10 Underrated Book Adaptations From The Last 5 Years You Probably Missed

I’m convinced that I know why this movie, based on the book of the same name by J.P. Monninger, didn’t get as much attention. It came out after Sofia Carson’s latest book adaptation with Netflix, My Oxford Year (2025). While the latter left me in complete shambles, The Map That Leads to You is definitely a tear-jerker, but it left me with a more optimistic reaction.

So, romance fans, there is a Happily Ever After here—or something close to it. At least, as far as the movie’s ending is concerned, Heather (Madelyn Cline) and Jack (KJ Apa) are together. They still have plenty of massive things to deal with in the future, like Jack’s health, but there’s hope in them doing so together. That said, I haven’t read Monninger’s book (yet), so I can’t speak to the biggest differences from the book. 

In writing this, I’m realizing that Love at First Sight may be one of my favorite movies, let alone one of my favorite romantic comedies. It’s one of those movies I watched at the right time in my life, so I hold it super close to me. Love at First Sight is inspirational, moving, and deeply romantic. It also couldn’t find a better narrator, who is all over this movie, than Jameela Jamil.

It’s also an adaptation of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. As someone who can get a bit existential about fate and time, this movie manages to put me at ease about all of that. Through Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson) and Oliver’s (Ben Hardy) personal lives and romance, Love at First Sight reminds me that what is meant for me will come to me. 

In all honesty, I’m someone who usually steers clear of Harlan Coben adaptations because I can be a bit of a scaredy cat. I still haven’t watched Obsession (2026), even though everyone is talking about how excellent it is. Harlan Coben’s Shelter pulled me in because it was one of the few YA shows on TV in 2023. Unfortunately, like so many, it did get canceled after one season. 

That fate really is such a shame because the show had a great ensemble, and it was starting to build such an interesting world. The cliffhangers had such life to them that I was eager to see what would come next. So, even though I didn’t go into it because it was an adaptation of Coben’s book, it did make me want to seek it out to see what comes next after the finale. 

Maybe this is all in my head, but I think that Every Year After is a little underrated. Yes, it just dropped its first season, and it is returning for a second one. (Thank everything good in this world because I can’t shake that cliffhanger.) Still, I think that the timing of when Every Year After dropped contributes to its underrated status. 

This show, based on Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After, dropped in the haze of the Off Campus (2026) phenomenon. I think Every Year After may be flying under some radars because of it. My friends and I often talk about how we wished that Prime Video would’ve waited to drop Every Year After in August to give it a little space from Off Campus. Since it didn’t, don’t let this show pass you by. Now’s the time to fall for this dreamy, nuanced, lakeside show before it returns for Season 2.

My Lady Jane is probably one of the biggest TV losses of my life. Yes, the show’s first and only season ends in a way that is mostly satisfying. Still, these characters and their magical world wrapped around my heart so quickly that I’m still getting over them being ripped away from me. It’s been two years, and I’m not over it. I don’t think I’ll ever be over it. 

This show, based on Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows’s book of the same name, is side-splinteringly funny, whip-smart, and steamy. It’s everything I want in a good romance show, and it’s a book adaptation that knows how to bend and stretch the source material for TV. I could write a thousand words about it, and that wouldn't do My Lady Jane justice. 

High fantasy intimidates me so much—probably too much. I will appreciate it from a distance, as I do with The Lord of the Rings franchise. Something about The Wheel of Time just kept calling to me after its first season dropped. Really, I think it’s because I was seeing all of these posts about the female characters on the show, and its universe looked uniquely matriarchal. I’m so glad I dove into The Wheel of Time, even though it ended unceremoniously. 

Seriously, it needed one more season to wrap things up. Sadly, I don’t think it found the super massive audience that Prime Video envisioned for it. Regardless, it helped me conquer my fear of high fantasy. So much so, I started reading Robert Jordan’s book series. Like the books, The Wheel of Time can be daunting and a bit of a commitment, but it’s so worth it. It’s an immersive, mind-boggling watch, and I find myself recommending it to people all the time now. 

I jumped on the Young Sherlock train a little bit late because it dropped rather unceremoniously in March. I also couldn’t really understand why this character, who has been adapted so many times in so many different ways, needed to be on screen again. Excitingly, this show, based on Andrew Lane’s books, proved me wrong. It’s an absolute blast, which I think has a lot to do with Guy Ritchie’s involvement as an executive producer and director. He has such a sleek vision. 

In fairness, it also has everything to do with Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes, Dónal Finn as James Moriarty, and Zine Tseng as Xiao Wei. That trio really gives this show the dynamic core that it needs. It’s also worth noting that Young Sherlock is the second of three shows on this list to feature Finn in their cast. What can I say? He’s excellent in a book adaptation. 

I read E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars in 2014, when it was published. Perhaps surprisingly, I’m glad that I didn’t reread it ahead of the Prime Video series. Usually, I try to reread the book before the adaptation. After more than a decade away from these characters and their stories, I was able to completely lose myself in the first season of We Were Liars. The twist—you know the one, if you’ve watched, and if not, buckle up—was almost entirely preserved for me. 

After I watched the first season, I revisited the book. Then, I could appreciate the choices the adaptation made to build suspense through the visual medium. On the other hand, I could watch We Were Liars as its own thing, and, as it turns out, I think it may be even more emotionally devastating to me than the book. I stand by this show being one of Prime Video’s more underrated adaptations in its growing slate. I can’t wait to cry more during Season 2! 

Have you ever watched a movie and then thought that you are only among a handful of people who have seen it? That’s how I feel about This Time Next Year, an adaptation of Sophie Cousens’ debut novel. So, I’d safely say it’s one of the most underrated adaptations on this list. I watched it when it came out, as I never pass up a romantic comedy. 

This Time Next Year stars Emily in Paris’s (2020) Lucien Laviscount, opposite Sophie Cookson. I still can’t believe that Laviscount isn’t a romantic lead in more things. I found the movie mostly charming and incredibly sentimental at times. The latter really comes down to a standout supporting performance from Bridgerton (2020) star Golda Rosheuvel. The story between Tara (Rosheuvel) and Connie (Monica Dolan) is as essential and interesting as the central romance. 

It only feels fitting to round out this list with another book adaptation starring Dónal Finn. He is completely adorable and swoon-worthy as the good-hearted Thomas Hayward in The Other Bennet Sister. All that said, the true star of the series is Ella Bruccoleri, who plays Mary Bennet. Bruccoleri takes this character who gets a whole new life in Janice Hadlow’s book and breathes such nuance into her on screen. 

Admittedly, I felt quite indifferent about Mary Bennet before the series. Afterward, I feel fiercely protective of her. I also see a lot of myself in her. The Other Bennet Sister is such a gorgeous show that it has me yearning to read the book. It’s a quiet, intimate character study with a wonderful story of self-love running parallel to a healthy romance. It’s brilliant!