The Best Of: YA Books That Should Have Film Adaptations #3

I’ve been watching a lot of films lately and it got me thinking again about some of my recent(ish) reads and which ones would make great adaptations. Now I know what you’re thinking, I’ve literally just published a post about whether too many adaptations are being made, but I argued for both sides and at the end of the day I love an adaptation.

For that reason here are three more YA books I think should have film adaptations.

The Boyband Murder Mystery by Eva Eldred

I can 100% see this being a Netflix/Prime Original, it’s the exact type of story they like to adapt. If they were to adapt The Boyband Murder Mystery I have a feeling it would be in a similar style to Enola Holmes.

Synopsis: Harri and her best friends worship Half Light – an internationally famous boyband. When frontman Frankie is arrested on suspicion of murdering his oldest friend Evan, Harri feels like her world’s about to fall apart. But quickly she realises that she – and all the other Half Light superfans out there – know and understand much more about these boys than any detective ever could.

Now she’s rallying a fangirl army to prove Frankie’s innocence – and to show the world that you should never underestimate a teenage girl with a passion…

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli

This is another that would be a Netflix/Prime Original. This wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read but the ‘friend rival’ trope would translate well to a teen dramedy film. After the recent success of Do Revenge, I could see this film doing very well. Similar vibes but instead of taking revenge against an enemy it’s two friends fighting for the same guy, with a great twist may I add.

Synopsis: Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are not codependent. Carpooling to and from theatre rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient. Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment. Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.

But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off script. Matt Olsson is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.

Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Although there is a lot to unpack in this series it is only a duology so personally, I think films would work better. This is one of my favourite series that has recently been published and I would love to see it adapted.

The magic in This Poison Heart is a type you don’t see in films very often so it would be super cool to see it come to life. Plus who doesn’t want more sapphic media in their life?

Synopsis: Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.