Didn't these two characters from The Last Jedi already meet in The Force Awakens?

Question

At the end of The Last Jedi, Poe introduces himself to Rey and it's strongly implied that this is the first time they have met, let alone talked to one another.

However, in The Force Awakens, it seems fairly obvious that they must have met, given that they are within feet of each other during the scene when the map to Luke Skywalker is reassembled. It also seems highly unlikely that Finn, knowing both, never introduced them to each other.

Furthermore, the FA novelisation, supposedly canon, includes a scene where they speak directly to one another;

“Uh, hi,” the pilot mumbled. “I’m Poe.”
She nodded slowly, searching his face and finding that she liked it. “I recognize the name. So you’re Poe. Poe Dameron, the X-wing pilot. I’m Rey.” “I know.” He smiled back, a little more at ease. “Nice to meet you.”

Are we supposed to believe that Poe and Rey's introduction in The Last Jedi is the first time that they have spoken to one another?

Answer 1

According to the movie, yes

Poe and Rey are never introduced until the scene at the end of The Last Jedi, because we are explicitly shown by that scene that they haven't met. It isn't totally reasonable, since they are standing directly on either side of Leia during the map scene in The Force Awakens (And Poe interacts with BB-8 while Rey looks on), so at the absolute least it's odd that they act like they've never even laid eyes on each other. However,

• Rey appears to leave for Luke pretty quickly after that scene. It is implied that she leaves immediately after saying goodbye to Finn. She may not have bothered to talk to anybody.
• The novelization shouldn't be considered canon over the movies. Since The Last Jedi shows their introduction scene, it's safe to say the novelization is not canon on that point.
• Your question argues that Finn would introduce them, but he was not conscious at this point.

So even though it might be unlikely, we can accept it as true that they never met until that scene.

Answer 2

I don't think this is meant to indicate it is the first time they have met. Rey is trying to fit into her role as a Hero of the Rebellion, previously she was a no one someone who helped Finn get BB8 to the resistance and then helped them get to the Death Star but sees other such as Poe and even Finn as the Hero of the Resistance and herself as a nobody with no home or place to belong so when she tells Poe, I'm Rey he affirms the fact that she has found her home and that she is now someone of importance by telling her "I know". Remember Rey is still overwhelmed with everything. Even though they have already met to her she may still believe she is forgettable to a great pilot like Poe.

In addition any meeting with Poe would have been very brief, and no doubt combined with introductions to a lot of people as well as the grief of losing Han and the excitement of looking for Luke here Poe is meeting a Jedi for potentially the first time, it is highly likely he doesn't know if she has remembered him from there briefest of meetings.

This for me wasn't a plot hole, it was another moment of reality in the film, we can't expect every character to remember who every other character is after just a first brief meeting under stressful circumstances weeks ago. I struggle to forget the names of people I met in work just yesterday after spending all day with them.