Five feet apart by Rachael Lippincott- A book review

I jumped at the chance to buddy read Five feet apart by Rachael Lippincott, because it is not something that has ended up quite well for me historically and I would not pick it up on my own even though it was on my TBR. Go figure!

It has been a while since I read a young adult based in a hospital romance (or sick-lit, if I may). Yes it is supposedly a trope by itself, if you had not known earlier.

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About Five feet apart

Five Feet Apart

Book Name: Five feet apart

Author: Rachael Lippincott

Genre: Fiction – Romance, Young Adult

Characters: Stella and Abby Grant, Will Newman, Poe, Camila, Mya

Setting: The United States of America

Plot Summary of Five feet apart

Stella Grant is a high schooler who is at the final stages of Cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder that mainly affects the lung. She has been a regular at the hospital for most of her life. She loves lists and being in control is the only way she knows to cope up with her health.

While she has a great support system and friends circle in and around the hospital, she has to avoid putting herself at the risk of infections she would be eligible for lung transplant.

Will Newman is a new CF patient to the hospital and all he wants is to get away from it. He has spent most of his life between clinical trials and staying at various hospitals and is now waiting to turn eighteen so that he can get away from all these restrictions and enjoy life as it should be. 

When they both stumble upon each other, they know they should stay away from each other. But what if they maintained a five feet distance between each other? Would that be so bad forms the rest of Five feet apart.

Book review of Five feet apart

Due to my earlier disappointments with the romances with sick teens, I was skeptical when I started reading Five feet apart and I was mildly surprised that I enjoyed it as much. Though I have a few misgivings about the plot, the easy writing and witty dialogues kept me going. 

I wish books would stop portraying that kids who are suffering some physical ailments do not get to enjoy anything in life and they need to break free of their treatments / medical restrictions to get to be “normal”.

I liked reading about the CF which is a new thing for me, and the story was cutesy as YAs tend to be and am totally looking forward to watching the movie Five feet apart starring Cole Sprouse now.

Things that worked for me

  • Five feet apart plays exactly into the trope of sick lit and does a good job with it.
  • I enjoyed the easy writing style and the witty banter between the characters.

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I didn’t feel related to the characters but it is just me. It did not hinder my reading.
  • As I mentioned earlier, I personally had issues with the trope that encourages patients to break free of the treatment.

Bottom-line

Five feet apart is a typical sick lit that does its job in opening up talks about the CF with a positive ending. I would recommend it for all John Green (of course) and Nicoola Yoon fans.

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Have you read Five feet apart by Rachael Lippincott? Do you enjoy reading books set in hospital and people with physical ailments? Let us talk. 

23 Comments

  1. theorangutanlibrarian

    Ah yeah I also have some issues with this trope sometimes, so I get what you mean there. And it’s a pity you didn’t find the characters relatable. It’s good this had some CF rep though. Great review!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I agree on the CF rep. I hope you read this one too.

      Reply
  2. faizan

    Books that follow the trope and still make a good read are excellent… I read the The Death and life of Charlie Cloud, and it was really good

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      That is a new one to me. I will have to check it out.

      Reply
  3. Megan | Ginger Mom & Company

    This looks great! And I’ve always wanted to buddy read a book 🙂 Great review!

    Reply
  4. Katiria Rodriguez

    Great review, I’m really glad that you fully enjoyed reading this book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

    Reply
  5. Kathy West

    I keep seeing this book everywhere!

    Reply
  6. Ruby @ Ruby's Books

    Great review!! Like you I have a bit of an issue with stories where the idea of interrupting treatment is encouraged, but that’s just me. I have heard of this book, but I haven’t read it yet. I’m so glad you enjoyed it though. Happy reading!

    Reply
  7. Tasha

    Fantastic review. I should avoid this one as my emotions wouldn’t take it.

    Reply
  8. Whispering Stories

    Great review, I have picked this book up a few times to read but never actually gotten around to reading it.

    Reply
  9. DJ Sakata

    I fear this would break me

    Reply
  10. Jo Linsdell

    Good to see CF represented. Sick-lit always tend to be emotional reading though and this sounds like I’d need a box of tissues handy.

    Reply
  11. Olivia Roach

    I read this one last month and it surprised me with how much I liked it as well! I didn’t know anything about CF before reading so I learned a lot and I liked Stella as a character as well. So it was a good read for me!

    Reply
  12. Emily Nicholas

    I just watched the movie and cried like a little baby. Great review. I need to read the book now.

    Reply
  13. Jenn @ Bound to Writing

    Great review Gayathri! I’ve been hearing about this book everywhere since the movie released, but I just didn’t think this one was for me. I’m so glad you enjoyed this book.

    Reply
  14. Kymber Hawke

    I really enjoyed your review. I haven’t read this one or seen the movie, but maybe I’ll give it a go.

    Reply
  15. DEEKSHA BAJAJ

    I have been seeing this book everywhere. But somehow I haven’t added it in my TBR. I am glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

    Reply
  16. Laura Thomas

    I lost a friend to CF and for a long time I couldn’t read books about sick kids. I probably won’t read this but I would watch the movie. Thanks for sharing:)

    Reply
  17. Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

    I had no idea sick-lit existed so thanks for letting me know lol
    For this one, I think I’d stick to watching the movie. It sounds interesting, but may not hold my interest for long if I were to read it. Glad you enjoyed it, though!

    Reply
  18. Sam@wlabb

    I am a glutton for punishment and keep wanting to read sick kids books. This one, of course, is on my TBR. My interest was heightened, because we don’t see many books with CF in them.

    Reply
    • Gemma

      I’m not a romance fan but I’m pleased to see some positive CF rep. Great review.
      Gemma @ Gemma’s Book Nook

      Reply
    • Gayathri

      Oh I have had several bad episodes with sick kids. No more for me.

      Reply

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Gayathri

Gayathri

Gayathri has been reviewing books since 2010. When she is not reading books or creating online content, she works as a writer and a digital marketer. Head over to meet me!