This weeks Literary Ledger 08 to 15 May 2026

Welcome to your weekly roundup of all things books! We’re keeping it short and sweet, just five stories to keep you in the loop without overwhelming you. Think of this as your quick fix for staying connected to the book world.

I) Boys of Tommen Cast Announcement: Expectations vs Reality

Amazon Prime has announced the first cast members for The Boys of Tommen, an adaptation of Chloe Walsh’s book series, which gained popularity on TikTok and was originally published back in 2018.

The first season will cover the first two books, Binding 13 and Keeping 13, with production starting in 2026. Both stories follow our two main characters, Shannon Lynch (played by Nancy Surridge) and Johnny Kavanagh (played by Conor Sánchez): a bullied, shy girl and a popular, all-star rugby player in a friends-to-lovers storyline. Alongside them is Aoife Molloy (played by Sophie McGibbon), who is Joey Lynch’s love interest (played by James O’Donoghue).

This announcement has become a big talking point, and I’ve seen a lot of discourse online from fans who feel so strongly about the books that they don’t want a screen adaptation to “touch” them, fearing it will ruin what they see as a “perfect” story. And already, it seems like those fears have, in some people’s eyes, come true.

Now, I can only speak from an objective standpoint, I haven’t read the books (although I’ve just bought them now; I can’t deny good marketing). The casting isn’t what many people had imagined for the characters in their heads, and I suppose that’s always the tricky part with adaptations: when a character is so explicitly described, whether it’s eye colour, hair, or body type, expectations become very fixed.

There is also the other side of the conversation: people saying it isn’t that big of a deal and that we should be kind about the casting, especially as these are relatively new, up-and-coming Irish actors. And I would agree that no one should be criticised for their appearance.

That said, the issue here seems less about attractiveness and more about how closely the casting aligns with the written aesthetic of the characters. The actors are clearly attractive, it’s just that, in some cases, they don’t match the descriptions on the page.

But this argument can go on and on, and I think there are a fair few people who don’t want book adaptations of their favourite novels at all. In truth, it’s incredibly difficult to get them “right”. You could even argue that the people adapting them don’t always love the source material in the same way fans do, because in the process of adaptation a lot gets cut, changed, and reshaped until it’s barely recognisable as the story people originally fell in love with. It can make you wonder why certain projects are even greenlit in the first place.

What I will say, though, is that women are arguably the driving force behind a lot of what is currently working in publishing and screen adaptations. Romance, in particular, has become a huge commercial force, especially on platforms like Amazon Prime, where so many of the recent hit adaptations are built around female audiences and book fandoms, from Off Campus and Every Summer After to Maxton Hall, The Devil’s Night series, Perfectos Mentirosos, Sterling Point, The Last Sunrise, Elle, Clashing Through the Snow, The Love Hypothesis, and Your Fault: London.

In my opinion, as much as I want books to be adapted sometimes, I know it’s probably best not to, because it might not always end up the way you imagine it. But I’m always happy to be wrong if it turns out to be a success story!

II) Off Campus Adaptation: What Changed and Why It Matters

Speaking of adaptations, we then have the much-anticipated Off Campus series (based on Elle Kennedy’s books), released on 13th May on Amazon Prime, which also had its fair share of discourse around casting. But once that settled and people actually started watching it, both positive and negative thoughts began flooding in.

Now, once again, I haven’t read it (I clearly need to brush up on my romance novels), but it’s clear that a lot of things were altered or changed, some for understandable reasons, and others not so much. It does feel like there was an attempt to appeal to a newer audience, especially considering these books were written in the 2010s, when conversations around feminism and the LGBTQ+ community were not as prominent or developed as they are now. But at times, that updated sensibility can feel a bit forced.

For example, the much-anticipated “campus-wide hands-off law” that Garrett Graham puts on Hannah was something many readers were disappointed not to see adapted, as they liked the surety and boldness of Graham that they felt this season didn’t fully capture.

Rewriting aspects of original content can be problematic in itself. The past is the past, and trying to erase it or frame it as problematic while still keeping elements like the “puck bunnies”, who are essentially there as part of the hockey culture and the male-focused dynamic, can feel inconsistent. It becomes confusing when certain parts are removed or softened, while others remain unchanged.

That said, the issue itself wasn’t necessarily a major one for everyone. Garrett’s flaws would have made their relationship so much more authentic in the first place.

I can’t compare it to the book, so I wasn’t personally disappointed, and I did enjoy the series overall. It’s just a bit of fun, and a definite appeal of the college hockey romance. I’ll absolutely be tuning in for season two, especially for Logan and Grace’s storyline, which I’m most interested in.

III) Inside the Hachette Union Drive: What’s Really Going On

600 Hachette Book Group employees in both the U.S. and Canada have launched the Hachette Workers Coalition (HWC), and the company was given eight days to voluntarily recognise the union.

So why are they unionising?

• Wages simply haven’t kept up with the reality of the job

• Heavy workloads are leading to serious burnout

• Growing anxiety around AI and what it means for job security in publishing

• A lack of transparency around pay, progression, and decision-making

• Ongoing industry instability, with layoffs becoming more common and profit consistently prioritised over staff

These aren’t minor complaints, they point to a workplace that’s been stretched and under-supported for years.

Hachette has declined to voluntarily recognise the HWC. Instead, they’ve pushed for a formal vote, where employees will privately decide whether the union gets official recognition. If the majority vote yes, the union becomes officially recognised and Hachette would be legally required to negotiate with it. But the Workers Coalition has already said a supermajority of employees were in favour before this process even began, which makes the delay feel more like a procedural roadblock than a genuine question of support.

In the meantime, management has sent out flyers arguing against unionisation, with phrases like “Why We Believe Hachette is Stronger Without a Union” and “What You Could Lose With Union Negotiation.” It’s hard not to see this as damage control,  especially given how long employees say these concerns have been raised without real change.

What stands out most is the timing. When workers are already this organised, introducing a drawn-out voting process and then actively campaigning against them doesn’t come across as neutral procedure, it comes across as resistance.

Unions exist to rebalance power in workplaces like this, giving employees collective strength and formal protection they’ve clearly felt they lacked. That’s exactly why this matters, and why the response is being watched so closely.

A date for the union election has yet to be confirmed.

IV) Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune Tops UK Charts

Richard Osman’s fifth and latest book, The Impossible Fortune (part of the Thursday Murder Club series), has just been released in paperback and has already become the No. 1 bestselling book in the UK. Unsurprisingly, Osman’s books are consistently commercially successful, supported by a very loyal readership.

V) Fourth Wing Adaptation: What We Know So Far

 I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about all the book-to-film adaptations, and I don’t know what made 2026 the year for handling all of these new announcements. But the biggest one for all the “book girlies” has to be Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros’s New York Times bestselling series, which hasn’t even been completed yet).

So what do we know?

• It’s being developed by Amazon MGM Studios

• Rebecca Yarros is an executive producer

• Surprisingly, Oscar-winner Michael B. Jordan has also been announced as an executive producer

• Lisa Joy is also attached as an executive producer

• Meredith Averill is the writer and showrunner, alongside Yarros

Beyond that, nothing else has been confirmed yet, but I’m sure we’ll find out more in due course!