We all struggle with things we can’t control. For teens Stella and Will, they have to battle a life-threatening disorder, Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott with Tobias Iaconis and Mikki Daughtry takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster of how these two deal with the conflict that comes with CF. 

Stella’s life as a CF patient is full of organized routines and schedules, but when an unorganized new CFer shows up, Stella can’t help but change the newbie’s view on life. The two of them start doing their treatments together and get closer along the way. However, when it comes to Cystic Fibrosis, CFers can’t be within six feet of one another or they will catch each others’ germs. 

This book takes one through the journey of two young teenagers falling in love with the matter of life or death in front of them. The two go through every precaution they can to see each other and be with one another, diving deeper into a forbidden love story. 

While reading, I found myself not able to put the book down. I wanted to know what would happen next after each chapter. The book also has a life lesson about living your life to the fullest.

“[Don’t] take your health or life for granted. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to live a healthy and complete life because not everyone can. We are able to go out with friends, love whoever we want, and even be around anyone we want. The kids in this story are not able to do any of those things. I feel like after you read this story you realize that you can do those things and we all need to be thankful for that,” Junior Jessica Rahm stated. 

With an almost perfect rating of the book, Rahm claimed to have rated it a nine out of ten due to how the story ended, however she claimed it to have been an emotional read. 

Rahm said, “…throughout reading the book, I would have to say my emotions were definitely on a roller coaster… One minute you might be smiling and the next crying.”

With the same rating as Rahm, McCoy claimed to have rated the book a nine as well. 

Junior Megan McCoy said, “I didn’t like how the ending was [but] it teaches a good lesson about how to just live your life and not wait for things to happen. And it teaches you how to just love people.”

After I read Five Feet Apart, I would have rated the book a perfect ten. Some may differ from my rating, but I felt that the story from beginning to end was written well and kept me from putting the book down. The story of the two CFers will always be one of my favorites. 

If this sounds like the type of romance novel that might interest you, I would highly recommend picking up a copy. You can purchase Five Feet Apart at your local Walmart for $14.17 or if you can wait, online order it on Amazon for $9.69. Once you read the book, make sure to check out the movie on Amazon Prime for $6.99 or iTunes for $14.99.