Book Vs Tv Show/Movie: Which One is Better?

This blog also may contain some spoilers for some of the books you may not have read. I have mostly kept it spoiler-free

Generally, the formula in Hollywood is that you adapt a book into a movie and I would say about 6 out of 10 times, people like the book better. At least with me, I like the movie until I realize it was originally a book. It took me the longest time to realize that ‘Pretty Little Liars’ is actually a book adapted into a movie?

So, I decided it was a good idea to read the books and then see the movies/ tv shows for some of the most famous adaptations and see which one I like better. I chose 3 so I could give a detailed review of each-

1. Heartstopper

Graphic Novels (I have read all but the TV show is based on graphic novels- 1 and 2)- I thoroughly enjoyed the graphic novels. They were easy to read and there was a concrete story going on. One thing I will say is that I read the books after I watched the TV show so I found it a lot more fun to read as I could imagine the scenes in my head and put a proper face to all of the characters. Graphic novels are not really my thing as I never really understood the concept of reading pictures, it seemed way less fun than reading words to me. these novels changed my perception of the entire concept and I think I read the first two in one sitting

vs

TV Show- the casting was absolutely perfect. Nick and Charlie literally looked like the characters drawn in the book. Most of the scenes were the same and I would say, done better than the book. I really like the little animations that were included- like the leaves and sparks- it really added the feel of a cute, book-ish vibe to the show. I like the addition of Isaac to the show as he dropped hints of Alice Osman’s other books which made the show even more enjoyable to watch. The chemistry of all the characters-be it a friendship or relationship- was absolutely amazing. The show felt somewhat realistic and caters to all ages in my opinion. It spreads awareness without throwing it into your face and is a fast and binge-able show

Conclusion: Tv show for the win! I loved the books, don’t get me wrong, but the TV show made the books 10 times better and it was beautiful to see the drawings come to life. I don’t think I would necessarily read the books again but I would definitely binge season 1 multiple (I already have)

2. Daisy Jones and the Six

Book- I don’t even know how to start with this book. I will always be somewhat partial to Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book really lived up to its hype- the interview style it was written in really made it easy to read. The songs included were also such an amazing touch to this book. I was completely engrossed in the story and found it very interesting. I think TJR just has a way with words- every single book hits. Even her newest one- Carrie Soto is back was exceptional. I could see how this book got chosen to be adapted into a TV show- it was the perfect pick. I genuinely thought that they were an actual band until I googled them.

Vs

TV Show- This TV show was so good- it is kind of what inspired me to write this blog. The rock and roll vibe- the dresses, the makeup, the overall atmosphere was absolutely surreal. Let’s start with the good- I am absolutely obsessed with the album (I love the songs- “Regret Me” and “Let me down easy” were my favorites). I loved how easy the show was to follow and the cast was so pretty. I think the acting was so well done and so were the dialogues. I also loved the chemistry of the cast outside the show- in the interviews. We got more personality for some characters. For example, I liked Camilla in the book but I loved her in the show. The bad- they did skip out some scenes which I would have liked to see in the actual show. There were only 10 episodes so we also missed out on building relationships between some of the characters of the band. I hated the way they dressed them up for the montage of them describing their experience in the band (Billy literally looked younger in that than during the time he was in the band).

Conclusion- I think this is a tie for me- I cannot decide what I like better. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. From what I saw online, most people prefer the book but I think this show, for the most part, did justice to the book. Billy, Camilla, and Daisy give the same energy as the love triangle that Taylor Swift wrote in her album- “Folklore”

3. The Hating Game

The Book- I didn’t really like the book very much but there were some parts that I enjoyed. I felt as if there was too much repetition like Josh calling Lucy, “Short-cake.” I feel like the entire book felt very forced. I think the hating was a little excessive (granted it is literally in the name of the book) but some things I felt could have been omitted. They did not really have any real chemistry and honestly, I don’t think she liked Josh because of his personality- one because I really don’t think he had one and two because she never really mentions it. There were some weird things about her- her Smurf collection (what was that?). now the book is not all bad. I did enjoy the wedding part where they both embarked on the journey to reach the wedding but overall the book was kind of a letdown

Vs

The Movie- okay, I will start by saying that I did not like the movie at all. They changed some things in the movie and I understand that a lot of book adaptions into movies do that but the things they changed were pretty important and crucial to the book and that already took me out of the movie. I feel as if the actors themselves did not have that much chemistry- their acting wasn’t the worst but I feel as if Josh could have been cast better. I feel as if they could have done a much better job and maybe not changed so much of the book when they were turning it into a movie.

Conclusion- The book was better than the movie- that being said the book isn’t all that great (in my opinion) but it is somewhat bearable. I think there are better romance books out there

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. Here are some major books being adapted into movies that I will definitely keep an eye out for and review in the future:

1. Red White and Royal Blue-Casey McQuiston

2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo-TJR

3. Malibu Rising- TJR

4. The Last Thing He Told Me- Laura Dave

5. One True Loves- TJR

Thanks for Reading,

XX Mahika

(Ps: follow my Instagram: @blogbanterandbigwords where I share polls and put teasers for my upcoming blogs, you might also find some nice quotes in there)