moment maybe even of conversation where they he says, I'm like, I'm going to ask her to marry me and like talks to his best friend about it and says, I'm this is where I'm at right now. What um am I to you? He asked that question, but not doesn't say, hey I'm this close to asking because I don't know what you and I are.
00:30:39
Speaker
Well, helped. and No, i I do think saying I want to propose to her, what do you feel about me would have influenced her decision. So I kind of like that he didn't say he was going to propose to her. Like he wanted to know her true and honest thoughts on it without a possible engagement. Like she's, she wouldn't want to break up the engagement.
00:31:02
Speaker
But your best friend, you usually would talk to before you make a step like that sometimes at least, you know? Well, yeah, it definitely should have been late before the night before. right I mean, the conversation about what are we to each other? How do you feel about me? How do I feel about you? That conversation between Alex and Poppy needed to happen and it has needed to happen several summers ago. Like before we even get to three summers ago in Tuscany with their current partners, that has been needing to happen. So at that point, like,
00:31:32
Speaker
If you haven't had the conversation by now, it's too late. Either you like that's when you have to remove Poppy from the equation. Are you going to be satisfied living your rest of your life with Sarah? Yes or no? If the answer is yes, go ahead and propose. If the answer is no, then stop stringing her along. Leave this poor girl alone.
00:31:51
Speaker
Yeah. um jumping ahead because we're talking about their communication and how they don't communicate and you're saying they should have had this conversation several summers ago and they don't they they don't communicate and that is what happens two summers ago after the kiss yes they just don't talk about it and that's why like that's what makes it awkward and that's why they stop talking and it's like if you had just talked about your feelings when the kiss happened yeah you would be dating two years ago most likely like they both i think knew they liked each other but didn't know the other one reciprocated those feelings. So they wasted two years of their life. Well, that's the lack of talking about them going to therapy sucks because they are able to learn how to communicate and learn how to process their feelings by going to therapy. And when you take that out of it, it just like, again, it makes it seem like they magically, all their problems get solved at the end of the movie so we can tie a bow on It's like, no, like they put in, like there's several like, you know, Weeks later, months later, like there's time jumps in this book where throughout those time jumps, Poppy has been going to therapy every week.
00:32:57
Speaker
And, you know, and then Alex says he's been going to therapy regularly as well. They've been doing the work to fix themselves and grow into better versions of themselves to be able to communicate, to not let things like miscommunication
Therapy's Role in Personal Growth
00:33:10
Speaker
communication. fear of communication with each other get between them and that takes that like ownership over the relationship away so like the more I think about it the more upset I am that they didn't include therapy in the movie um because yeah I mean like having that conversation is scary and it's terrifying like what if I ruin it what if I like them they don't like me like and then we can't be friends like all of those fears are valid but
00:33:37
Speaker
you know not being strong enough to have that difficult conversation like look at all the other stuff that's happened because of it or like a lot of it could have been solved if you guys had just talked
00:33:50
Speaker
but he's a cat he's a cat person Which is all entirely not in the film, which is the other, one of the other big things that made me upset about it is that he had this whole character of the cat that had a personality and was his only form of communication with her for that whole, for a while. And, know, he's a big part of it and not anywhere in the film.
00:34:13
Speaker
RIP to Flammary O'Connor. Right. Yeah. The act. And Grandma Betty. And Grandma Betty. um All right. so now So now we know what happened all of the summers leading up to two summers ago. We know that last summer, like basically after Croatia and the kiss, that became awkward and they didn't speak to each other. So it's been like two whole years since they've talked. And um Alex's brother, David, calls Poppy and says, hey, I'm getting married in Barcelona. Like you haven't RSVP'd yet.
00:34:50
Speaker
And she's like, oh, shoot, like, let me find the invitation. Like, hey, it's this weekend, which listeners, I'm getting married at the time of this recording. I'm getting married in five days. I am not calling people five days before my wedding. Here, you still coming? If you haven't responded by now, you're not coming. And I've moved on with my life. Like, I love you so much, but I can't do it, especially a destination wedding to Barcelona, which is a change in the book.
00:35:13
Speaker
They go to Palm Springs, not Barcelona, but whatever. Like, And that was honestly the biggest thing that I was like, this is fake. This is not real life. so like I can believe everything else, but not that. Well, that was a change in itself because she decides to reach back out to Alex on her own. Like, I'm just going to do it. And then they they start the conversation and then yes they end up going, okay.
00:35:41
Speaker
So for to have David even reach out and, like, be like, why? Like, it it like um it was just weird having the little brother. Like, that the fact that he reaches out to her, plus what you're saying about it being the weekend of, like, it just ah it's such a weird way to make it work for the film. Yeah.
00:36:03
Speaker
Little brother wants his brother to get back together with his girlfriend, with hiss with his best friend. Amen. Yeah. And maybe he did the whole time. um I think everybody did. but And maybe that's what he wanted at the end. But, yeah, it's just such an odd change. They actually wanted her to come and not Alex because he's a stick in the mud. And they just needed her to be there to bring him out little out vacation Alex. it Yeah. um Anyways, so yeah, they by some some means or another, Poppy ends up taking the trip to David's wedding. So again, in the movie, David's wedding is a destination wedding to Barcelona, Spain. In the book, it's
00:36:45
Speaker
Palm Springs, California. um And so that in and of itself is a huge difference because you're talking about international flights and like all over the place. But what is the same is Poppy lying to Alex about why she's going to the wedding. um So she lies to Alex and says, it's for work. I'm going on a work trip. Then it happens to be in the same city. So, you know, we could catch up and go together and then oh i guess i could also go to your brother's wedding since i'm already gonna be there hu when in reality she is moving her work life around and taking a vacation an unplanned vacation from work specifically to go be with alex and and go to to um david's wedding um so
00:37:36
Speaker
And then the book is a huge deal because none of it's getting paid for. and like, that's the biggest lie is that she told Alex, the company was paying for all this stuff. And, um, that's why everything had to be cheap too. Yeah. yeah Instead of like a day or two beforehand, but that, the squeeze timeline made it tougher to get a lot of this, uh, depth into those days too.
00:38:00
Speaker
yeah. And the apartment is almost almost a character of its own in the book, like being in Palm Springs in the heat. That's where we we took our honeymoon in Palm Springs. So I know all about the heat of Palm Springs from that.
Conclusion: Self-Discovery and Balance
00:38:12
Speaker
And even our hotel that was nice was still hot all the time. So it made more sense than Spain, I feel like, even though it probably is still hot there. But that made a lot more sense there in the book, the heater, the AC.
00:38:25
Speaker
And jumping ahead, I mean, they had a miserable time, the car, the the heat, the apartment, AC hit him spraining his back, all of that. But, um, we talked about it, Chris, when we heard the thunderstorm, so they're coming back after the wedding, the big blow up at the wedding and they're coming back to the house. And we, we have seen the patio is, um, covered with the tarp and we heard the thunderstorm and we were like, it's happening. Just like that.
00:38:51
Speaker
So at least they got that part. They kept the key elements. Yeah, they they kept that AC didn't work. And so they're all like, you know, hot. And like, i don't know about you guys, like, even though I'm a native Californian, and I'm used to the heat, like I turn into a heat, heat stroke Jordan is like not a fun Jordan to be around. Like, so I totally get her like, getting antsy and like,
00:39:15
Speaker
irritated and like freaking out because it's so hot and she's like I can't think straight and so she just takes the scissors and stabs the plastic to get some some sort of fresh air into the apartment and then you get the you know the summer rainstorm in the desert and it's just like you know this gorgeous romantic like I think Sarah you said it was like ah the notebook like type of scene where it's raining and they're kissing and it's so beautiful and then like usually in a story like that's it like oh they finally have talked about their feelings they love each other they did the thing and then we move on and that's not the end of the story they still have work to do they still have conversations that they need to have they go back to you know poppy it's all from poppy's point of view so she's like I don't want to make this weird so I'm going to not talk about it which is exactly what happened in Croatia and led to them not talking for the last two years so like we're not recognizing these cycles of behavior and we're not learning anything from our experiences we just keep doing the same thing over and over again um and so they go so that also happens before David's wedding in the book um the the storm and the
00:40:30
Speaker
and the sleeping together, all of that happens before the brother's wedding. So then they go to the brother's wedding. Everything is fine and dandy, except for like, they know each other so well, they can tell something's not right. You're thinking about this. You're not sure. and Alex says like,
00:40:46
Speaker
she she speaks very poorly. Like she stumbles over her words and she doesn't mean what she says, but she says something along lines of like, I needed a vacation from my life. And so that I wanted to see you. And so he takes offense to that. He's hurt. He's like, I'm not a vacation. I'm not something that you can have for a short time and then throw away when you need to get back to your real life. Like, I love you. I want to be with you always. And I don't want to keep being strung around by you.
00:41:16
Speaker
And because you don't know what you want. Like I, he, Alex knows what he wants. He wants to get married. He wants to have kids. He's happy living in their hometown and growing old there. Like he says that, like, I just, I want to fucking grow old with you. And like in, in our house with our kids and grandkids, like he knows what he wants.
00:41:33
Speaker
and poppy doesn't and the whole thing is she keeps running away from things because she doesn't actually know what she's running towards she just knows like this isn't it i'm gonna leave and she keeps leaving all of these places these people and finally she's leaving alex um he feels like she's leaving him and he's like you gotta kind of choose at this point like you're either either you love me and you want to be with me and we're going to do this or you're going to keep running away. And if you keep running away, like I'm going to shut the door. I'm not going let you keep coming in and hurting me.
00:42:09
Speaker
Good boy. yeah Which is. And so she goes and learns how to take care of a plant. Yeah. A spider plant. So, you know, I've kept on alive for a little while now. So I think it's pretty easy because otherwise I feel everything. So. Uh,
00:42:28
Speaker
What are your thoughts on the big like finale change? um Me or me Chris? curon Either one of you. I'll start. but I hated the fact that Sarah was a flight attendant and they ran into each other. like This whole time, the whole movie, I'm waiting for the finale, right? And I'm waiting for her to go to the school, run into Sarah, and then go to the bar.
00:42:52
Speaker
um And then so, i mean, again, with how rushed they had to make the ending, I get that it was very convenient to just have her run into each other at the airport. um And we we had to have that conversation in some way.
00:43:07
Speaker
um And then the whole running thing, like going to his house and like catching him he's they were running I did think it was really cute that we were like she's gonna have to run and like she's been complaining the whole movie about not running very good rom-com moment but I just wanted to see how it happened in the book so badly so I was really disappointed in that They didn't give her her trauma of the school being part of her trauma in the movie. So it didn't make as much sense to force the school to be the moment. The running was the trauma. The running was her. Yeah, she does not like to run. And so that worked. I mean, I think that they made it work in a way that felt pretty authentic to the book other than the fact that I still don't think he had any depth. So it was all her figuring out her problems. Right.
00:43:53
Speaker
um I just realized we totally, um a character that we... didn't talk about, but is talked about in the book is ah Rachel's mom being the therapist that she ends up going to and has is the one that gives her the advice that she needs to go back to her, what made her happy. And that's why she chooses, Oh, I need Alex back in my life because he's the thing that has always made me happy. And she, that's what causes some of that miscommunication at the wedding and around that um is because she's saying, you're just my, you're my home when I'm on a vacation. You're my, my relief from this.
00:44:24
Speaker
And so, and that's who she goes to after when she gets her therapist. I really liked the ending of the book. The movie definitely got there, but it wasn't quite as impactful.
00:44:36
Speaker
I didn't mind Sarah as a flight attendant um because right, like, as she's, there are multiple points throughout the story where Poppy talks about why she loves traveling and why she loves airports. And, like, everybody's going somewhere and they're going on an adventure and she's, like, romanticizing the airport as, like, this way station for people on their journeys. And, like, you can meet so many new people there. and then one of the last times she talks about the airport is, like,
00:45:04
Speaker
after her and Alex have their like breakup scene at his gate in the airport going home from the wedding where he gives her like the ultimatum basically like you need to figure yourself out so that way like we need to figure ourselves out and if we're gonna work or not because like i you know I can't keep doing this with you um and so she talks about how lonely like this is the first time she's ever felt lonely in an airport and so having that significance of the airports in the book I think I liked the change of Sarah being a flight attendant and like you know
00:45:40
Speaker
the kind of romanticized beauty of the airport is that it's all strangers, but you're all kind of going to the same place and you're all doing the same thing. and then the happenstance of meeting, site seeing someone, you know, there, I kind of liked that change. So sorry.
00:45:59
Speaker
It like, it was, it was poetic to me. It made sense to me on that level. Um, but I, Yeah. I don't disagree with you. And I i agree with everything you're saying. It was, it was good for the movie. um It was just disappointing for me.
00:46:14
Speaker
And I know that they're supposed to be different mediums, but it was disappointing for me because I had been waiting the whole movie for this finale. That was the book and for her to go back to the hometown and to go to the school and see Sarah at the school. But the moment they said she wasn't a teacher, she worked for her dad's company or whatever.
00:46:31
Speaker
I kind of knew in my heart it was not going to be at the school at the end. um It was still just so shocking for me to see her as a flight attendant at the airport. But I agree with everything that you said.
00:46:43
Speaker
It almost makes her feel like the same kind of person that's running away from her life as Poppy is. Like, that's what Alex gravitates towards is these people that can't stay in one place and are always moving, to whether it's Poppy or Sarah. Yeah.
00:46:59
Speaker
yeah But I think the whole lake the whole book is just this great big metaphor for like finding out who you are. And like I don't know that any of us can ever really discover who we are if we don't do anything new. And we don't go so anywhere new. We don't see any new places or new things and meet new people. And so I think that's like a journey that each of us has to go on and it's going to look different for each of us. Like for Sarah, it's going to look like being a flight attendant for Poppy. It looks like working for her company and taking all these big, huge vacations for Alex. It looks like meeting Poppy and taking those summer trips with her every year and you know, just letting his weirdness come out with her. um
00:47:44
Speaker
And so I think like, yeah we all we all have a little bit of a poppy in us and we all have a little bit of an alex in us and so it's like finding the balance between them to get to where we're supposed to be and like as in a metaphorical sense like as people enough said So ah think that's it.
00:48:11
Speaker
um We got through the whole thing. They do have their rom-com running through the streets of Linfield, Ohio. i love you. I love you. Okay, let's figure it out. We're going to make it work. um And then that's it.
00:48:26
Speaker
And then, you You live happily ever after. Hopefully they keep going to therapy and keep working themselves out. Yeah. and i'm sure they will they got a dog they're fine yes they did get a little dog you don't need therapy anymore and then he like he moves to new york to be with her um and then at the end of the book they do that too he or he gets a job in new york um and they live together in new york and she changes from being like a big like international travel blog to ah people we meet in new york blog
00:48:58
Speaker
um which there's a real one of those. It's like humans of New York, I think on Instagram and stuff. But it does like, it takes photos of people and tells their life stories. And she kind of, she kind of does that. That's really cool. um Which I think is really cool because like if home is when you're with your favorite person, then home can be anywhere. And so like, let's, instead of trying to get a shallow understanding of all these different places all over the world, let's really dig in deep to where we are.
00:49:26
Speaker
right now let's dig in deep to this one person and spend the rest of your life with that person and put down roots and what is new york really like really about um instead of this is you know top five places in santorini where you'll go once and then never again like i like that metaphor as well of like finding your one person your one place and like diving deep into it and being being fully present in that space
00:50:02
Speaker
so not a perfect adaptation but a good storytelling on both ways ah on both mediums which I always enjoy when we do it well on both stories Yeah. I mean, I thought the movie was adorable. Like I said, I really liked their chemistry. I thought Poppy was so charismatic and so funny. And um like I laughed a lot. So it was a good time. What was your bookmarked moment? was your favorite, each of your guys' favorite moments from the book or the movie?
00:50:38
Speaker
I think that the ah humor and what was it? When she's being sarcastic, most of the time she's being sarcastic and saying quippy things. I was ah entertained by that and really ah like when she's, they meet Sarah and Alex at the door and she says, I did nothing but complain about you to him. I don't know what you're talking about That's, that's, that's, that's definitely my kind of humor there.
00:51:09
Speaker
I enjoyed those.
00:51:15
Speaker
I had mine earlier and then I forgot it. But for the sake of the podcast, I'll say the condom scene. um It was similar enough to the book, but the added sex talk between Alex and her dad was just so funny. And then throwing the condoms in after they settled, it was not a sex talk. It was a flight talk, but then the condoms appear and it's like, so it was a sex talk. I just thought that was probably the funniest part of the movie. on But other than that,
00:51:45
Speaker
um Other than that, like Emily Bader as Poppy, I thought, knocked it out of the park. Really did. and What about your least favorite moments?
00:51:57
Speaker
Yeah. The ending. From a Tuscany on. So like the whole last hour. lack of any depth to Alex. yeah Yeah. The lack of Alex's depth really made me sad throughout the whole film because it just made it all her story and not a story of the two of them figuring this stuff out.
00:52:18
Speaker
I just don't think it gives Tom Blythe enough yeah to do. Right. And I think he could have done it all well. I think that that might have given him, yeah you know, showing more emotion, being more of that a person growing throughout the film would have been interesting for him.
00:52:33
Speaker
Yeah.
00:52:36
Speaker
And you, um Jordan?
00:52:40
Speaker
I think my favorite is probably...
00:52:46
Speaker
It's from the book. I like the conversation, their like breakup conversation in the airport that felt like the most real. um And then it was like, Alex getting that like emotional depth of like, you've been hurting me by not being honest with me and like, recognizing that he's kind of been doing the same thing because they've both been afraid to talk to each other. and so like I really appreciated that real like raw hurt that both of them were feeling. um And then my favorite moment is pretty...
00:53:23
Speaker
My favorite moment is probably like any interactions that they each had with the other person's family. Like I i just, his family is very important to me. And like, you know, Ethan gets along so well with my parents and my sisters. Like that's just always very heartwarming to me when like you bring a new person into and bring them and make them part of your family and everybody gets along and like how much Alex's dad and brother you know, love Poppy so much to the point where he's calling and like, Hey, you're coming to my wedding. Right. Like he, he wants her there independent of her relationship with Alex. So that was very sweet. I really love that.
00:54:02
Speaker
I think that's it. Any final thoughts from anybody on people we meet on vacation?
00:54:09
Speaker
When art speaks to you, you make it work. Theme matters. Okay.
00:54:16
Speaker
theme matters all the little catchphrases throughout were really really fun all those little things yeah we definitely need to give them credit for doing some accurate lines pulling a few of those lines in the inside jokes that they shared were were really cute and really funny um all right well that's it friends um another episode of book watch up and out for you um next time you see me i will be married so that'll be super fun and exciting so i get to join co-hosts in the married life and uh yeah it'll be super fun i don't know when i'll see you guys again but i will i'll be back at some point somewhere Somehow, someway, I'll be back. um So yeah, be sure to listen to our outro. Find us on all the social medias. um Give us a listen.
00:55:07
Speaker
Like and subscribe. Share with your friends. Meet somebody new on vacation, even if it's just a new version of yourself. And we'll see you next time. Bye. That's a wrap for this week's episode of Book Watch.
00:55:20
Speaker
We hope you enjoyed diving into the world of page to screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
00:55:32
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at book, watch podcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at book, watch podcast, and you can follow me Sarah day on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
00:55:52
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at JJ Corrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at CyborgNight404. That's night with a K. You can also join the conversation in the Bookwatch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups slash Bookwatch Lounge.
00:56:12
Speaker
If you'd like to support the podcast, you can join the Patreon at patreon.com bookwatchpodcast. Tiers start at only $4 a month, and we would love to have you over there. Have a favorite adaptation you'd like us to cover, or a book you think deserves a screen adaptation, or just want to let us know of any feedback, send us an email at bookwatchpodcast at gmail.com.
00:56:33
Speaker
Until next time, keep reading, keep watching, and we will see you week.