17 Book-to-Screen Adaptations to Add to Your 2025 Reading List

The New Year is the perfect time to refresh your bookshelf and reading list with the many highly anticipated page-to-screen adaptations coming in 2025. Filmmakers and showrunners are drawing from contemporary hits (The Night Agent) and enduring classics (A Study in Scarlet) for exciting new shows and movies. From spy thrillers to witchy dramas to action-packed comics, the sources of these adaptations are well worth a read before you watch.

February Syllabus

The Woman Who Fooled the World, by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano

Belle Gibson is a star of the wellness world after she healed herself of terminal brain cancer through “clean eating.” With her friend Milla, the 23-year-old has a meteoric rise and builds an international media empire. Her story is incredible. Or, it would be, if it was real. Belle has been lying to her friends, family, business partners, and audience about her diagnosis. When a journalist starts to uncover the truth behind the fraudulent story, Belle’s empire crumbles.

Apple Cider Vinegar, starring Kaitlyn Dever, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and Aisha Dee, premieres on Netflix on February 6.

$26 at Amazon

My Fault, by Mercedes Ron

This enemies-to-lovers romance follows teenage Noah as she moves from America to London with her mom to live with her billionaire stepfather and stepbrother Nick. The new stepsiblings are at odds with each other. Nick embodies everything Noah hates, yet there’s an undeniable spark of attraction between them. They enter a forbidden romance, but dangerous ghosts of Noah’s past come back to haunt her and threaten the new life she’s made.

My Fault: London, starring Asha Banks, Matthew Broome, and Ray Fearon, is streaming on Prime Video on February 13.

$13 at Amazon

➼ My Fault started as a story on Wattpad, the self-publishing platform that has already provided the inspiration for 20 films.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, by Helen Fielding

British icon Bridget Jones returns for another shot at romance. Now 51, a lot has changed in Bridget’s life: She’s a widow after the death of Mark Darcy, a single mom to two children, she’s swapped cigarettes for nicotine gum, and she’s now ready to date again. With the support of her friends and former lover Daniel, she joins dating apps. However, she wasn’t prepared to, once again, have two potential love interests, a man 20 years younger and the other her son’s teacher.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, starring Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Leo Woodall, is streaming on Peacock on February 14.

$18 at Amazon

Secret Empire: Brave New World, by Ethan Sacks, Jeremy Whitley, and Paul Allor

Brave New World marks the fourth Captain America film and a continuation of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier miniseries. Thaddeus Ross is elected the president of the United States and Sam Wilson (the new Captain America) is summoned to a meeting with him. After their gathering, Sam finds himself entangled in an international incident threatening the planet.

Captain America: Brave New World, starring Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, and Shira Haas, debuts in theaters on February 14.

$16 at Amazon

“The Monkey” (collected in Skeleton Crew), by Stephen King

Twin brothers Bill and Hal are clearing the attic of their childhood home when they find their father’s old, cymbal-banging monkey toy. Hal begins to see a pattern: Every time the monkey claps its cymbals a death occurs. The brothers decide to throw away the toy but years later, when the siblings have grown apart, the wind-up monkey reappears with its cursed cymbals bringing death and tragedy to all who witness the creature’s dead-eyed stare and creepy smile.

The Monkey, starring Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, and Elijah Wood, debuts in theaters on February 21.

$22 at Amazon

$19.99 at Bookshop

➼ For more pocket-size nightmares from the King of horror, check out Vulture’s list of essential Stephen King short stories.

Also coming in February

➼ Invincible, by Robert Kirkman: Teenage Mark continues to battle with his superhero identity inherited from his father as he dons a new blue suit and faces the most deadly villain to date, Powerplex. Season three of Invincible is on Prime Video starting February 6.

➼ Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare: The most famous tale of star-crossed lovers is set to original pop music in Verona’s Romeo & Juliet, coming to theaters on February 14.

➼ Persuader, by Lee Child: Jack Reacher returns to undercover work when an informant needs saving from a villain of Reacher’s past. Season three of Reacher premieres on Prime Video on February 20.

➼ The Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love, by Scott Michael LeRette and Susy Flory: This is a story of a father’s faith and his son’s valiant spirit as he is diagnosed with autism and brittle-bone disease. After being shelved for two years, the biographical drama is set to be released in cinemas on February 21.

January Syllabus

The Lockerbie Bombing, by Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph

On the night of December 21, 1988, Pan Am 103 flight from London to New York City crashed over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. What followed was a long and painful investigation into the deadly terror attack, especially for Jim and Jane Swire, who lost their daughter, Flora, in the disaster. Though they were wracked with grief, the couple set out on a tragic campaign to uncover the truth about what happened that night.

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, starring Colin Firth, Catherine McCormack, and Sam Troughton, debuts on Peacock on January 2.

$22 at Amazon

Lives of the Mayfair Witches: Lasher, by Anne Rice

The Mayfair Witches follows neurosurgeon Dr. Rowan Fielding’s discovery that she is the heiress of a dynasty of powerful witches. The second season of Rice’s series sees Rowan, the queen of the coven, come to terms with the fact that she birthed the demon Lasher, an evil spirit that has haunted the witches for generations. Rowan sets out to discover what Lasher has become and whether she can use her healing powers to turn him from monster to human.

Season two of Mayfair Witches, starring Alexandra Daddario, Tongayi Chirisa, and Jack Huston, returns to AMC on January 5.

$18 at Amazon

Vets Might Fly, by James Herriot

The fifth installment of All Creatures Great & Small reunites the Skeldale House family as World War II rages on. After season four saw James training to be an RAF pilot and Tristan serving in the Royal Veterinary Corps, this new season sees the two men finally return to Darrowby. However, the quiet peace of the town will take some adjustment with James’ new baby-raising responsibilities.

Season five of All Creatures Great & Small, starring Samuel West, Anna Madeley, and Nicholas Ralph, comes to PBS on January 12.

$17 at Amazon

The Night Agent, by Matthew Quirk

FBI agent Peter Sutherland monitors an emergency phone line in the White House Situation Room, but when that phone rings, his past becomes entwined with conspiracies in the present. Season one ended as Peter’s relationship with former tech CEO Rose Larkin blossomed and he earned a space in the secretive Night Agent program after saving the president from assassination. The second season will see Peter depart for his next assignment at the Joint Base Andrews military facility with new danger just around the corner.

Season two of The Night Agent, starring Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, and Fola Evans-Akingbola, debuts on Netflix on January 23.

$19 at Amazon

A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle

Inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, the sidekick gets the spotlight in Watson. This retelling is a medical drama with detective elements, following Dr. John Watson as he opens his Pittsburgh medical practice, Holmes Clinic. However, just as he begins to treat his patients, Watson’s past begins to haunt him when evidence comes to light that Moriarty may still be alive.

Watson, starring Morris Chestnut, Eve Harlow, and Peter Mark Kendall, is on CBS from January 26.

$10 at Amazon

Also coming in January

➼ Goosebumps, by R. L. Stine: The second season of Goosebumps brings new spooky stories from Stine’s series of children’s horror novels to streaming. Goosebumps: The Vanishing will debut on Disney+ on January 10.

➼ Sakamoto Days, by Yuto Suzuki: A retired hit man’s quiet life is destroyed when former enemies come seeking revenge. The anime series premieres on Netflix on January 11.

➼ Dog Man, by Dav Pilkey: Dog Man — part dog, part cop — must fight his canine instincts to obey the law. The film is scheduled for theatrical release on January 31.