Hello Readers!
Recently, I read this book named 'Five Feet Apart'
written by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry & Tobias
Iaconis. Just like the last book I read, this one has got its movie adaptation
coming on 15th March starring Cole Sprouse! So, I read this in a day as well.
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~~INTRODUCTION~~
Five Feet Apart is another romantic YA novel. It's
about a young boy & girl, both of whom have Cystic Fibrosis. Because of
this disease, they have to stay six feet apart from each other at all times
& can never touch each other. They are of contrasting personalities
& yet come at a situation where they are hopelessly in love and yet they
cannot even embrace the other.
~~CHARACTERS~~
Stella Grant is a seventeen-year-old girl who has
been living with CF since she was six. She is someone who plans everything she
does. She is immaculately particular about her CF-influenced life. She makes
to-do lists & lives by them. She cares deeply about those in her life,
probably more than she cares for herself. Like any other teen, she has got some
issues too, but you need to read the book to know on what level they are.
Will Newman, on the other hand, is a care-free guy
who was diagnosed with something called B. cepacia which is a type of CF. It is
infectious & actually quite dangerous if any other CF patient is near him.
Initially, he is portrayed as a spoiled brat earlier in the story, but later
(cannot say this more simply) he changes because of love. He is passionate
about sketching cartoons, at which he is rather good at.
Poe is another character in the story. He is a
friend of Stella's. They both met when they were little & both grew up
together with CF. They were always there for each other over the years. I love
their friendship & soon he also becomes Will's friend. So, you get to know
both of them through Poe’s perspective.
Another recurring character is Barb, who is a nurse
& also the CF police. She is tough, but she means well. There are also a
few more characters. Jason & Hope are Will's friends while Camila & Mya
are Stella's. Both of their family members are also vital to the story.
~~STORY
LINE~~
I suppose it's a pretty simple story. A girl with
CF who has control issues meets a guy with CF who has no boundaries. They both
clearly know it's not a good idea to be together, but obviously, they can't
help it & they fall in love. There is also backdrop of other things
happening with Stella & her family, Stella & Poe, Stella & Abby, Poe's
family, their friends and so on.
Will
they touch each other?
Will
she get new lungs?
Or
will she get B. cepacia instead?
Will
they be star crossed lovers or something else?
~~OVERALL
THOUGHTS~~
To be honest, it was too straight forward a story
for me to like it. It was quite predictable & simple. Usually, in such
novels, there is something captivating. Either the romantic story or the
coming-of-age story or something tragic. But, in this one, I didn't find any. I
thought it would be like 'The Fault in our Stars' meets 'Everything
Everything', but it really did not meet my expectations either way because
those two novels have already set a high standard. The author has tried to make
it dramatic, but it doesn’t feel that way. Also, the reason why it is titled
'Five Feet Apart' & not 'Six Feet Apart' isn't very clear or clever. Some
more light or meaning on it would have been preferred.
The only thing is that the author has tried to
spread the message & awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. I knew about it as it
is already shown in so many books & TV Shows. But, I got to know about the
fact that CF patients need to be six feet apart at all times.
I have rated this book at 3/5 stars on Goodreads.
In my opinion, the novel is okay for light reading. But, if you're not a
reader, then skip it & just watch the movie instead.
Until next time,
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