It’s official: Netflix is awesome.
I recently watched two different book-to-movie adaptations on Netflix, and they were fantastic. I’ll start with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before because gah! They actually did the book justice <3.
Not gonna lie, I was nervous they’d mess it up somehow. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before was my first read by Jenny Han. I read it because several readers mentioned it in their reviews of ADORKABLE, and of course, I ended up loving the book! I read it on the plane back from England to the U.S. last summer–which I didn’t realize would be so perfect, but if you’ve read To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, you know in the beginning they talk about how Margot (Lara Jean’s oldest sister) is going to college in Scotland and how they’ll plan a trip to Paris. And we were returning from a cruise to Ireland/Scotland/France!!!
Anyway, like I said, I devoured it. I bought the second book right when I got home because with the ending it was impossible not to lol! (Note: The movie ends a bit differently–which is a good thing as movie #2, P.S. I Still Love You, doesn’t exist (yet)!)
Lara Jean was brought to life by the absolutely amazing Lana Condor. She was flawless. I believed her as Lara Jean, and her personality matched the narrator’s “voice” I had in my head while reading the book. Then there was Peter Kavinsky. *Sigh* Oh my goodness, this actor! He was the one I was most nervous about just because…well, it’s Peter! And he’s the main love interest, and we have to fall for him. The actor, Noah Centineo, was wonderful!!! The chemistry he had with Lana/Lara Jean was off the charts. The screenplay was well done, and I enjoyed it SO much!
Disclaimer: I still loved the book more than the movie, so I’d definitely recommend reading it first! BUT after that, watch the Netflix movie because it’s awesome-swoony-romance goodness!
The other movie I watched/loved is called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
It was, in a word, beautiful. The story was complex, the characters utterly likable, and the setting of Guernsey was breathtaking. I also loved the costumes, and of course, the romance. Juliet and Dawsey were such a great love match. Watching the movie honestly felt like a breath of fresh air, and although I haven’t read the book, I’d recommend this one to anyone who enjoys romance.
Sometimes book-to-movie adaptations aren’t the best–especially if you’ve read and loved the book–but these two were awesome imo. If ADORKABLE ever gets made into a movie, I hope it will be done this well. And I know you’re thinking, “Keep dreaming, Cookie! Like your little book would ever be made into a movie? HA!”
Or maybe that’s the voice in my head lol.
Dreams are good for you, though, so…if ADORKABLE ever was made into movie (or any of my books for that matter), I hope the people making it love the story and show as much care with the adaptation as these directors/actors/screenwriters seemed to.
Have you seen these movies? I’d loved to hear what you thought! If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear those, too :).
Happy reading,
Cookie O’Gorman