‘We Were Liars’: All the books we want on our screens

From Dune to the All the Boys series, books have been great sources of new content for streaming platforms across the board. But some books, like We Were Liars, have yet to have their day on the screen. 

These books, like We Were Liars, are full of drama, romance, and magic. Their stories would go perfectly as your new binge-worthy mini-series or a great way to spend movie night. 

Of course, we have our list of books, such as We Were Liars, that we hope to see on our screens soon. Grab your copy of these amazing novels as we dive into the books that we want on our screens. 

We Were Liars 

The first on our list of books is We Were Liars, the 2014 young-adult novel by E. Lockhart. The novel has received critical acclaim and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction and was also listed as an ALA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults for 2015. 

The story follows the seemingly perfect Sinclair family who spend their summers on their own private island. However, one summer something happens to Cadence, leading to the four others, who dub themselves the Liars, to return two years later to get Cadence to remember what happened. 

The novel is full of suspense & thrills, with its core theme focusing on the consequences of one’s mistakes. The story is similar in tone to the popular series The Sinner, with its focus being on consequences & memory. We think it would be the perfect thrill ride of a mini-series or film for days you want to dive into a good mystery. 

The Song of Achilles 

You love Greek mythology and Madeline Miller as much as we do, you shouldn’t be surprised that this one made it onto our list. This heartbreaking retelling of Homer’s Iliad was awarded the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 and is still extremely popular today. 

The story follows Patroclus as he and Achilles fall in love before being whisked off to the Trojan War. Spoiler alert: that doesn’t really go well for them, both in the source material and in Miller’s adaptation. The novel strikes a powerful balance between romance and tragedy, so a mini-series would quickly move up any Most Watched lists. 

That might end up coming true, as Miller announced that Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd., producer of the acclaimed BBC series Peaky Blinders, had optioned the rights back in 2015. Though nothing official has dropped, Miller’s novel Circe is slated to get a mini-series on HBO Max, so we wouldn’t be surprised if this amazing retelling doesn’t follow soon after. 

The Night Circus 

This last pick for our list is a truly magical experience. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern started off as an entry for NaNoWriMo over the span of three competitions. Now it’s a New York Times bestseller. 

The novel focuses on multiple viewpoints surrounding the amazing & mysterious Le Cirque des Rêves (The Circus of Dreams). The circus itself contains a multitude of stories, with the main plot centering on the competition between mages Celia and Marco. The imagery alone is worthy of screen-time, as the monochrome circus is full of incredible performances and people that would make a mini-series an instant hit. 

Not only that, but the non-linear plot keeps the audience on their toes as the story unfolds, with each character, no matter how briefly we see them, bringing new layers to the story that culminates in a powerful & romantic conclusion. This novel would make for an amazing mini-series or even a full series as the show could expand on the winding world of this magical circus. 

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Are there any other books like We Were Liars that we missed? Drop them below in the comments!