The best YA retellings and adaptations

Maybe This Time takes place over a year but only focuses on different events that happen throughout that time (like weddings, funerals, New Year's Eve), which makes it super fast-paced. I couldn’t put it down! There are so few books structured this way that it really makes this one stand out. I read somewhere that Kasie West structured it that way after the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, but because it has all her signature contemporary charm and flirty dialogue, it feels refreshingly new. I love her banter and I know whenever I pick up one of her books, I’ll leave it with a giddy smile on my face. This one is no exception! 

I’ll admit, when my friends kept telling me I had to read this book about a cyborg Cinderella, I was skeptical, as that isn’t my typical reading. But Marissa Meyer weaves such a rich world and such a loveable couple with Kai and Cinder that I couldn’t help but get sucked in. Each book in this series is a different fairytale retelling, but they’re so unique you almost wouldn’t know it. Even my spouse liked this series, and he’s not a very big reader, so that’s saying something. I especially loved the world building in this series—space, a reimagined Earth, and moon people—you wouldn’t think it’d all work in a fairytale retelling, but somehow it does.

The moment I heard this was an adaptation of Sabrina, I was in! The main character Amelia has unreciprocated feelings for Ethan, but of course, it’s his brother Liam who’s her best match. The falling-for-the-brother trope is one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. The nerdy references in this book are also top-notch—as Liam is a slightly nerdy, cinnamon roll character you can’t help but root for. Short and sweet, this book was a super fun read.

Janette Rallison is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my all-time favorite series! A bumbling “fair” godmother (she’s in training, but her grades are only “fair”) is assigned to help modern-day Savannah achieve her happily ever after. But of course, everything goes wrong, and Savannah ends up in several different fairytales when all she wanted was to find a good guy to take her to the prom. The flirty banter between Savannah and Tristan is laugh-out-loud funny and watching them come together is the icing on top. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve reread this series.

I love a good Taming of the Shrew retelling. Ten Things I Hate About You is one of my favorite movies, and this book elicits all the same feelings. Watching an unlikeable main character redeem herself is so satisfying, and of course, the lead guy is a loveable nerd, which I always appreciate. I loved how the main character Cameron learns that it’s ok to be different and that maybe it’s better to be yourself than a queen bee everyone respects but doesn’t like. The snarky dialogue kept me turning pages and I couldn’t wait to see how this book ended.