…read the teen romance book or watch it on Netflix?
Which one is better? These are both questions that I think of every now and then since stumbling on a few titles in my travels through Netflix, and it made me question if they were based on books or not. Do you know what I found out??
They were, and they were mostly based on teen romances of all things!! The reason I brought up these questions was because I get similar questions from parents in the library most days about what to recommend to their teenagers. My go-to answer is to find out what they’re interested in but sometimes the young readers already have titles in mind. In this instance I’m talking about titles to read of course, not watch. I had a bit of a search through Netflix and found several titles that sounded appealing. Here are the titles that made the short list. My main criteria was that I had to include mum when I watched the screen adaptation and they needed to be ‘clean romances’ with a simple love story to appeal to her.
My life with the Walter boys by Ali Novak (Sourcebooks, 2014) was mum’s favourite. When a tragic accident leads Jackie to move into a house filled with twelve boys, she gets far more than she ever expected. The Walter boys are loud, dirty, annoying – and ok, some of the older boys might be Greek god level hot, but they don’t think a city girl belongs on their horse ranch. But when Jackie spends more time with the Walter boys, she begins to wonder if the perfection she’s always strived for isn’t the only way to find love after all. This gorgeous teen romance was quite similar to Kasie West’s other reads and this one had equal parts hilarious dialogue and teen drama!! Set in picturesque Colorado, you could almost feel the country air seeping through the pages as Jackie settles into life in ‘Boy Heaven’ with the rowdy bunch of Walter boys!! Funny, sweet, romantic, and filled with all sorts of teen dramas, this will surely be one great read for an all-nighter!! The Netflix adaptation spanned over ten episodes with a slight change in plot structure and an amazing cast of characters. Despite the addition of a few extra diverse elements into the story, I liked it a lot but mum loved it!! I got the feeling there could be a second season too. A good one to watch out for.
To the boys I’ve loved before by Jenny Han (Simon & Schuster BFYR; 2014) was an interesting diverse read. Lara Jean Covey keeps her love letters in a hat box her mother gave her. One for every boy she’s ever loved – five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she’d never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. A gorgeous story of family, love, loyalty and teen drama!! One of the first I’ve read that actually had a rating – ‘Ages 12 and up’ – inside the book. Lara Jean Song Covey is the middle of three girls and reminds me a bit of Anne in Anne of Green Gables. Full of life and mirth, set in her ways and quite pensive. Her boy dramas are often funny but things take on a twist at the end. I really enjoyed the mixed-race family dynamics, especially between the sisters. The high school drama has well-crafted and good characters in Peter, Josh, and LJ’s BF Chris. I found this first one in Han’s series an interesting read!! The Netflix movie was awesome!! I thought it was superbly done, and almost the same as the book. The casting, plot and setting was awesome and we ended up watching all three movies even though I hadn’t read them all!! Just like before, mum was the one who ended up liking it more than me!!
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch (Walker Books Ltd; 2017) is an ode to the Italian countryside. Our protagonist Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, fulfilling her mother’s dying wish that she should get to know her father. With the help of her mother’s journal, Lina uncovers a magical world of secret romance, art and hidden bakeries. People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more. Oh, this was so not what I expected!! A summer romance yes, but on a deeper level, it’s a story of overcoming the loss of a mother taken away too soon and finding out about her. I really loved the description of the Tuscan countryside and even looked up the different buildings described in Florence. The stunning architecture steeped in history, descriptions of lost love, and a promise of a summer romance was too much for me. The friends Lina makes with the young crowd are kind of cute. Lorenzo ‘Ren’ is a really awesome character and the interactions she has with Howard makes for some hilarious reading!! The Netflix movie was superbly created. Despite the change in setting to Rome along with a few plot twists, I really loved the cast of characters and our Lina was just as I expected her to be!! Best thing about it was the mother’s storyline felt even more real in the movie, so it was slightly better. I hope you find elements you like. Mum loved her outfits more than anything.
The statistical probability of love at first sight by Jennifer E. Smith (Little, Brown & Co; 2013) was slightly different from the others. We meet seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan on one of the worst days of her life. She’s missed her flight, stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Set over a twenty-four hour period, this is a cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Typically adorable and clean in her usual style, Smith makes us fall in love with Hadley and Oliver in this fast-paced romantic read! I absolutely loved the descriptions of the London setting, even the subway!! The story was, for me, quite adorable and sweet. With the Netflix movie, despite the name change to Love at first sight, it was pretty much the same story. Just a few things are different from the book but the overall structure is the same. I loved how Hadley seems to be cast perfectly. It feels like they make the effort to get the main protagonist right and change up the others.
To the question: which one is better out of the screen adaptation or book? My answer, as always, will be the book. However, these four stood out for me as the adaptation was stellar. The cinematography, casting choices, and the wardrobes were so cool. I loved how the screen adaptations of My life with the Walter boys and Love & gelato gave the settings of Colorado and Italy more body than the book. Despite the changes, the overall feeling you get with reading the book and watching the movie or series are one and the same, so I would be happy to recommend these four to anyone to watch, just with a little guidance if your young person is under 15.
Do any of you have any similar teen romances from books that you’ve watched lately? I’d love to hear your picks.
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 