Five Feet Apart

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher & author for sending me an ARC! Thank you!

Story: I really enjoyed reading about Stella, who is is constantly challenged by Cystic Fibrosis, which basically makes her feel as if
she's drowning in the mucus that her body is unable to cough up itself. She knows her time here is limited but seems to live
her life mostly for her parents and almost seems to forget about her own wishes. Of course there are plausible reasons for that,
I could most definitely see where she was coming from.

Then, out of nowhere of course, there is this guy who thinks "YOLO"... (pun intended, I know it's a bad one...) Will, despite
having to live with the same condition plus an extra infection which made sure he won't be able to undergo a lung transplant,
seems to have lost any will to live any longer than even the basic medication can support him with. This mostly seems to be
caused by the feeling that he is being used as an experimental guinea pig and his mom spending an awful lot amount of money ,
but no time actually with him personally.

As she reconsiders her "options" and takes a risk. (An enormous one, mind you, in her situation. Would not recommend.) He learns to
be a bit more relaxed and thinking before jumping into situation you might not come out of alive...


Characters: When living with a chronic illness from a young age people seem to be more mature than sometimes is good for them.
In other ways the teenage stubbornness can be quite tough, which is very realistic for all I recognise, and therefore did not
annoy me in any way.

Writing style: I think the author did very good simplifying very, extremely complicated situations. I liked how I flew through
the book.

Reread? Yes I will, also very interested in seeing the movie.

This is an emotional rollercoaster of a book. Get the tissues out ready.
It is a story based round Stella and Will who are both Cystic Fibrosis suffers. As with all CF suffers they are unable to see each other or be together due to risk of CF complications. However Stella and Will are starting to fall for each other,
There is so much more to this story. A must read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Full review posted at: https://kirstysbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/30/review-five-feet-apart-rachael-lippincott/

Stella Grant has spent the majority of her life in hospital due to Cystic Fibrosis. However, this time it’s different. This time, she meets Will Newman. As both characters get to know each other, the more they fall for each other and the more the safety of staying six feet apart feels like far too much.

I absolutely adored this book. For me there aren’t many faults I can pick out. The pacing was perfect, the characters lovable and it was uplifting seeing how positive the characters were despite their future being completely undetermined. One of the main things that bothered me was the character Abby. Not the character herself, but the way her story was handled. Abby was mentioned a few times at the beginning and then it may have just been me but after that I completely forgot about her. Around maybe halfway through the book, Abby appears again and the twist with her didn’t affect me as much as it probably should’ve which made me sad because I really didn’t see it coming at all! I just wasn’t completely invested in her to be shocked.

Going into my favourite characters, I absolutely adored Poe and I’m honestly so sad he wasn’t a bigger part of the story. He was funny and with the fact he was Stella’s best friend and they had been attending the same hospital constantly for years I just felt he deserved so much more time in the story. I also loved Will. Despite him being your generic YA love interest, he was just such a great character. I loved watching him slowly become more positive about his condition thanks to Stella. He went into hospital not really giving a hoohaa, avoiding his meds and just being a complete asshole about the whole situation but upon learning about Stella and the reason she continues to fight so hard he did his best to make that effort. He took his meds, he followed all routines and at one point even tried to avoid Stella in the hopes it would save her and give her a longer life.

The relationships between all the characters is just so lovely to see. The nurses in the hospital have known Stella for years and it definitely shows in the way they care for her but also in the way they joke and laugh with her. Stella herself is a great character. She’s in no way selfish and always worries about everyone else before herself. After the other book I’ve just finished reading, this was so well needed and extremely refreshing. I need more Stella in my life.

‘Five Feet Apart’ is such a beautiful, heart-warming story about friendship, love and pushing boundaries. If you’re a fan of John Green’s “The Fault In Our Stars” and Nicola Yoon’s “Everything, Everything” then I really do highly recommend this book to you. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me an eBook copy for review.

This book was an emotional one. I laughed and cried a lot. Especially the last 30 pages i couldn't keep my tears. I can't wait to watch the movie adaptation. It's gonna be wonderfull.

Heartbreaking, tragic and truly wonderful. It was such an emotional read and I'm so glad to hear that there's a movie coming out for this book! The characters were wonderful and I love that cystic fibrosis is being discussed in a much more open manner.

My first YA book of the year and what a beautiful and thought provoking story to start with. I have really enjoyed Stella and Will's journey together and seeing their relationship blossom; just like the flowers in the lungs of Abby's drawing on Stella's hospital wall which the cover depicts so wonderfully!

I have learnt so much about Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and it really makes you realise just how lucky you are. Being a child growing up in and out of hospital must be so incredibly difficult. There is also a guideline that says that those with CF should always remain six feet apart from one another to avoid cross contamination, meaning there can be no physical touch, something we take for granted, especially when it comes to our loved ones. Centred in a hospital where the main characters have CF, this story really shows just how hard this can be.

We get to see just how brave, and also defiant Stella is when she decides that "...after all that CF has stolen from me - from us - I'm stealing something back." That something being taking an extra foot back - hence the title five feet apart. That extra foot, the same length as a snooker cue symbolises so much for Stella and Will and I just loved reading about their journey together and how this little extra something meant so much.

This book deals so sensitively with traumatic events and is a powerful reminder to make the most of every moment and the time we have! I hope everyone takes something special away from this incredible story.

I usually don't read stories that are in essence love stories as they have never interested me, but that changes when the romance has original elements to it as it does here. Five Feet Apart, Rachael Lippincott's debut novel, is a young adult book with a difference. It uses the condition of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) as the major twist in the story and raises awareness of the issues real-life sufferers experience, where something as simple as a tender touch can become deadly. The wonderful merging of fact and fiction brings into view the dangers and fears of CF sufferers like never before and is, therefore, an incredibly emotional read from first page to last. Shining a light on little-known conditions, or more accurately, the sacrifices each patient much face whilst dealing with CF is illustrated perfectly here in a way both young and old will understand.

The only slight gripe I had was that at some points it felt as though the love between teen CF sufferers Stella and Will was all a little insta-lovey; if there was ever a time to make sure about the way you feel about someone it's when it could lead to your tragic demise. An eye-opening, thought-provoking book and one that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I hope this goes on to get some real attention as it certainly deserves to. I loved it! Oh, and the cover is one of the aptest, most poignant and stunning I've encountered in years. The movie industry's decision to adapt the book into a movie is underway.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster UK Children's for an ARC.

I know it's early in the year but I think this book will definitely be contender for my book of the year!

Beautifully written.

Heartbreaking yet uplifting.

This is a story that will pull you in, give you all the feels and leave you with a sense of hope and a need to make the most of the life you've been given.

If I could give it more than five stars I absolutely would.

Get it on your TBR list now!

4.5 STARS! I saw the trailer for the movie before reading this book, meaning that I was picturing Cole Sprouse as Will throughout the entire thing - which definitely helped make it such an addicting read!

This was such a heartwarming and devastating and eye-opening and addicting read all wrapped up into one. I couldn't put it down! Five Feet Apart follows perfectionist Stella and rebel Will, two teens diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), in the hospital at the same time. Both of them have a completely different approach to their condition and their treatment paths, as well as their general outlook on life. They also can't stand within 6 feet of each other because germs bouncing from one CFer to another can be deadly. Not a big deal, considering the two can't stand each other.

But, as the two teens get to know each other, their differences don't matter so much anymore. In fact, they could each learn something from the other. And as they really get to know each other, stepping inside that 6 feet boundary becomes tempting.

Seriously, I will ship Will & Stella forever. I've read other reviews for this book where people complain about the speed at which their relationship moves and some of the rash decisions that are made. But they're teenagers! And they're bored, stuck inside a hospital, separated from their friends and their lives and all the fun, crazy things teenagers should be doing. The fast-paced love and overly dramatic outbursts are part of what make the relationship so magical and so engaging.

I can't wait to watch the film!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC of Five Feet Apart.