20 Best Romance Book-To-Movie Adaptations You Love

Every author dreams of having their book turned into a movie. For the authors on this list, their wishes came true. But it’s not just great for the authors; it’s also a treat for readers. We love to see the novels that have captivated our imaginations brought to life on the big screen. There have been several romance book-to-movie adaptations over the years. Here are the top 20.

1. A Walk to Remember (2002)

Author: Nicholas Sparks (1999)
Starring: Shane West as Landon Carter & Mandy Moore as Jamie Sullivan
The story of two North Carolina teens, Landon and Jamie, who are thrown together after Landon gets into trouble and is made to do community service. As always, legendary Nicholas Sparks never fails to get us in our feelings with his novels. His stories are frequently turned into movies with tear-jerking performances that create award-winning films. A Walk to Remember is no exception. Movies include Dear John, Safe Haven, The Last Song and The Lucky One, to name a few. 10-years later, this movie still has the power to make us cry. It’s a coming of age that will withstand the test of time.

2. After (2019)

Author: Anna Todd (2014)
Starring: Josephine Langford as Tessa Young & Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Hardin Scott
Tessa, a dedicated college student, falls for Hardin, a dark and mysterious rebel, during her first semester. Four of the seven novels in this series have been turned into movies. After, After We Collided and After We Fell have already been released with one remaining. The final movie, After Ever Happy, is coming out in September with spin-offs in the works.

3. Beastly (2011)

Author: Alex Flinn (2007)
Starring: Alex Pettyfer as Hunter (Kyle Kingston) & Vanessa Hudgens as Linda Taylor
A modern-day take on the “Beauty and the Beast” tale where an arrogant Alex is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love. We never tire of a take on the classic Beauty and the Beast story, and this 2011 movie is an easy sweet watch to add to the list.

4. Beautiful Creatures (2013)

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (2009)
Starring: Alice Englert as Lena Duchannes & Alden Ehrenreich as Ethan Wate
Ethan Wate longs to escape his small southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena Duchannes, and together, they uncover dark secrets about their family histories and the town. Although this book-to-movie adaptation did not receive many positive reviews from critics and fans alike, it’s still an enjoyable watch with warm chemistry between the two leads.

5. Crazy Rich Asians (2013)

Author: Kevin Kwan (2013)
Starring: Henry Golding as Nick Young & Constance Wu as Rachel Chu
New Yorker Rachel Chu accompanies her boyfriend Nick Young to Singapore, only to discover his family is “Richie Rich rich”. It’s impossible not to love this book and movie. The storyline of a mother disapproving of her son’s girlfriend is not new, but his novel gives it a fresh take. This book-to-movie adaptation brought to life a world we were unaware even existed. An upper-class society with unfathomable wealth.

6. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Author: E. L. James (2011)
Starring: Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele & Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey
Literature student, Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome yet tormented billionaire Christian Grey. Inspired by the Twilight series, this best-selling trilogy famed for its BDSM has sold over 150 million copies worldwide. Despite negative reviews and opposition, it was a box-office success, complete with a Grammy-nominated soundtrack. Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed are the other two novels in the series.

7. Little Women (2019)

Author: Louisa May Alcott (1868)
Starring: Timothée Chalamet as Laurie Laurence & Florence Pugh as Amy March
Jo March reflects on her life, telling the story of the March sisters – four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms. This semi-autobiographical novel is loosely based on Alcott and her three sisters’ life growing up in post-Civil War America. The book has been adapted to film seven times. The 2019 version is the latest adaptation; no doubt it will be adapted again in the future.

8. Me Before You (2016)

Author: Jojo Moyes (2012)
Starring: Emilia Clarke as Louisa Clark & Sam Clafin as William Traynor
Lou is hired as a carer for a recently-paralyzed Will, and despite a difficult start, the two form an unlikely bond. Get the tissues on standby because eighth on this list is another tear-jerker. With mixed views regarding its approach to sensitive and controversial issues in the movie, the slow-build love and loss are enough to make us shed a tear or two.

9. Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Author: Jane Austen (1813)
Starring: Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy & Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet
Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr Darcy. He reluctantly falls in love with her despite the inferiority of her class, but they must both overcome pride and prejudice to achieve a future together. Austen’s most famous novel has inspired countless novels, TV adaptations, theatre plays and movies. The story of two people from different worlds coming together is a favourite among romance lovers. When you mix the Regency period with well-written characters, comedy, social commentary and witty banter, it’s no surprise Pride and Prejudice is beloved worldwide.

10. Something Borrowed (2011)

Author: Emily Giffin (2005)
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin as Rachel and Colin Egglesfield as Dex
Friendships are tested, and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel falls for Dex, her best friend Darcy’s fiancé. We all know that infidelity is wrong. So the fact that this novel has us rooting for a woman sleeping with her best friend’s fiancé makes this novel deserving of a film adaptation.

11. Stardust (2007)

Author: Neil Gaiman (1997)
Starring: Charlie Cox as Tristan Thorne & Claire Danes as Yvaine
In a countryside town bordering a magical land, Tristan promises his beloved that he’ll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. Little does he know the star happens to be a woman named Yvaine. Stardust takes you on a magical adventure. It does a brilliant job of weaving multiple storylines together for a satisfying romantic conclusion that you can’t resist watching over and over again.

12. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)

Author: John Green (2012)
Starring: Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace & Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters
Havel and Augustus are two teenage cancer patients who begin a life-affirming journey to visit a reclusive author in Amsterdam. Tear-jerker alert. It’s bittersweet to see these two characters embrace life when you know it can’t last forever. It’s safe to say that whenever illness and death are involved, tears are likely to follow.

13. The Hating Game (2021)

Author: Sally Thorne (2016)
Starring: Austin Stowell as Josh & Lucy Hale as Lucy
Opposites Lucy and Joshua’s rivalry reaches a new peak when they compete for the same managing director promotion. Things get complicated when Lucy starts becoming attracted to Joshua. It’s a familiar trope of enemies to lovers packed with sexual tension that must be resisted. There must be something about elevators that makes people give in to temptation because it seems to feature in quite a few romance novels. You can watch this book to movie adaption on Amazon Prime.

14. The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins (2008)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen & Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in a televised competition where teenagers fight to the death. This trilogy was adapted into four movies; the final novel was split into two movies. Its compelling plot captured audiences everywhere, and its love triangle left fans divided on whether Katniss should be with Peeta or Gale.

15. The Kissing Booth (2018)

Author: Beth Reekles (2012)
Starring: Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn & Joey King as Elle Evans
Elle and Lee have been best friends since birth, and one of their friendship rules is that Elle can’t date Lee’s older brother Noah. When the pair share a smooch at the kissing booth, Elle cannot suppress her feelings for much longer. This novel was originally published on the Wattpad platform by seventeen-year-old Reekles and became the most-viewed book in the teen fiction category. Its success led Netflix to turn this teen series into a movie trilogy.

16. The Notebook (2004)

Author: Nicholas Sparks (1996)
Starring: Rachel McAdams as Allie Calhoun & Ryan Gosling as Noah
When poor Noah falls in love with rich Allie, they are soon separated by their social differences. Nicholas Sparks makes another appearance on this list with the award-winning The Notebook. You can’t help but fall in love with Noah and Allie, whose love is far from smooth sailing but is long-lasting.

17. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

Author: Audrey Niffenegger (2003)
Starring: Eric Bana as Henry & Rachel McAdams as Clare
Time travel is a superpower many people dream of, but what if you couldn’t control it? Librarian Henry has a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel, creating complications in his marriage with Clare. The premise of this novel is so intriguing and well-written that it had to be made into a movie. It’s so popular that it is now being adapted into a TV series starring Rose Leslie and Theo James.

18. The Vow (2012)

Author: Kim Carpenter (2000)
Starring: Rachel McAdams as Paige & Channing Tatum as Leo
A car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when she wakes unable to remember her husband, Leo works to win her heart again. The movie is based on the real-life story of Kim and her husband at the time, Krickitt. Despite Kim’s amnesia, the pair fell in love again and shared 25-years of marriage. Although they have parted due to Krickitt’s infidelity, the sentiment of the movie is still valid.

19. To All the Boys I Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han (2014)
Starring: Noah Centineo as Peter & Lana Condor as Lara Jean
Lara Jean’s secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life. Young people hardly ever write handwritten letters anymore. Yet, this New York Times Best Seller has us wanting to whip out a pen and paper and write a love letter to our crush. This insanely adorable series was adapted by Netflix in a trilogy that did not leave readers disappointed.

20. Twilight (2008)

Author: Stephenie Meyer (2005)
Starring: Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan & Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen
When Bella Swan moves to small-town Forks, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who happens to be a 108-year-old vampire. Meyers’s four novels were turned into five movies, with the final book Breaking Dawn, split into two. From 2008 to 2012, The Twilight Saga swept young people around the globe into a frenzy. We became consumed by a world of vampires and werewolves, dividing fans into team Edward or team Jacob. It was a massive box-office success which spurred the book-to-movie adaptations of several other highly successful book series.

What do you think of the 20 romance book-to-movie adaptations? Do you agree with this list? What book adaptation would you like to see? Comment below and if you liked this article, please follow the Facebook and Pinterest page.

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