16 best-selling books to read this summer before they become movies

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Crazy Rich Asians Movie 2
Constance Wu in this summer's "Crazy Rich Asians"
Color Force/IMDB

If you are anything like me, you always NEED (yes, need) to read a book before it becomes a movie or a television show.

Sure, there are a few outliers like "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Graduate" that make much more of an impression as a movie than a book but more often than not, the book is the story of record.

With plenty of summer weekends ahead filled with warm sandy beaches or shady park benches, it’s the perfect time to indulge in some titles that are soon to become highly anticipated movies.

"Crazy Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan

Crazy Rich Asians
Amazon

If you’re looking for a light and easy read perfect for a day at the beach, pick up “Crazy Rich Asians.” Follow Rachel Chu as she spends the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend and what she envisions as his humble family. Instead she’s in for private planes, nosy relatives, and navigating both old and new money.

Movie cast: Constance Wu, Henry Goldin, Michelle Yeoh and Awkwafina

Release date: August 15, 2018

Buy it here >>

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han

To All the boys I've Loved Before
Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps letters to all five boys she’s ever been in love with safely tucked away in a hat box. She pours her heart and soul into each letter because she knows no one will ever see them. That is until they’re all mailed out, causing chaos for Lara Jean. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” is made for anyone who remembers being hopelessly awkward and hopelessly in love with someone who didn’t even know you existed. And trust me, we’ve all been there.

Cast: Lana Condor, John Corbett, Noah Centineo and Janel Parrish

Release date: August 17, 2018

Buy it here >>

“Three Seconds” by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström

Three Seconds
Amazon

If “The Departed” is a movie you’d watch again and again, pick up “Three Seconds.” Based in Sweden, Piet Hoffman has spent years undercover in the Polish mafia. Now, he’s being reassigned to Ewert Grens whose will to crack a case could threaten to expose Hoffman’s identity and put them both in mortal danger, revealing even deeper issues in the Swedish justice system.

Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Ana de Armas, Clive Owen, Rosamund Pike and Common

Release date: August 17, 2018

Buy it here >>

“Boy Erased” by Garrard Conley

Boy Erased
Amazon

If you’re in need of a good, emotional cry, “Boy Erased” is your summer read. When Garrard was outed to his parents at nineteen-years-old, he was forced to choose between a program that claimed to “cure” him of homosexuality or lose everyone close to him. The memoir written by Garrard Conley is a heartbreaking story of self-realization and love that withstands despite all odds.

Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Joel Edgerton

Release Date: September 28, 2018

Buy it here >>

“The Engagements” by J. Courtney Sullivan

Engagements
Amazon

Wedding season is upon us and “The Engagements” by J. Courtney Sullivan tells the story of how the signature line “A Diamond Is Forever” came to be alongside decades of stories that portray marriage in the most unique and captivating ways.

Cast and release date: TBD. Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Pacific Standard, is working on bringing Sullivan’s story to the big screen.

Buy it here >>

“An Object of Beauty” by Steve Martin

An Object of Beauty
Amazon

Comedian Steve Martin’s “An Object of Beauty” will have you daydreaming about visiting all of the world’s great art museums. Lacey Yeager is ambitious to work her way up in the world of art in 1990s New York City. Told from the perspective of art writer, Daniel, who is enamored with Lacey’s ability to charm anyone around her despite her social climbing, Martin’s book will leave you as captivated as a Warhol painting.

Cast: Amy Adams has been linked to the project and is rumored to be playing Lacey.

Release date: TBD.

Buy it here >>

“Luckiest Girl Alive” by Jessica Knoll

Luckiest Girl Alive
Amazon

Ani FaNelli has reinvented herself with a glamorous job, expensive clothes, and handsome and successful fiancé to the point that no one would believe she was once a Pennsylvania teenager who endured shocking, public humiliation.

Ani’s cool exterior is protecting something that threatens to destroy everything she’s built. “Luckiest Girl Alive” combines the fabulous life of Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City” with the drama of Degrassi high school all while exploring the extreme pressure that so many women feel to “have it all.”

Cast and release date: TBD. “Luckiest Girl Alive” is another story acquired by Reese Witherspoon and Pacific Standard.

Buy it here >>

“Into the Water” by Paula Hawkins

Into the Water
Amazon

Written by Paula Hawkins of “Girl on the Train” fame, “Into the Water” will have you hooked from the very first page. After two women turn up dead at the bottom of a river, secrets of other women who lost their lives in the same waters are uncovered. The thrilling twists and turns will have you trying to uncover the truth alongside Jules, the protagonist who must confront her past in the town she deliberately ran away from.

Cast and release date: TBD. DreamWorks is adapting the film with “La La Land” producer Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff as producers.

Buy it here >>

“The Sky is Everywhere” by Jandy Nelson

The Sky is Everywhere
Amazon

Adrift after her sister Bailey's sudden death, Lennie struggles to cope. Soon she finds herself caught between Bailey’s boyfriend Toby and Joe who shares Lennie’s love of music. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs during her time of grief. “The Sky Everywhere” is a story of loss and love and ultimately finding out where your heart truly lies. Fans of John Green’s “A Fault in Our Stars” and Jodi Picoult's “My Sister’s Keeper” should pick up a copy this summer.

Cast and release date: Selena Gomez and her production company, July Moon, have been linked to the project since 2012 but no word yet on an official cast or release date.

Buy it here >>

“The Silent Wife” by A. S. A. Harrison

The Silent Wife
Amazon

Thrill seekers who raced through novels like “Behind Closed Doors” and “Gone Girl” will find the same excitement in “The Silent Wife.” What appears as a glossy marriage, with sleek cars, a golden retriever, and breezy days filled with Pilates and flower-arranging, slowly but surely cracks. Todd is a serial cheater while Jodi is looking to settle the score. The “him” and “her” chapters show the catastrophic marriage from both perspectives and capture the reader from the very first page.   

Cast: Nicole Kidman is set to play the lead character of Jodi.

Release date: TBD

Buy it here >>

“Love May Fail” by Matthew Quick

Love May Fail
Amazon

Set in South Jersey, Portia Kane has set out to find the only good person she has ever known: her high school English teacher. Portia, who has left her cheating husband, a nun, an ex-junkie, a hoarder, and a gifted young boy come together to find hope in the human race. Similar to Quick’s first novel, “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Love May Fail” hinges on the theme that people can survive anything when they do it together.

Cast: Emma Stone is reportedly playing Portia Kane in the adaptation.

Release date: TBD

Buy it here >>

“Three Little Words” by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Three Little Words
Amazon

Those who grew up watching movies like “I Am Sam” and “A Little Princess” will be inspired by the true story of Ashley Rhodes-Courter who spent nine years in the foster care system. The memoir chronicles Ashley’s time spent between 14 foster homes and the unpredictable relationship with her mother she struggles to hold on to.

Cast: Reese Witherspoon will play a volunteer looking for Ashley’s biological mother in order to become her legal guardian. Amanda Seyfried will play the biological mother.

Release date: TBD

Buy it here >>

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

Devil in the White City
Amazon

Fair-goers beware this summer! Larson’s historical non-fiction book weaves together the stories of Daniel Hudson Burnham, who designed the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago with Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who built a hotel just near the fair to lure and kill victims. Several other notable names like Buffalo Bill, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, and Archduke Francis Ferdinand also make an appearance.   

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio will play the serial killer Henry H. Holmes. Martin Scorsese is also directing the film. This will be the pair’s seventh project together.

Release date: TBD

Buy it here >>

“In a Dark, Dark Wood” by Ruth Ware

In a dark dark wood
Amazon

When reclusive writer Leonora attends a bachelorette party for a high school friend, things take a frightening turn. Old and new friends are brought together at the request of the bride, but lies and memories from the past loom over what should be a fun-filled weekend in the woods. For those attending their own bachelor and bachelorette parties this summer, you might want to pack this thrilling story with you.

Cast and release date: No word yet on a cast or release date, but Pacific Standard is attached to the project. Can you tell Reese Witherspoon is one busy woman yet?

Buy it here >>

“The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty

The Husband's secret
Amazon

For those wishing for “Big Little Lies” to return to HBO, Liane Moriarity’s “The Husband’s Secret” will tide you over. Cecilia Fitzpatrick appears to have it all — she is a successful businesswoman and a loving and devoted mother and wife. But, a letter her still-very-much-alive husband wrote — to be opened after his death — could destroy not only their life, but the lives of others.

Cast: Blake Lively will play Cecilia Fitzpatrick

Release date: TBD

Buy it here >>

“The Black Hand” by Stephan Talty

Black Hand
Amazon

This gripping story describes the origins of the mafia in America and the Italian-born detective who tried to stop them. For fans of the movies “Goodfellas,” “Black Mass,” and “Public Enemies,” this heart-pumping historical non-fiction book should be making an appearance in your beach bag.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio will star as Joseph Petrosino.

Release date: TBD

Buy it here >>

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SEE ALSO: 10 books that the Business Insider book club has been reading

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More: Insider Picks 2018 Books Movies
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