I think that by now we have safely established that I love YA books. No, I am not a YA but I am the parent of 2 YA and not only do I love the genre but it’s always good to be in the loop of what your kid may be reading, not that I have ever vetoed a book they wanted to read, but many have opened the door to important conversations. So it should come to no surprise, no anyone, that I recently finished this book. It took me longer than it should have to finish it, and that is why we are here.
I watched the Netflix movie of The Kissing Booth shortly after it released in 2018 & it was exactly what I expected, a cute YA movie with a little drama & a happy ending, so when I saw that the Kindle book was on sale last December, I simply couldn’t not get it, despite the fact that at that time, I hadn’t rad a book in months. Yes. I am still rambling about that. I figured I would get to it eventually & I would love it, after all the book is always better than the movie, no?
No. Not this time.
I can’t even begin to tell you what it was that didn’t work for me, it just didn’t work for me. I found that the Elle & Lee from the movie were less popular but a lot more likable than those from the book, and so was Noah, for that matter. It was like the book didn’t have quite enough drama & everyone was just too popular, too perfect, too trusting & too forgiving, including the parents. I also found that movie Elle had more of a backbone & had a lot more self-confidence than her book version. The movie’s storyline with her mom was also better, in my opinion.
As always, I don’t want anyone to think that my personal thoughts & feelings on the book are meant to discourage anyone from reading it. I would never dream of it & I don’t believe in that. Books are meant to be read & authors put a great deal of blood, sweat, tears & probably a lot of sleepless nights into their work, and there is always something for everyone. This will just be one of those books that having read it once, I will never revisit, but will sit on my Amazon account in case my daughter ever decides to pick it up herself. The movie, I will continue to watch & I am actually watching as I write this, comparing & contrasting properly while organizing my thoughts.
Overall, I gave this book ★★★☆☆, which isn’t great, but it’s not horrible either.
Til next time!
Love,
-N.
Namie's Books 