Book Review #60: Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Hey Guys x

I couldn't fit the other authors in the title of this post, but as well as Rachael Lippincott, the book was also written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, who wrote the film's screenplay.

I reviewed the film version of this book a few weeks ago, and you can read that HERE. But I enjoyed the film so much that, the day after I saw it in the cinema and found out that there was also a book version, I had to buy it.

Stella has Cystic Fibrosis... but she also has control issues. She follows every part of her doctor's orders religiously, including the most important rule: always stay six feet away from other CFers. This has never been a problem for Stella, who after all these years is completely used to the fact that she will never be able to hug her best friend, and fellow CFer, Poe. But then she meets Will. And suddenly, those six feet are the furthest distance in the world. Is it possible to fall in love with someone that you'll never touch?

I don't know if it's possible, but I loved the book even more than I loved the film.

This isn't an adaptation in the traditional sense, where a book is written, gets picked up and then a film is made based on it some time later. From what I could tell through research and actually reading the book/watching the film, it seems like the book and film's screenplay were written alongside each other. In fact, it might even be that the screenplay was written first. Because of that, the film and book are very much intertwined. There aren't any major differences, apart from something small at the end, which doesn't change the story at all.

The problem with this, is that if it's not done well, then it just feels pointless to spend time reading the exact same story that you've just watched.
But luckily, this book is written so well that it doesn't matter that you already know what's going to happen. Having two points of view, and being able to see everything that is going on in the heads of these characters is really important to the story, and adds a dynamic that the film doesn't have.
This is because, the main character of the film is Stella, undoubtedly. But in the book, Stella and Will are very much equal protagonists. So to get Will's point of view, and to be inside his head for half of the book, really does change the story.

What was good?
There's not much more to say about the book that I didn't already say in my film review, considering they're so similar. But I love the story, I love these characters, and I'd love to read/watch the next instalment of their lives, even though it definitely wouldn't end particularly well.

What was bad?
As mentioned, the book is just a written version of the film. So if you've seen the film, that might be a bit of a turn off, especially if you didn't enjoy the film that much.

Overall
I'd definitely recommend this book. In fact, I think I'd recommend reading the book before you watch the film - because it's always more interesting to see things you've read about be immortalised in film than it is to read about something that you've already watched. But either way, consume this story, because it's so good!

4/5 Stars!

Lou