This Week’s Topic: Book Adaptations
YA books have been going from page to screen for quite some time now, but it seems like there have been a slew of announcements following the success of Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before. I will admit, I do not watch a great deal of TV, but if you base the movie on one of my favorite books, I will watch it.
This week, I was treated to a stupendous announcement:
YOU GUYS. https://t.co/6reU6AlJhM— sarahdessen (@sarahdessen) May 30, 2019
It isn't that Dessen's books have never made it to the big screen. It's just that the two that did, were my LEAST favorite books of her's, and now, they are adapting some of my favorites. Because of that, I am both excited and scared.
What I Loved
In a lightning round, I would cite Along for the Ride as my favorite Dessen book. There was just something about the story, which left a big impression on me. For me, this was a story of second chances, taking risks, failing, and having the strength to try again. The paring of Auden and Eli was perfection for me, and who doesn't want to enjoy pie in the wee hours of the night?
What I Hope
Is that they can capture the charm and beauty of Colby, as well as the stellar personas of the Auden and Eli. they won me over, and were the heart of this story for me.
What I Loved
People were all over the place on this one, but I loved it. I was all about the
wedding hijinks, and found Ambrose utterly delightful. It took me a long while to fully understand Louna, but when all was revealed - my heart broke in half. The messaging was strong for me with this one, and I loved being back in Colby, where Along for the Ride was set.
What I Hope
I think the way the story rolls out is critical for this one. The use of flashbacks and when the big reveal took place was critical to the impact it had on me. I hope they make good choices with this in the film
What I Loved
These two owned me, when I read this book. Remy just said NO to love and musicians. Then along came Dexter, who was determined to make her see the possibility of a love that could last. My swoony heart was all over that, but it really wasn't Dexter, who was responsible for Remy's growth, and that's why Dessen is one of my contemporary queens.
What I Hope
I think a strong supporting cast is important for this book. I remember the side characters playing a big part in Remy's journey. With that, I hope they don't diminish the role of Remy's friends and family either.
I WANT TO KNOW! How do you feel, when you see one of your favorite books heading for a small or big screen near you? What are some of your biggest worries?
Now it's your turn!
Are you excited about any upcoming adaptations?
Let us know in the comments!
I am most excited about Once and For All. I think that's mostly because it's the one I remember most! LOL
ReplyDeleteThat was the last Dessen book I read, so yep, the freshest in my mind as well. I remember more how I felt after reading each book, and did consult some of my reviews when writing this post for the specifics.
DeleteHow did I not know that a couple of Sarah Dessen's books had been made into movies?! I need to go look them up The only book I've read here is This Lullaby and unfortunately is was my least favorite Dessen book. I have a copy of Along For the Ride but I've just never got around to it.
ReplyDeleteAdaptations can work for me if it was a long time since I read the actual book, otherwise little details that are changed or left out can be disappointing. I did just watch a Sandra Brown adaptation on Hallmark and it was pretty terrible and cheesy.
I loved This Lullaby, but was not as big a fan of That Summer and Someone Like You (which became the movie How to Deal). Oh no! Sorry about the Sandra Brown movie. I do not watch the mysteries, but I will admit, I love the sunshine, rainbows, and cheese of Hallmark movies. They are a guaranteed smile for me.
DeleteI don't like adaptations. If I watch them, I tend to have not read the book or many years have passed so I don't compare. I loved Love, Simon and the Netlix rom-coms/adaptions have been fantastic. I think it's the right format for them.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
I will watch adaptations, but I won't read the book once I have seen the film. Love, Simon was an ok adaptation for me, but I thought they did an incredible job with TATBILB and Dumplin'. For all three, the essence of the books were captured, but I thought better changes were implemented in the latter two, than in Simon.
DeleteI've loved Sarah Dessen so much and I was so thrilled when I saw the announcement on twitter too! Can't wait to see what they do with these adaptations despite me not being the biggest fan of adaptations. Books, especially ones I love, always feel superior xD
ReplyDeleteThe YA to Netflix films have been bigger hits with me than the YA to theaters, so I am hoping for the best with these.
DeleteMy biggest worry is the changes that will inevitably be made, and how much time I will spend telling my husband about said changes while we're watching!
ReplyDeleteThe last batch of adaptations I have watched, the changes were smart. In TATBILB, they made Peter more swoony from the start. It was a much slower build in the book, and the subtle changes in Dumplin worked well too. The spirt of the books were kept. Whereas, The Duff and Beautiful Creatures seemed to abandon the stories from the books. Both were entertaining films, but it was hard to find the original story in there.
DeleteWell that's awesome news! I've never read Dessen but I love this trend of good books being adapted.
ReplyDeleteShe is the YA beach read queen, and I adore her.
DeleteAlong for the Ride is probably one of my favorites of Dessen's as well. I'm so so excited to hear that it's coming, and I can already imagine the charm of the town. I am thinking I need to do a reread for sure. Thank you for letting us know, Sam, since I totally missed it! :)
ReplyDeleteFinally! Someone, who likes that book as much as me. *high five* I want to see if screen Colby matches up with my Colby
DeleteWhen my favourites hit the big screen, I get so nervous that they'll ruin it by changing something fundamental or that they'll capture the main points but miss all the little details and things that made the book so special thus diminishing it's shine.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm loving the Netflix adaptations of books. So far, I feel they're knocking them out the park. They seem to really be paying attention and keeping things authentic to the source material... But that can always change!
I've never read anything by Dessen but she seems to get a lot of love. I hope these adaptations are what you want from them. :)
Netflix really is a friend of YA adaptations. They are doing a stupendous job. The two I watched (TATBILB, Dumplin) were done really well. Netflix did what big budget Hollywood couldn't as far as am concerned.
DeleteI like seeing books going to the small screen especially. And YES to Sarah Dessen. I worry that they change parts of the story unnecessarily. I get it if its a production issue that has to be adjusted but story arcs, emotional beats shouldn't be played with... that's why its an adaption. ❤️
ReplyDeleteIt's unrealistic for us book lovers to think that EVERYTHING will make it into the movie. My hope is that the spirit of the story is left intact, and that the changes are subtle.
DeleteOkay, I have to confess that I've still never read a Sarah Dessen book. I even own one, but it's just been giving me the evil eye from my bookcase for years. I don't know why I haven't jumped in yet!
ReplyDeleteHope these adaptations turn out great, though. Maybe this will be the extra nudge I need to read one of her titles.
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Her books are exactly my kind of YA. Lighter, with just enough drama, plenty of family interactions, and a touch of romance. I like how she has the Dessenverse too, and you recognize all the places from it.
DeleteI love seeing my favorite books adapted for the big or small screen. I do get a little nervous and worry that they won't do the book justice but so far I feel like I've been pretty lucky.
ReplyDeleteI guess I don't ever expect the book and the movie to be exactly the same, because movies cannot be 10 hours long, but lately, it seems the screenwriters are doing a good job picking out the most important elements, and preserving the spirit of the books.
DeleteAw YAY I hope they are done well! I usually like seeing my favorites adapted- though it can be nerve-wracking too! I mean, can you imagine me sitting around waiting for Mockingjay to come out like a damned fool, wondering which lines they were cutting and such? Because I definitely did hah. Whereas with a book I loved but am not obsessed with (like To All the Boys) I was able to just sit back and enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI do think it is much easier to watch an adaptation of a book I liked, but wasn't all agog about or one I never read. For instance, I never read the HP books, and therefore, took the movies at face value. They were magical and entertaining, whereas, those die-hard Potterheads, scrutinized each film with all their might.
DeleteThis Lullaby is my absolute fave by Dessen!! And wait! Which movies by her have made it to the screen?! I had no idea!
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely toward the top of my list too. That ship was easy to root for, and I was a fan of the concept.
DeleteOh wow I didn't know this!! YAY!! I still need to read Once and For All!
ReplyDelete~Kendra @ Kendra Loves Books
Once and For All received lukewarm reviews from the community, but I thought it was a rather beautiful story. It's a while before you get to the bottom of why Louna felt the way she did, but when I did! My heart. It made me appreciate the story more.
DeleteI am super excited about this development. BUT I wish The Truth About Forever and Lock & Key were involved. Those are my faves.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, if these do well, we will get all her books adapted. This seems promising given how well the YA adaptations are doing on Netflix.
DeleteI have a love hate relationship with adaptions. Either they do them terribly or they do them wonderfully :D However, more often than not lately, they have been good adaptions! My favourite Dessen is Just Listen but it doesn't sound like that is one of the chosen ones :(
ReplyDeleteJust Listen was fabulous! Owen was such a great character to accompany Annabel on her journey. I liked that it was about communicating and listening. Definitely a top notch Dessen book
DeleteI have not read anything by her...Ughh, I will have to work on this when I get the time to. It is exciting when they do this with books you love. Like with Outlander for me. I get it. I love when they do the behind the scenes and show you the actors they pick and keep you up to date. It's really cool. I hope you totally enjoy it all.
ReplyDeleteMary
Dessen is like one of my queens. I absolutely adore her book. I tried to read Outlander, because I liked the show so much, but the dialect was so tedious. Too much work to read.
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