When Netflix first announced that it would be adapting Emily Henry’s novel “People We Meet on Vacation,” my heart sank to my butt. They were going to ruin my favorite romance book of all time.

The book and film follow polar-opposite best friends, free-spirited Poppy Wright and uptight Alex Nilsen, through 12 years of friendship. The duo makes a pact to take a vacation together every summer, traveling to places like New Orleans and Tuscany, inevitably falling in love with each other on each new trip. But their respective insecurities and fears prove to be a constant buffer for their romance.

The movie struggled to stay true to the source material and failed to convey the depth and complexity of their relationship. However, despite my personal gripes with the film adaptation, they did get one thing right — Emily Bader as Poppy Wright.

Those familiar with Henry’s books may be wondering why Alex and Poppy’s story is my favorite, considering the fact that “People We Meet on Vacation” is regularly ranked at the bottom of her works on the internet. After the film’s release, my opinion may seem even more confusing, considering the number of people who hated Poppy’s character.

Several viewers dubbed her a “pick me girl” and “not a girl’s girl;” others thought she was just straight-up annoying and insufferable. I don’t deny that her character is larger than life — wearing blue wigs on a night out, openly singing in the airport and failing to read the room after being an hour late to meet with a stranger. She’s definitely an acquired taste.

But this book will forever remain at the top of my romance reading list simply because of how relatable and realistic she is.

This probably raises a lot of red flags about my own character, but as someone who was recently called a “big talker” by a random stranger at a party, I have realized I am Poppy Wright. In the face of all the backlash against her, I feel the need to defend my girl.

Poppy’s main character flaw is her fear of commitment. After being bullied in high school, she avoids her hometown like the plague. She takes on a job as a travel journalist, going from place to place, never really putting down roots: “On vacation, you can be anyone you want … being on vacation transports you into another version of yourself.”

But Poppy’s fear of commitment stems from more than simple restlessness and boredom. In the books, she tells Alex, “I used to have these panic attacks thinking about how I could never be anyone else.” And in the film, she confesses, “I always felt like if I stayed in one place too long, everyone would see that I’m too much.” Poppy isn’t trying to run away from her past or Alex; she’s trying to escape herself.

Her inability to be fully vulnerable with anyone, including her best friend, is what makes her so frustrating. But that shouldn’t be what brands her insufferable.

Another character who shares this trait with Poppy is another one of my favorite characters, Lara Jean Covey from Jenny Han’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” Instead of taking vacations, Lara Jean pours her feelings into letters, too afraid to ever confront the addressees in person. In the movie, she (Lana Condor) tells Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) that “the more people that you let into your life, the more that can just walk right out.”

Lara Jean might not be as annoying as Poppy, but they aren’t much different besides the fact that the latter is a maturer mess. Both are connected through this shared fear, and they achieve happiness through their eventual overcoming of it. Whether you’re more like quiet, daydreamer Lara Jean or outgoing, adventurous Poppy Wright, leaving yourself unguarded is terrifying.

Maybe Poppy is always doing way too much, and her far-too-intimate relationship with Alex often crossed the line of remaining appropriate when the other had a partner. But ultimately, her annoying tendencies make her that much more relatable, as well as her eventual overcoming of this fear just as triumphant. When Poppy finally reaches out to Alex, it’s admirable.

Romance is fun to read about and watch because these characters are doing one of the hardest things a person can do — openly put their heart on the line. But it’s also nice to see a lover girl who struggles to consistently wear her heart on her sleeve. I’m sure many romance fans would agree that, like Poppy, being vulnerable is hard, especially when rejection is a possibility.

Poppy Wright represents a big part of what it means to be a human. So, give my girl a break because, in the end, what says “I love you” more than being vulnerable?

Sophia Kang is a sophomore writing about romance media in her column, “Love, Actually,” which runs every other Tuesday.