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New movies and new stories release, but book adaptations stories seem to be receiving the most attention. The debate is always about which is better: the book or the movie. I read and watched both the books of the Prime Video show, “We Were Liars,” and the new movie, “Regretting You,” and I’ll explain some key differences about how the stories were told.
“Regretting You” was published in 2019 by Colleen Hoover, and the movie was released in Oct. 2025. The story is about 16-year-old Clara and her mother’s struggles with grief and conflict, and a romance between Clara and her schoolmate, Miller. Colleen Hoover has also worked as an executive producer for the 2024 film adaptation of her novel, “It Ends With Us.” For this story, reading the book first is the best way to experience this story. Although the movie was enjoyable, I think that many people who read the book first were disappointed by it. The movie was known to be a little “cringe,” because of how the actors expressed their emotions. I enjoyed the movie, but I did realise that details in the book made me feel emotions that actors couldn’t portray in the movie.
“I thought the movie was entertaining to watch, but I probably wouldn’t watch it again. The acting was somewhat corny, but Clara and Miller’s romance was sweet” junior Hutton Adam said.
“We Were Liars” was published in 2014 by E. Lockhart and the TV show was released in summer 2025. The story is about 16-year-old Cadence Sinclair who was found washed up on shore with no recollection of how she got there. It is a mystery/romance story that slowly unfolds the secrets held in the Sinclair family. I think that watching the TV show before reading the book is the way to go with this story. The show was able to portray the story better than the book because of being able to visually see the characters and the houses help the audience make a visual map of the story. While reading the book, I noticed that the way new information unfolds was less dramatic or intriguing compared to the show.
“I hadn’t read the book, so I had no clue what the story was about. It revealed such a great plot twist that I didn’t expect, and the actors did a great job portraying their characters,” senior Charlotte Eichenberger said.
Some book to movie/show adaptations are better than others. Switching from reading the books first to watching the movie/show first is the best way to get to experience stories from different perspectives.
