If You've Watched This, Read This - Book Recommendation

Have you ever found yourself watching a TV show instead of reading? Or wondering if your book could ever give you the same feelings as your favourite show gives you? Then this post is made for you! I have listed nine TV shows below, and for each of them, I will be giving you a book recommendation – whether it is because they have similar themes, characters, or just overall feeling. Of course, this list in entirely subjective, so feel free to read something else if this does not work for you.

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1) The Boys

If you liked The Boys, with its terrible, incorrigible characters, and its anti-heroes, I think that you would love Vicious by V.E. Schwab.

In this novel, EOs – or Extra Ordinary – are people who, after a near-death experience, develop special abilities. Among them are Eli and Victor, former roommates in university and now sworn enemies after their experiments and research on EOs went wrong.

The characters in this novel are not ones you will empathize with – they are not righteous heroes, fighting for justice. Both Eli and Victor are blinded by their own ideas, and, truthfully, neither are what you would call a good guy. If you like anti-heroes and morally grey characters, I really recommend that you pick up this duology.

2) Gilmore Girls

Who doesn’t love Gilmore Girls? I have been a huge fan since I was a child, and I rewatch it almost every year – preferably around Autumn, when the leaves turn orange and the sun starts to set a little earlier.

If you’re looking for a feel-good novel, in which you will find every trope for a coming of age story, love, relationships and family, I recommend that you read To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han. Of course, the series has become a huge success with the movies – which, by the way, I really love. However, while the movies feel more like a rom-com, the novels really focus on important parts of growing up – and they’re really funny too! While reading them, you will get to experience all of the aspects of teenage life, growing up and dealing with family, first love and mistakes.

While reading this trilogy, I was truly sent to the same happy and comforting feelings I feel when watching Gilmore Girls, and I hope that you will too.

3) Love, Victor

Love Victor only came out a few months ago, and you may be more familiar with the movie Love, Simon that takes place in the same universe, not too long before the series start. In this, Victor, explores his homosexuality and questions of coming out, while looking up to Simon as an example.

If you enjoyed this shows (or even the movie), I definitely recommend that you pick up They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera. It is no surprise that I immediately link these two stories, especially since Becky Albertalli, who wrote Love, Simon, and Adam Silvera are such good friends.

In this book, two teenagers receive a call by Death Cast on the same evening, a phone call that informs them that in the next 24 hours, they will die. Not wanting to spend their last day alone, both of them use the app Last Friend, designed to meet a companion who will stay with you until the end. They then embark on a journey together, one last adventure before the end.

This is both a beautiful and incredibly sad story. However, it also touches on very important subject, and shows you how precious life is, and how sometimes, going through life just isn’t enough.

If you want to laugh, to cry, sometimes both at the same time, I really recommend that you read this book.

4) Jessica Jones

So, you remember that Marvel phase that Netflix had after the release of Daredevil, and watch a lot of the TV shows they released? Fear not, I did the exact same thing. And one of the shows that I liked the most was Jessica Jones. It felt so refreshing to have a female main character who dealt with issues such as trauma and abuse, and what it feels like to live your life once you leave – of course, all in a Marvel tone, with super abilities and powers. I remember loving Jessica Jones instantly, and she is still, to this day, one of my favourite female main characters on TV.

If you are like me, I would recommend that you pick up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This novel is in my top 10 books of all time, and for a good reason. It portrays very important themes of abuse, the media and sexuality, while also introducing a strong female main character, who is flawed but also incredibly determined and strong.

Of course the tones of the two are quite different; Jessica Jones is dark and twisted, and Evelyn Hugo is more glamourous, especially since it portrays Hollywood in the 1950s. However, I feel like the two have a lot of similarities in their portrayal of strong women, and I would really recommend that you give it a shot!

5) Deadly Class

Yet another adaptation that technically already has a book; and believe me, I’ve read all of the Deadly Class comics. One of the things that I loved the most about it was its simplicity, yet it felt really original. With its dark hallways, studies on murder and poison, different houses, it gave me a real dark academia vibe – and who am I kidding, I love all things dark academia.

If you liked Deadly Class, I recommend that you pick up Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Similarly, you will find those dark hallways – as the novel takes place in Yale – and twisted stories that make you want to keep on reading. In this book, Alex Stern is a young girl who studies at Yale and who has a very special ability: she can see spirits. As such, she must monitor Yale’s secret societies, who dabble in dark arts and witchcraft.

I am a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo, and I was so excited when she released this novel, her first adult book. I cannot recommend this one enough, especially since it is only the first one in the series, so you might want to pick it up before she releases the next one!

6) Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

One of my favourite TV shows of 2020 was Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. It felt like such a refreshing concept, and I have never felt more understood than by this show. After all, I truly feel like music can say things that no speech can convey. It was the perfect mix of sweet and heart-breaking, a bittersweet story that makes you want to laugh and cry your eyes out.

I think that this show is so unique that it would be impossible to find anything like it, on TV or in books. Nevertheless, I think that this book recommendation is a good one.

I think that you should read I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman. This book really speaks to the power of music, both in the personal sphere, but also in the sense of community that exists between fans of the same music. It is also a very beautiful story and will elicit the same feelings than Zoey’s beautiful story. This novel was part of my favourite books of 2020, which you can find here if you’re interested in reading it.

7) Teen Wolf

If you were between 12 and 25 in 2011, then it is likely that you have seen the MTV series Teen Wolf. I was a huge fan of it, and watched it every week religiously. One of my favourite things about the show was the chemistry between the characters – Scott and Stiles, of course, but also Lydia, Derek, and even Allison. I have a real love for the found family trope, and Teen Wolf was a perfect example of that.

As such, if you enjoyed it, I would recommend that you read The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. In this story, a young girl named Blue becomes unlikely friends with a group of boys from a private school – Raven Boys as she calls them. As she gets closer to one of them, she is faced by one problem; since she was a child, she was told that her true love would die when she kissed him.

These characters are probably some of my favourite, and their relationship, their love and respect for each other, will make you want to find your own Raven Cycle.

8) Get Even

I binged a lot of shows during lockdown, as most of you probably have. One of them was the BBC/Netflix show Get Even, in which a group of teenage girls try to bring justice in their school and eradicate bullies using the pseudonym DGM. But when one of their targets is found dead, and the police suspects DGM, they must figure out the truth before the police find out their true identity.

If you have seen it, first of all, please tell me I would love to chat about it, but also, I would recommend that you read Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. In this book, Stevie Bell, passionate about true crime, enters a school for young people with particular passions, and who are experts in their fields. Coincidently, it also happens to be a school where one of the most famous unsolved crime took place: the Truly Devious kidnappings. As Stevie tries to solve this mystery, she must also face another suspicious death on campus.

I will admit that it took me a while to get into this novel, and I would recommend listening to the audiobook as I found myself more invested in the story that way, but it is still a very interesting read, and if you like teenage mysteries, I really recommend this one!

9) Outer Banks

Do you remember the beginning of lockdown, when Outer Banks came out, and everyone wanted to go on an adventure with a group of friends, ride a boat, explore the beach, find a treasure? Trust me, I get it, I was one of those people.

If you liked Outer Banks, its strong characters and its beautiful scenery, I recommend that you read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen. The stories themselves are quite different, but you will find a really character driven plot, and the most beautiful descriptions of nature that will make you want to go outside and study nature.

Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, otherwise known as ‘the Marsh Girl’ by everyone else in town. The story interweaves two storyline, Kya’s struggle to live in the Marsh as a young girl after her family leaves her and years later when she is accused of murdering the town’s golden boy. I have a full review of this book coming up really soon, so keep an eye out for it, but I will say that I absolutely loved this novel, and while I was anxious to pick it up because of the hype it had, I am so glad that I did – and it did not disappoint!

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Here it is, some recommendations if you want to read books that remind you of your favourite shows! If you need more recommendations, I would be happy to help, just message me on Instagram and I will help you find the perfect book for you. And if you happen to read any of those, please let me know!

As always, it would mean a lot if you shared this with people around you who might be interested, and if you want more bookish content, you can follow me on my social media!