If You Need a New Book To Read This Summer, Try One of These 11 Modern Retellings of Classic Stories
Art can be largely influenced by those who have come before us. Some of the best books have been directly inspired by others—and these new retellings are no exception.
Love a fresh take on a famous tale—from Pride and Prejudice to Hamlet? Put these books on the top of your stack and enjoy these 11 modern retellings of classic stories!
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Related: 13 New Mystery Books You Won't Stop Thinking About This Summer
11 Modern Retellings of Classic Stories (2023)
Every Rising Sun by Jamila Ahmed
Ahmed gives Scheherazade—the storyteller from One Thousand and One Nights—her own tale in Every Rising Sun (Henry Holt). Set in the 12th-century Seljuk Empire, the lush novel focuses on Scheherazade, instead of the stories she tells to stay alive, painting a picture of a brilliant, empathetic heroine. Weaving together magical fables and real history, Every Rising Sun establishes Ahmed as a writer to watch. $29, amazon.com
Fit for the Gods edited by Jenn Northington and S. Zainab Williams
An all-star group of authors, including Alyssa Cole, Zoraida Córdova, Sarah Gailey and Mia P. Manansala, subvert the canon of Greek mythology in Fit for the Gods (Vintage). This is a new anthology that puts a more diverse, inclusive twist on the classic tales. From a detective story to an installment told in podcast transcripts, there’s something for everyone in this collection. $18, amazon.com
Goodbye Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith
Cross-Smith transformed the Chick’s iconic anthem “Goodbye Earl”—about two best friends who kill the man abusing one of them into a novel of the same name (Grand Central). The book follows four life-long friends over two summers that shaped their lives—2004, just after their high school graduation, and 2019, when they reunite in their small southern town for a wedding. Each is keeping secrets and when they suspect one of their own is in danger, they know what to do. A top pick for anyone who loved “Bad Sisters” on Apple TV+. $22, amazon.com
Good Fortune by C.K. Chau
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a Jane Austen fan must be in want of a Pride and Prejudice retelling. In Good Fortune (HarperVia), Elizabeth Chen can’t believe Darcy Wong’s promises that he purchased a beloved community center to help “clean up the neighborhood.” She sets out to stop his efforts but grows more conflicted as they spend time together, and learns Darcy might not be the pompous, uptight man she thought he was. A must-read for Janeites. $15, amazon.com
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
Complete with perfectly choreographed fight scenes and brilliant world-building, Immortal Longings (Saga Press) imagines a fantastical Antony and Cleopatra. Princess Calla Tuoleimi knows her only chance to kill the king who murdered her parents will come when he greets the winner of the kingdom’s annual battle royale, a fight to death featuring combatants capable of jumping between bodies. Calla forms an unlikely alliance with the king’s adopted son Augusta and the exiled aristocrat Anton Makusa. As the fight continues, it becomes clear the three have different goals—and that the relationship between the princess and Antony could be on an explosive path. $22, amazon.com
Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova
If you’ve been humming “Under the Sea” since seeing The Little Mermaid this spring, you’ll want to grab a copy of Kiss the Girl (Disney Publishing Group). Ariel del Mar has sung in a band with her sisters for years, and as they wrap up their farewell tour, she’s excited for a vacation and a chance to see the world on her own terms. But Ariel’s dad, the head of Atlantica Records, has secretly planned to launch her solo career. Desperate for a break, the singer sneaks out to see an up-and-coming rock band, led by Eric Reyes. When Eric asks Ariel to join him for a summer tour, she impulsively says yes, leaving her father behind to find love—and her voice. $15, amazon.com
Liar’s Beach by Katie Cotugno
Cotugno reimagines the Agatha Christie classic The Mysterious Affair at Styles with a teenage cast in Liar’s Beach (Delacorte Press). Michael Linden is vacationing at his friend Jasper’s Hamptons mansion, hiding his more modest roots from his moneyed hosts. When another guest is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool—and Michael’s childhood friend Holiday Proctor arrives to play detective—all the vacationers find it difficult to keep their secrets. Get ready to put your little grey cells to work. $15, amazon.com
Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear
Fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe will want to check out (Ace), a feminist take on the infamous Gorgon and her siblings Stheno and Euryale. Bear chronicles the lesser-known sisters’ journey from beloved immortals to monsters with snakes for hair. Like the best mythological tales, Medusa’s Sisters is about more than gods and monsters, exploring the bonds of sisterhood and the quest to leave a lasting legacy. $28, amazon.com
Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman
The Scarlet Pimpernel gets the treatment in Cogan’s Scarlet (Tor), a fast and fun heist novel. It’s 1793 in France, and the country’s aristocrats—many of whom happen to be vampires—face the guillotine, but a mysterious English crusader, the Scarlet Pimpernel, helps to sneak them to the safety of London. When the Scarlet Pimpernel brings Ellen, a young maid with a striking resemblance to Marie Antoinette to Paris, it’s the start of his most daring mission yet. $15, amazon.com
The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye
Two star-crossed lovers try to finally get their happy ending in The Hundred Loves of Juliet (Del Rey Books). An immortal Romeo and a Juliet doomed to die and come back to life after the couple experiences a brief period of joy. While he remembers their previous love stories, she never does. But, when they meet in modern-day Alaska, the couple attempts to break the cycle and start their lives together. Fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue won’t want to miss this one. $26, amazon.com
The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu
There’s something rotten in Elsinore labs, in The Death I Gave Him (September 12, Solaris), a retelling of Hamlet as a sci-fi locked room mystery. When Hayden finds his father murdered in their lab, he knows the culprit is one of four people—his uncle Charles, coworker Gabriel Rasmussen, intern Felicia Xia or the company’s head of security, Paul, who’s also Felicia’s dad. Together with an AI named Horatio, Hayden sets out to identify his father’s killer—and get revenge. $27, amazon.com
