What Does ‘The Kissing Booth’ Author Think About the Changes Made From the Books to the Netflix Films?
The Kissing Booth series is culminating with its third and final film. It dropped on Netflix on August 11. The franchise has garnered a large number of fans interested in seeing how it will end. But did you know the films are actually adaptations of a book series?
As with any book-to-movie pipeline, it’s interesting to hear what the original author thinks of how their works are perceived. Let’s take a closer look at what The Kissing Booth writer thinks about the changes made as the books transitioned to films.
‘The Kissing Booth’ movies are based on a book series
Netflix is streaming the entire series of The Kissing Booth. Star Joey King plays the lead role. The film series centers on a young woman named Elle. Her best friend, Lee, has an older brother, Noah.
Elle harbors a secret crush on Noah and eventually gets to kiss him at a kissing booth. She then begins dating him behind Lee’s back. The series follows their relationship and the friendship between Lee and Elle.
The latest and final film, The Kissing Booth 3, will explore Elle developing her ultimate “bucket list” during her final summer before she goes away to school. Though fans have anticipated the third movie, some might not know the movies are based on a popular book series.
What the author thinks of the films
According to USA Today, the author of The Kissing Booth novels is 25-year-old Beth Reekles. She began writing the hit fiction series when she was only 15 years old. Asked about changes made for the screen, Reekles said:
“I knew there were a lot of differences from the book, but at the same time it still kept the characters and kind of the core of what was going on.”
Reekles understood that books and films are different media, which is why one has to be tweaked to work better for its format. Reekles acknowledged, “I wouldn’t have been anywhere near qualified enough to be involved in creating [the movies].”
She did get to provide her input, however. Reekles said, “With the films, I did have a call with Vince [Marcello, the films’ writer/director] and got to give feedback on the scripts.”
Reekles is British, and she did have at least one funny note that made it into the finished product.
She said, “My mother is always really pleased that in the first one, there’s a line where Vivian from school council says, ‘I’m British, you wanker.’ I suggested that word because one of the words originally used wasn’t one that my friends were familiar with. She’s thrilled that I contributed a swear word.”
What else has ‘The Kissing Booth’ author written?
Fans of the films who haven’t read the books might want to check them out. They might also want to see what else Reekles has in store.
The young author said she used the COVID-19 pandemic to start a new project. She began writing a book, Lockdown on London Lane, when the pandemic began, adding that it “follows a bunch of 20-somethings on lockdown in the same building.”
Reekles has taken a good approach to seeing her work adapted — she understands the creative process and why some changes need to be made. Meanwhile, The Kissing Booth fans can look forward to her new work to see if it lives up to her earlier material.
