Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. Plot Summary Stella Grant is a chronically ill teen with cystic fibrosis (CF). Mar 15, 2019 Directed by Justin Baldoni. With Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moises Arias, Kimberly Hebert Gregory. A pair of teenagers with cystic fibrosis meet in a hospital and fall in love, though their disease means they must avoid close physical contact.
Five Feet Apart is a novel about two teenagers with cystic fibrosis. Stella is a control freak and always makes sure to follow her medical plan. Will wants to enjoy the life he has rather than being in the hospital all the time to extend his life.
Published by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readerson November 20, 2018
Genres:Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Five Feet Apart Book Summary
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Can you love someone you can never touch?
Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
Five Feet Apart Book Theme
Before beginning this review I want to note that I don’t know a lot about cystic fibrosis. I cannot comment on if this book is accurate to the experience of living with it and its complications or not. My review is only on how enjoyable and well written the book was. I did not see any glaring inaccuracies about the disease but if there are some please let me know!
I’m a sucker for tragic romances like this. I’m also a sucker for disease being portrayed in a realistic way in all it’s gross coughing up phlegm glory. I don’t think death and dying of disease should be romanticised, but I think it’s perfectly fine to have romantic stories with those elements. If you loved John Green’s The Fault in our Stars then you will absolutely love this book.
There are alternating points of view, both with excellent unique voices. Stella is a goody two shoes who’s doing everything to get more time with her family. Will is the rebellious bad boy who wants to die wild and free. Obviously they’re going to fall in love. The supporting cast is also wonderfully fleshed out. The no nonsense nurse with a huge heart. The loving but slightly misguided mother. Two parents struggling to stay together through some horrible trials.
Will is the real star of the show. Stella is relatable and likeable but you will fall in love with Will. He’s funny, sweet and charming. There’s great chemistry between him and Stella. You want them to kiss as much as they want to which is the most important part of any successful romance. I cannot wait to see him played by Cole Sprouse in the upcoming film next March.
There were parts of the story near the end I didn’t enjoy. I got so furious with Stella at points that I had to put the book down in frustration because I was so mad. She makes some truly stupid decisions near the end that veer away from “Sad Teen Romance” to “Romeo & Juliet Level Idiocy”.
SPOILER: There’s also a death in this book. Shocking that a book about terminal illnesses has a death I know. It’s a very well written and realistic hospital death but it felt like the grief was thrown aside way too quickly for the characters. It felt more like something written to give characters a sudden reason to change because the author couldn’t think of a more organic way to have the characters change.
For fans of John Green this will absolutely be a hit, in fact I imagine most people will love it. The best part is that there’s hardly any wait for the film adaptation.
Tags: 2018, book review, books, Contemporary, Five Feet Apart, Mikki Daughtry, Rachael Lippincott, Romance, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, Tobias Iaconis, young adult fiction