Every Emily Henry Book Adaptation in Development After ‘People We Meet on Vacation’

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Netflix started 2026 strong with the release of “People We Meet on Vacation,” based on Emily Henry’s bestselling 2021 novel. The movie quickly became Netflix’s most popular film, attracting 17.2 million viewers in just two days (January 9th-11th). The film’s success has also boosted book sales, with “People We Meet on Vacation” returning to Amazon’s bestseller list. This surge in adaptations mirrors the trend seen with Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us,” suggesting Emily Henry’s work will likely see similar treatment.

Emily Henry, born in 1991, published her debut novel, The Love That Split the World, at just 25 years old in 2016. While she initially wrote for young adults, she found huge success switching to romance, beginning with Beach Read in 2020. Henry has quickly become a leading voice in the romance genre, blending familiar rom-com tropes with a modern perspective that appeals to millennials and Gen Z. She’s won the Goodreads Choice Award for romance five years running, and several of her books are now being adapted into films, potentially sparking a new wave of romance movies.

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‘Beach Read’ (2020)


Berkley Books

Emily Henry’s debut novel, Beach Read, quickly became her most popular. Released in May 2020, it offered a comforting escape during the pandemic when many people couldn’t visit the beach. The story centers on January Andrews, a romance author, and Augustus Everett, a literary fiction writer and her old college acquaintance. Both struggling with writer’s block, they challenge each other to write a novel in the other’s genre over the summer. This leads to a greater respect for each other’s work and a growing personal connection.

As a critic, I was definitely keeping an eye on Beach Read after it hit the New York Times Best Seller list and landed on so many ‘best of 2020’ romance roundups. Now, it’s heading to the big screen! 20th Century Pictures picked up the rights back in April 2023, and I’m excited to hear that Yulin Kuang – the talent behind the People We Meet on Vacation adaptation – is writing and directing. No word yet on when we can expect to see it in theaters, but I’ll be watching for updates.

3
‘Book Lovers’ (2022)


Berkley Books

As a big romance reader, I was really excited for Book Lovers when it came out in May 2022. It’s Emily Henry’s third book, following the popular Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. The story centers around Nora, a literary agent, who gets talked into a vacation in a small town called Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. Turns out, Charlie, a book editor she doesn’t exactly get along with, is also there, running his family’s bookstore! They end up working together, and, naturally, sparks fly. But things get tricky because Charlie’s tied to Sunshine Falls by his dad’s health, and Nora’s wondering if they can make a long-distance thing work. It’s a classic setup, and I was totally invested!

Emily Henry’s novel, Book Lovers, topped bestseller lists with the New York Times and USA Today. Tango Entertainment purchased the rights to adapt it into a film on March 28, 2023. Sarah Heyward, known for her work on shows like Girls and Nobody Wants This, is writing the screenplay. As of now, there’s no set release date, and the cast hasn’t been chosen. No distribution deal has been finalized yet either.

2
‘Happy Place’ (2023)


Berkley Books

Happy Place follows Harriet and Wyn, a couple who have quietly decided to split up after eight years together. Each year, they vacation with friends in Maine, a place they fondly call “their happy place.” They attempt to pretend they’re still a couple during this trip, but keeping up the facade proves challenging as old tensions and personal growth come to light. As they navigate these changes, they both must figure out what will truly make them happy moving forward.

Emily Henry’s Happy Place came out on April 25, 2023, shortly after film rights for her novels Beach Read and Book Lovers were secured. Originally, Happy Place was going to be a television series for Netflix, with Jennifer Lopez’s production company, Nuyorican Productions, obtaining the rights in June 2024. However, just before People We Meet on Vacation premiered on Netflix, the streaming service decided to develop Happy Place as a movie instead. Leila Cohan, a producer known for Bridgerton, was originally slated to be the showrunner for the series, but her continued involvement after the change to a film is currently unknown.

1
‘Funny Story’ (2024)


Berkley Books

Released on April 23, 2024, Funny Story centers around Daphne Vincent, a children’s librarian reeling from a breakup. Her fiancé left her for a friend named Petra, and to complicate things further, Daphne ends up moving in with Miles Nowak – the ex-boyfriend of Petra! They initially pretend to be a couple to get back at their exes, but soon start to fall for each other.

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In July 2024, just two months after the book came out, a movie version of Funny Story was announced. Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company are producing the film, and Emily Henry is writing the screenplay based on her own novel. Then, on January 7, 2026, Netflix announced it would distribute the movie, just before the release of People We Meet on Vacation. This means Netflix now has the rights to make films based on three of Emily Henry’s books.

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2026-01-19 16:25