Five Feet Apart

Quick Picks

1. Bibliography
 Lippincott, R., Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis. 2018. Five Feet Apart. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781534437333

2. Summary
Stella Grant suffers from Cystic Fibrosis (CF), and is a usual patient at the hospital, Saint Grace. As Stella makes her way to her usual stop in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she sees a boy that she does not recognize, Will Newman, who is patient that suffers from B. cepacia. As Stella is one who sticks to a plan and schedules, Will, on the other hand, is the complete opposite and is labeled as being a “rebel”. Stella's need to always take control forced her to want to help Will and get him into a regiment of taking better care of his life. During this journey, the two fall in love with each other but because Will has B. cepacia, which is very harmful for patients with CF, they always had to stay six feet apart from each other. When the two are caught together, Will realizes the danger he is putting on Stella’s life and decides to break things off and stay away from her. Not willing to give up, Stella does her research and creates a video for her YouTube channel that discusses B. cepacia. Stella gets a pool cue that will separate her and Will five feet apart at all times, because she will not let their disease take that one extra foot away from them and Will agrees to always have the pool cue between them. On Will’s birthday, Stella plans a surprise party that could not be anymore perfect, until they are caught by Barb, a nurse in the hospital, who catches them in the hospital cafeteria and sends them back to their rooms, and says Will will be sent to another hospital. Unfortunately, that same night, Stella’s best friend Poe, who also suffers from CF, passes away. Wanting to feel better, Stella wants to go on a walk to see the stars and asks Will to join her when he tries to stop her. As they are going through the snow to reach the hill to watch the stars, Stella receives a text that she can finally get a lung transplant. Knowing that this transplant will mean she can never see Will again, she decides to ignore the text and continues to enjoy her time with Will. Will then finds out about the text and urges Stella to return to the hospital. Stella, walking on a lake that is covered with ice, falls through the ice and Will calls an ambulance. When in the hospital, Stella agrees to the lung surgery and Will plans a goodbye surprise for Stella. Eight months have passed and Will and Stella’s paths cross again at an airport and the two see each other, five feet apart.

3. Discussion
This book had me laughing and crying throughout. I could not stop reading it and it is definitely a YA book that I would recommend to others. I did in fact immediately recommend this book to a friend who loves reading YA romance books as much as I do.

Even though this may be a fictional book, the topic of living life with cystic fibrosis (CF) can make this book relatable to readers who may be living with cystic fibrosis. As well, this story can bring awareness to the types of diseases discussed in the story as I was unaware of them prior to reading this story. 

4. Connections
With the topic of cystic fibrosis, students can do research on this topic to learn more about it. The question "Do cystic fibrosis patients have to stay five to six feet apart as it is mentioned in the story?" can be a research question that students can look into after reading this book.

There is a movie based on this book that was released in 2019 titled, Five Feet Apart. Since I truly enjoyed the book, I immediately bought the movie and I can not wait to watch it.

In a school setting, this can as well be made into a lesson for older students. The class can enjoy reading the book and then watch the movie and a discuss any differences and similarities between the two.