Netflix Movies Based On Books: 32 Enthralling Options
Discover the best Netflix movies based on books, as well as a few shows, to watch while you’re home.
If you’re stuck at home, you know the struggle of deciding what to watch on TV. I’m hoping this list of Netflix movies based on books will make your choice just a little bit easier!
As readers, we approach book adaptations with a healthy dose of caution. Surely a two hour movie or even a TV series won’t capture the same emotion and detail encompassed within a book!?
While there surely are some duds out there, thankfully many adaptations do an admirable job. My list of the Netflix movies based on books will help you weed through the sheer volume of choices and find one perfect for you!
I started off with the general fiction adaptations and then you’ll find more specific categories of classics and young adult novels!
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Ultimate List of Netflix Movies Based On Books
Book Adaptations on Netflix: General Fiction
Rebecca
by Daphne DuMaurier
This gothic novel from the mid 1900’s is a creepy tale of a new wife that comes to live her husband’s house. Manderley appears to be still under the influence of the previous wife and her death is shrouded in mystery.
Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
Bridgerton: The Duke and I
by Julia Quinn
Did you know this absurdly popular romance show is based on a book series?? Follow the dramatic lives of high society ladies as they attempt to win the heart of an unmarried Duke in the early 1800’s. I can’t deny, although this is technically a TV show, out of all the Netflix movies based on books this is easily the one I was obsessed with the most!!
If you love Bridgerton, make sure to check out my list of other books like Bridgerton too!
Amazon | Book Depository | Bookshop.org
The Queen’s Gambit
by Walter Tevis
A coming of age story told through the eyes of a young chess prodigy. Beth is an unremarkable, quiet 8 year old until she discovers chess. As her skill level grows astonishing, though, the stakes get higher and higher.
The Girl On The Train
by Paula Hawkins
One of the most popular thrillers of its time, this bestseller lives on as a Netflix movies based on books! Each day, Rachel observes the same sights out of the window of the train on her commute. Until she witnesses something unthinkable one morning. She takes up her concern with the police, but they write her off.
A classic unreliable narrator leaves you guessing who to believe and wondering what really happened!
The Witcher
by Andrzej Sapkowski
The Witcher is easily one of my new Netflix obsessions. I am addicted to this fantasy series and was thrilled to discover it’s based on books! The Last Wish is the best place to start, a collection of short stories that follows Season 1 of the Netflix show. Get to know Geralt, a brooding and wonderfully sarcastic monster slayer.
The Lost Husband
by Katherine Center
A widowed mother is offered a chance at a fresh start on her aunt’s goat farm, so she packs up her kids and hits the road. She finds a unique kind of crazy in her new town, but finds these people might be exactly what she didn’t know she needed.
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Something Borrowed
by Emily Giffin
This is one of the first chick lit books I read and it will forever remain a favorite!
Rachel is a typical rule-follower and all around good girl. On the night of her 30th birthday, she drunkenly admits her feelings for her best friend’s fiancee…to him. To her shock, he feels the same way. Right and wrong are no longer quite so defined.
Silver Linings Playbook
by Matthew Quick
Both the movie and the book are excellent! Silver Linings Playbook is a debut novel that is moving and heartwarming. Pat and Tiffany are the two main characters who struggle with mental health issues. This is a slightly strange story that absolutely works.
Safe Haven
by Nicholas Sparks
You’d expect Nicholas Sparks to show up in the romance section of a best books of the decade list, but the hard part is picking which one. Safe Haven is my favorite due to the main character’s mysterious background, small town charm, and riveting conclusion. I adored watching Katie grow more comfortable in her new home and open up to Alex and his kids.
Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
A bestseller from two decades ago that is worth a read if you missed it back then. A novel about young Sayuri who is sold into slavery and must learn the art of the geisha. Over the years she battles social and political adversity to become one of Japan’s most celebrated geisha.
Maid
by Stephanie Land
One of the most recent additions to these Netflix movies based on books. Maid is a difficult, but enthralling tale of a young single mother doing anything she can to support her and her child.
by Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse is brought to life in this new Netflix series. Soldier Alina unexpectedly reveals magical powers when her regiment as attacked. So she finds herself training with the Grisha, a magical elite military.
As she attempts to control her untamed powers, the weight of her abilities might make her the country’s only hope at reuniting.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This is a book I recommend to absolutely everyone. It’s an all-time favorite – WWII historical fiction featuring a main character who writes letters to get to know a quirky book club living on Guernsey. Her life ends up being completely changed by the connections she makes.
I’ve heard a few mixed reviews on the Netflix adaptation but I simply adore it. This is one of my favorite Netflix movies based on books.
Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
This TV series is produced by Starz, but the first 3 seasons are available on Netflix. It is INTENSE and long, but the story is phenomenal. I can truly only speak for the first book/first season but I’m a huge fan of both. This is a historical fiction behemoth set in Scotland in the 1600’s. Clare accidentally travels back in time and must learn to adapt or die. Thankfully she has the help of handsome hunk, Jamie Fraser! Major swoon status.
The Last Letter From Your Lover
by JoJo Moyes
A woman wakes up in the hospital after an accident with no recollection of who she is or what her life looks like. As she struggles to piece everything together, she happens upon a passionate letter asking her to leave her husband.
Four decades later, a journalist finds the letter and sets off on a trail to find out what happened to these lovers.
Dear John
by Nicholas Sparks
I’ve read almost every single book by Nicholas Sparks and Dear John is one of Top 5. John and Savannah fall in love but are forced apart when John is called in by the Army to help with the aftermath of 9/11. During their lengthy separation, Savannah falls in love with someone else. When John eventually returns home, he must face the fact that the love of his life is no longer his.
Into The Wild
by Jon Krakauer
In 1992, a rich young man donated $25,000 to charity and then walked into the Alaskan wilderness…not seen again until 4 months later when his body was found. Krakauer pieces together the clues trying to discover what happened in those four months and what motivated him to leave everything behind and seek out the wilderness.
Call The Midwife
by Jennifer Worth
The memoir behind this popular BBC series is full of the same heart, bravery, and strength of the women involved. Enter the medical scene in post-war London as Jenny becomes a midwife in the East London slums.
She encounters unforgettable people and circumstances as she helps deliver babies in this part of the city.
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
Looking for a more intense, adult version of Harry Potter? The Magicians introduces readers and viewers to the world of Fillory and its elite college of magic. Quentin is a brilliant high schooler who finds himself pulled into this fantasy world that’s suddenly very real.
However, it’s much darker than he ever imagined.
Stardust
Another fantasy addition to this collection of Netflix movies based on books!
by Neil Gaiman
Mystic River
by Dennis Lehane
Mystic River and Shutter Island are two of my favorite Lehane novels. They’ve both been adapted into excellent movies! Mystic River is a psychological thriller that brings three former friends back together when one of their daughters is murdered.
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Netflix Movies Based on Books: Classics
Enola Holmes (Based on Sherlock Holmes)
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
There are multiple Sherlock Holmes book adaptations on Netflix that come and go! Currently, a twisted take on this famous detective is available through Enola Holmes.
Anne With an E by L.M. Montgomery
There are an endless number of Anne of Green Gables book adaptations, but one of the most recent TV series is available on Netflix! You can’t help but fall in love with sweet, whimsical Anne as she adapts to her new life at Green Gables.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina is a Russian noblewoman who begins a passionate affair with a younger man, leaving both her husband and son behind. This iconic story gets the Hollywood treatment with a glitzy movie starring Keira Knightley.
The Haunting of Hill House
by Shirley Jackson
A paranormal investigator takes three companions to stay in a supposedly haunted house. This is one of the classic horror novels of the 20th century, so the story is not for the faint of heart. Netflix just recently turned this story into a miniseries.
Alias Grace
by Margaret Atwood
A historical fiction novel based on the true story of Grace Marks. She was accused of murdering her employer, housekeeper, and mistress but has no recollection of the events. A psychologist takes her on, trying to help her remember the events of that infamous day.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Ophelia
by Shakespeare
Netflix Movies Based on Books: Young Adult
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Willowdean is fat and she’s not afraid to say it. Although she’s comfortable with her size, her beauty pageant mother is constantly trying to change it. When Willowdean enters the local beauty pageant, she unexpectedly inspires a few other girls to do the same.
To All The Boys I Loved Before / P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
This is one of my all-time favorite YA series. Laura Jean is the sweetest protagonist and her relationship with her family is perfect. When her secret love letters get sent out, it sets off a chain reaction that opens her up to an unexpected love of her life. This is a rare instance where the Netflix book adaptation is every bit as good as the novel!! If you only choose one of these Netflix movies based on books, you’ll swoon over this one!
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
A NY Times bestseller from 2015, just recently added to this collection of Netflix movies based on books! Theodore is obsessed with death and constantly looks for ways to take his own life, but some little thing always stops him. Violet cannot wait for her future, but she’s struggling with a recent devastating loss. When they literally meet on a ledge, they start to live for each other instead.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
On the younger (middle grade) end of young adult is this series we all probably read as kids. The Baudelaire siblings are sweet, smart, charming, and absurdly unlucky. I remember laughing and cringing along with them as they encountered one bad thing after another!
Amazon | Book Depository | BookOutlet
Have you watched any other Netflix movies based on books?
Fun list! I love both versions of Silver Linings Playbook. And Dumplin’. Also excited to check out this new All the Bright Places adaptation, as I enjoyed that book quite a bit.
Have never read any Dennis Lehane, but I heard Mystic River mentioned elsewhere recently too, and I think I need to pick it up!
I haven’t read All the Bright Places yet, but if you liked it I’ll need to check it out.
I loved When Calls the Heart…I even had Scott watching it with me for awhile there!
I am, admittedly, two seasons behind though. I probably need to go back, rewatch, and catch up.
We’re catching up on Bosch right now. Another series based on a book!
Great list! I loved watching Anne with an E and the Lemony Snickets series with my daughter. They did a really good job making those into series.
Although I just got into book blogs at the beginning of this school year, I did just want to say that I have seen some of those adaptations, just not on Netflix. If you’ve ever read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, the movie adaptation of it is AMAZING! it’s one of my all time favorites to watch.