Hot Takes with Jo(seph)!

Hey, divas! It’s me, Jo(seph), one of your favorite co-hosts of your favorite podcasts!

I’m excited to be the first to tell you that I’m not only going to subject you to the torture of listening to my opinions; I also get to make you read them, too! How cool is that?!

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I am chaotic as hell. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock to you when I tell you what my recurring blog series will cover: my hot takes in film and pop culture.

I have a lot to say in this realm, obviously. Every so often, I am going to come on here and grace you with my thoughts. Let’s get right into it. Today’s hot take is…

The Show/Movie Variation of Book Boyfriends Are Better Than the Books!

I know, I know. So many of you will be completely disappointed in me, especially since I’ve said in the podcast that the books are always better. I still think that, but sometimes, we get a leading guy or gal who just steals the thunder so immensely and powerfully that it has to be acknowledged. 

Now, I absolutely love watching book-to-screen adaptations, especially if the source material is one I really loved reading. There have been a lot of these adaptations, especially in the last fifteen years or so, that has given us PLENTY of characters to swoon over. Here are some of my favorite book-to-screen boyfriends that I know for a fact other people also fell harder for.

Pictured: Stephan Kalyn as Dean Di Laurentis (Off Campus 2026)

We have to talk about the HOTTEST man on television in 2026 so far!

Dean starts off as the typical horny asshat who is hot, athletic, and confident, but, as the show goes on, you realize his character has so much more depth than what we see on the surface. He especially lets his guard down with Allie Hayes, the unexpected girl of his dreams, and Beau Maxwell, his best friend. Dean’s dedication and growth are so incredibly admirable, as is attractive.

After reading the third book installment in the Off Campus series and watching the show’s inaugural season three times, I actually find that Stephen Kalyn’s portrayal of Dean is perfect, if not better than how he was written.

While I am horrified to see some of his and Allie’s book moments played out on the screen, I already know I’m going to love every second. Oh, and fun fact: if you search his name on Google, Allie’s iconic contact name for him plays across the top of the screen. 

Pictured: Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair (Hunger Games: Catching Fire 2013)

It shouldn’t come as a shock that one of the boys from The Hunger Games universe was going to end up on this list. Suzanne Collins gave us so much material to work with. Sadly for us, most of our favorite boyfriends meet a tragic ending in her story - Finnick included.

For a hot take within a hot take (and a spoiler alert), I truly feel that Finnick’s death was SO unnecessary. This man was loyal, caring, protective, and kind-hearted. All he wanted was to protect people from the horrors he faced and to be with the love of his life and child. He just wanted a normal life. Who wouldn’t want a gorgeous man who could give us all of that?!

Sam Claflin is an absolute stunner in everything he does, but he blew us out of the water in this role. He was easily my favorite character in the cinematic universe, and his legacy will live on forever in our hearts. 

Pictured: Chirstopher Briney as Conrad Fisher (The Summer I Turned Pretty 2022)

This list simply would not be complete without the King of Yearning. Conrad Fisher is who I imagine as the leader of the book-to-screen boyfriend movement.

As each summer comes and goes in Cousin’s Beach, the one thing that was always reliable was Conrad. This man was constantly working to prove his love and affection, not only for Belly, but also for his friends and family. The fact that he was willing to give up his own happiness for his annoying, selfish, and rather awful younger brother shows exactly what kind of man he is. Plus, he makes Pectus excavatum look so damn hot! Jenny Han took it very seriously when she created a man based on Taylor Swift’s music, and she did the Lord’s work here.

Now, I found the book series of The Summer I Turned Pretty to be bland, drawn out, and lacking, whereas the show gave us such interesting dynamics, deeper levels of who the characters are, and so many iconic moments. You cannot change my mind on this one. My final determination is this: Conrad Fisher paved the road for the world’s obsession with fictional men. Change my damn mind.

In our tragic world, where men fail to impress and prove they are worth our time and energy, we can always turn to our fictional boyfriends to make us feel safe. It shows us that men who are developed and/or written by the girls and the gays are just a million times better. Like, come on, we all know there are a lot more guys I could put on this list. In fact, who did I leave off that you wanted to see? Let me know below!

Bye, divas!