Popular BookTok Reads Becoming Movies

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

From the “For You Page” to the big screen, BookTok’s influence just keeps growing. The community that came together to discuss books has turned viral novels into box-office movies. Let’s take a look at the stories everyone’s been hyping up and will soon be watching in theaters.

The Housemaid

About the Author:

Frieda McFadden has taken over the book world in the past few years with her binge-worthy psychological thrillers, and now one of her books is finally coming to life on screen. Her rise to fame came out of nowhere, something not even she wasn’t even anticipating. In an interview with The Washington Post, she said, “But the spotlight on me specifically is hard.” McFadden uses a pseudonym and even wears a wig so she can continue living a normal life in Boston, where she works as a doctor specializing in brain disorders. In an interview with The Times, she explained, “Most people in my life do know. It’s more that I would like to continue to work without it becoming a thing — I just want to focus on being a doctor.” Despite being a best-selling author with a movie adaptation in the works, McFadden remains humble, so much so that even her coworkers don’t know about her secret second life.

What’s the Plot?

The Housemaid takes readers through twists and turns and follows a young woman named Millie Calloway who is desperate to find a job after serving time and being on probation. She finally gets what seems like the perfect opportunity working as a live-in maid for the wealthy Winchester family. It sounds ideal: no rent, a room of her own, and all she has to do is take care of the child and handle some chores. But what starts off as a dream job quickly becomes unsettling when Nina Winchester, the mother of the house, begins showing erratic behavior. Millie soon discovers that this perfect family’s image hides something much darker. With its shocking twists, nonstop tension, and McFadden’s iconic fast-paced writing skills, The Housemaid became the thriller everyone couldn’t stop talking about, with more than 30,000 posts under #TheHousemaid on TikTok.

The Adaptation:

The infamous book is now becoming a movie with Lionsgate set to premiere in theaters on December 19, 2025. The movie stars Sydney Sweeney as Millie Calloway, Michele Morone as Enzo, Amanda Seyfried playing Nina Winchester, and Brandon Sklenar as Andrew Winchester. The trailer has been posted, and many fans are excited with the cast and believe it displays the book well, and one of the most liked YouTube comments reads, “The attention to detail! As someone who has read the book, this trailer does justice. Nina’s hair, the attic and mini fridge, and white clothes everything! super excited.” It is clear that the fans of the books have high hopes for the movie based on the trailer.

project Hail Mary

About the Author:

Andy Weir is best known for his self-published novel The Martian (2011), a science fiction story about an astronaut stranded on Mars in the year 2035 who must fight to survive. In an interview with Locus, Weir talked about his love for the genre, saying, “I’ve always been a sci-fi fan, and I’m a total science dork, so I definitely had an interest in writing within that genre.” The book became a hit among readers and launched his writing career, allowing him to leave his job as a software engineer. “Well, I’m a full-time writer now,” he said. “I was a software engineer for 25 years, and I only left that job when it was clear that revenue from The Martian would support me.” The novel became a bestseller and was later adapted into a 2015 film starring Matt Damon as astronaut Mark Watney.

What’s the Plot?

Following his success with The Martian, Weir released Project Hail Mary in 2021, another thrilling story in science fiction. The novel follows Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory of who he is or how he got there. As his memories slowly return, he realizes why he’s in space: he’s on an urgent mission to save Earth from extinction. Ryland must use all of his scientific knowledge from being a teacher to find a solution. With its mix of humor, emotion, and intense adventure, the book became a huge hit among readers online.

The adaptation

With all the twists and emotions the story takes you on, it’s no surprise that Project Hail Mary is also being adapted into a movie. The film is set to release in March 2026 under Amazon MGM Studios. Ryan Gosling will star as Ryland Grace, the main character, and many fans think he’s the perfect fit for the role. One YouTube commenter summed it up best, writing, “Ryan Gosling is a perfect pick to play Ryland Grace, the most reluctant hero in literary history. If they can manage to explain the physics of general relativity, time dilation, and particle motion so everyone can understand it, I will be impressed, and I can’t wait to see it on screen. One of my favorite books from a few years ago. I think I’ll reread it.” With Ryan Gosling starring in this film, fans are ecstatic to see this book come to life and follow along the mind-bending adventure.

The love hypothesis

About the author

Ali Hazelwood’s first-ever book, The Love Hypothesis, came out in 2021 and quickly made her one of the most popular romance authors today. The book was such a hit that it stayed on The New York Times Best Seller list for more than 40 weeks. In an interview with GeeksOUT, Hazelwood said, “I started writing with fanfiction. I’ve always found it very hard to let go of characters and stories that I loved, so I found myself trying to write more about them.” Her passion for fanfiction is what got her into writing and eventually inspired her to create more stories, like Love, Theoretically in 2023 and Deep End in 2025. Hazelwood is originally from Italy and has also lived in Japan and Germany. She later moved to the United States to get her Ph.D. in neuroscience and officially left teaching in 2022 to become a full-time author. This ties into her writing style, where she focuses on women in STEM and blends her love of science, humor, and emotion in a way that feels completely refreshing in the book world.

What’s the plot?

The reason The Love Hypothesis became so popular is because of its steamy and hilarious plot. The story follows Olive Smith and Adam Carlsen, two scientists who end up in a fake relationship for their own reasons. Olive wants to convince her best friend, Anh, that she’s moved on from her ex. To prove it, she impulsively kisses the first person she sees in the hallway, who happens to be Adam, a young but intimidating hot professor known for his stern personality. Neither of them expects it to go anywhere, but what starts as a simple plan quickly turns into something real, filled with chemistry, tension, and a lot of unexpected feelings.

The adaptation

Though there is no official word yet on when the movie will be released or what it will look like, filming began in July 2025, as shown in TikToks posted by Lili Reinhart. Reinhart, best known for playing Betty Cooper on Riverdale, will star as Olive. According to IMDb, the rest of the cast has also been announced: Tom Bateman will play Adam, bringing just the right energy to the role. Reinhart has been the face the marketing, sharing behind-the-scenes clips with the latest trends and hyping the adaptation up on her TikTok. The film is being produced by MRC and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, though an official release date has not been announced yet.

Reinhart’s TikToks have been exciting The Love Hypothesis fans and showing off the chemistry between her and her co-star, Tom Bateman. One of her videos went viral, gaining more than 11 million likes and 77 million views. Fans are obsessed with the two and believe the movie is going to be amazing. As one TikTok comment said, “Oh, this is about to be the best book-to-movie adaptation,” while another added, “This is how you promote a movie. I didn’t even read the book and I can’t wait!” With all the fan hype and behind-the-scenes buzz, it’s clear that The Love Hypothesis is set to be one of the most anticipated romance adaptations yet.

The final chapter

#BookTok has taken over, and its influence has turned these novels into movies. The Housemaid, Project Hail Mary, and The Love Hypothesis all gained recognition through social media, proving that books can go beyond the page. Honorable mentions making their way to the big screen include Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation, premiering Jan. 9, 2026, and Frankenstein starring Jacob Elordi, known for playing Nate Jacobs on Euphoria, which will be released Oct. 17, 2025. It’s clear now that BookTok isn’t just influencing our next read, it’s shaping what we watch next.