When reading a book, we often imagine the characters and towns coming to life, quirks and all. But what’s better than watching the author’s vision come to life on the silver screen? Over the years, countless bestsellers have been adapted into movies and TV shows. Many romance movies based on books reaffirm the undeniable power of hope, love, and trust, while others leave a bittersweet imprint on the heart.
Whatever the end, love stories are meant to be relived repeatedly, and there’s no way better than to experience them over and over again by reading the book or watching the best romantic movies based on novels. There’s no shortage of movies based on bestselling books, ensuring that viewers looking for beloved romantic book-to-movie adaptations have an excellent selection to choose from.
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‘It Ends with Us’ (2024)
Based on It Ends with Us (2016) by Colleen Hoover
Making her comeback to the big screen in a lead role, Blake Lively stars as the protagonist in this romance drama adapted from Colleen Hoover’s eponymous bestseller. It Ends with Us follows florist Lily Bloom (Lively), who chances upon the charming doctor, Ryle (Justin Baldoni), sparking off an intense and passionate relationship. But when a sudden encounter with her high school sweetheart reignites lost emotions, Ryle gets violent and aggressive with Lily, taking her back to traumatic childhood memories.
Although the crux of the film lies in how abuse and the trauma of it affect the mind, body, and emotions, It Ends with Us retains its overarching romantic drama stance, with several soap-opera elements. On its release, It Ends with Us became a box office success, despite all the criticisms and controversies. Even if the story and narrative fall short in places, the romance drama is well-acted, making Lively’s comeback worthwhile. —Maddie P
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‘The Princess Diaries’ (2001)
Based on The Princess Diaries (2000) by Meg Cabot
Anne Hathaway makes her film debut with this coming-of-age comedy drama directed by Garry Marshall of Pretty Woman fame. The Princess Diaries follows a clumsy and awkward teenager, Mia (Hathaway), who suddenly learns that she is the heir to the throne of a small European kingdom. Under the guidance of her estranged grandmother and queen regnant, Clarisse (Julie Andrews), Mia must learn how to be royalty and prove her worth as the next queen, while also navigating high school.
Hathaway’s remarkable performance with perfect comedy delivery is the major highlight of the film, which became her breakout role. The Princess Diaries makes for a cozy and romantic narrative on adolescence and can be called a well-made screen adaptation of its original best-selling young adult novel. While the first film does not explore much romance, it is romantic and comedic in every sense and is regarded as one of the best teen films of all time. —Maddie P
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‘Love & Other Drugs’ (2010)
Based on Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman (2005) by Jamie Reidy
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, Love & Other Drugs follows Jamie (Gyllenhaal), a pharma sales representative who gets romantically involved with a young woman, Maggie (Hathaway), suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. But when his risky job and career goals collide with his emotions, his relationship with Maggie undergoes a rollercoaster ride. The film has been praised for the memorable performances by Gyllenhaal and Hathaway, as two lovers with very different perspectives.
Director Edward Zwick of Shakespeare in Love fame, does a great job with Love & Other Drugs in his adaptation of a non-fiction book by taking an emotional narrative on relationship complications and complex layered emotions. As is his thematic expertise, he succeeds in building a deep and complex love story around the horrors of medical drugs. Touching upon realistic issues and people with medical conditions, Love & Other Drugs is romantic, tragic, and inspiring at the same time. —Maddie P
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‘Message in a Bottle’ (1999)
Based on Message in a Bottle (1998) by Nicholas Sparks
Before The Notebook, romance novelist Nicholas Sparks became popular with the film adaptation of his novel Message in a Bottle, which is also his first novel to be adapted for the big screen. Starring Robin Wright, Kevin Costner, and Paul Newman, Message in a Bottle follows a young reporter, Theresa (Wright), who, on a trip to Cape Cod, finds a love letter in a bottle washed ashore. As she tracks down the author of the letter, she begins to fall in love with Garrett, a shipbuilder who writes to his deceased wife.
Message in a Bottle is undoubtedly melancholic and morose in its tone, but there is a certain charm and endearment to that tragedy, depicted by fine performances by the cast, where Newman’s father figure steals every scene. Despite negative reviews at the time, Message in a Bottle has aged quite well as an intriguing, dramatic, and slightly mysterious love story of the 90s. —Maddie P
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‘Eat, Pray, Love’ (2010)
Based on Eat, Pray, Love (2006) by Elizabeth Gilbert
Before he became known for the American Horror Story franchise, Ryan Murphy directed this romance drama biopic, starring Julia Roberts as the protagonist. Adapted from Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir of the same name. Eat, Pray, Love follows Roberts as a fictionalized version of Gilbert, as she sets out to rediscover her life and herself after a difficult divorce, traveling across Italy, India, and Bali and exploring the delights of culinary experiences, spiritual awakenings, and love.
Eat, Pray, Love is heartfelt and inspiring, with a very contemporary, feminine take on the journey of finding oneself. Critical reviews notwithstanding, the romance drama biopic became a box office success for Roberts following 2001’s America’s Sweethearts. Exploring themes of finding love and joy in the most unexpected places, the power of forgiveness and balance, coupled with scenic cinematography, Eat, Pray, Love, makes for a charming film about the romance of life, even if not as impactful as the book. —Maddie P
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‘Turtles All the Way Down’ (2024)
Based on Turtles All the Way Down (2017) by John Green
John Green has been no stranger to having many of his teen romance novels adapted into films, with Turtles All the Way Down simply being the latest in a long line of beloved adaptations. The film focuses on the intricacies and life of young Aza Holmes (Isabela Merced), a 16-year-old with OCD dealing with the difficulties and self-doubt of sustaining a relationship while handling her destructive thoughts. However, she begins to form a deep and meaningful relationship with Davis (Felix Mallard), someone who sees past Aza’s fears and truly enjoys her for her.
Much like Green’s other novels, Turtles All the Way Down balances the intricacies and difficulties that modern teens face with a compelling and emotionally poignant romance that compounds into these modern topics. The film similarly has this same mentality and energy as the original novel, being timely and careful with its portrayal of OCD while making sure that Aza is her own fleshed-out character outside of her condition.
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‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ (2018)
Based on If Beale Street Could Talk (1974) by James Baldwin
Clementine “Tish” Rivers (Kiki Layne/Milanni Mines) recalls her passionate love affair with her childhood friend turned artist, Alfonzo “Fonny” Hunt (Stephen James/Ethan Barrett) during the 1970s in the city of Harlem. As the two start to plan their future together, tragedy strikes after Hunt is accused and charged with a crime he did not commit. With her family’s unwavering support, Rivers stops at nothing to clear Hunt’s name before the birth of their child.
Based on James Baldwin‘s beautiful novel, If Beale Street Could Talk tells the story of two lovers who are torn apart by social injustices and discrimination and will stop at nothing to fight for each other and their love. The film follows a non-linear story structure and moves between present day and the 1970s, making it a bit of a suspenseful story that leaves audiences with high anticipation of how this star-crossed love story will unfold. — Andrea Ciriaco
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‘Jane Eyre’ (2011)
Based on Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë
Mia Wasikowska stars as Jane Eyre, a resilient young woman who, after enduring a traumatic childhood, receives an education and eventually accepts a job as a governess at the home of Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender). As Eyre and Rochester begin to fall in love, Eyre learns there’s more to her new love interest than she ever expected, forcing her to flee and find comfort in the company of another, St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell).
Jane Eyre is a classic romance that has been adapted into several films, but the most recent adaptation is easily one of the finest. The 2011 version received immense praise and earned dozens of awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Wasikowska gives Brontë’s famous heroine immense justice, delivering a highly underrated performance alongside an equally exceptional cast. — Andrea Ciriaco
Jane Eyre
- Release Date
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April 22, 2011
- Runtime
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120 Minutes
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‘Brooklyn’ (2015)
Based on Brooklyn (2009) by Colm Tóibín
During the 1950s, a young Irish woman, Ellis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), leaves her home in Ireland to travel to the United States to live in New York City. Initially, Lace is homesick for her familiar surroundings, but when she meets a charming Italian-American, Tony (Emory Cohen), she starts to feel more at home in the strange land of America.
Brooklyn is a unique love story that, while it does center around romance, it also focuses on a woman’s difficult choice to choose between two vastly different worlds that each hold a special place in her heart. The movie was a major success and went on to receive three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Ronan, and Best Adapted Screenplay. — Andrea Ciriaco
Brooklyn
- Release Date
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November 4, 2015
- Runtime
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111 Minutes
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‘The English Patient’ (1996)
Based on The English Patient (1992) by Michael Ondaatje
Towards the end of World War II, a badly burned man, László Almásy (Ralph Fiennes), is taken in and cared for by a nurse, Hana (Juliette Binoche), at an Italian monastery. The mysterious man’s past is slowly uncovered through a series of flashbacks, revealing a torrid love affair with a married English woman, Katharine (Kristin Scott Thomas), and his crucial work in the Sahara.
The English Patient is a spellbinding war romance and an absolute triumph of an adaptation of Michael Ondaatje‘s famous novel. The film has been credited as one of the greatest love stories to ever grace the silver screen and was commended for its spectacular performances and artful direction by director, Anthony Minghella. The English Patient earned twelve Oscar nominations and went on to win nine of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Binoche. — Andrea Ciriaco
