Five Feet Apart - Rachael Lippincott

Title: Five Feet Apart
Author: Rachael Lippincott
Rating: 3/5

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK Children's and NetGalley for letting me receive a digital copy of this book.

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?

Usually, books get turned into movies. It's the exact opposite with Five Feet Apart from what I've heard so far. And the book is out before the movie, as well. So that's a first for me. I requested this book without even knowing about it, but then I saw OverDrive changing the cover to its movie poster. So, anyway... I'm surprised, but I was super excited to start reading Five Feet Apart.

It's about Stella and Will, both Cystic Fibrosis patients, meeting each other at the hospital. First thing: I am super glad such a disease gets a voice. There are so many books about cancer, so many movies about it as well, and of course it's awful. Of course we all want a cure. But I also like giving attention to not so widely known diseases, and CF is one of them. My mom's a nurse, so I know a few things about it. However, it was different to read about characters actually affected by it in a book. I don't know if refreshing is the right word for it, but I don't know how else to describe it.

As I said, I was really excited to read this one. And then as a reader, I experienced so many ups and downs. Not only about the story and Stella and Will's road, but also about the writing. Some of it was good, some of it was bad. I felt like I was on a bumpy ride. The disease itself wasn't described well. Or did I miss it? I liked the way Stella dealt with it, using social media and all that. The story was really up-to-date with that. But still, the reader doesn't really understand why Stella and Will have to stay apart. Why the hell five feet?! Was the reader ever told?! I'm starting to doubt myself here. Maybe I missed it, maybe I didn't. Anyhow, I missed the lack of description.

Other than that I loved the romance. It was so sweet and light and everything a reader is looking for in a young adult novel. And I was surprised at how well Stella and Will's romance worked, even though they couldn't touch. As a reader, you feel sorry for them but also admire them for still feeling the way they do, for not fighting it, for trying to find ways to be together, for still having fun and for always supporting each other. And Will was such a clown. Sure enough, it's all for show and Stella gets to see his real self, but I liked his humor. Despite all the romance and fun, Five Feet Apart isn't always light. Take a wild guess - yes, there's also death included. And I cried. Like, a lot. Believe me. You don't really expect it. You think it's all sunshine and rainbows and there's gonna be a cure and everyone gets to live happily ever after. And then your fantasy gets shattered. And to make matters worse, I think this is actually important to show. That families grieve because of CF, that friendships and relationships end because of it. It's sad and tragic and I hate it. But it also teaches you to fully enjoy your life and live it to its fullest.

Having said all I can think of for now, I am excited for the movie. Just to make sure, I'm going to take tons of tissues with me, because there will be tears. No doubt about that.