The 20 Best Romance Books Turned Into Movies

Love romance books and the movies they inspired? That’s why we’ve gathered the 20 best romance books turned into great movies right here!

The 20 Best Romance Books Turned Into Movies

Romance Books Turned Into Movies

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Hating Game: A Novel

Ever since Lucy smiled at Joshua on her first day of work and he didn’t return the favor, he’s been nothing but rude to her, and she hates him for it. They participate in a childish game of hatred in the form of passive-aggressive comments and knowing looks.

When a new promotion is available to both of them, they know it’s the biggest game yet. But the tensions between the two coworkers have been growing significantly, and suddenly it’s hard to know if what they feel for each other is even hate at all.

The Hating Game was published in 2016, and a movie based on the book came out in 2021.

You can read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne here.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You (Me Before You Trilogy)

Louisa Clark has always stayed in her small town, living a normal life. She’s just taken a job working for Will Traynor, a man who has recently become wheelchair-bound after an accident. Will is very moody, but Louisa understands and wants to try to make him happy.

Will has always lived an extravagant and exciting life, and after the accident, he doesn’t know how that could ever happen again. Will doesn’t think he can live this way, and he’s planned something drastic to escape. But when Louisa finds out what Will has been thinking, she knows she has to show him that his life can still be good even after the accident. 

The book came out in 2012 and the movie followed it in 2016.

You can read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes here.

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

Call Me by Your Name: A Novel

Elio lives in a house on the Italian Riviera with his parents. Oliver, an American who works with his father, has come to the house to stay for 6 weeks. Elio immediately develops a fascination with Oliver and finds himself wanting to spend more time with him.

This story is about first love and the experiences that Elio and Oliver have together.

Call Me By Your Name came out in 2007, and 10 years later in 2017, it was made into a movie.

Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman can be found here.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Flipped

Bryce and Juli first met in second grade, when Juli flipped and Bryce ran. Ever since then, Juli has had a crush on Bryce and Bryce has been constantly avoiding Juli. But now, in eighth grade, things suddenly change. Juli no longer thinks Bryce is all that, but Bryce is starting to see that there may be more to Juli than he once thought.

Flipped is a great book that is funny and romantic, and it reminds you that there are two sides to every story. 

The book was published in 2001 and the movie came out 9 years later in 2009.

You can find Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen here.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel

This is the diary of Bridget Jones, a woman who just wants to improve herself. She wants to quit smoking, lose some weight, and become more poised. But Bridget is also self-aware and knows that most of these endeavors will probably end in failure. Still, she is desperate to try.

This story follows Bridget’s hilarious journey, through all of her successes, failures, and experiences, from romantic relationships to choices at work.

This book came out in 1996 and the movie followed shortly after in 2001.

You can read Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding here.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene

The Fault in Our Stars

Ever since being diagnosed with cancer, Hazel has known that she is terminal. However, she still has at least a few years because of a recent treatment that temporarily shrunk her tumor.

When Hazel is at her cancer support group and a new guy named Augustus shows up, Hazel doesn’t realize how much he will change her life.

This is an insightful and bold story about falling in love and being alive.

This book was published in 2012 and the movie quickly followed, coming out in 2014.

You can purchase The Fault in Our Stars by John Greene here.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (1)

Lara Jean is sixteen years old and she’s loved 5 boys in her life. To every boy, she’s written a love letter that she never intended to send. But when all of the love letters suddenly go missing, Lara Jean is forced to confront the fact that all of these boys have received their letters.

Lara Jean never expected those words to be read by another living soul, and she poured all of her emotions into them. But what she thinks will be a total disaster suddenly has her love life going from imaginary to out of control.

The movie came out in 2018, 4 years after the book was first published in 2014.

You can read To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han here.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

All the Bright Places

Violet’s sister has recently died, and Violet is grieving her, trying to find ways to move on. 

Finch is constantly thinking about death, wondering about the ways in which he might die.

Finch and Violet have just met, but they don’t want to let each other go. When they are with one another, they can be completely themselves and they don’t have to feel so much pain. But as Violet’s grief slowly starts to fade away, Finch still can’t shake the constant feeling looming over him.

The book was published in 2015 and the movie followed 5 years later, coming out in 2020. 

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven can be read here.

P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern

PS, I Love You: A Novel

Gerry and Holly have been together for as long as they can remember. Ever since childhood, they’ve known that they were meant for each other. But right when Holly is about to turn 30, Gerry dies. 

Devastated doesn’t even begin to describe how Holly feels. Gerry has left Holly a bundle of letters, intending for her to read one every month after his death. With the help of Gerry’s letters, Holly slowly realizes that life goes on. Even without Gerry, she can still dance and laugh and have a good time, knowing that he is somewhere, watching over her.

The movie came out in 2007, 3 years after the book was published in 2004.

You can find P.S. I Love YOu by Cecilia Ahern here.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook

Noah Calhoun is 31 and back in North Carolina after World War II, But he can’t stop thinking about the girl that got away years earlier.

Allie Nelson is 29 and about to marry a very rich man, but she can’t stop thinking about the boy who she fell in love with so long ago. 

This book was published in 1996 and the popular hit movie came out in 2004.

You can read The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks here.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Simon is sixteen years old and knows that he’s gay, but the people around him don’t. When someone gets one of Simon’s emails who isn’t supposed to, Simon is suddenly being blackmailed so that his secret doesn’t get out. He has to be the popular boy, Martin’s, wingman.

Simon’s emails with Blue, the boy he’s been talking to, are getting more and more flirtatious, and he’s finding himself falling for someone he doesn’t even know in person. But things are getting out of hand at school, and Simon has to find a way to fix it before it all falls apart.

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda was published in 2015, and a movie came out in 2018 that was based on it. The movie is called Love, Simon.

You can find Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli here.

The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles

The Kissing Booth

Elle decides to run a kissing booth at the school carnival, but she doesn’t expect to end up kissing Noah, her best friend’s older brother. Suddenly, things get complicated, and despite the betrayal that it would be to her best friend, Elle can’t stop herself from wanting to be closer to Noah.

The Kissing Booth was published in 2012 and inspired the movie which came out in 2018.

You can find The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles here.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song

Ronnie’s parents got a divorce 3 years ago and she has resented them ever since. Now, her mother thinks that Ronnie should spend the summer with her father in North Carolina at the quiet beach town where he resides. 

It is an unforgettable summer for Ronnie, who ends up falling for a local boy and experiencing first love. Not only does the story talk about first love, but it explores the love between parents and children.

This book was published in 2009 and the movie followed fast, coming out in 2010.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks can be purchased here.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, No 1)

Becky Bloomwood lives in an amazing London flat and owns closets full of the best designer clothing. But Becky’s writing job is boring, and it doesn’t pay her well at all. The truth is, she can’t afford any of the things she has, and she’s horribly in debt. 

This book follows Becky as she struggles to cut back on shopping, and we also get a look into the relationships in Becky’s life. When Becky gets a front-page article that she actually cares about, it might just be what she needs to change everything.

The movie came out in 2009, 9 years after the book was published in 2000.

You can find Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella here.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Five Feet Apart

Stella has been in and out of the hospital her whole life, and now she is at the point where she can’t be around anyone because getting a disease would jeopardize her chances of receiving a lung transplant.

Will doesn’t care about any of his treatments, and all he wants to do is leave the hospital and experience life. 

Stella knows that she needs to stay away from Will, and either one of them could die. But soon, staying away from each other doesn’t feel like the right thing at all, and all they want is to be together.

The book was published in 2018 and the movie came out the next year in 2019.

You can purchase Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott here.

The Will by Kristen Ashley

The Will (The Magdalene Series)

Josephine has always known that the only person she could truly love and trust was her grandmother, Lydia. Josephine has been successful in her life, but she’s also kept everyone away, not wanting to be vulnerable.

When Josephine’s grandmother dies, Josephine is heartbroken. But the death leads Josephine to Jake, a man who was very close to Lydia and often made bad decisions about who to give his love to. Lydia’s final wish was that Jake and Josephine would be together, so they decide to give it a try.

The movie was made in 2020, 6 years after the book came out in 2014. 

You can find The Will by Kristen Ashley here.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delilah Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese's Book Club (A Novel)

Kya has always been an outcast, living outside of town in the Marsh where her family slowly left her one by one. When Chase Andrews is found dead, everyone immediately blames Kya. But only Kya knows what really happened, and she will never tell anyone.

This coming-of-age story is told in two different timelines, following Kya as she grows up as well as the present murder trial. We read about Kya’s first love, her real relationship with Chase, and how she endured in the loneliest of times.

The book was published in 2018 and the movie was made 4 years later, in 2022.

You can read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delilah Owens here.

After We Collided by Anna Todd

After We Collided (2) (The After Series)

Tessa and Hardin have had a rough start to their relationship, but they are finally on their way to making it work. But when Tessa finds out how their relationship really started and learns things about Hardin’s past, she doesn’t know what to think.

Tessa and Hardin just make sense together, and Tessa thinks it would be impossible to leave him. But she also knows that she’s sacrificed so much for him, and she doesn’t know how much more she can handle.

This book was published in 2013 and the movie based on it came out in 2020.

After We Collided by Anna Todd can be found here.

The Silver Lining’s Playbook by Matthew Quick

The Silver Linings Playbook: A Novel

Pat has spent years in a neural health facility, and now that he is back home living with his parents, he is awaiting the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. But things are different at home, and nobody will talk to Pat about Nikki. His friends are too busy with their families, and his dad is always moody.

When Pat meets Tiffany, she agrees to help him with his wife on a few conditions: Pat stops watching football, performs in the Dance Away Depression competition, and doesn’t tell anyone about the deal that they’ve created.

The film was made in 2012, 4 years after the book was published in 2008.

You can read The Silver Lining’s Playbook by Matthew Quick here.

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Can You Keep a Secret?: A Novel

On a plane that she thinks is about to crash, Emma tells a handsome stranger next to her all of her secrets. Once the plane lands, Emma is embarrassed but knows that she will never see him again. 

That is until Emma meets her company’s CEO Jack Harper and realizes that he is the man from the plane. And now her CEO knows all of the humiliating things about her.

This book was published in 2003 and the movie came out many years later in 2019.

You can find Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella here.

FAQs

How long does it take to make a romance movie?

The amount of time it takes to make a movie varies extensively. It can sometimes take 4-5 years (or even longer) to produce a movie, but in other cases, it may only take a few weeks. It all depends on the creative vision and how quickly the movie needs to get done, but there have definitely been some good movies that were pulled off in a very short amount of time.

 Some of the movies on this list were only made in less than a year and they turned out great!

What romance movies based on books are on Amazon Prime?

All of the romance movies on this list are available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, and some are also available on other platforms like Netflix and Hulu.

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Freya Cook