It's no secret that Hollywood loves to adapt content for the big and small screen, especially when it comes to movies and shows from teenagers. From the massive success of Harry Potter and The Twilight Sagas at the box office to small screen hits like Pretty Little Liars and The Babysitters Club, young adult book adaptations are foolproof.
Luckily for Hollywood and teen audiences, there is a constant source material to pull from since hundreds of young adult novels are released year after year. 2021 has been an exceptionally good year for the YA genre meaning audiences should see some phenomenal book to screen adaptations in the coming years.
Counting Down With You By Tashie Bhuiyan
Released in May 2021, Counting Down With You is Tashie Bhuiyan's debut novel that centers on Karina Ahmed, a Bangladeshi teenager, who gets roped into fake dating the resident bad boy so no one finds out she's tutoring him. Their pretend relationship is further complicated since Karina can only date him for a month while her strict parents are on vacation.
Fake dating and a contract of sorts put Counting Down With You firmly in To All The Boys territory thanks to the use of those classic romance movie tropes, which is why the novel would make for a great rom-com adaptation.
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry By Joya Goffney
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry is another May 2021 author debut this one was penned by Joya Goffney. The contemporary romance follows Quinn, a young teenager who is obsessed with making lists for everything in her life, including all her fears. When an anonymous Instagram accounts post one of the lists, Quinn must face all her fears if she wants to keep her entire list journal a secret.
With an empowering female protagonist reminiscent of iconic TV heroines, a ticking time clock, and a swoon-worthy love interest, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry would be perfect for the small screen. In addition, the novel's clever incorporation of social media makes the story feel modern and relevant to a young audience.
Pumpkin By Julie Murphy
Determined to get out of his small town, Waylon films an audition tape for his favorite TV drag show; however, when the video goes viral at school Waylon finds himself jokingly nominated for prom queen. Instead of letting the bullies get the upper hand, Waylon decides to commit to campaigning and even begins to bond with his own prom king.
Julie Murphy is no stranger to having her young adult novels adapted for the big screen as she recently penned Dumplin which is now a Netflix original movie. This adaptation would be great for LGBTQ representation and the story, which satirizes high school social hierarchies and challenges gender conventions, is certainly worthy of a big-screen adaptation.
The Lost Girls By Sonia Hartl
Holly Liddell has been an immortal 16-year-old since 1987 thanks to her vampire boyfriend Elton who claimed to want to be with her for the rest of her life. Now, Holly is unfortunately single and stuck with a crappy job. Her life takes a turn when she meets two of Elton's exes who hate his guts. Together the girls team up to kill Elton in a dark twist on the beloved teen cult classic movie John Tucker Must Die. While
Vampires were all the rage in the late 2000s thanks to the success of The Twilight Saga, although they seem to have faded into the background slightly. However, that could and should change with Sonia Hartl's novel The Lost Girls which was made for a big screen. With romantic drama, girls teaming up together to tackle toxic masculinity, and a twist or two, The Lost Girls is practically already written as an engaging movie.
Tokyo Ever After By Emiko Jean
Izumi Tanaka has accepted the fact that she'll never fit in in her small, Northern California town but then her world changes when she discovers her estranged father is actually the Crown Prince of Japan. Izumi jumps at the chance to meet her father in person but Izumi quickly learns that Princess life isn't as easy as it seems.
It's not just teenagers who love accidental royal stories which is why movies like The Princess Diaries are so iconic. Thankfully Tokyo Ever After follows a similar formula which is why it would be a great movie one day to add to the "accidental royal" collection that is currently popular with films such as The Princess Switch series.
We Can't Keep Meeting Like This By Rachel Lynn Solomon
Rachel Lynn Solomon has been publishing young adult and contemporary romance novels since 2018 but her newest YA is definitely one of the best. We Can't Keep Meeting Like This follows Quinn and Tarek, whose relationship is now strained after Quinn confessed she liked Tarek last year and never heard from him.
Sexual tension, cake disasters, and a look inside the world of harps, We Can't Keep Meeting Like This is the perfect enemies-to-friends story for a movie adaptation. The YA story also boasts a rare BIPOC male lead, which could provide an opportunity for young stars such as Avan Jogia a chance to display their acting talents in a traditional romantic comedy.
XOXO By Axie Oh
Axie Oh started her career in the YA space by writing sci-fi novels but in 2021 she published her first contemporary romance novel, XOXO. The novel follows Jenny, a Cello prodigy who enrolls in a music academy. Jenny quickly reunites with her crush Jaewoo, who just so happens to be a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands.
A second chance at love meets the K-pop craze, XOXO is the perfect novel for a movie adaptation. With Jaewoo being a K-pop star, it also opens the door for existing K-pop stars to break into the acting world. Most importantly, the novel's use of music would make for engaging musical numbers, something only a movie or TV adaptation could fully display.
You Have A Match By Emma Lord
Emma Lord followed up her debut contemporary novel Tweet Cute, with You Have A Match. After discovering she's has a secret sister, Abby sets out to reconnect with her by enrolling in the summer camp Savannah attends every year.
You Have A Match would make a fun summertime-themed movie. The camp setting provides so many fun opportunities for hijinks and Abby and Savannah's complicated relationship makes for compelling drama. In addition, the novel's outdoor location will lend itself to the big screen, which could showcase the lush forest visuals and beautiful lake described in the book.
You'll Be The Death Of Me By Karen M. McManus
Billed as Ferris Bueller's Day Off with a killer twist, You'll Be The Death Of Me follows three distant friends who all decided to ditch school when they show up late. However, their ditch day takes a deadly turn when they witness a fellow high school student get murdered. Karen M. McManus is the resident Queen of YA thrillers. She's also no stranger to having her books adapted since One Of Us Is Lying is now a Peacock original series.
With the '80s classic being the catalyst, it's only fitting that You'll Be The Death Of Me gets a movie adaptation to twist the beloved classic on its head and add some real stakes to the premise. Though the book has yet to be released, fans of McManus are already crossing their fingers that it'll be the next of her novels to be adapted.
You've Reached Sam By Dustin Thao
Set to hit bookshelves on November 2nd, You've Reached Sam is Dustin Thao's debut novel which is sure to leave readers reaching for tissues. The novel centers on Julie, a 17-year-old who loses the love of her life just as their life together was set to begin. Consumed with grief, Julie calls Sam's cellphone just to hear his voicemail but is shocked when Sam actually picks up.
Though it's not out yet, You've Reached Sam sounds like it would make a perfect heartbreaking movie in the same vein as If I Stay and The Fault In Our Stars, the latter of which was a massive success at the box office, earning roughly $124 million according to BoxOfficeMojo.