2026 Book Adaptations I’m Already Planning My Watch Parties Around
2026 Book Adaptations I’m Already Planning My Watch Parties Around
What 2026 book adaptations should be on your radar and your TBR? From Netflix thrillers and BookTok romance to fantasy prequels and vampire leather jackets, here’s what’s coming and what I’ll be watching, whether I’ve read the book or not.
There’s this thing that happens when you hear a book is being adapted, especially one you’ve technically already read. You get excited. And then immediately spiral:
Do I remember anything? Should I reread it? Did I ever finish it in the first place?
Next thing you know, you’re 10 minutes deep in Goodreads reviews trying to piece together the plot like a crime board.
And honestly? You don’t have to do all that.
I’ve made peace with the fact that I won’t be rereading the books on this list. Some of them I read years ago and only remember the mood. Some I didn’t read. And some, like The Love Hypothesis, I was still deciding if I wanted to re-read before the casting news hit.
Point is, there’s no one right way to show up for a book adaptation. Maybe you want to read it before watching. Maybe you’re fine going in cold. Or maybe you just want to skim enough to keep up with the group chat without getting spoiled. (No shame in that… honestly, I made a whole post about how to remember what you read without rereading the whole thing).
So if you want to know what’s coming in 2026, from the confirmed to the rumors, in case you want to read, re-skim, or just point at your screen and say “oh yeah, I remember that”, this is the list.
Also yes, we got some exciting book adaptation news recently: Mindf*ck TV series is coming. And no, I’m not okay.
Let’s talk adaptations.
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Confirmed 2026 Book Adaptations (With Release Dates You Should Probably Write Down)
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Releasing on Netflix: December 25, 2025
Yes, technically it’s a holiday drop. But let’s be honest, this is going to be a January binge for most of us. The Housemaid is one of those twisty thrillers you stay up way too late finishing, and you’ll probably end up watching it the same way. If you haven’t read it, this is one of those books that goes down easy and fast. But you also don’t have to. This one’s built for the screen.
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Releasing on Netflix: January 9, 2026
Confession: I haven’t read Emily Henry. I probably won’t. But I will be watching this the second it drops. She’s been dominating BookTok for years, and it was only a matter of time before we got the on-screen version. In fact, there’s more than one coming! Emily Henry is a favorite amongst our guest reviewers here at Under the Covers though, and if you want our thoughts, check out our People We Meet on Vacation book review.
Grab People We Meet on Vacation on Amazon
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
In theaters: February 13, 2026
You don’t need to reread the original to appreciate the chaos this one is about to deliver. Margot Robbie’s producing. Jacob Elordi is giving us a new Heathcliff. Emerald Fennell is directing. Whatever this ends up being, it’s not your high school English class version of Wuthering Heights, and honestly, that’s the point.
Grab Wuthering Heights on Amazon
But if you want to double down on the modern retelling vibes before or after the movie, I highly recommend checking out Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney. It’s a modern New Adult reimagining of Wuthering Heights set in a cultish Southern swamp town, with necromancers, grief visions, and a deeply obsessive romance that’s all teeth and tenderness.
Grab Ruthless Devotion on Amazon
He was the other half of my soul—the mirror to my every dark desire. My destruction, my redemption, my salvation: my Heathcliff.
That should give you an idea of what you’re walking into. (And yes, it’s book three in her Gilded Monsters series. The others are Gatsby and Dorian Gray retellings, in case you’re building a whole haunted syllabus.)
Verity by Colleen Hoover
In theaters: October 2, 2026
Verity is one of those books that makes people unhinged. In a good way. (Usually.) If you’ve read it, you probably still think about that ending. If you haven’t, it’s worth it just for the chaos of being part of the conversation. Either way, you can show up to the movie without rereading, it’s a vibes-over-details kind of experience.
Check out my original book review of Verity by Colleen Hoover.
Practical Magic 2 (based on The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman)
In theaters: September 18, 2026
This is pure nostalgia bait in the best possible way. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back, and it’s based on The Book of Magic, which follows the next generation of Owens witches. You can absolutely go into this without reading the book. But if you do want more emotional backstory (and more sister magic), it’s worth picking up. Also, it’s totally valid to re-watch Practical Magic. Just saying.
Grab The Book of Magic on Amazon
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
In theaters: November 20, 2026 (tentative)
The Hunger Games prequel we didn’t know we needed, but here we are. This one focuses on a young Haymitch during the 50th Hunger Games. If you’re a Collins completist, go ahead and grab the book. If not, you can still watch this for the trauma and political commentary. No required reading necessary, but feelings will be had. I’ve been a huge fan of the series (books and movies) but I think, personally, I’ll be going into the movie blind. Gasp!
Grab Sunrise on the Reaping on Amazon
In-Development 2026 Book Adaptations (Still No Date, but Definitely Coming)
Bridgerton Season 4 – An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
Bridgerton series fans, rejoice! It’s Benedict’s turn. Finally. Season 4 is confirmed to follow An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn, which is the Cinderella retelling of the series. It’s softer, quieter, and kind of a pivot back to the fairy-tale tone that kicked off the show. I think Benedict’s story deserves more attention than it usually gets.
Grab An Offer from a Gentleman on Amazon
The Deal – Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy
This is one of those adaptations where I will have a lot of feelings depending on how they handle it. The Deal by Elle Kennedy is the first book in the Off Campus hockey romance series. If you were on BookTube, Blogs, Bookstagram or Goodreads anytime in the past 8 years, you know exactly how much this book meant to the “romance with banter and trauma and hot athletes” crowd. Basically, me. I still remember reading an ARC of the book and falling madly in love. By the way, I am happy with the cast and with what the actors have been showing us behind the scenes of filming.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Fake dating, STEM girl, broody man, Reylo-coded energy, it’s going to get loud. If you’ve been meaning to read The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood before it comes out, this is your warning bell. They have been busy filming!
Grab The Love Hypothesis on Amazon
Black Dagger Brotherhood (Season 2)
There hasn’t been an official date announced yet, but Season 2 is reportedly in development after the success of season 1. If you’re unfamiliar, this is the vampire series that defined an era for a lot of us romance readers. It’s leather. It’s bonding marks. It’s capital-B Brotherhood. The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward is one of those series that you have to read before you die if you consider yourself a vampire fan at all. Season 1 brought us Dark Lover. And if you want to get in before Season 2 hits, pick up Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward, which centers on Rhage (aka the one with the dragon problem).
So… should you read the book before watching?
Maybe. Maybe not.
There are books on this list I’ve read years ago and couldn’t summarize now if you paid me. There are some I never read at all and probably won’t, but I’ll still be watching the adaptation. And there are a few I’ve added to my “someday” list knowing full well I might just skim reviews before the premiere and call it good enough.
The point is, you don’t need a rule. You just need a vibe check.
If you’re the kind of person who wants to go into an adaptation with the story already in your bones, you’ve got time to read (or re-skim, or vibe-read your annotations). And if you’re not, if you just want to watch the thing and see how it lands, that’s more than valid too.
But if you do want to remember what happened without rereading? I made a post for that. Here’s how to remember what you read without starting from page one.
Whatever your approach, this list is here to keep you from getting blindsided. The trailers will drop. The opinions will be loud. And if you like being slightly ahead of that mess, you now have a running start. So mark your calendar!
If you want to stay updated as new dates get confirmed, or you’re in the mood to binge more book-to-screen talk, I’ve got you:
→ Browse the full book adaptations archive here.
And if you end up watching something on this list and have thoughts? You know where to find me.
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