FIVE FEET APART BY RACHEL LIPPINCOTT

  Warning, this review contains spoilers.

Can you love someone you can never touch?
Dear cherished reader,

  

I hope you are all enjoying your summer vacations under the eye of the hot Caribbean sun (just kidding!). First, I want to apologize for being absent from the blog for more than two months. However, the final examinations are done so get your ice coffee ready and prepare for the best summer ever my lovely readers!

In today’s post, we will be discussing one of the most heartbreaking books I’ve read this year and it’s also a huge movie success. I can guarantee you that if you want to cry your heart out over a romantic plot, then tuned in with the movie or better the book “ Five Feet Apart ”. The credits are equally given to Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis who wrote the screenplay and also to Rachael Lippincott who was trusted to turn it into the book that made me spend three nights sobbing quietly in my bed. 

To begin with , if I had to describe this book in three words I would say that it was touching , absorbing  and heartbreaking !  Some will say that is the next “ Fault In Our Stars ‘‘but personally I don’t like to compare books just because they share similar background (e.g. teenage illness ) . Now let’s dive into the plot !

Even though her cystic fibrosis has kept her from doing some of the things she has wanted, Stella has always taken control of her disease, at least as much as she possibly can. She's a big fan of to-do lists (she loves crossing things off) and she hosts her own video series about CF on YouTube. But no matter how much control she tries to take, she can't avoid frequent extended trips to the hospital—and try as she might, she can't protect everyone around her. 

She and her family hope for a transplant that will not guarantee a safe life but it will certainly give her more time . But in order for this to happen , Stella has to stay away from any possible infections , which means the barrier that’s called “six feet apart ‘‘ from anyone with CF , including her best friend Poe . It’s hard to not being able to hug your best friend and instead you have to rely on the convenience of technology like Skype , Facetime and texting . 

On the other hand , Will has been in and out of hospitals all over the world, and he's tired of it all, especially his mother's single-minded crusade to help him beat a dangerous bacterial infection. He is just waiting until he turns 18, so he can walk away from the hospital and the drug trial, and live (and possibly die) on his own terms. Will is the exact type of person that Stella has to stay away from but because it’s Stella( a control freak that I loved ) it angers and saddens her that Will refuses to fight for a chance to live and breath like many other people inside hospitals . 

They both have something they hate and despise from each other. She gets annoyed by his devilish attitude and he doesn’t exactly adore her control-freak tendencies .  Throughout the journey of helping each other over a funny-kind of deal , their bonding becomes more intense with a specific obstacle getting in their way . They must be six-feet apart at all times because even the slightest sneeze could knock Stella off the transplant list . So what to do ? What is really the worst ? Having to keep a physical distance from one another or not having each other at all?

Most of you -including myself- can predict what was going to happen throughout the story despite the fact that we face some sort-of surprises , but it didn’t matter to me at all . In a short amount of pages I became totally attached in those characters and their struggles , even though I had to face a ton of crying and use of tissue boxes ( it’s inevitable )  . 

  

The idea of the romance was breathtaking … . The longing for something that is so close yet so far, is invigorating, and pulled my heart strings! This idea was so beautiful, and wonderfully illustrated between Stella and Will. How they show their affection through non-physical means makes for such a unique relationship, and I devoured it. The banter between them, as well as that which arises among other characters, is quite sweet and never fails to lighten the mood. To be honest , I was a bit reminded of the book “Me Before You‘‘ due to the fact that it was a romance novel and the characters only shared one kiss because of the protagonist’s disability . I also admired how the author incorporated the two teens’ parents into the story. While their characters might’ve been flawed at the start, watching them leap over hurdles of grief and misunderstandings to form deeper bonds with their children, is absolutely lovely – even if it was vague, and not explored as much as it could’ve been. However it was better than the movie in which we  get little to almost nothing of the teens’ parents and their stories ( for that I blame you , Justin Baldoni ).   

I strongly believe that the story flew better in this movie format and that may have something to do with the fact that it was first written as a screenplay before it became a YA book .It’s a short narrative to begin with, and it’s a shame that everything merely happened. There wasn’t sufficient time for grand developments to unfold, and I felt as though each event in the story began and finished only to be checked off like an item from one of Stella’s to-do lists. Some might even say that the romance was unrealistic because it was fast and also a tad impossible  that these two fell in love in such a short period of time.

This book gave me a lot of favorite and memorable moments as well as lines that they also used in the movie ( thank god !) . My deepest , emotional moment was when Will begs Stella to take the lungs for him despite the fact that it won’t change anything between them . I was at the “edge of dying ‘‘ when he told her :

“This is your chance. And that is what we both want. Don’t think what you lost. Think of how much you have to gain . Live , Stella‘‘

Those lines were only in the book (unfortunately ) but it still made me realize that when you love someone you really do have to let go , even if it’s a cliché  sometimes it can be true and extremely sad . But that’s love , real , tough and  Will's last words to Stella is a great definition of sacrifice for someone you love :

“The only thing I want is to be with you . I don’t want to leave you, but I love you too much to stay . God, the freakin’ movies were right.‘‘ 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, and love all the little aspects that composed it. If you’re looking for a quick, sweet read, then I would definitely recommend this one!

P.S Yes, Will you’re right.The movies really are right. 

Xoxo,

Miss Reader.