7 of the Best Book Adaptions in Recent Times (And a few That Didn’t)
5 Min. ReadFrom Colleen Hoover’s cult-favourite heartbreaks to Walter Tevis’ chilling conmen, the screen has been busy flipping through fiction lately. Some adaptations nailed the assignment, capturing the soul of the source material with cinematic flair. Others… let’s just say not every plot twist translates well with a director’s cut.
Here’s our roundup of seven book-to-screen transformations that hit the sweet spot, and two that seriously missed the mark. Plus, the buzzy upcoming adaptations we’re already pre-ordering popcorn for.
7 Recent Adaptations That Were Better Than The Book
1. Lady in the Lake
Based on Laura Lippman’s novel, this 1960s Baltimore noir thriller absolutely delivers. Natalie Portman as Maddie Schwartz is an unsettling force; gritty, grief-stricken, and unstoppable. The stylised cinematography and Rashomon-style perspectives give this series a prestige-TV polish. It’s a slow burn, but it lingers.
2. Ripley
Andrew Scott turns Patricia Highsmith’s classic sociopath into something cold, clinical, and compulsively watchable. Steven Zaillian’s monochrome treatment strips everything down to psychological chess. It’s not flashy, but it’s near-perfect in tone. Highsmith would’ve approved.
3. The Perfect Couple
Elin Hilderbrand’s beachside murder mystery got the glossy, guilty-pleasure treatment. With Nicole Kidman as the matriarch of secrets and enough twists to rival Big Little Lies, this one proves that wedding season thrillers are here to stay.
4. Calling Sehmat / Raazi (Prime Video)
Based on Harinder Sikka’s Calling Sehmat, this Hindi-language thriller proves that the most powerful spy stories aren’t about guns, they’re about decisions.
Alia Bhatt’s portrayal of Sehmat, a young Kashmiri woman who marries into a Pakistani military family to spy for India during the 1971 war, is subtle, aching, and unforgettable. Unlike typical espionage dramas, Raazi focuses on emotion over explosions. It’s about loyalty, identity, and the cost of patriotism. One of the rare adaptations that enhances the original with cinematic intimacy and cultural texture.
5. Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens’ lyrical murder mystery was always going to be a tough one to adapt, but Daisy Edgar-Jones gives Kya the quiet strength and aching solitude the role demanded. Set against the hauntingly beautiful marshes of North Carolina, this one’s a slow-burn visual poem that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
6. The Summer I Turned Pretty
Jenny Han’s trilogy turned teen series has become Gen Z’s emotional comfort food. Season 2 leans into 2010s Tumblr nostalgia, think One Direction, flower crowns, and fanfic-worthy love triangles, without losing its heartfelt edge.
7. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton / Bridgerton Season 3
We know it’s not new-new, but this Penelope and Colin arc was the slow-burn romance fans waited years for. Julia Quinn’s pages burst into full bloom with Polin’s adorable awkwardness, longing glances, and that carriage scene. Shonda, you understood the assignment.
2 That Should’ve Stayed on the Page
1. It Ends With Us
Colleen Hoover’s emotionally charged novel about trauma, love, and cycles of abuse deserved nuance. Instead, we got a flat, rushed adaptation that missed the complexity of Lily Bloom’s choices. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni gave it their all, but it felt like casting and styling got more attention than the storytelling.
2. The Idea of You
Anne Hathaway as a 40-year-old mom dating a pop star should’ve been a win. But the adaptation softened the book’s edge and turned it into a fangirl fantasy with little emotional payoff. The age-gap exploration was flattened, and the heartbreak never hit as hard as it did in print.
Upcoming Adaptations to Bookmark
1. My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Ottessa Moshfegh’s acerbic antihero is getting the film treatment, and we’re terrified in the best way. If done right, this could be Fight Club meets Euphoria, a dreamy, deadpan descent into alienation and addiction. Here’s hoping it keeps the darkness intact.
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
After years of fans manifesting it, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Old Hollywood sapphic stunner is finally headed to Netflix. The only question: who will play Evelyn? If they get the casting right, this could be Carol meets Blonde, with heart, glamour, and a closet full of secrets.
Bottom line?
The book-to-screen train isn’t slowing down. But in an age where fandoms are loud and expectations are sky-high, adaptations need to do more than just stick to the script. They need to feel alive. And for every misstep (looking at you, Lily’s flower shop), there’s a series like Ripley or Lady in the Lake proving the page-to-screen magic still exists when you trust the material.
