Five Feet Apart Book Review

       Five Feet Apart is a realistic fiction romantic novel. Much of the plot is based on a disease that the main characters have. It is called Cystic Fibrosis, or CF. It affects the lungs and digestive system. The main aspect of CF is the large excess amount of mucus the body creates. You must stay six feet apart from any other individual with CF. This is because if a patient were to catch a cough or spread germs to another CFer, they would get very sick and possibly die. 

        The main character of this novel is named Stella. She has Cystic Fibrosis and has thought of Saint Grace Hospital as a second home since she was six. She regularly comes in for even the slightest cold as a precaution for her health. She is very strict about her regimen (which is like a schedule/ to do list of medications and treatments) and staying alive, for the sake of her parents. Her older sister who she was super close with died recently at a young age in a tragic accident that Stella blames herself for, leading to her parents relationship ending. Stella is convinced that they could not handle it if Stella were to die also. She has a best friend named Poe who also has CF, they met at St. Grace's when they were little and now are inseparable (except the 6 ft between them at all times...) But one day when Stella checks into the hospital, there is a boy she has never seen before. She finds out his name is Will and he is visiting for a new drug trial. Immediately she thinks he's very attractive, although she would never let on as such, but she doesn't think much of it. Stella and Will eventually start talking when Stella finds out that Will never takes any of his medication or does his treatments. She confronts him one day and finds out that he does not follow his regimen purely because he knows he will die, and out of rebellion. Stella stresses out about this and asks Will to do it for the sake of her sanity, he makes a deal with her to do it if he can draw her. From here, their relationship grows and they fall in love. Despite the rules, they want to be together. This leads to hard decisions and painful series of events. 

        I thought this book was really good! Previously to reading this book, I watched the movie Five Feet Apart, which sparked my interest to see what the printed version was like. I was not disappointed. When reading a story, you get the privilege to see what the characters are thinking that does not come in many movies. I like this plot and I think it is important to raise awareness about diseases like CF that people must live with and that can control every aspect of a patients life, including who they can safely love. I think Stella undergoes some very important and amazing character development because of Will as well as visa versa for Will. The author depicts their complicated relationship well and helps you to think about how they are feeling. One method the author used to aid in being able to understand the characters more is that each chapter switches between the point of view of Stella and Will. I really like this because it is always obvious who is speaking and you get an equal sense of how everyone is feeling. Glad I read this!

Thanks for reading, 

Jenna