If you’re a rom-com book reader, you have probably heard the name Emily Henry. If you’re looking for a guide to all of her adaptations and new books, then you’ve come to the right place!
For those unaware, Emily Henry is a well-known romance author who has written some of the most significant novels in recent years, that have exploded in popularity online, from social media sites like Twitter, TikTok, and more. And she has a number of projects that are set to find a spot on the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations list.
And with so many great books with adaptations in the works, it might be hard to keep track. Here is what you can expect from the author.
People We Meet On Vacation
People We Meet On Vacation is one of the first of many Emily Henry novels being adapted. It has made the most progress in terms of updates lately. The People We Meet On Vacation movie will be released on Netflix, but a set release date has not been confirmed.
The film will also be directed by Brett Haley, who has worked on several young adult films, such as Hearts Beat Loud (which is one of Nick Offerman’s best movies) and All The Bright Places. What’s even better is that we know who will be playing the main characters – and really the whole cast, according to Netflix Tudum:
- Tom Blyth as Alex
- Emily Bader as Poppy
- Sarah Catherine Hook
- Jameela Jamil
- Lucien Laviscount
- Lukas Gage
- Miles Heizer
- Tommy Do
- Alice Lee
- Alan Ruck
- Molly Shannon
What Is The People We Meet On Vacation About?
The People We Meet On Vacation follows Alex (Blyth) and Poppy (Bader). The two of them have pretty opposite personalities but have remained friends over the years because they regularly take a trip together and have since college. But during one vacation, everything changes, and it results in a falling out.
However, they decide to go on one last vacation together to try to rekindle that lost bond, but this trip ends up changing the course of their lives forever. Yes, this sounds like the perfect romantic comedy movie, and I am here for it.
Beach Read
The upcoming Beach Read adaptation is a huge one for fans of Emily Henry. Unfortunately, details on it have remained tight-lipped. There’s no set release date and no means of distribution set just yet, meaning this could end up going to theaters or streaming.
However, we do know who will be directing Beach Read, and that’s Yulin Kuang, according to Deadline.
There’s no set casting news yet, but there have been so many rumors about who will star in it – including the most viral rumor regarding Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal. Even so, nothing has been confirmed as far as who will play the leads, but at the very least, we have a director confirmed.
What Is Beach Read About?
In Beach Read, we follow two authors who write two completely different types of genres. They end up spending the summer near each other, both staying in the same lakefront area. In desperate need to get out of their writing ruts, they decide to switch genres and see who can write the better story – and it leads to an unforgettable love story.
Funny Story
Funny Story is one of Henry’s latest novels, released in April 2024. Not long after, Deadline confirmed that the novel was being adapted into a feature film by Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company.
No release date, cast, or director has been confirmed, but Henry herself is actually going to write the script, according to the Deadline article above, which is a change of pace from many of the other adaptations on here.
What Is Funny Story About?
The Funny Story adaptation will follow the story of the novel, which is about a young woman named Daphne, a librarian who just went through a breakup with her boyfriend, Peter, who broke up with her in order to be with his longtime best friend, Petra. When Daphne is in need of a new living situation, she ends up in the house of Miles, who happens to be Petra’s ex-boyfriend. They decide to work together to make their exes jealous and come back to them – but of course, things don’t go as planned.
Yup, that sounds like the perfect rom-com set-up, and I’m here for it.
Book Lovers
Out of the many adaptations on this list, the film adaptation of Book Lovers has received the least amount of updates, but it’s still expected to happen at some point, as far as we know. Deadline confirmed in March 2023 that Henry’s novel, Book Lovers, would be adapted into a movie.
So far, there is no set release date, distribution platform, director or cast set for this film, but we do know that Sarah Heyward will write the script.
What Is Book Lovers About?
Book Lovers is about Nora Stephens, a literary agent who is on a trip to a small town in North Carolina after her sister convinces her to take a break from her hardworking life in the city. While she’s there, she runs into a work colleague named Charlie, who’s an editor. Their lives collide with tension that you can cut with a knife – but as the vacation progresses, they learn more about each other than ever before—good, old enemies to lovers.
Happy Place
Last but not least, we’ll talk about Happy Place. Deadline confirmed in June 2024 that Netflix optioned Emily Henry’s novel Happy Place to become a series, which would be helmed by Jennifer Lopez‘s production company, Nuyorican.
And then, in August 2024, Deadline broke the news that Happy Place had found its showrunner – Leila Cohan, who has been a producer on Bridgerton, one of the biggest and best shows to binge-watch on Netflix.
There’s no set release date or cast set, but the fact that we do have a showrunner means that Happy Place is moving along nicely.
What Is Happy Place About?
Happy Place is about Harriet and Wyn, a couple who broke up five months ago but haven’t told their friends about it. However, when they are forced to share a bedroom in their yearly friend-group getaway and continue to lie about being together, they find that maybe the spark is still there after all, even after all they have been through.
Truly, there is so much to look forward to with Emily Henry’s upcoming adaptations and books, and it hopefully means my 2025 and onward will be packed to the brim with new rom-coms galore. I’m about to get my tissues ready.
Upcoming Book: Great Big Beautiful Life (2025)
Beyond the exciting adaptations in the works, Emily Henry also has a new book coming out!
So, the only thing we know for sure has a release timeframe is Emily Henry’s next novel. It will be called A Great Big Beautiful Life, which was confirmed by her publishing house, Berkley Pub, in September 2024 on Instagram, as embedded above. So far, the new novel is set to be released in Spring 2025.
Henry teased the plot of the novel in an interview with The Today Show in April 2024, saying that the book is still “very much a love story” but that there will be a “slight departure” from what fans of the author are usually used to. However, it will still be “exciting to the readers.” She also said that it was “the best first draft experience” that the author has had in years:
It was the best first draft experience I’ve had since Beach Read, where writing the first draft, I felt so connected to the characters, and I was getting really emotional for them. And usually, I don’t really find that until later drafts.
Spring 2025 can’t come soon enough.
