As the school year comes to an end, students can look forward to a variety of new movies and TV shows expected to be released this summer. Among these anticipated releases are various book adaptations such as “We’ll Always Have Summer,” “People We Meet on Vacation,” “My Return to the Walter Boys” and “We Were Liars.”
Film adaptations like these require a set of certain characteristics to be successful. West Ranch Junior and Chapters club president Faith Wong explained, “Settings wise, if you make [a film] appear really magical, kind of like how ‘Harry Potter’ did, it would look really good. That’s what makes it better.” Additionally, “the emotions that the actors use to portray the characters must replicate the book to convey the appropriate themes,” Wong mentioned.
We’ll Always Have Summer
The final season of Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” trilogy is part of a highly awaited book series adaptation premiering over the summer. To finish off the three part series, “We’ll Always Have Summer” will be adapted into the third and final season of the television series by the same name as the trilogy and is set to premiere on July 16, 2025. The teaser follows Belly in her junior year of college looking forward to another summer in Cousins with Jeremiah. However, after major events, Jeremiah’s brother and Belly’s first love, Conrad, comes back into her life. The love triangle between the two brothers resurfaces and forces Belly to make a choice that will determine her future.
Previously, the series adaptation had revealed a multitude of memorable scenes for viewers to enjoy. “My favorite scene is probably the fair scene because it’s just so fun and everyone genuinely had a great time together. A lot of flashbacks were brought back during that scene which also just shows how much everyone has grown up in the summer house,” freshman Hannah Kow detailed.
Students can anticipate the upcoming season as the trailer displayed Belly, entering a new crossroad between her two
romantic interests. The teaser additionally featured Taylor Swift’s songs “Red” and “Daylight” to display what this season may entail. When asked what her first reaction was to the teaser, freshman Lucila Anderson commented, “I was so happy to see Conrad at the end of the trailer and I loved the song choices. The trailer made me so excited for the new season.”
My Return To The Walter Boys
Next, “My Return To The Walter Boys” by Ali Novak also has a love triangle involving two brothers. Netflix announced that season two of this series adaptation would be released in 2025, with critics estimating its premiere occurring over the summer.
The show formerly displayed the setting with Jackie, the protagonist, living with her mom’s best friend’s family after her parents tragically passed away in a car accident. As she starts to settle into her new life, she finds herself forming a unique bond with each of the brothers. Jackie is romantically torn between the brothers, Alex and Cole, each having a distinct personality that attracts her in different ways.
The first season explored themes of dealing with grief, friendship and family dynamics with the last episode leaving the story unresolved.
“I’m so excited for the new season! Previously, the show ended with a cliffhanger with the main character leaving the [Walter household], but I hope that she comes back and gets together with Alex,” freshman Ashleigh McKenna expressed.
We Were Liars
“We Were Liars” is an upcoming psychological thriller film based on the young adult horror novel by E. Lockhart of the same name. This expected thriller adaptation is on track to premiere on June 18, 2025. The story follows Cadence Sinclair Eastman as she tries to figure out the truth behind the events of a traumatic summer on her family’s private island. A crucial event one summer causes Cadence to suffer a head injury and memory loss, leaving her to unravel the truth with only fragmented recollections.
Fans of the novel are eager to see how the film will capture the book’s emotional depth to the screen.
“I hope the series uses visual storytelling to allow viewers to further experience Cadence’s confusion and denial instead of only saying what happened. This would accurately mirror the emotions I felt while reading the book,” senior Nicole Tran described.
Students recommend reading the book before starting the movie adaption as it “gives you more background as the [show] might make it more dramatic and have different shots, while the book will be more descriptive with more details in general,” Faith Wong explained.
With several new book adaptations and series continuation expected to premiere, these exciting and new releases are sure to keep Wildcats company during the long summer break. Make sure to add them to your summer watch list or if you want to hit a reading goal, now’s the perfect time to start before the adaptations arrive.
