I say this as both a librarian who loves books and a cinephile who loves movies: Do not read the book before seeing the movie. 

I cannot emphasize this enough. 

Whenever there’s a new movie coming out that’s based on a book, people will think “Oh, I gotta read that so I’m ready for the movie.”

Why? Ready for what? Knowing all the characters and important story beats and plot twists ahead of time doesn’t make you ready for anything except disappointment. 

The movie is never the same as the book. Whether it’s better or worse or something in between, either way it’s a completely different art form that did not get your full attention because you were constantly comparing it to the book. 

When you save the book for after the movie, it’s like getting an extended director’s cut that includes so much more material, and lets you dive into that world even deeper with characters and details that weren’t captured on screen. Sometimes that experience will cause some whiplash or dissonance with what you saw in the movie, but remember: it’s different by design. Embrace that and lean in!

Ultimately, you should read and watch whatever you want, whenever you want. Period. Just beware of what you gain and lose with these book-to-movie adaptations.