If you’ve turned on your TV this summer, you’ve probably noticed a few new releases that everyone’s been talking about. What you might not know is that a good number of them started out as books—but are they worth reading? We’ll be going through some of the summer’s most anticipated romance releases, answering the age old question of “is the book better than the movie?” There were four notable book-to-screen adaptations of the summer, and we’re going to get into them below. 

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” (season two available on Prime Video)

This show was cast perfectly, the chemistry between the main trio practically pours off the screen. It captures my attention in a way that the book never did—while well written, I was never fully invested in Belly’s love life. The trilogy, written by Jenny Han (the author of To All The Boys) was an enjoyable read, but the show definitely shines. While I prefer the show over the books, the real question with this series is #TeamConrad or #TeamJeremiah. 

“Happiness For Beginners” (available on Netflix)

For this one, I watched the movie first. My first impression was that the main characters paled in comparison to the side characters, whose personalities jumped out at me instantly. I didn’t see much chemistry between Jake and Helen, which only improved slightly as I read the book.

“Happiness for Beginners” is the least marketed of the four adaptations, but don’t let that stop you from watching/reading! I actually liked Katherine Center’s other books better, but “Happiness For Beginners” was a solid read. 

“Heartstopper” (season two available on Netflix)

If you bottle cuteness in a jar and put it on a TV screen, you’ll get “Heartstopper”. One of the show’s biggest achievements is that the storylines were woven together in a way that all main and supporting characters were given a chance to shine, and shine they did. Nick and Charlie complement each other so perfectly and have incredible chemistry. “Heartstopper” is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I would choose it over the books any day. “Heartstopper” is actually a series of graphic novels, written and illustrated by Alice Oseman. I binge read all four in a day, much like when season two released this summer.  

“Red, White, and Royal Blue” (available on Prime Video)

If you’ve been on Bookstagram or Booktok this summer, you’ve heard about the “Red, White, and Royal Blue” movie. The marketing has been top-notch, leaving fans clamoring for more with every teaser and photo that they released. The marketing team certainly knew what they were doing, choosing the best parts of the movie to post on social media. See, this one is hard to determine because I love the book so much, and I’m a little biased. Ultimately, while I definitely enjoyed the movie and would watch it again, I’m partial to the book. That being said, if you’re a queer rom-com lover and you haven’t read the book, you’re going to love the movie. But as someone who has read the novel many times over the past few years, Casey McQuiston’s writing is exquisite and should not be overlooked. 

You can’t go wrong with any of these books, shows, or movies! “Heartstopper” and “Red, White, and Royal Blue” are good back-to-back binges, while “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is your quintessential romance and “Happiness For Beginners” is perfect for Hallmark movie lovers. All are worth a read/watch, so curl up in your dorm and lose yourself in a fantastic story.