With the speed at which books are being adapted at the moment I felt like it was a good time to revive this series.
I’d be interested to look back at previous posts to see if any of my picks have actually been adapted yet. I know for sure I talked about The Lunar Chronicles in one of the first posts in this series, and that’s currently being adapted as an animation which really excites me.
I had planned for my next post in this series to talk about Better Than the Movies but because I waited so long, it’s already been picked up for a film. I’m both excited and terrified by this fact. The casting of Wes and Liz has to be perfect and I’d like to put forward Khobe Clark for Wes (he’s currently Beau in Off Campus). I feel like he has the goofy type of charm that is perfect for Wes.
I also had Beach Read down for a future post, and yes you guessed it: already happening. It’s actually filming right now, and while I’m not enthused about the casting choices (Phoebe Dyvenor doesn’t feel right as January and don’t get me started on Patrick Schwarzenegger as Gus – my choice would have been David Corensweet), I am looking forward to it.
Anyway, this is not what this post is about. Onto more books I think should have adaptations.
She Gets the Girl by Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick
What’s better than a sapphic romance? A sapphic romance co-written by wives. That element makes this book even better in my opinion. I did spend a lot of time wondering whether any parts of this actually happened.
The adaptation of Five Feet Apart was great so I have no doubt other Rachael Lippincott’s would make great films or TV shows.
Even though this is a standalone novel, with a companion holiday novella, I think it could be a multiple series show. It’s not uncommon for TV shows to include new plot lines and characters so you could easily expand on this story. That’s probably just me being greedy. This is probably better suited to a film.
College romances seem to be quite popular right now (I’m looking at you Off Campus, which I’ve already watched twice) so I like to think another one, especially a sapphic one would do just as well. In an ideal world it would, but for some reason people are scared of sapphic relationships – don’t get me started on the reaction to Francesca and Michaela in Bridgeton.
Get your copy of She Gets the Girl here*
Synopsis: Alex Blackwood is a little bit headstrong, with a dash of chaos and a whole lot of flirt. She knows how to get the girl. Keeping her on the other hand…not so much. Molly Parker has everything in her life totally in control, except for her complete awkwardness with just about anyone besides her mom. She knows she’s in love with the impossibly cool Cora Myers. She just…hasn’t actually talked to her yet.
Alex and Molly don’t belong on the same planet, let alone the same college campus. But when Alex, fresh off a bad (but hopefully not permanent) breakup, discovers Molly’s hidden crush as their paths cross the night before classes start, they realize they might have a common interest after all. Because maybe if Alex volunteers to help Molly learn how to get her dream girl to fall for her, she can prove to her ex that she’s not a selfish flirt. That she’s ready for an actual commitment. And while Alex is the last person Molly would ever think she could trust, she can’t deny Alex knows what she’s doing with girls, unlike her.
As the two embark on their five-step plans to get their girls to fall for them, though, they both begin to wonder if maybe they’re the ones falling…for each other.
The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
As I can’t talk about Better Than the Movies now, may I present to you The Love Wager. This has very different vibes as it isn’t YA but it’s almost as great. I read an ARC of it back in 2023 and it quickly became my second favourite Lynn Painter book (it still is after reading five of them now).
A trope that seems to do quite well in films, fake dating, is one of the main themes of The Love Wager. It’s very interesting in this book as the main characters have a one night stand, assuming they’ll never see each other again. From there, they meet at a speed dating event and thus the Love Wager is born.
I have one person in mind I’d love to play Hallie: Haley Lu Richardson. But that may just be because I love her. She does have the type of comedic acting that would be required for a Lynn Painter heroine. I’ve not really thought about who would play Jack.
I’m always up for more silly little romcoms (complimentary) so I’d love to see any of Lynn Painter’s books adapted. Let’s hope Better Than the Movies is a success so we can get more.
Get your copy of The Love Wager here*
Synopsis: Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of.
After agreeing they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realize they’re each other’s perfect wing-person in their searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward.
Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together.
Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they both struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.
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