[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1 of Conversations with Friends.]
Fans of Sally Rooney‘s addictive and heartwrenching novels were gifted with not one but two Hulu series adaptations, Conversations with Friends and Normal People, which premiered just two years apart.
But while Conversations with Friends was actually Rooney’s first novel, it was the second book to make it to screen. Normal People was the first to get the TV treatment in 2020, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as shy and quiet Marianne and Paul Mescal as outgoing jock Connell. The series was a hit for the streamer, breaking viewers’ hearts (in a good way!) while telling Marianne and Connell’s complicated love story spanning their teen years through young adulthood at university.
Overall, the adaptation seemed to hit every note for viewers when it came to romance, drama, and sadness, landing Normal People on many best-of-the-year lists in 2020.
The reception to Conversations with Friends has been a little different as the show has a more complex take on the romance and relationships between best friends (and on-again, off-again lovers) Frances (Alison Oliver) and Bobbi (Sasha Lane), and married couple Nick (Joe Alwyn) and Melissa (Jemima Kirke).
When Frances and Nick engage in an affair, the line between friendship and romance blurs. Not to mention, the series makes some big adjustments from the book, such as Bobbi being part-American. While this may seem like an insignificant change, readers may feel differently, which is why we want to hear from viewers.
Which Sally Rooney adaptation on Hulu was your favorite? Let us know in the poll, below, and sound off in the comments section.
Conversations with Friends, Streaming now, Hulu
Normal People, Streaming now, Hulu