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Books on BookTok: adaptations and new books, Ryan Gosling, Saara El-Arifi and Josh Silver set to triumph
Looking ahead to 2026, the BookTok creators selected the book-to-screen adaptation and the novel they are most anticipating next year.
Many of the creators selected the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping (Scholastic), starring Ralph Fiennes and Joseph Zada, as one to watch next year. “From what we have seen of the cast, set design and the teaser trailer, I think it is going to be an absolutely stunning, but heart-wrenching adaptation,” said Hannah (@hannah.s.books; 11,700 followers). “BookTokkers have had their passion for The Hunger Games and the dystopia genre reignited with many readers re-exploring the original books,” added Nate (@nateblackbooks; 2,343 followers). “The fandom has regrouped after years of dormancy and I can’t wait to see it in the cinema.” Asha (@ashaslife; 1,944 followers) noted that excitement has been stoked following the announcement that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, who played Katniss and Peeta in the original quartet of films, are returning for Sunrise on the Reaping. “It will create such a sense of nostalgia for fans who have been reading [the books] and watching the films since the beginning.” For Suraka (@surakajanebooks; 17,500 followers), the film adaptation is special. It “feels so monumental to me, not just because of the hype, but because it’s coming at a time when dystopian fiction is back and resonating with people again”. “I rarely go to the cinema, however I will 100% be at the cinema on opening day for Sunrise on the Reaping,” added Evie (@evieschapters; 4,717 followers).
Project Hail Mary, the adaptation of Andy Weir’s science fiction novel of the same name, also received some nods. Starring Ryan Gosling as a “lone astronaut on a mission to save Earth from a catastrophic fate”, Nate hopes the film will help “rekindle interest in the SF genre in the way that The Hunger Games has for dystopia”. He added that the novel “commanded attention when it was first released and continues to be discussed on BookTok as a must-read SF novel”. John-Paul (@jpreads6; 21,300 followers) thinks the film will “blow my mind”, while Charlotte (@charlottemichellereads; 8,227 followers) added: “I think [Gosling has been] perfectly cast as he does seem to embody the endearing yet slightly insufferable energy of [astronaut] Ryland Grace.”
Other mentions went to series four of Netflix’s Bridgerton, a Regency-set romance based on Julia Quinn’s novels. “I know me and my mum will be booking a whole day off just for part one’s release on 29th January,” said Megan (@megschapters; 2,093 followers). From the “queen of smart romantic comedies” comes the adaptation of Emily Henry’s People We Meet On Vacation (Penguin). “This looks like it’s going to be a really fun, sweet adaptation of her friends-to-lovers book,” said Hannah. “I’m such an EmHen fangirl and getting to see her characters come to life on screen is going to be surreal,” added Brittany (@whatbritreads; 58,600 followers).
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Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the lead roles of Cathy and Heathcliff, was also selected by Megan, but the film has been “subject to huge controversy”, said Evie. Charlotte explained: “Like every other BookTokker, I am very curious about the Wuthering Heights adaptation. I’ve been enjoying all the commentary online following the trailer and although I usually prefer an adaptation that is more true to the book… I will probably deeply enjoy it regardless. It’s camp!”
Of the most anticipated books of next year, two votes went to Caro Claire Burke’s debut Yesteryear (Fourth Estate). “The story feels quite on the nose,” wrote Charlotte, “and I think if good, it could be a very incisive, maybe satirical, commentary on influencer culture.” Hannah added: “There has already been so much buzz around this debut which darkly satirises the trad wife stereotype – something I think we have all become a little obsessed with this year.”
In historical fiction, Suraka selected Saara El-Arifi’s Cleopatra (The Borough Press) and Ella McLeod’s adult debut Andromeda (Bantam). “I feel like they are offering something far more complex and human with these stories. I have always been drawn to stories that reclaim space for women, especially women of colour,” she explained. In an interview with The Bookseller, El-Arifi said: “Like all stories, history has a narrative and it is always political. From the form it takes to the words being used, it’s impossible to escape the author’s point of view. Memory, however, is ours. It is the purest truth we have, so I was really inspired by this concept of the novel being Cleopatra’s memoir.”
In romantasy, nods went to Ellis Hunter’s debut Blood Bound (HarperVoyager), written by duo Katie Ellis-Brown and Becky Hunter, about “a once in a generation duel to the death between rival witches and dragon riders”, said Megan. Sarah A Parker’s The Ballad of Falling Dragons (HarperVoyager) and Rachel Gillig’s The Knave and the Moon (Orbit), the sequel to The Knight and the Moth (Orbit), were also mentioned. Emily (@emilymiahreads; 91,700 followers) is looking forward to Devney Perry’s Rites of the Starling (Michael Joseph) and Penn Cole’s Burn of the Everflame (Headline), the fourth in the Kindred’s Curse saga.
Josh Silver’s adult debut Fruit Fly (Oneworld) was selected by Brittany and Evie. “I love Josh and his YA novels are so emotionally intelligent and humorous, so I can’t wait to see what he can do in the adult litfic world. This promises to be even darker and even funnier than everything he’s done so far,” wrote Brittany, who also selected Douglas Stuart’s third novel John of John (Picador) and Claire Daverley’s People in Love (Michael Joseph). “I have been ever so patiently waiting for a new Daverley to sink my teeth into. I’m already seeing early proofs of this one out in the world. Jealous.”
