Five Feet Apart. (Mindscape Reviews!)
Posted On March 3, 2019
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,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.