Whether you’re an avid reader or want to get back into reading, there’s something about seeing your favorite book hit the big screen that makes you have a special connection to the story.  

I remember having a strong affinity with The Hunger Games, where I read the books, watched the movies as they came out in theatres, and got into heated debates. Even now, from BookTok recommendations to Barnes & Noble purchases, we readers have a never-ending to-be-read list. So, if you’re looking to prioritize books on your TBR or want to get back into reading, here are some books to read before they hit the big screen! 

The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett  

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No matter how old twins get, the Vignes twin sisters will always be identical, but can something change that? At 16, light-skinned twins Desiree and Stella Vignes flee from their small southern Black community, Mallard. Jumping from town to town, the shape of their daily lives changes as they both separate. Years later, one leaves, returns, and raises her daughter, Jude, in Mallard. Meanwhile, the other chooses to live a different life with her white husband and “crosses over” to pass as white and in the process abandons her sister. Now, thousands of miles away from each other, what happens when Jude goes off to college and meets a white girl whose mother is identical to her own? 

Release Date: TBD 

Where to watch: HBO 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid  

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A Golden Age Hollywood tale of glamour, intrigue, and heartbreak? Say less. The bestselling novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows Monique Grant, an unknown journalist who finds herself holding the opportunity of a lifetime: to write an exclusive story about 1950s Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo, who has been hiding in the shadows for over a decade. Evelyn shares her life story, including the good, the bad, and the dirty of her career as an actress and her seven marriages. As the interview unfolds, Monique discovers that all is not as it seems. 

Release Date: TBD 

Where to watch: Netflix 

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

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Can’t get enough of Taylor Jenkins Reid? You’re just in luck. Emma, a travel junkie, marries her soul mate, Jessie. However, Jesse reportedly disappears after his helicopter crashed, and Emma finally came to terms with his presumption of death. Rocked by grief, Emma realizes she must get back out into the world. And who would have thought that her newfound life involved an old friend, Sam, with whom she eventually falls in love, and the two become engaged. When Emma’s life was going back to normal, Jesse mysteriously appears. Small problem, Emma’s engaged…awkward. Now, Emma is torn on who to choose, her long-lost soulmate or her new love. 

Release Date: April 7 

Where to watch: In theaters and on digital April 14 

The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes by Suzanne Collins 

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Calling all tributes! Our odds are ever in our favor as The Hunger Games prequel heads to a theater near you! Set during the 10th Annual Hunger Games, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is chosen as a mentor to District 12 tribute Lucy Baird. However, when Lucy Baird catches the attention of the patrons of the capital with her melodious singing at the Harvest Ceremony, Snow believes he may be able to convince them to be in their favor. Join Snow and Lucy Gray’s journey to find out who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

Release Date: November 17 

Where to watch: In a theatre near you  

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus  

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Set in the early 1960s, aspiring scientist Elizabeth Zott is changed when she must put her life on hold after she discovers she is pregnant. Alone and fired from the lab, she would do what any mother would do to support herself and her baby. After being offered a job, she finds the courage to accept the role of host of a TV cooking show, where she educates a nation of underappreciated housewives. Elizabeth has the women’s attention, and the men who are somehow suddenly listening are eager not only for recipes, but for her to return to her true love–science. 

Release Date: TBD 

Where to watch: Apple TV+ 

What books are you reading before they hit the big screen? Let us know via our socials @ASICPP on  Facebook,  Twitter, or Instagram!