Wednesday, 4 May 2022

FIVE FEET APART by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

“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. What Stella needs to control most is her distance 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. In one week he’ll turn eighteen, and then he’ll be able to unplug himself from all these machines and actually go see the world. Will’s exactly what Stella needs to sat away from. But now 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 form breaking too?”

What is the book about?

Stella Grant and Will Newman both have cystic fibrosis, a disease that keeps them from living with the freedom most of us take for granted, but they both act in very different ways. Stella lives to be in control, even though her lungs are totally out of control. The thing she has to control the most is her distance from other CFers because one wrong move and she might find her life ending quicker than expected. Stella takes her treatments and medication seriously, giving herself more time, and most importantly her parents more time with her. Will Newman is the complete opposite. The only thing he wants is to finally get out of hospital and stop letting his messed up lungs dictate where he spends the rest of his life. Will knows it's only a matter of time before he dies and he isn't going to let anything stand in his way of actually living. Will is exactly what Stella needs to stay away from, but of course he's the one she wants. At first she doesn't understand why she is helping this boy out with his treatments and trying to keep him on this planet for longer, when clearly he doesn't care what happens to him. But soon six feet no longer feels like safety for either of them. It's a punishment. But what if they could steal back some more time and space that their broken lungs have stolen from them? Five feet apart couldn't possibly be so dangerous, if it keeps their hearts from breaking too…

What were your initial thoughts on the book?

Five Feet Apart had been on my never-ending list of books to buy for quite some time and when I finally got it for my birthday, I was ecstatic to begin. There was a lot that made the book stand out to me. For one, the book cover was beautiful and made me think that maybe the book would be wonderful too. The blurb was also very interesting and I really wanted to see how Stella and Will's love story turned out. One last thing that convinced me to try the book was the amount of incredible review and comments on it, and once I started reading it I completely agreed with them all. The start was amazing and the story flowed really well. I was in love with the book from the very beginning and I cannot believe how quickly it ended. It was very fast-paced from the very first page and I soon reached its end, regretting how quickly I read it and wishing to forget it all so I could experience it all over again. 

Who was your favourite character and why? 

My favourite character was probably Stella because of how in control she was. I think her control over her medications reminded me of how I like to be in control and to have everything as close to perfection as possible. I liked seeing how brave she was and how she coped with not being able to control her lungs. She wanted to keep living not just for herself, but for her parents. She saw how she kept them sane and if they lost her, they probably would even be able to take care of themselves. One of the best things about Stella was how she helped Will and wanted to keep him alive, even though she knew she was risking her own life to do it. She was willing to risk her chance for more time all for him, and didn’t regret her decision for a second. This was one thing that made me see that she wasn’t just a control freak, but that she actually cared about other people and wanted others to get the same opportunity she had; she wanted them to live. Stella learnt a lot from Will, but she also taught him a lot and gave him the chance to give his medical treatments another try and to actually attempt to live for longer than most people thought he would. Stella gave him hope. 

What was your favourite part of the book and why?

The book had a lot of good parts, some sad and others happy, and I enjoyed every single one. However, one that I enjoyed above all else was Will’s birthday surprise. I can’t say much about it because it is a surprise but there was a lot about it that made me choose it as my favourite. One thing about it was that Will had never really had any opportunities to have fun and just relax, as he had spent his whole live moving from hospital to hospital. I liked that he got to celebrate his birthday properly and that at least he would now have a happy memory in a hospital. Another thing that I liked was how much was risked to give Will a good birthday and how the others didn’t hesitate, even though there was a lot to lose. The moment didn’t last very long but it was a short amount of time where they were happy and where their disease didn’t dictate how they celebrated and who they celebrated with. It was one of the rare happy moments in the book, but it was one of the happiest.

What was your overall impression of the book?

Overall Five Feet Apart was absolutely incredible and there is nothing that I could change to make it any better. One thing that I really liked about the book was that it was written from 2 perspectives. I really loved hearing both Stella and Will’s points of view and getting to see both their reactions to certain things. It was funny to see how they reacted differently to certain things but also how they both kind of denied their feelings for the other. It was very cute to see how they both coped with having to be apart and to see how they both helped the other change and become a better person. Neither of them would have been the person they were at the end of the book without the others help and I really enjoyed getting the chance to see that. The last thing I would like to mention is the ending which I both liked and disliked. The thing that I liked about it was that it was probably the safest and best way to end the book and it left me with hope that Will and Stella would be able to find their happy endings. I liked that it skipped to 8 months later as I was able to see how they were doing and if they were really living their lives as they had wanted. What I didn’t like about the ending was that it left me wanting more and left me feeling empty. I wanted a lot more for Will and Stella and, even though I knew it wasn’t possible, I wish the book could have ended a little differently. The ending was both sad and happy and, as a whole, the book was incredible.

Would you recommend this book?  

I definitely recommend this book, particularly for readers over 14. It is a really incredible book and if you enjoy impossible romance then this is certainly the book for you. I know that anyone who picks up this book is sure to enjoy it and end up in tears.

Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)  

A magical, impossible romance from five feet apart.

Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego


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