Books becoming movies or TV shows is nothing new, but lately, it feels like every streaming service raided the library and walked out with an armful of novels. From swoony romances to gritty thrillers to sci-fi masterpieces, the best stories aren’t just on the page anymore. They’re on your screen. And thanks to VidAngel, you can watch without having to explain the scenes Hollywood added that were never in the book, but somehow made it into your living room.
As Stephen King once said, “Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit, but taste completely different.” He’d know. Half of Netflix’s catalog is all him. And then there are authors like Jenny Han, who didn’t just write The Summer I Turned Pretty but also became the mastermind producer of her own adaptation. Each one of her characters is a piece of her. These adaptations are sacred territory for Jenny Han. In her words: “When you adapt it, you’re telling it again, but with a new voice.”
That “new voice” has given us Little Women for the sixth time, The Hunger Games for the fourth, and somehow still no satisfying version of Twilight.
Everything Parents Need to Know About “The Summer I Turned Pretty“
“THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY” – BOOK TO TV ADAPTATION
What it’s about: Belly Conklin spends her summers at Cousins Beach, tangled in a love triangle that could power five seasons of television. It’s sun-soaked, tear-soaked, and full of teen angst so strong you’ll start craving peach iced tea just watching it. (sorry, we had to)
Based on: Jenny Han’s bestselling trilogy (The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, We’ll Always Have Summer). Han also executive produced the series, proving that authors should be trusted with their own work.
Filtering Fun Fact: We know. It’s supposed to be a “teen drama.” But sometimes the teen drama includes language you don’t want your actual teens repeating at the dinner table or modeling choices you don’t want your teens following. If you can just get past the whole dating-brothers-of-it-all thing, it’s great. Yikes. VidAngel lets you keep the weirdest love triangle since the vampire-wearwolf-human sage, while ditching the random f-bombs and mature scenes. To get a breakdown about what you should watch out for while watching The Summer I Turned Pretty, check out “The Summer I Turned Pretty: Complete Guide to the Book-to-TV Adaptation.”
Starring: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Jackie Chung, and Rachel Blanchard.
Read more about how Jenny Han’s stories leapt from page to screen here.
The Magic Behind Book Adaptations: Why We Can’t Stop Watching
Whether it’s Pride & Prejudice being rebooted for the 97th time, Outlander making Scottish tourism boom, or Where the Crawdads Sing bringing a book-club favorite to the big screen, adaptations let stories live twice. They’re also proof that sometimes, Hollywood really does listen to what’s on your nightstand. There’s nothing like seeing the characters and worlds you once imagined on the page come alive on screen. Sharing that moment with a room full of people who love the story too? That’s pure magic.
So we rounded up 112 of the best book-to-screen adaptations available to filter on VidAngel. You’ll find the classics (Jurassic Park, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), the guilty pleasures (Bridgerton, Firefly Lane), and the ones you’ll argue are “better as a book” but still binge-watch anyway (The Witcher, The Expanse).
Grab your popcorn, mark your page, and let VidAngel take care of the filters. Because the only thing worse than an unnecessary sex scene is trying to fast-forward past it and missing the actual plot.
Romance & Contemporary Fiction
Movies
- To All The Boys I Loved Before
- Bridget Jones series
- It Ends With Us
- My Oxford Year
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Little Women
- Pride & Prejudice
- Atonement
- The Help
TV Series
- The Summer I Turned Pretty
- My Life With the Walter Boys
- Bridgerton
- Outlander
- The Buccaneers
- Virgin River
- Firefly Lane
- Sweet Magnolias
- Daisy Jones & the Six
- Sanditon
- Anne with an E
- One Day
- Forever
- My Lady Jane
Thrillers & Crime Drama
Movies
- The Gray Man
- The Bourne Identity series
- Lone Survivor
- No Country for Old Men
- Shutter Island
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Leave the World Behind
TV Series
- The Terminal List
- The Terminal List: Dark Wolf
- Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
- Reacher
- Cross
- The Night Agent
- Bosch
- Slow Horses
- Killing Eve
- Elementary
- The Day of the Jackal
- The Perfect Couple
- House of Cards
- Ripley
- Dark Winds
- Sherlock
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
- Lupin
- The Lonesome Dove
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Movies
- The Electric State
- War of the Worlds
- Jurassic Park
- The Map That Leads to You
TV Series
- Silo
- Foundation
- The Witcher
- The Wheel of Time
- Dark Matter
- Shadow and Bone
- Lockwood & Co
- Umbrella Academy
- The Expanse
- Paper Girls
- One Piece
- Good Omens
- A Series of Unfortunate Events
- 3 Body Problem
Literary Classics & Award Winners
Movies
- Forrest Gump
- The Godfather
- Jaws
- Rosemary’s Baby
- Paddington
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
TV Series
- A Gentleman in Moscow
- All the Light We Cannot See
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz
- Queen’s Gambit
- The Haunting of Hill House
- Friday Night Lights
- Pachinko
- Orange is the New Black
Mystery & Psychological Thrillers
Movies
- Thursday Murder Club
- Argylle
TV Series
- The Big Door Prize
- The Better Sister
- We Were Liars
- Murderbot
- The Residence
- The Hunting Wives
- Dept Q
- Long Bright River
- Fool Me Once
- Missing You
- Lady in the Lake
- Disclaimer
- Shetland
Action & Adventure
Movies
- The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Hunger Games series
- My Fault series
TV Series
- Ransom Canyon
- Maxton Hall: The World Between Us
- Expats
- Shining Girls
Family & Young Adult
Movies
- Wicked
- Twilight series
- The Life List
- Miracles from Heaven
- Lion
TV Series
- Geek Girl
- Apples Never Fall
