5 min readUpdated: May 9, 2026 03:50 PM IST
Four days into its theatrical run The Devil Wears Prada 2—inspired by American author Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel by the same name—has done something extraordinary: made the audiences care, even if briefly, about the existential threat posed to journalism by billionaires capable of buying media companies on a whim.
In the opening scene of the sequel, Andrea “Andy” Sachs, essayed by Anne Hathaway, who is the star reporter of a New York City newspaper, is laid off via text message (deja vu, anyone?).
As the magazine struggles to stay relevant in the age of social media, the once formidable Runway editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly—essayed by the iconic Meryl Streep and modelled on Vogue’s former editor-in-chief Anna Wintour—is flying to Milan, but in coach (the horror!). Compounding her troubles, a tech billionaire with a hair transplant (if you know, you know) tries to buy Runway as a gift for his girlfriend.
If The Devil Wears Prada 2 left you wanting more of the world, this list is for you:
Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger (2013)
Your next read could be Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger. (Source: amazon.in and AI)
This is the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, the book. It is Weisberger’s own follow-up to the original, where Andy a decade after quitting Runway is running a wedding magazine, and doing her best to stay out of Miranda’s orbit. Those who have watched the movie will agree that Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna diverged significantly from it.
The Everything Store & Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire by Brad Stone
Two books by Brad Stone-The Everything Store & Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire. (Source: amazon.in and AI)
The two books by journalist Brad Stone paint a compelling picture of Jeff Bezos and the rise of Amazon. It is an essential reading companion to the film’s most talked-about meta subplot. Keen-eyed fans have identified several parallels between Bezos and Justin Theroux’s Benji Barnes, the billionaire who wants to buy Runway, including an ex-wife who gave her settlement to charity, and, rumours of him buying a media institution as a vanity project for his girlfriend. The filmmakers, however, have denied it, but the book
The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza (2015)
Your next read could be The Knockoff: Lucy Sykes & Jo Piazza. (amazon.in and AI)
A Runway-esque fashion editor returns from medical leave to discover her 26-year-old assistant has rebranded the entire magazine as an app, and may have already replaced her. The Devil Wears Prada-style roman-à-clef perfectly captures the tug-of-war between the old and new in an age of technological changes.
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Bad Blood by John Carreyrou (2018)
Your next read could be Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. (Source: amazon.in and AI)
The Pulitzer-winning investigation into Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is not a fashion book. It is, however, the a primer on what happens when Silicon Valley charisma and capital collide with institutions built on accountability. Miranda calling Emily “a vendor, not a visionary” in the sequel lands differently if you have read the book. Benji Barnes is a stand-in for every tech oligarch who has ever looked at a newsroom and seen a content asset.
Severance by Ling Ma (2018)
The book Severance by Ling Ma. (Source: amazon.in and AI)
A millennial keeps showing up to her New York publishing job as a mysterious plague hollows out the city around her. Darkly funny about professional loyalty as everything collapses. The book is a searing indictment of capitalism. The Devil Wears Prada 2 opens with a journalism award ceremony and a layoff text arriving simultaneously. Ma wrote the eulogy early, and she made it a comedy.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2019)
The book cover of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. (Source: amazon.in/AI)
The Devil Wears Prada 2’s most discussed dynamic is the one between Miranda and Andy, no longer boss and underling but two women of comparable power, circling each other without a hierarchy to hide behind. Reid is the definitive novelist of this thorny territory. An oral history of a fictional 1970s rock band, essentially impossible people who make each other brilliant and unbearable in equal measure, the film’s ending lives in this emotional register.
The Assistants by Camille Perri (2016)
The Assistants by Camille Perri. (Source: amazon.in/AI)
An assistant at a media empire accidentally uncovers a scheme that could redistribute a small fraction of her impossibly wealthy boss’s fortune, and the chaos that follows when other assistants want in. The exacting editor in chief has mellowed out a bit in the sequel, she now receives HR-vetted feedback on what she can and cannot say to subordinates. Perhaps, it is for the best, she could not afford an assistant uprising on her hands.
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