I absolutely loved this book! The story! The characters! The whole thing just hits you with the feels.

Be prepared. This one will hit you in all the feels! Stella has cystic fibrosis and has been hospitalized yet again, this time missing her senior class trip. She is used to missing out on the things she wants because of her CF and although she is happy to see a couple friends on the CF floor, it just isn’t the same. How close can you be to someone you have to stay at least 6 feet away from at all times? Stella knows exactly what she wants and exactly what she doesn’t. Enter Will who is everything Stella doesn’t want but both of them are finding that 6 feet is actually a huge distance to cross.

I requested this read, because it made me think of The Fault In Our Stars and Everything Everything, and because it is already being turned into a movie, which I thought may say something about the quality of the story. I was right. This book had my emotions ON HIGH!! Disclosure upfront, this book deals with Cystic Fibrosis, not cancer. And while I cannot speak to the representation of the illness, I can definitely say that the author told a heart-wrenching story that I think contemporary fans will highly enjoy. We flip between our two protagonists’ points of view, and I really enjoyed both of them as characters. While I was expecting a sad love story, this book really ended up centring around so much more. It focused on Hope, Healing, Sacrifice, and Family. Criers: beware! But, totally worth it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was only ok. The characters weren’t original or have any depth to them. The one good point of the book was a more in depth view of teens living with CF. However the entire story felt done before. It didn’t bring anything new to this type of narrative.

Before beginning this review I want to note that I don’t know a lot about cystic fibrosis. I cannot comment on if this book is accurate to the experience of living with it and its complications or not. My review is only on how enjoyable and well written the book was. I did not see any glaring inaccuracies about the disease but if there are some please let me know!

I’m a sucker for tragic romances like this. I’m also a sucker for disease being portrayed in a realistic way in all it’s gross coughing up phlegm glory. I don’t think death and dying of disease should be romanticised, but I think it’s perfectly fine to have romantic stories with those elements. If you loved John Green’s The Fault in our Stars then you will absolutely love this book.

There are alternating points of view, both with excellent unique voices. Stella is a goody two shoes who’s doing everything to get more time with her family. Will is the rebellious bad boy who wants to die wild and free. Obviously they’re going to fall in love. The supporting cast is also wonderfully fleshed out. The no nonsense nurse with a huge heart. The loving but slightly misguided mother. Two parents struggling to stay together through some horrible trials.

Will is the real star of the show. Stella is relatable and likeable but you will fall in love with Will. He’s funny, sweet and charming. There’s great chemistry between him and Stella. You want them to kiss as much as they want to which is the most important part of any successful romance. I cannot wait to see him played by Cole Sprouse in the upcoming film next March.

There were parts of the story near the end I didn’t enjoy. I got so furious with Stella at points that I had to put the book down in frustration because I was so mad. She makes some truly stupid decisions near the end that veer away from “Sad Teen Romance” to “Romeo & Juliet Level Idiocy”.

SPOILER: There’s also a death in this book. Shocking that a book about terminal illnesses has a death I know. It’s a very well written and realistic hospital death but it felt like the grief was thrown aside way too quickly for the characters. It felt more like something written to give characters a sudden reason to change because the author couldn’t think of a more organic way to have the characters change.

For fans of John Green this will absolutely be a hit, in fact I imagine most people will love it. The best part is that there’s hardly any wait for the film adaptation.

If you are a fan of John Greene’s The Fault in Our Stars or Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything, then I highly suggest you add this book to your list. This book focuses on main characters Stella and Will. They have almost an instant attraction and curiosity towards each other. The only problem is they both have Cystic Fibrosis and can’t come within 6 feet of each other. Honestly, I had my concerns about this story. I didn’t know how the author could possibly pull off a love story about two people who could never touch, and yet it worked. I also learned that this story is about so much more than the love story between Stella and Will. It’s about hope. It’s about friendship. It’s about family. It’s about the sacrifices you are willing to make for those you love. It’s a book that will definitely pull at your heart strings.

I did have some issues with the book. Those issues mostly revolve around Stella’s best friend, Poe. I don’t want to go into detail because I don’t want to spoil anything but I didn’t like how his story line was handled. I can’t speak to the accuracy of information about Cystic Fibrosis but I found it very interesting how detailed the author was throughout the story. I really think this book (and movie) will bring more awareness to more people like me who aren’t overly familiar with the genetic disease. I really liked how modern and relevant this story was. I think a lot of teens will be able to really relate to the characters.

I still don’t know how to feel about the end of the book. It left me with questions. I have some issues with how the characters handled certain events. I did really love the moment between our two main characters at the end. When you read it, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

From start to finish, this book held my attention in a vice grip. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, it documents the struggle of young Cystic Fibrosis patients to maintain a normal life. When the every day act of holding hands could be a death sentence, you look at life, and romance, a little differently.

Stella and Will take a different approach to their diagnoses though and face love head on with nutty adventures that are sure to keep you entertained!

Generally I wouldn’t choose a book like this on my own because I stay away from contemporary YA fiction, but I have to say I got into it and cried right along with the main characters when things went badly. The main character, Stella, has cystic fibrosis and the novel follows her time during an extended stay at the hospital that includes missing a class trip, falling in love, and almost dying. I had only a general knowledge of what people with cystic fibrosis go through, so this book was also an eye opener in that respect. The characters are painfully real at times and even when rooting for them, you also want to shake them a little bit.

Omg I just read that this is going to be a movie and I’m almost in tears. As I was reading this book all I could think was “this best be a movie”.

The feels I had reading this book. From the description I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to line it. But I fell in love with it and read it in one sitting.

This story was heartbreaking without being over melodramatic. The author achieved just the right amount of angst and never did any of the characters cross over into being whiny.

I’m not usually a fan of books with a strong focus on love or romance but man! I was a bit addicted to this book.

I will definitely hand sell the heck out of this when it comes out. And I’ll be going to the movie opening night.

A heartfelt look at the reality of living with CF. At times a difficult read but lovely all at once.

<b><i>The only way to stay alive is to stay apart</b></i>


It has been a long time since a book made me cry.

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story. The writing style and character development was great. The story flowed, there were no filler chapters, every page mattered.

As I have said in multiple reviews, I like the back and forth chapters between characters or timelines as it adds dimension to the story, seeing it from multiple views. These chapters go between the two protagonists, Will Newman and Stella Grant.

Will and Stella meet in the cystic fibrosis wing of the hospital. This is the classic bad boy artist, meets Type-A personality girl.
But their story, is so much more than that. And their story is so much more than their illness.

It's hard for me to write this review because I don't want to give even the smallest detail away. I want the reader to read this book like I did, completely blind to the characters and their life.

So all I will say is this.
I read this book in less than 24 hours.
I was never bored, I always cared. and I did not want it to be over.