The BookTok-to-Netflix pipeline
If your teen spends any time on the reading side of social media, they’ve been waiting for this since the second the casting was announced. Emily Henry is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the "beach read" genre, and this adaptation leans hard into that aesthetic. It’s colorful, it’s aspirational, and it features Tom Blyth and Emily Bader as the central duo, Alex and Poppy.
The chemistry is the main event here. Critics are currently split—the Metacritic score is a dead-average 50—but fans on Reddit and IMDB are much higher on it. That gap usually happens when a movie prioritizes vibes and romantic tension over a complex plot. If your teen is looking for a deep cinematic masterpiece, this isn't it. If they want to see two people pine for each other across various international zip codes, they’ll be thrilled.
Managing the "steam" factor
This is where the movie gets its "spicy" reputation. While it’s technically a romantic comedy, it follows the modern trend of being more explicit than the PG-13 rom-coms of the early 2000s. There are scenes that involve heavy breathing, suggestive dialogue, and implied intimacy that might make a shared family viewing feel awkward if you aren't prepared.
It isn't gratuitous, but it definitely targets an older teen and young adult audience. If you're wondering how to navigate those moments or want a breakdown of the specific "BookTok" tropes at play, check out People We Meet on Vacation: A Parent’s Guide to the Netflix Movie. It helps to know going in that the movie treats romance with a level of maturity that matches the source material.
The "Friends-to-Lovers" trap
The story relies on a decade-long timeline of summer trips, jumping between the past and the present. This structure can be a bit jarring for younger viewers, which is why the 14+ recommendation sticks. The conflict isn't about a villain or a big external disaster; it’s about two people who are terrified of ruining a friendship.
For a generation raised on fast-paced content, the "slow burn" here might feel more like a "slow crawl." However, it’s a great jumping-off point for talking about how friendships change as people grow up. Poppy is the classic "free spirit" who uses travel to avoid her real life, while Alex is the "stuffy" homebody. It’s a trope as old as time, but the movie handles the emotional stakes with enough sincerity that it doesn't feel like a total cliché.
Why it’s better than the average "Netflix Original"
We’ve all seen the generic, low-budget romances that Netflix churns out every month. This isn't that. The production value is high, the locations are gorgeous, and the acting is actually solid. Even if the script is "instantly forgettable" to some critics, the performances make the characters feel like real people rather than cardboard cutouts.
If your teen is a fan of the book, they will likely complain about the changes—that’s just part of the experience. But as a standalone movie, it’s a high-quality version of exactly what it claims to be. For a more detailed look at the mature themes and how they compare to the novel, our People We Meet on Vacation: A Parent's Guide to the Emily Henry Netflix Hit has you covered.
