SPOILERS are ahead for Girls Like Girls, now in theaters!
When it comes to book-to-screen adaptations, we’re used to changes from the source material freaking out fans. But sometimes a different take on the same story for another medium is exactly what the story needs. For example, Hayley Kiyoko’s Girls Like Girls movie is missing one key moment from the novel’s (and music video’s) ending; there’s actually a very specific reason why.
Hayley Kiyoko’s Girls Like Girls vision all started with her 2015 pop anthem of the same name. She then turned the song into a music video that went viral and had fans calling for a movie about the video’s pair, Coley and Sonya. Since then, she’s been working on adapting it for the big screen, but before that, she turned it into the New York Times bestselling YA novel. Now it’s finally here, as one of 2026’s movie releases, and she’s “proud” of how she adapted things – even though one unexpected change came up during post-production. In our interview with Kiyoko, she said this of the ending:
It wasn’t planned that way, but when I got into the editing room, I realized when I put the other version [of the] ending together that it made it all about him. And, this movie is all about the girls and it was really important for me to highlight their story and prioritize their story over ending the beat on a man.
Kiyoko is talking about the fight that breaks out between Coley and Trent, whom Sonya has had an on-again, off-again relationship with, in previous iterations of the story. The writer/director even filmed the fight on the set of the latest LGBTQ+ movie, but ultimately decided that she wanted to center the conclusion of the film on its coming-of-age lesbian relationship rather than another guy. As she continued:
It’s a good example of this story [being] ever evolving, and it doesn’t change the story, but it gives a different feeling and meaning to their story and ending on that line that Sonya says like, ‘We all have a choice of choosing whether we’re going to live our authentic truth or not.’ And, hopefully people will understand my decision and choice and respect that. I’m really proud of how it ends.
Girls Like Girls is Hayley Kiyoko’s first time directing a feature film after spending years helming her own music videos and trying to turn the pop anthem into a movie. When it comes to book adaptations, it’s not very often that the author is also the director. How cool is it that she trusted her gut to tell the story slightly differently and make the kind of changes that felt right for the film all this time later?
Without the violent moment becoming a focal point of Sonya and Coley finally becoming girlfriends, the movie ending is more about Sonya trying to accept her queer identity and Coley being there for her. The last scene is a sweet poolside moment between them instead. Trent is still very much part of the Girls Like Girls movie, but Coley doesn’t need to fight him to get the girl this time, and that’s a change the director loved.