(A while back The Spinoff asked for suggestions for best book-to-film adaptations, and this was my suggestion. Post theme song: If You Think This Is Real Life by Blossums).
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021, streaming on Prime Video) is based on a short story (of the same name) in the anthology book Summer Days & Summer Nights (edited by Stephanie Perkins). In general, I find short stories produce better film adaptations than novels do.
It’s a great story – a modern (and much better) version of Groundhog Day. It’s romantic, deeper than you first think, and has fun playing with time-loop tropes. (Mild spoiler, sorry) it also has a truly wonderful moment when both the narrator and the reader realise that the story isn’t actually about him at all.
The film takes all of this and is true to all the important parts, but also improves on some of the weaker parts of the story. Kathryn Newton (Little Big Lies, Supernatural) and Kyle Allen (West Side Story, The Path) bring their characters to life perfectly. Director Ian Samuels’s style is clearly there, but it’s not as odd as Myrna the Monster and a stronger story than Sierra Burgess.
The author, Lev Grossman, has other adaptations (e.g. The Magicians) but both source material and adaption aren’t as good as The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.
Anyway, if you know the film I assume you also love it. If you know the story, I strongly recommend the film. If you haven’t read the book, it’s worth it just for this story, but some of the others in the anthology are ok as well, particularly if you’re looking for a light, romantic, read. If you don’t know the film or the book, definitely add it to your watch list.
TonyAndrewMeyer 
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