Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers talk Reminders of Him book-to-film changes: “You can’t get every detail from the book”

by

It’s common for movies and TV shows based on books to change some details – and those changes don’t always please everyone. Just last month, the reaction to Emerald Fennell’s version of Wuthering Heights showed how quickly fans will debate when an adaptation differs from the original story.

This week sees the release of “Reminders of Him,” a new romance movie based on the popular novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. The book has been a huge success, selling over 6 million copies in the United States. This is the third book by Hoover to be adapted into a film, and another, “Verity,” is scheduled to come out in October.

The film centers on Kenna, portrayed by Maika Monroe, who is adjusting to life after being released from prison due to a difficult experience. She hopes to find forgiveness and build a relationship with her daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), whom she’s never known. As she does, she also begins a new romance with Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a bar owner who shares a connection to her past.

The movie, Reminders of Him, stays true to the original story – the director felt confident fans would enjoy it, as she shared with TopMob. However, turning a book into a film always requires some changes, and the way Kenna and Ledger’s relationship begins is one area that was adjusted.

In a conversation with TopMob, leads Monroe and Withers talked about how they changed the book when adapting it, and the necessary adjustments they made.

Withers believes the strength of adapting books for the screen lies in knowing what to leave out. It’s impossible – and unnecessary – to include every detail from the original book when creating a new medium like film or television, and focusing on the most important elements is key.

“But yeah, I think the best parts did make the film,” he added.

Monroe has often expressed her appreciation for the original book. She explained that when adapting the story for the screen, she felt the script successfully captured all the most important elements from the book.

As a film lover, what really got to me was seeing this gorgeous connection develop between these two characters. It wasn’t necessarily a smooth ride for them, but the potential for love was always present, just waiting to unfold. It felt incredibly natural, like the story wasn’t forcing anything – it was simply there for you to witness.

All changes to the film were apparently approved by Anna Hoover, who was present during filming and also acted as an executive producer.

She said working on the set was fun and that the cast felt comfortable making quick changes to lines if something didn’t quite feel right. If anyone had a suggestion for different wording, they’d easily adjust it on the spot.

It definitely simplified things, allowing everyone to make changes immediately instead of going through a lot of different steps.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies and similar technologies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to enable reCAPTCHA.

Reminders of Him will be released in cinemas on Friday 13 March 2026.

Authors

Chezelle BinghamSub-Editor

Let me tell you a bit about the team behind this – I recently chatted with Chezelle Bingham, one of TopMob’s Sub-Editors. Before this, she spent years crafting content for Disney’s youngest fans, writing for six different pre-school and primary magazines! And she doesn’t just write – Chezelle has a solid academic background too, holding a BA in English Literature and Language. It’s clear she brings a real understanding of language and what appeals to audiences.

Read More

2026-03-12 15:11