2026 is the year of the book adaptation, but there’s something special about reading a book before it becomes a film or TV series.

You get to experience the story in its original form, to imagine the characters yourself, to sit with it in your thoughts, and to feel that quiet satisfaction when you see it brought to life on screen.

With major adaptations of Hamnet and Wuthering Heights just released, a new wave of literary stories is about to dominate our screens. Here are the ones we are most excited about - and the ones you can read first.

🎭 Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell

Few modern novels have captured readers’ hearts quite like Hamnet. O’Farrell’s quiet, devastating story explores grief, marriage, and creative through the imagined life of Shakespeares family.

The film adaptation stars Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and feedback shows that this is just an emotional on screen as it is on page.

🪾Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë

Emerald Fennell has turned Emily Brontë’s gothic masterpiece into a raunchy, weird and beautiful film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi.

Dark, obsessive and emotionally intense, Wuthering Heights has defined romance fiction for generations. It’s not traditional love story - it’s about obsession, identity and emotional survival.

Reading it now feels especially relevant, as new audiences discover it and engage in conversations on the validity of this adaptation.

💘 The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood

The fake-dating STEM romance that captured BookTok is officially getting a film adaptation. With its perfect blend of humour, emotional depth and slow-burn tension, it’s become a modern romance classic.

We’re sure the film adaptation will be a huge hit as the story is introducted to an even wider audience. Now’s the time to get in your fan castings!

🐉 Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing has become one of the biggest romantasy hypes in the last year or so. The story follows Violet Sorrengail, who is forced to join a brutal dragon rider training academy despite her wish to be a scribe. Blending high-stakes fantasy with an addictive romance, it has built a fierce and loyal fan base.

Amazon MGM Studios are currently developing a TV series with Michael B Jordan’s production company for Prime Video. The project is currently in early development and casting. We’ve seen some actors hinting on social media that they’ve been cast… keep your eyes peeled👀

💍 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Few moden novels have been talked about as much as this one. We follow a reclusive Hollywood icon as she reveals the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life to an unknown journalist.

A Netflix adaptation is currently in development. We can’t wait to see the Hollywood glamour translated onto our screen as we plot the loves and lives connected with Evelyn Hugo. Definitely not one to miss.

As these adaptations bring beloved stories to new audiences, they also remind us of something readers have always known: the best books don’t stop with one person. They’re passed between friends, rediscovered years later, and given new life when someone else needs them most. Secondhand books make that cycle possible. Whether you’re revisiting a favourite before it hits the screen or discovering it for the first time, Shimmy Books helps ensure these stories keep moving - connecting readers, one copy at a time.