The ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ Writer Reveals the One Scene She Wishes Made It to the Final Cut

For the past five years, if you ask any romance reader what book they’re dying to see turned into a movie, nine times out of 10, the answer would be an Emily Henry novel. With every book release, the internet has fallen more and more in love with her complex characters, next-level banter, and happily ever-afters that will have you simultaneously wiping tears and giggling into your pillow. So it’s no surprise that her fans were counting down the seconds until the release of her first film adaptation, People We Meet on Vacation. By now, I trust that all of her most dedicated readers have binged the movie, watched as many edits as they can find on TikTok and Reels (specifically of the dancing scene), and are desperately craving more Poppy and Alex in their lives. So, to give you the PWMOV insider info you’re craving, I talked to best-selling author, co-screenwriter of the film, and the co-writer and director of the upcoming Beach Read adaptation, Yulin Kuang, to get a peek behind the curtain.

If you’re wondering how Kuang was able to create a film that has all the romance girlies absolutely obsessed, it’s because she is truly one of us. Even as a child, she was watching A Few Good Men and rewriting the script in her head so Demi Moore and Tom Cruise would kiss. With a healthy media diet of Disney movies and musicals (specifically Anastasia), a lover girl was born. As a fan herself, she knew that despite what the internet wants to claim about the golden age of rom-coms being left in the ’90s or early 2000s, rom-coms aren’t “back” because they’ve always been here. Instead of looking backward, she believes we need to tell stories that make sense in our modern age.

“I think in order to carry the torch forward, we have to find the stories that make sense in our contemporary age,” Kuang said. “That’s what drew me to Emily Henry’s writing so much. It felt like it had the DNA of these ’90s Nora Ephron rom-coms that I love so much, but it also felt so contemporary and so present.”

When working on a script like People We Meet on Vacation, Kuang is well aware of fan expectations as she tackles the project. Going into it, it was important to her to create a satisfying adaptation for the Em Hen stans (I mean, she’s one herself), while also delivering a swoon-worthy romance for people going into the movie completely blind. Her first approach to any adaptation is always writing it in the most book-accurate way possible. Every time there’s a decision between cutting something or keeping it, she errs on the side of keeping it. “What happens is I end up with an unfilmable script,” Kuang said of the process.

“I hope [viewers] take this as their sign to ruin the friendship if they were waiting for one.”

Next, she prints out the script and reads it like she’s never even heard of the book. Wielding her Sharpie and slashing through text, she cuts everything that doesn’t make sense. That process of viewing it through both lenses helps her pay tribute to fans of preexisting works while still creating the best film possible. “It feels like my way, at least, of honoring the book purist within me,” she explained. “Because I know what it feels like to go see a movie, and you’re like, well, why did they change that? And why did they change that? And oh my god, they missed this important thing. The reality is that you can never keep everything. So I like to start from a place where I at least tried, and then obviously the journey will change.”

One scene in particular that Kuang’s inner book purist struggled to part with from the People We Meet on Vacation novel was one where Poppy and Alex scroll through his Tinder profile. She tried to work it in at multiple points, but eventually the screenwriter in her had to accept that there just wasn’t a spot for it. And sometimes, script changes like this go beyond the writer’s room. For example, Kuang told me that while switching the wedding location from Palm Springs to Barcelona did make for a fun, more extravagant place to tie the knot (and a beautiful place for the cast and crew to work), the reasoning behind it was far simpler than a creative decision: tax credits.

Obviously, there are going to be differences between every book-to-movie adaptation. However, the central theme of the story remains the same. For Kuang, People We Meet on Vacation is a friends-to-lovers call to action. “I hope [viewers] take this as their sign to ruin the friendship if they were waiting for one,” Kuang said, joking that it could have saved other characters a lot of trouble (Poor Sarah). But the lesson goes beyond romantic relationships. Kuang urged audiences to make 2026 the year they say what they want and go for it. In her life, that meant embracing her dream of directing. After the announcement that she’ll be writing and directing the Beach Read adaptation, it’s safe to say that dream came true. Speaking of which, she can reveal the film is officially casting, but for any more updates, we’ll have to be patient. Until then, I’ll be taking that advice and going after what I want—by sitting on my couch and re-watching PWMOV on loop.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Blue, Assistant Editor

As an Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Lauren ideates and writes content for every facet of our readers’ lives. Her articles span the topics of must-read books, movies, home tours, travel itineraries—and everything in between. When she isn’t testing the latest TikTok trend, she can be found scouring Goodreads for new releases to feature on the site.

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