6 Beach Reads That Were Adapted Into Movies and TV Shows
These stories will keep you entertained all summer.
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Especially in the summer, nothing is better than a beach read in the sand followed by an indoor movie to beat the heat. And because beach reads are typically fun, fast-moving, and not too serious, they make particularly good movie adaptations, full of witty banter and grab-the-popcorn melodrama.
From the Jeremiah-vs-Conrad discourse of The Summer I Turned Pretty to the gorgeous visuals of Crazy Rich Asians, these books and adaptations offer plenty of entertainment. If you need a beach read to throw in your tote this season, these are some of the best summer books that have also been adapted for film and TV.
Sixteen-year-old Belly spends every summer at a beach house in the town of Cousins with her family friends. But one summer, everything changes as she finds herself caught in a love triangle between two brothers: brooding Conrad and happy-go-lucky Jeremiah. The book was adapted into an Amazon Prime series.
When American-born Chinese Rachel Chu meets her boyfriend’s family in Singapore for the first time, she’s shocked to discover that they are uber-wealthy—and her boyfriend is one of the island’s most eligible bachelors. Facing discrimination from his family and jealousy from everybody else, Rachel must learn how to survive the gossip and backstabbing.
Watch the blockbuster adaptation for gorgeous weddings that will make you gasp.
Alex is the son of the President of the United States. Henry is a real-life British prince. When a fight between the two makes the tabloids, it becomes an international incident. To fix international relations, Alex and Henry are told to pretend to be friends, but soon find themselves becoming more involved in a queer romance that becomes an Amazon movie.
Best friends and opposites, spontaneous Poppy and introverted Alex, used to vacation together every year. But after a rift in their friendship, they haven’t spoken in two years. When Poppy convinces Alex to reunite for one last trip, they must confront their shared past and complicated feelings to find happiness. The book has been adapted into a movie by Netflix.
At only 20 years old, Margo is a young single mother, unemployed, and facing eviction. She needs money, fast—so when her estranged father, an ex-wrestler, turns up on her doorstep, she takes some of his wrestling advice to help her create an OnlyFans account that becomes more successful than she expects. The comedy-drama was adapted for Apple TV.
Elderly Tova works the night shift at the local aquarium, home to the giant Pacific octopus, Marcellus. Curmudgeonly but curious, Marcellus builds a remarkable bond with Tova—and is determined to help solve the mystery of what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared into the Puget Sound. Watch the movie on Netflix.
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