Read It First: Book Adaptations Hitting the Screens This Summer

We know that everyone has a different opinion on the movie and television adaptations. Some hate them. Some love them. And some will secretly admit the movie is sometimes better than the book. But they'll only do it in whispers. It's the same with reading (or re-reading) the books around the adaptation's release. Do you read it again before seeing the movie? But will that make any differences more noticeable, or better? The same risk happens with reading it just after. Wait, where was that in the movie?

We decided to let you choose with three book to movie adaptations coming to screens this summer.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Going back to your hometown isn't easy. Camille Preaker is heading back to report on the murders of two preteen girls. Played by Amy Adams, Camille is staying in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, with her neurotic, hypochondriac mother and 13-year-old half-sister; both essentially strangers. She has to overcome her demons and work out her own past to get the story.

Sharp Objects is being adapted for television by HBO for the summer season. That means eight whole episodes of gripping, horrifying drama, and possibly eight weeks of nightmares (we still haven't recovered from Gone Girl). Mark the calendar, grab the chocolate and don't turn off the lights for this one. Read it first.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Rachel Chu is an American-born Chinese economics professor and the plus one for her boyfriend's best friend's wedding. Arriving in Singapore, she discovers her boyfriend is from a ridiculously rich family, and all the single women want her boyfriend.

The movie is based on the first book in the trilogy, and early reports are that this deliciously entertaining rom-com will be a huge hit with everyone. See it in cinemas on August 17 and read it now.

Boy Erased by Garrard Conley

The movie adaptation of this difficult story has a star-studded cast. Joel Edgerton wrote the screenplay, directed the movie, AND stars in it, along with Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. Don't worry, despite the Australian invasion, Garrard's memoirs remain an American story. For those who haven't read the book, it's Garrard's coming-out story in a conservative Arkansas town, and being sent to conversion therapy. You'll cry in this story about identity and acceptance, and love surviving. Read it now and see it in cinemas September 28.

Disclaimer: Apologies to those in the Southern Hemisphere. While these are released in your winter, you do get the bonus of hiding in the warmth to watch them. And yes, we know that Boy Erased is technically released in fall, by six days.

Read more by Bianca Smith