Tag: Movie Adaption

Book vs. TV Show: The Summer I Turned Pretty

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I’m no expert on how decisions get made when it comes to turning books into movies. But, I’m enjoying writing about it. Amazon Prime has been pushing The Summer I Turned Pretty series hard. I refused to watch until I read (listened) to Book 1 and that Libby wait was a long one. I ultimately decided to wait because I thought the Prime series adaptation would be good for another comparison review.

To be honest I didn’t really love the book – and I’m a fan of Jenny Han. I’ve read all of the P.S. I Love You series (the last one made me cry) & thoroughly enjoyed the movie series as well. However, The Summer I Turned Pretty was giving me lazy beach read. I had no idea how this would translate to the silver screen. As I began to watch the series I noticed A LOT of differences and I realized that they had to add so much to make it more dramatic – there simply was no other way. 

The love triangle seemed childish in the books – but then again this is a young adult series. Unlike the critiques on my last pick on instagram (The Perfect Find) I found myself agreeing with the critiques for this adaption. There is no team Jeremiah or team Conrad. We basically are anti-Belly at this point (I hate being anti a female main character). 

I listened to the book while doing chores and driving. I typically listen to mystery thrillers and that may have contributed to why I found myself getting tired while listening and just lacking overall excitement. My attention was not exactly grabbed by the storyline. I don’t even know that it could be a called a slow-burn romance. It was a flickering of light here and there, barely there smoke signals. The most emotional aspect of course was learning of Susannah’s fate. The moment that I did get excited – Belly getting picked up in secret, came at the very end of the book. I didn’t know if I should be let down or just acknowledge the brilliant cliffhanger. 

Alternatively, the show is giving constant drama. At first I was confused by the debutante story line but it became a great tool for demonstrating the tension between all the different relationships such as between Belly and her mom, Belly and the girls on Cousin’s beach, and of course Susannah’s boys (Conrad and Jeremiah). I found myself more invested in the storyline as I wondered who would be Belly’s date to the debutante ball? How long would Belly actually be able to conceal her feelings or figure out her feelings enough to make a decision? I loved seeing the setting of Cousin’s Beach come alive. 


This is a rare instance in which I think the show adaptation is better than the book and added depth to the story. I’ve been so intrigued by the Prime tv story live that I’ve moved on to despite the fact that I’m once again on a lengthy waiting list for It’s Not Summer Without You (Book 2 of the Series). I usually hate not being able to binge a show and streaming sites not releasing all episodes at once. Admittedly, I have been waiting on baited breath for every new episode.

Book vs. Movie: The Perfect Find Review

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“Black Girls Read Too”  on Facebook might be the only reason I login to that website from time to time. The group page sparked my interest in The Perfect Find, book and movie adaption. Due to Tia Williams’ growing popularity and in anticipation for the Netflix movie, wait times for the book from my preferred sources (Libby, Hoopla, Library) were extremely long. So, ultimately I decided to watch the movie first. 

Before the first official trailer was even released, the complaints about casting were coming in. As a big Gabrielle Union fan I couldn’t quite understand all the hate. Then, the movie came out – more and more bad reviews were coming out. Book lovers always feel like something is rushed or missing etc. But the reviews I saw were overwhelmingly agreeing that the movie was all bad. 

Personally, I watched the movie without any bias. It was easy to do because I hadn’t read the book yet. Before I yelled into the abyss that not everything can be a mini-series people! I patiently waited for the novel to be available and get to me via inter library loan. After staying up until 4am to finish reading I must say I do understand why so many fans had something to say about the movie. However, I think I can now fairly assess the movie compared to the book. 

I found that the movie mostly kept true to what made the characters who they are. Obviously they updated some things for a more modern landscape, but it ultimately follows a fallen from grace beauty editor that has to beg for a job from her nemesis, who happens to be a CEO of a successful beauty media outlet. The respect for old-school Hollywood and Nina Mae McKinney is just as strong in the movie as it is in the book. The quirky one liners and the banter is stripped right from the book into the movie as well. My favorite scene in the movie ended up being true to the book – the dinner party scene had me both cracking up and feeling spicy while reading as well as watching it on screen. 

I saw one instagram comment critique that the cab scene happened too soon, I have to disagree. It happens in Chapter 8 of the book. That’s pretty soon. I wonder if people bothered to read the book again before the movie or if they were just making comments off of when they first read the book years ago – you can’t trust that opinion. 

And as I continued to read I realized it wasn’t so much that Gabrielle and Keith didn’t have chemistry, it was that Jenna & Eric had a deep lust and love that were coming alive from the pages of the book and you wanted to see it as deep on screen. I don’t know what two actors could accurately display that deepness of both emotions. Jenna & Eric needed each other, they were in each other’s bones. I believe Gabrielle & Keith had a lot of chemistry from the first party scene to the small touches they shared at photoshoots. 

The movie gave romantic comedy and cheesy. I gather the audience was looking for a more desperate longing and dramatic type of movie. I agree that based on how deep the relationship was felt there could have been more time spent on that. As I read the book I felt a desire to have someone know me by heart and when I watched the book I felt a desire to just be excited about love again. I found The Perfect Find to be an engaging and entertaining love story in both formats. 

A difference that I personally felt when reading the story vs. watching it was more of a relatability to Jenna. There were aspects of her personality that I could identify with that weren’t necessarily present during the movie. It wasn’t just that she was having to get back to her career and prove herself – it was the doubt and wonder on whether that part of her career was what she wanted. Can the depth of all these complex emotions be explored in a movie? Not sure that was even the vibe for a Netflix romantic comedy movie that wasn’t even a full two hours (although, I would have enjoyed a full two hours with these characters and this story overall). 

Funnily enough, I found Darcy from the book worse than in the movie. At least Gina Torres’ portrayal of Darcy provided some comedy. The Darcy in the book was downright nasty. She was beyond cut throat and I couldn’t believe some of her actions towards her own son.  

I have complicated feelings about the ending. I felt like the movie definitely went into a more socially accepted narrative. I don’t want to give anything away but the major event at the end was the same but the response that Jenna had was different. I think I agree with how the book ended more – but I guess it could be argued that the right way to go about it was the way that the movie ended.  

I see the pros and cons of the movie adaptation. Overall, I just can’t hate this movie. Was the book more complex and passionate in some ways? Yes. But, say what you will, the movie still got me excited about love and I think it is the perfect Rom-com for a Saturday movie night in.