12 YA Book Recs Based Off TV Shows!! // Stranger Things, Gilmore Girls, Friends, & More

Fictional worlds have my whole heart.

I’ve been in love with books for as long as I can remember, and I think the fact that I’m even here, blogging about books, speaks to that. More recently though, maybe in the past three or so years, I’ve also fallen in love with fictional worlds in multiple TV shows. I love talking about both books and television, so I thought it would be fun to combine both of those loves into one post!

So because I’m actually a Fangirl™ I’m going to be giving book recommendations based off of some of my favorite TV shows. My hope is that if you’ve seen the show and enjoyed it, you might be able to find some books to read. But alternately, if there’s a book you enjoyed, you might get a show recommendation as well!

Don’t take this as an exact translation, since I’m going to focus more on the overarching themes or specific characteristics for each book, but hopefully it can be a pretty accurate depiction of the show versus the books. Also, I think I’m being creative by writing this post?? But if it turns out it’s already been done, please know that I wasn’t aware.

So, for lack of a better way to start the post, let’s get to the recommendations!

The first show I’m going to be giving recommendations for is Stranger Things. I only watched this show for the first time last summer, but I quickly became obsessed (and when I say obsessed, I mean I have a Pinterest board with 432 pins on it, have watched every cast interview multiple times, frequently google the show to look for updates, was Max for Halloween, and now have many 80s songs on my playlists).

I feel like if I were to go on, this whole post would become me fangirling over Stranger Things (as if it already isn’t), so I’ll just say that I wholeheartedly recommend it, even if you don’t usually like shows on the scarier side- I don’t, and I loved this. The amazing plotlines, cinematography, and characters make it the best show I’ve ever watched.

A Brief Summary, via Wikipedia

“Set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy amid supernatural events occurring around the town, including the appearance of a girl with psychokinetic abilities.” {Added from me: lots of lovable characters, adventure, and crying will be sure to be a part of your watching experience.}

Something that I love about Stranger Things is that as much as it is about supernatural occurrences, the more important parts of it are the very prevalent themes of family relationships, friendship, and growing up, which are all themes found in many books.

The Raven Boys: Even though Stranger Things passes over more more into the realm of sci-fi rather than magical realism, I think this series and the show hold very similar feelings of “we live in an ordinary world, right? Oh wait, suddenly we’re caught up in some crazy supernatural stuff.” Plus, both Stranger Things and The Raven Cycle have a really lovable group of friends and you’re certain to want to adopt them all.

The Mysterious Benedict Society: If there was ever an iconic group of kids banded together to save the world (with adults as their sidekicks), it would be the MBS gang. Or the Stranger Things gang, because that description fits too, which is why I think this middle grade novel is the perfect companion to the show! There’s way less creepiness in MBS, but the kids-saving-the-world dynamic is there.

1984: So…I really didn’t like this book when I read it a few years back for school, but it fits really well with Stranger Things, so here it is anyway. The whole idea of Big Brother watching and not knowing who to trust remind of a lot of the intensity that Stranger Things episodes often have. However, this book (in my opinion) does not have near the depth of characters as the show, and there isn’t anything supernatural.

The second show is another one of my all-time favorites, Gilmore Girls! Gilmore Girls is the first Netflix show I ever watched, and I’ve been rewatching it as of late, further solidifying its place in my shows Hall of Fame.

A Brief Summary, via Me Because I Couldn’t Find One I Liked

“Following the lives of Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory, Gilmore Girls explores the mother-daughter bond between the two as Rory attends high school and later college in New England. Along the way, you meet romantic interests, family members, come to love life in small Stars Hollow, drink a lot of coffee, and learn to keep up with the quick witted and fast-paced conversations between Lorelai and Rory.

Although this is more of a slower paced show, its comedic timing, relatable drama, and the fact that it has a bibliophile as a main character make it well worth a watch. There are so many important themes in it (family, love, connection) that I think translate really well to a lot of books I’ve read.

In addition, many specific aspects of Gilmore Girls, like the small town closeness of Stars Hollow, the bond between Lorelai and the daughter she had at sixteen, and the academic pressure Rory feels in high school and college can be found in many YA novels as well.

The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls: In this novel, the four sisters live in a small town called Remington Hollow, and beyond just sounded similar to Stars Hollow, I saw so many similarities between both of the towns. The idea of living in a quaint town where everyone knows about everyone’s personal lives and has literally watched you grow up is so prevalent both in The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls and in Gilmore Girls.

You Asked for Perfect: This is the most accurate depiction I have ever read of the pressure school puts on high school students, and Ariel’s academic focus and desire for success is deeply reminiscent of Rory’s attitude towards school. She too is Ivy League bound, aspiring valedictorian, and sees academic achievement as the end all be all. If you were able to relate to Ariel, I think you can relate to Rory, and vice versa.

With the Fire on High: Although Rory is already sixteen when the show starts, and in With the Fire on High Emoni’s child is still very young, both this book and Gilmore Girls show teenage mothers making huge sacrifices to give their daughters the best lives possible. Ultimately, they both showcase how great a mother’s love is and the bond that can form between a mother and daughter.

The last show I’m going to give its own ~major recommendations~ section is another one of my all time favorite shows, Friends! Unfortunately this show was taken off of Netflix US at the beginning of 2020 (it should have been an omen) so I haven’t watched it in quite a while, but it still holds a special place in my heart.

A Brief Summary via IMDb

“Rachel Green, Ross Geller, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing and Phoebe Buffay are six 20 something year-olds, living off one another in the heart of New York City. Over the course of ten years, this average group of buddies goes through massive mayhem, family trouble, past and future romances, fights, laughs, tears and surprises as they learn what it really means to be a friend.”

Although Friends is about adults and these are YA recommendations, I still feel that they’re very reminiscent of the complicated, yet incredibly amazing friendships formed between the characters on the show. In addition to having great friendships, this is pretty much the funniest show I’ve ever watched, so humor is also critical to a book reminding me of Friends.

Famous in A Small Town: I’m kind of obsessed with all of Emma Mills’s friend groups, but the squad in this one is especially close to my heart. With their iconic groupchat, constant banter, and individual personalities, they are very worthy of growing up to become as close knit as Rachel, Monica, Ross, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe.

Six of Crows: Heists in Ketterdam are a far cry from coffeeshops in New York City, but I had to put Six of Crows with Friends because I think both of them showcase the complexities and trust that comes along with being such a great friend group. The characters in the novel don’t all get along at first, but as the book progresses they gain trust and respect for each other, and that’s how true friendships that last a lifetime are formed.

Red, White & Royal Blue: This isn’t a YA novel (shh, I’m breaking the title of my post), but it certainly reminds me a lot of Friends. An iconic group of young adults who quickly form a tight friendship? Check. Dialogue that will actually make you laugh out loud? Also check. Set in a big city? Check.

Those are the major shows I have multiple recommendations for, but I also love a lot of other shows too! (Because really, what else has there been to do in quarantine besides read and watch Netflix.) So for a few other shows that I’ve enjoyed, here are singular book recommendations that I think fit well with the show:

Don’t Date Rosa Santos gives me the exact same vibes as Jane the Virgin! Both of them feature Latina main characters who have a strong bond with their grandmother and mother, as well as strong aspirations for their future, a desire to connect and learn more about their family’s culture and heritage. Rosa and Jane were very similar as characters and their respective cultures (Rosa’s family is Cuban and Jane’s was from Venezuela) are infused into the show and book.

Although I have a very high regard for A List of Cages and a much lower regard for Riverdale, I actually think they fit pretty well together. Both the show (at least in the first couple of seasons) and this novel manage to simultaneously tackle traditional high school drama while also dealing with deeper rooted themes and troubles in the lives of teenagers. Additionally, there’s a huge sense of found family in both Riverdale and A List of Cages, and an abudance of platonic and romantic relationships that are well worth fangirling over.

The Unlikelies really gives me peak Outer Banks vibes. Both the show and this book are set in summer, and they’re filled with adventure. Although in OBX the characters are searching for a treasure and in The Unlikelies they’re being do-gooders, it’s still a similar idea. They’re also both set in beach towns and feature an amazing group of friends that support each other and yet have their own individual personalities and goals!

 

This post is getting lengthy, so I’ll wrap it up here- but I hope this could help give you some book recommendations, show recommendations, or both! I had a really good time pairing these together because I certainly have an affinity for both reading and bingeing. There were some shows I love, like The Office, that I either couldn’t think of recommendations for or didn’t want to continue making this post longer, so maybe if this is successful I can do a part two with different shows at some point.

I hope you’re doing well! Sending you all the well wishes for your July so far. I hope you’re getting to relax as much as possible and spend time reading or doing whatever else makes you happy. Stay safe and healthy, and I’ll see you all next time!✨

Have you read any of these or watched these shows? Do you agree with my recommendations? What shows should I watch next? I’d love to talk with you all in the comments.

Credits for image in my featured image >> Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash