Everyone loves classic books that define the romance, mystery, drama for modern authors to work upon. From Homer to Jane Austen to Shakespeare; a reader has eventually picked up one of their book and have then proceeded to fall in love with their works.
But have you ever imagined if a retelling of a classic book is possible? It is and has been done a lot of times and in lot of languages. Based on people’s own interpretations, their own sense of justice; people have made their retellings in the form of theatre, in art and everywhere.
In this contemporary era where Bookstagram and Booktok are available to give everyone something new, are classical retellings still the same. Probably not.
Nowadays retelling are told in the setting of the modern world for the new readers who might have not even read the classics. And this really works to make them read the classic.
So we have curated a list of 15 books that put a unique spin on classic stories.
1. Pride by Ibi Zoboi: Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. This story revolves around the protagonist Zuri Benitez, a young Afro-Latina (Haitian-Dominican), and the love for her neighbourhood and the effects of Gentrification. So when the Darcy family moves in their neighbourhood, Zuri isn’t all welcoming. In this novel, readers follow Zuri and her sisters as they navigate college life, college applications, crushes on cute boys, and their identity within the community they were born and raised in as it transforms.
This is recommended for people who love community dynamics and found family with a little of enemies to lovers. Readers who aren’t familiar with Austen’s Pride and Prejudiced, have still found this book appealing.
2.By the Book by Jasmine Guillory: Set in a Publishing house, this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This is the second in the ‘Meant To Be’ series by the author and can be read as a standalone. About the protagonist Isabelle who is twenty five, underpaid, overworked and constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.
Recommended for fairy tale lovers who love book talks and nerds.
3. Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston : Another beauty and the beast retelling, set in Fandom Culture. It is the third book in Ashley Poston’s Once Upon a Con series. It depicts the tale of Rosie Thorn and a hollywood royalty after a rare book is accidentally destroyed.
This is for cosplay, sci-fi readers who love grumpy x grumpy and forced proximity, living under the same roof.
4. Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg : It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single girl of high standing at Longbourn Academy must be in want of a prom date. I think it’s clear to every Pride and Prejudice lover that this book is for them. This is about Lizzie Bennet and her prom night in the very prestigious Longbourn Academy.
But just like in Pride and Prejudice, the Bennets aren’t well off. This is a romance novel in a modern setting between Bennet and Darcy.
Recommended for YA readers, Pride and Prejudics and high school romance.
5. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord : This is not an explicit retelling but gives off ‘You’ve Got Mail’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ vibes. This is about a chronic overachiever, swim team captain, Pepper and Jack, the class clown. It has a twitter war and online shenanigans and the whole internet shipping two people who think they hate each other.
Highly recommended if you want to begin with Lord’s writing and love YA Fictional Romance novels. You’ll like this if you have also read Nothing Like The Movies by Lynn Painter.
6. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding : Another retelling of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, set in the 1990s London. This is about Bridget who wants lose weight, stop smoking and develop her inner poise.
A comedic retelling that is indeed, by the readers, the most successful attempt and has its own unique elements.
This book is loved by all of those who need a quick laugh and want to relive Austen’s Pride and Prejudice again but in the twentieth century.
7. The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston : Another of Poston’s book, this one is a retelling of the Princess and the Pauper which is set in a comic-con style fandom world. This is a romance novel between a fangirl and a teenage actress.
Packed with contemporary romance, LGBTQ themes and a lot of misunderstandings and mistaken identities; this makes it a perfect book for YA readers who are looking for a quick read to bring smile on their faces.
8. Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler : New twist to the classic, Anne of Green Gables; this is a romantic, charming and a hilarious modern adaptation set in New York City. This is an academic rivals to lovers where the male lead, Gilbert falls in love with the female lead in a slow burn.
Even if you haven’t read the classic, this one will make you want to read it and even watch the show.
9. Painted Devils by Margaret Owen : Second in the Little Thieves series, this book was inspired by ‘Faust’. Tale of the protagonist who was looking for her family and to see whether they would welcome a thief. In this novel, a con artist daughter of Death and Fortune, accidentally starts a cult.
Perfect for Fantasy, YA and Romance novel enthusiasts.
10. If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka : A modern retelling of ‘The Taming of The Shrew’ where Catherine, the protagonist resolves to tame herself and tries to correct the things she has wronged.
If you love second chances and lovers who were enemies since sixth grade, you will definitely like this quick read.
11. Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales : Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless in this boy-meets-boy spin off on Grease. Centered on Ollie, who falls for sweet, closeted jock Will over summer. But when school starts, Will is a completely different person—guarded and distant. As Ollie navigates grief, friendship, and identity in a new town, the story beautifully explores what it means to come out on your own terms.
Perfect for fans of second chance, Heartstopper and anyone who loves emotionally honest love stories.
12. Jockeys and Jewels by Bev Pettersen : Inspired by Cindrella, this is a a romantic mystery set in the thrilling world of horse racing. Cassidy, a determined jockey with a guarded past, is focused on her career—until she meets crime investigator Dylan, who’s undercover at the racetrack.
Perfect for readers who enjoy contemporary romance with mystery, independent heroines, and slow-burn chemistry, especially fans of Nora Roberts and Tami Hoag with a love for horses and danger.
13. The Wrath & The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh : This is a romantic retelling of One Thousand and One Nights. Each dawn, the Caliph of Khorasan takes a new bride—only for her to be executed by sunrise. But when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry him, she has a plan: stay alive long enough to take revenge for her best friend. As she weaves stories each night to delay her death, Shahrzad uncovers dark secrets—and begins to fall for the very boy she swore to kill.
Ideal for fans of enemies-to-lovers, court intrigue, and lyrical, slow-burn romance with strong, clever heroines.
14. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood : This is is a sharp, witty retelling of The Odyssey from Penelope’s point of view. While Odysseus is off fighting wars and facing monsters, Penelope is left to rule Ithaca and fend off greedy suitors. Atwood gives voice not only to Penelope but also to her twelve maids—hanged upon Odysseus’s return—who narrate in a haunting, chorus-like style. The result is a feminist, satirical exploration of myth, marriage, and the silencing of women.
Recommended for readers who enjoy myth retellings with a feminist lens, fans of Madeline Miller, and those interested in revisionist historical fiction.
15. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker : This is is a powerful retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of Briseis, a Trojan queen turned slave and concubine to Achilles. Stripped of her name, freedom, and voice in Homer’s epic, Briseis finally tells her own story—one of survival, grief, and quiet resistance amid the brutality of war. Through stark, unflinching prose, Barker explores the lives of the silenced women behind the glory of heroes.
Ideal for readers who appreciate feminist takes on mythology, gritty historical fiction, and authors like Madeline Miller or Natalie Haynes who reclaim lost female voices.
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