Some stories are so big in pop culture that it’s easy to forget they started as books. A movie hits theaters, everyone talks about it, and suddenly the original story feels like a fun fact instead of the foundation. We all know series like Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games didn’t begin on screen — they were page-turners long before they were box office events. If you only met these stories through the movies, you’ve actually only seen one version of the tale.
This list is for anyone who’s watched the movie and wondered if the book is worth the time. These are adaptations you’ve probably already seen, but the original stories offer more depth, more context, and often more emotional payoff. If you’ve ever finished a film and felt like something was missing, chances are the book fills in those gaps — and then some.
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The Hating Game
by Sally Thorne
Now a movie starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell, USA Today bestselling author Sally Thorne’s hilarious and sexy workplace comedy all about that thin, fine line between hate and love.
Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.
Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.
Wonder
by R. J. Palacio
• Millions of people have fallen in love with Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face—who shows us that kindness brings us together no matter how far apart we are. Read the book that inspired the Choose Kind movement, a major motion picture, and the critically acclaimed graphic novel White Bird.
And don’t miss R.J. Palacio’s highly anticipated new novel, Pony, available now!
I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. Beginning from Auggie’s point of view and expanding to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others, the perspectives converge to form a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope.
The School for Good and Evil
by Soman Chainani
Journey into a dazzling new world when two best friends enter the School for Good and Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy-tale heroes and villains. One will train for Good, one will become Evil’s new hope. Each thinks they know where they belong.
But when the two friends are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes are reversed. . . The aftermath leads to unexpected paths, new alliances, and forces that divide them in an exhilarating quest to find their true Ever After.
The movie is available on Netflix.
Crazy Rich Asians
by Kevin Kwan
• The international bestselling sensation that was the basis for the acclaimed major motion picture. • “There’s rich, there’s filthy rich, and then there’s crazy rich … A Pride and Prejudice-like send-up about an heir bringing his Chinese-American girlfriend home to meet his ancestor-obsessed family.” —People
When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor.
On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.
The Martian
by Andy Weir
The inspiration for the major motion picture
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
by Grady Hendrix
Now a major motion picture.
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying
Vampires, this unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist blends teen angst and unspeakable horrors into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman
The book that inspired the classic 1987 movie.
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be…well…a lot less than the man of her dreams?
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad’s recitation, and only the “good parts” reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He’s reconstructed the “Good Parts Version” to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What’s it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
• Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.
“Enchanting . . . Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.”—USA Today • “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—Entertainment Weekly
A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?
In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.
When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.
Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.
Ready Player Two
Wade Watts returns to the OASIS for a new high-stakes quest, uncovering a powerful technology and a dangerous rival willing to risk everything. With the future of both the virtual world and humanity on the line, the game has never been more deadly.
Luckiest Girl Alive
by Jessica Knoll
*NOW A NETFLIX FILM STARRING MILA KUNIS*
Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will thrill at this “perfect page-turner” (People)—that Reese Witherspoon describes as “one of those reads you just can’t put down!” This instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel follows an unforgettable young woman striving to create the perfect life—until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret.
HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE
As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.
But Ani has a secret.
There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.
With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that’s bigger than it first appears.
The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
If Beale Street Could Talk
by James Baldwin
James Baldwin tells a powerful story of love and injustice in this stunning novel. Nineteen-year-old Tish is in love with Fonny. He is a young sculptor and the father of her child. Their love is both sweet and sad. They plan to marry, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime. He is imprisoned, and their families fight to clear his name. As they face an uncertain future, Tish and Fonny experience love, despair, and hope. Their story is like the blues—filled with both passion and sorrow. Baldwin creates unforgettable characters that leave a lasting impact.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
by Jenny Han
What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?
Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a special hatbox from her mother. No one else wrote them for her. She wrote one for every boy she ever loved—five in total. In her letters, she pours out her heart and soul. She says things she would never dare to say in real life. The letters are meant for her eyes only. One day, they are mysteriously mailed. Suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life spirals out of control.
Room
by Emma Donoghue
Held captive for years in a small shed. A woman and her precocious young son finally gain their freedom, and the boy experiences the outside world for the first time.
To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. It’s where he was born, it’s where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it’s the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack’s curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.
Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating — a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.
Room is currently available to stream on Prime Video and it stars Brie Larson.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
by John Boyne
Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.
Bruno dreams of becoming an explorer and believes this lonely place holds hidden secrets. As he explores, he meets a boy with a very different life. Their friendship grows, but it leads to tragic consequences.
After you’ve read the book, make sure to watch the movie starring Rupert Friend and Vera Farmiga.
Conclusion:
Movie adaptations can be fun, flashy, and easy to consume, but the book versions are where these stories really stretch out and breathe. You get more time with the characters, more insight into their choices, and more room for the quieter moments that don’t always make it to the screen. Even when a movie does a great job, the book usually offers a deeper, richer version of the experience. If you’ve already enjoyed these stories in theaters or on your couch, picking up the original novels is like unlocking the extended cut of a world you already loved.
If you’re curious about what adaptations are coming next, I’ve also rounded up the most anticipated books being turned into movies and series in 2025. It’s a great place to find your next read before it hits the screen.
👉 See what’s being adapted in 2025 here.
An imaginative rendering of classic Rider-Waite-Smith imagery, these cards have a unique charm and will provide endless hours of delightful interpretation. The luck to be found at the end of the rainbow may just be waiting for you when you pick up this deck with pure intention.
One response to “From Page to Screen: Books That Became Movies”
Beautiful, not forgetting Harry Potter series and the hunger games