I won’t lie, I love reading books before watching the TV or film adaptation. The below ten books are all set to hit the big screen this year or next, so it’s time to pick up your reading pace to read them before they do.
It’s very cool to see the characters on the screen and how they differ from what you imagined in your head.
Think Daisy Jones and the Six, or It Ends With Us – do you think they got the casting right? Maybe even Me Before You or The Summer I Turned Pretty. Are the main characters as you pictured them?
Here are ten books to pick up and read before they come to the big screen very soon.
Related blog posts to read:
- You’ve Seen the Shows, But Have You Read the Book?
- 10 Obsessively Addictive Book Series to Read This Year
- The Best Emily Henry Books You Need to Read
- 11 of the Best Fantasy Books to Read This Summer
- The Colleen Hoover Books You Need to Read Right Now
Books to Read Before They Hit the Big Screen
1. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo, known for her glamorous and scandalous life, chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant to write her biography, leaving Monique puzzled but eager to revive her stagnant career. As Evelyn recounts her rise to fame, her seven marriages, and her departure from showbiz, Monique is drawn into a captivating tale of ambition, friendship, and forbidden love. However, as the story unfolds, Monique discovers that her own life is inextricably linked to Evelyn’s in a tragic and transformative way.
Netflix is developing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo into a film.
My rating: ★★★★★
Read my review here, and my review of every book Taylor Jenkins Reid has written here.
2. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Vignes twin sisters, once inseparable, lead drastically different lives after running away from their small, southern black community at sixteen. One sister returns to live with her black daughter in their hometown, while the other passes for white, hiding her past from her white husband. Despite the distance and deception, their lives remain intertwined, especially as their daughters’ stories intersect. Spanning from the 1950s to the 1990s and moving between the Deep South and California, Brit Bennett’s “The Vanishing Half” is a riveting family saga and a profound exploration of racial identity, the influence of the past, and the complex reasons people may choose to live beyond their origins.
HBO is developing The Vanishing Half into a series.
My rating: ★★★★★
3. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
In Malibu, August 1983, four famous siblings throw an epic end-of-summer party that will change their lives forever. Nina Riva, a talented surfer and supermodel, hosts the event despite dreading the attention, especially after her pro tennis player husband publicly abandons her. Her brothers, Jay, a championship surfer, eagerly awaits the girl of his dreams, while Hud, a renowned photographer, is burdened by a secret he must confess to Jay. Their younger sister, Kit, has her own hidden agenda and an unexpected guest. As the night progresses, the party spirals out of control, and by morning, the Riva mansion is engulfed in flames, with long-held family secrets and tensions exploding in the chaos.
Hulu is adapting this for the big screen as a TV series.
My rating: ★★★★★
Read my review here, and my review of every book Taylor Jenkins Reid has written here.
4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf, a terrifying creature demands retribution and drags her to a treacherous magical land. There, she discovers her captor, Tamlin, is a lethal, immortal faerie who is not always a beast. As Feyre adapts, her hostility towards Tamlin turns into fiery passion, unraveling the lies about the dangerous world of the Fae. However, an ancient, wicked shadow threatens the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it or risk dooming Tamlin and his world forever.
Hulu is developing ACOTAR into a TV series.
My rating: ★★★★
5. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Mariana Andros, a brilliant but troubled group therapist, is certain that charismatic Greek Tragedy professor Edward Fosca is a murderer, despite his untouchable status at Cambridge University. Fosca is particularly adored by The Maidens, a secret society of female students. Mariana’s obsession begins when a member of The Maidens, a friend of her niece Zoe, is found murdered. As she delves deeper, convinced Fosca is guilty, Mariana uncovers sinister secrets beneath the university’s ancient traditions. Her fixation threatens her credibility and relationships, but Mariana is determined to stop the killer, even at the cost of her own life.
The adaptation of The Maidens is in development for the big screen by the producers of “The Silent Patient.”
My rating: ★★★★
6. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
In 1714 France, a desperate young woman named Addie LaRue makes a Faustian bargain for immortality, only to be cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Her extraordinary life unfolds across centuries and continents, filled with history and art, as she strives to leave her mark on the world. After nearly 300 years, everything changes when she meets a young man in a hidden bookstore who remembers her name.
It’s being adapted into a film by StudioCanal and Entertainment One.
My rating: ★★★
7. Circe by Madeline Miller
Born in the house of Helios, Circe is an unusual child, lacking her father’s power and her mother’s allure. Turning to mortals for companionship, she discovers her own power: witchcraft. Threatened by her abilities, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her craft and encounters legendary figures such as the Minotaur, Daedalus, Icarus, Medea, and Odysseus. Alone, Circe faces danger from both gods and men, ultimately confronting a vengeful Olympian. To protect what she loves, Circe must decide where she truly belongs: with the gods or the mortals she has come to cherish.
HBO Max is adapting Circe into a series.
My rating: ★★
8. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
In 1889 Paris, on the brink of industrial power and energized by the Exposition Universelle, treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie is coerced by the powerful Order of Babel to embark on a mission in exchange for his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order desires, Séverin assembles a diverse team: an indebted engineer, a historian in exile, a dancer with a dark past, and a loyal brother in arms. Together, they navigate the dark and glittering depths of Paris, facing dangers that could alter history—if they manage to survive.
The Gilded Wolves series being developed for the big screen, on TV.
9. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Le Cirque des Rêves arrives without warning, enchanting visitors with its black-and-white tents and nightly wonders. Behind the scenes, however, a fierce competition unfolds between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, trained since childhood for this duel by their enigmatic mentors. Unaware that only one can survive, they fall deeply in love, their magic intensifying with every touch. Despite their feelings, the game must continue, leaving the fates of the circus performers and patrons hanging in the balance, as precarious as the acrobats above.
It’s set to be adapted into a TV series, promising a visually stunning and enchanting story.
10. The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a life-changing day, and their connection is immediate and profound. Determined to lead meaningful lives, they pursue different paths. Gabe as a photojournalist in the Middle East and Lucy in New York. Over the next thirteen years, their journey is marked by dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and enduring love. As Lucy faces a life-altering decision, she reflects on their story from the beginning, questioning whether fate brought them together or if their choices have kept them apart, despite being continents away but never out of each other’s hearts.
Currently being developed into a film for the big screen.
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