Five Feet Apart Summary & Book Review | Rachael Lippincott & Mikki Daughtry
Five Feet Apart Summary & Book Review: An Introduction
What would you do if the person you loved could kill you with a single touch?
The book is contemporary young adult romance at its most emotionally urgent, blending the medical realism of Lurlene McDaniel’s hospital dramas with the star-crossed longing of The Fault in Our Stars.
This young adult novel, written by Rachael Lippincott along with screenwriters Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, is a heart-wrenching contemporary romance set within the sterile, life-sustaining walls of a hospital.
This Five Feet Apart Book Summary will explore a story set almost entirely within the sterile walls of Saint Grace’s Hospital, where two teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis fall in love but must remain separated by an invisible, life-or-death boundary.
The central question asks whether a life measured in safe distances and sterile routines is worth living at all, and what we owe to those who love us when our very presence endangers them.
This article will provide a comprehensive Five Feet Apart Book Review, Summary and analysis, covering the unforgettable characters, the devastating choices, and the bittersweet hope that makes this novel resonate with readers of all ages.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): The Quick Book Snapshot
For a fast overview only. Detailed analysis starts below.
⏱️ Short Summary ⚡ (NO SPOILERS)
Five Feet Apart explores the forbidden romance between two teenagers with cystic fibrosis who must maintain a strict six-foot distance to avoid cross-infection that could be fatal. The story fundamentally questions what it means to truly live when your body is fighting against you and whether love is worth the ultimate risk. It offers a deeply emotional, intimate reading experience that feels like a stolen breath of fresh air in a world of antiseptic and rules.
🔹 Key Takeaways (High-Level • Spoiler-Free)
This book raises questions about the nature of sacrifice and what we are willing to risk for love.
It explores the psychological toll of chronic illness and the desperate need for control in an uncontrollable situation.
The narrative focuses on the human necessity for physical touch and the agony of its absence.
It highlights the importance of friendship and the different ways people cope with grief and mortality.
🧠 Themes (Very Brief)
Love, sacrifice, control, mortality, grief, and the necessity of human touch.
🎭 Tone / Style
Emotional, urgent, intimate, and heart-wrenching.
This snapshot only scratches the surface. Scroll down for a full Five Feet Apart book review, summary and analysis that dives deep into this unforgettable story.
Disclaimer: This Five Feet Apart book summary does not replace the original book. For the full depth and experience, reading the complete work is highly recommended.
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Book Details
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 1, 2022 (Reprint)
Print Length: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1665904968
ISBN-13: 978-1665904964
Genres: Young Adult Fiction
Sub-genres: Contemporary Romance, Medical Drama, Coming of Age Fiction
Age Range: 12+ years, Grade Level: 7-9
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Five Feet Apart Book Review & Literary Analysis
Themes Analysis
The Necessity of Human Touch: The novel posits that human touch is as vital as air, and its absence is a form of emotional suffocation. The six-foot rule is not just a medical boundary but a constant, agonizing reminder of what Stella and Will can never have.
Control vs. Chaos: Stella’s meticulous to-do lists and her self-built medical app represent an attempt to control an incurable disease. Will’s rebellion and fatalism represent an acceptance of chaos. Their relationship forces both to find a middle ground.
Survivor’s Guilt: Stella carries the immense weight of her sister Abby’s death, feeling she was the one “supposed to die.” This guilt fuels her obsessive need to stay alive for her grieving, divorced parents.
Living vs. Surviving: Will challenges Stella to move beyond just managing her disease and her fear to actually experiencing life, declaring, “I’m tired of living without really living.”
Art as Legacy: Abby’s drawings of lungs made of flowers and Will’s cartoons serve as lasting marks of their existence in a world where they feel they are “born terminal.” Art becomes a way to be remembered and to process grief.
The “Bushel and a Peck” Motif: This song, sung by Abby to Stella, represents the legacy of love and the bridge between Stella, her sister, and Will. It is a symbol of unconditional, enduring love passed between souls.
Character Analysis
| Character | Role | Key Traits & Arc |
|---|---|---|
| Stella Grant | Protagonist | A seventeen-year-old with cystic fibrosis who uses lists and strict regimens to manage her illness and her survivor’s guilt over her sister Abby’s death. Her arc moves from living for others to learning to live for herself. |
| Will Newman | Protagonist | A rebellious artist and fellow CF patient infected with the deadly B. cepacia. Initially fatalistic and tired of being a “human petri dish,” he finds a reason to fight for “more time” through his love for Stella. |
| Poe | Supporting / Best Friend | Stella’s best friend since childhood and a fellow CFer. His sudden death from a collapsed lung is the devastating catalyst for Stella’s rebellion and her decision to stop “swimming upstream.” |
| Barb | Supporting / Maternal Figure | The strict but loving respiratory therapist who acts as a guardian for the CF patients. Haunted by the death of two previous patients who broke the six-foot rule, her strictness is born of a desperate need to protect. |
| Abby Grant | Catalyst (Past) | Stella’s older sister, who died in a cliff-diving accident. Her death is the root of Stella’s survivor’s guilt and her obsession with staying alive for her parents. Her drawings are a recurring symbol of life and love. |
Romance Tropes, Conflicts, etc.
Forbidden Love (Medical): The central trope is a “forbidden romance” where the very air between the lovers is a potential death sentence. The conflict is not parental or societal, but biological and existential.
Opposites Attract: Stella is the “goody two-shoes” who follows every rule; Will is the rebellious artist who disregards his medical regimen. Their clash of philosophies is the engine of their initial connection and their eventual growth.
Symbolism in The Book
This table represents my personal analysis of the recurring symbols used by the authors to deepen the narrative.
| Symbol | Meaning & Significance |
|---|---|
| The Five-Foot Pool Cue | The cue symbolizes the “stolen” distance that Stella reclaims from CF. It is the physical boundary that both connects and separates the lovers, allowing them to be together while remaining safe. |
| Abby’s Lung Drawings | The drawings of lungs made from flowers represent the promise of life and beauty even within a diseased body. They are a visual metaphor for Stella’s desire to see herself as more than her illness. |
| The Rooftop | Will’s escape to the hospital rooftop symbolizes his need for air that doesn’t smell like antiseptic and his desire for a perspective beyond the confines of his illness. It is a place of temporary freedom. |
| The Frozen Pond | The pond represents the ultimate risk. Stella’s fall through the ice is the physical manifestation of the danger they have been flirting with, forcing Will to make an impossible choice. |
| The Holiday Lights | The lights that Will arranges for Stella are his final gift. They symbolize the beauty and joy he wanted to give her, even as he accepts that he must leave to ensure she can “be safe” and see more of the world. |
Settings & Analysis
| Setting | Genre & Atmosphere |
|---|---|
| Saint Grace’s Hospital | Medical Drama / Claustrophobic Sanctuary: The hospital is a second home, a place of both life-saving treatment and suffocating routine. The atmosphere is one of antiseptic sterility, beeping monitors, and the constant, low hum of anxiety. |
| The Hospital Rooftop | Moment of Escape / Breath of Fresh Air: The rooftop is a liminal space where Will and Stella can briefly escape the clinical environment below. It offers a view of the world they are separated from and a rare sense of freedom. |
| The Hospital Atrium & Pool | Stolen Normalcy / Intimate Connection: These spaces become the setting for their “dates,” transformed by their presence and their five-foot pool cue into places of tentative joy and heartbreaking normalcy. |
| The Park with Holiday Lights | Fleeting Freedom / Tragic Consequence: The outside world represents everything they long for. Their escape to see the lights is a brief, beautiful act of rebellion that ends in near-tragedy, underscoring the constant peril of their condition. |
Literary Analysis
Writing Style & Language
The prose is direct and emotionally resonant, employing alternating first-person narration. I notice the medical terminology is integrated seamlessly, grounding the romance in harsh reality without becoming didactic.
The language is accessible to young adult readers while maintaining emotional weight, balancing the clinical with the poetic.
Narrative Voice & POV & Dialogue
Alternating first-person POV between Stella and Will allows me to experience both the internal anxiety of the “good patient” and the rebellious hope of the “bad patient.” This duality creates dramatic irony and deepens empathy.
Dialogue reveals character through what is said and what remains unspoken—the pauses and deflections that mask fear.
Structure (POV, Timelines, Case vs Personal Arc)
The novel is divided into four parts that mirror the trajectory of Stella and Will’s relationship: from clinical boundary to stolen moments to sacrifice and aftermath. I observe how each section shifts the emotional stakes.
The epilogue set eight months later provides necessary closure while honoring the ongoing nature of chronic illness.
Pacing & Rhythm
The pacing is generally fast, mirroring the urgency of characters with limited time. Intimate moments like the pool scene slow down deliberately, allowing emotional weight to accumulate before the accelerating crisis.
The final chapters move with breathless intensity from Poe’s death to the frozen pond to the transplant, creating a rhythmic crescendo.
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Who This Book Is For?
Readers who love emotional, character-driven contemporary romance.
Fans of stories about young people facing serious illness, like The Fault in Our Stars.
Anyone who appreciates a unique, high-stakes twist on the “forbidden love” trope.
Those looking for a book that will make them cry but also feel hopeful.
Readers interested in learning more about cystic fibrosis and the daily realities of living with a chronic illness.
Fans of the film adaptation who want to experience the deeper internal lives of the characters.
My Final Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5/5 stars)
What Should I Read Next? 9 Books Like Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor — A 2024 YA romance featuring characters navigating neurodivergence and the complexities of connection.
If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin — A 2024 novel exploring grief, love, and the things left unsaid between friends and lovers.
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks — A classic YA drama involving a secret illness and a transformative first love that changes both characters forever.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews — Focuses on the friendship between a teenager and a girl with leukemia, with a similar blend of humor and heartbreak.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven — Deals with teenage grief, mental health, and the impact of loss on a relationship, sharing the emotional intensity.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman — Explores the boundary between life and death during a medical crisis, asking what makes life worth living.
Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider — Set in a sanatorium for teens with drug-resistant tuberculosis, mirroring the isolation and community of CF patients.
Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel — A prolific author of medical romance for teens, with similar subject matter and emotional stakes.
This Star Won’t Go Out by Esther Earl — A nonfiction collection of the journals of a young woman with cancer, whose life inspired The Fault in Our Stars.
About the Author: Rachael Lippincott
Rachael Lippincott was born on December 5, 1994, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
She is best known for writing the novelization of Five Feet Apart from a screenplay, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction.
She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her wife and their dog, Hank.
Famous Books by Rachael Lippincott:
Five Feet Apart (2018, co-author)
All This Time (2020, co-author)
The Lucky List (2021)
She Gets the Girl (2022, co-author)
Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh (2023)
Authors with a Similar Style:
John Green (for witty, philosophical YA about illness)
Nicola Yoon (for unique, high-concept contemporary romance)
Jennifer Niven (for emotional explorations of grief and mental health)
External Sources:
Social: Instagram: @rachaellippincott | Twitter/X: @rchllipp
Goodreads Page: Rachael Lippincott on Goodreads
Wikipedia Page: Rachael Lippincott on Wikipedia
Top Quotes From The Five Feet Apart Book
“If I’m going to die, I’d like to actually live first.”
“Cystic fibrosis will steal no more from me. From now on, I am the thief.”
“I don’t want to leave you, but I love you too much to stay.”
“How long will I live my life afraid of what-ifs?”
“Everyone in this world is breathing borrowed air.”
“We need that touch from the one we love, almost as much as we need air to breathe.”
Full & Detailed Five Feet Apart Summary: What is it about?
(Spoilers Ahead)
Five Feet Apart centers on Stella Grant and Will Newman, two seventeen-year-olds with cystic fibrosis who meet during a hospital stay at Saint Grace’s.
Stella is a meticulous rule-follower who uses to-do lists and a self-built medical app to manage her illness and her survivor’s guilt over her sister Abby’s death.
She is waiting for a lung transplant and must avoid any infection that could jeopardize her spot on the list.
Will is the opposite: a rebellious artist infected with the deadly B. cepacia bacteria, which disqualifies him from transplants.
He is fatalistic, tired of being a “human petri dish,” and only wants to turn eighteen so he can unplug his machines and see the world.
Their initial interactions are a clash of philosophies, but they are drawn together by their shared reality. Stella, distressed by Will’s non-compliance, strikes a deal: she will help him manage his treatments if he allows her to draw him.
Through video calls and carefully distanced interactions, they fall in love. Stella eventually decides to “steal back” one foot of the required six-foot distance, declaring that CF has taken enough from her.
They share a magical first “date” in the hospital pool, using a five-foot pool cue to maintain their boundary.
Tragedy strikes when their best friend, Poe, dies suddenly from a collapsed lung. Grief-stricken and desperate to feel alive, Stella convinces Will to escape the hospital to see the holiday lights at a nearby park. While there, Stella falls through thin ice on a frozen pond.
Will pulls her out and performs mouth-to-mouth CPR, knowingly risking her infection with his B. cepacia. Stella is rushed back to the hospital, where a new set of lungs miraculously becomes available.
After her transplant, Will realizes his presence is a lethal threat to her new lungs. He stages a beautiful display of lights outside her window, says goodbye, and leaves the hospital to protect her.
Eight months later, they cross paths at an airport, both alive and still connected from five feet apart.
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Five Feet Apart Ending Explained
*⚠️ ALERT: May Contain Spoilers. *
The ending of Five Feet Apart is a bittersweet culmination of the themes of sacrifice and survival.
After saving Stella’s life at the frozen pond, Will is forced to face the reality that his very presence is a lethal threat to her new lungs.
He stages a beautiful display of the holiday lights Stella always wanted to see outside her hospital window. Through the glass, he tells her he loves her but must leave so she can “be safe.”
The epilogue, set eight months later, shows Stella at an airport, healthy and traveling. She sees Will across the terminal. They smile at each other, still maintaining their five-foot distance, proving that both have survived and are still connected.
Plot Analysis
The plot of Five Feet Apart is a masterful blend of medical realism and high-stakes romance. It moves with the urgency of the characters’ limited time, driven by the constant tension between their growing love and the immutable rules of their disease.
The novel’s greatest strength is its use of alternating first-person perspectives. By inhabiting both Stella’s anxious control and Will’s rebellious hope, the reader develops a profound empathy for both characters and the impossible choices they face.
Ultimately, the story is a testament to the power of sacrifice. It argues that true love is not about possession but about ensuring the other person’s survival, even if it means letting them go. The ending is not a tragedy but a hard-won, hopeful acknowledgment that love can endure across any distance.
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Five Feet Apart Book Summary by Chapter
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This section contains detailed, chapter-by-chapter plot summaries.
Chapter 1: Stella settles into her hospital room for what she knows will be a long stay. True to her nature, she immediately organizes every inch of her space with precision, clinging to control where she can. She says a bittersweet goodbye to her friends as they leave for a trip she’s too sick to join.
• Chapter 2: Will, the new arrival on the floor, watches Stella from afar with detached curiosity. Their first real encounter takes place in the NICU — and it’s anything but friendly.
• Chapter 3: Stella chats with her best friend Poe over video call, providing comfort in routine — until alarms blare down the hall, sending the entire floor into sudden panic.
• Chapter 4: Alone that night, Will spirals down a rabbit hole of Stella’s old YouTube videos. Through them, he glimpses her family, her hope, and her heartbreak.
• Chapter 5: Stella finds Will standing dangerously close to the edge on the hospital roof. Terrified and furious, she confronts him — their tension exploding into their first brutally honest exchange.
• Chapter 6: Determined to save him from himself, Stella strikes a deal: she’ll leave him alone — if he agrees to follow his treatment plan.
• Chapter 7: While reorganizing Will’s medication cart, Stella discovers an unexpected side of him: his sketches. They reveal more than his words ever would.
• Chapter 8: Their treatments become synchronized over video chat. What starts as obligation slowly turns into companionship as they begin sharing parts of themselves no one else sees.
• Chapter 9: Stella’s G-tube becomes infected, driving her into painful medical complications. A difficult conversation with her mother exposes the immense pressure she carries just to keep surviving.
• Chapter 10: Will opens up about his love for cartooning — until a misunderstanding about their families sparks a sudden, heated argument.
• Chapter 11: Reeling, Stella confides in Poe about her sister Abby and the fears she’s buried for years. Her infection worsens rapidly — forcing emergency surgery.
• Chapter 12: Wracked with guilt over his harsh words, Will pieces together the truth about Abby. He waits helplessly for news of Stella.
• Chapter 13: Just before Stella’s operation, Will surprises her with a deeply personal gesture — one that calms her more than any medication.
• Chapter 14: While Stella is in surgery, Will overhears a brutal argument between her parents. Nurse Barb shuts it down — reminding them what truly matters.
• Chapter 15: Groggy but alive, Stella awakens to a gift from Will. She leaves him a voicemail — small in action, enormous in meaning.
• Chapter 16: Will sticks to his treatments. Then he receives a hand-drawn message from Stella — one that changes everything about the space between them.
• Chapter 17: They go on their first “date” — an illicit midnight escapade through the hospital halls.
• Chapter 18: Their journey leads to the hospital pool, where walls fall completely and vulnerability turns to intimacy.
• Chapter 19: Their magic is cut short when Barb nearly catches them. They separate — breathless, terrified, and undeniably connected.
• Chapter 20: On Will’s eighteenth birthday, an uncomfortable visit from his mother and bad clinical news crush his optimism.
• Chapter 21: Stella refuses to let him drown in disappointment — she orchestrates an elaborate surprise party, bringing joy back into the sterile halls.
• Chapter 22: After the celebration, Stella and Will sneak outside into the snow — carefree for once — until disaster strikes.
• Chapter 23: As Stella sinks beneath icy water, she experiences a powerful vision of Abby.
• Chapter 24: While waiting for updates, Will reflects on his mother, his loneliness — and the overwhelming realization of how much Stella means to him.
• Chapter 25: Stella is pulled from the water — and encounters Abby again in a profound, life-changing moment.
• Chapter 26: Will pushes his weakened lungs to revive Stella — giving her everything he has left.
• Chapter 27: Stella wakes in the ER, faced with a decision that could define the rest of her life.
• Chapter 28: As Stella receives her long-awaited transplant, Will learns the fate of his clinical trial — and makes a selfless choice about his future.
• Chapter 29: Stella wakes to find a breathtaking surprise from Will. Their reunion becomes a beautiful — and devastating — goodbye.
• Chapter 30: Eight months later, Will stands in an airport, ready to see the world — carrying Stella’s courage with him.
• Chapter 31: Eight months later, Stella — alive, healthy, and breathing with new lungs — arrives at the same airport… and fate gives them one last, quiet miracle.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the book Five Feet Apart about?
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott is about two teenagers with cystic fibrosis, Stella and Will, who fall in love but must maintain a strict six-foot distance to avoid a fatal cross-infection.
How many pages is the book Five Feet Apart?
The reprint paperback edition of Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott is 304 pages long.
Who are the authors of Five Feet Apart?
Five Feet Apart was written by Rachael Lippincott, based on a screenplay by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis.
How long is the Five Feet Apart audiobook?
The unabridged Five Feet Apart audiobook is approximately 6 hours and 51 minutes long and is narrated by Joy Osmanski and Corey Brill.
Can I watch Five Feet Apart on Netflix?
Yes, Five Feet Apart is available as a major motion picture on Netflix, starring Cole Sprouse as Will and Haley Lu Richardson as Stella.
What is the age rating for the book Five Feet Apart?
The publisher’s recommended age range for Five Feet Apart is 12 and up, for grades 7-9. However, due to mature themes and language, it is often considered more appropriate for mature teens 14 and older.
Is Five Feet Apart a sad book?
Yes, Five Feet Apart is a deeply emotional and often sad book. It deals with heavy themes of chronic illness, grief, and mortality, and it is known for making readers cry.
What is cystic fibrosis (CF) in Five Feet Apart?
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and other organs, leading to severe breathing problems and infections. The book provides an authentic look at the daily treatments required to manage the disease.
What does B. cepacia mean in Five Feet Apart?
B. cepacia (Burkholderia cepacia) is a dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria that is highly infectious and deadly for people with cystic fibrosis. Will’s infection with B. cepacia is the primary reason he and Stella must stay apart.
Why do Stella and Will have to stay six feet apart?
People with cystic fibrosis are at high risk of cross-infection from specific bacteria that can be harmless to others but deadly to them. Maintaining a distance of six feet minimizes the risk of these bacteria being passed through droplets in the air.
Does Five Feet Apart have a happy ending?
The ending of Five Feet Apart is bittersweet. While both characters survive, they cannot be together. The ending is hopeful, showing them both alive and healthy, but their love is expressed from a permanent distance.
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Conclusion & Key Takeaways
Five Feet Apart is a deeply moving and expertly crafted young adult novel that transcends its genre.
Its greatest strengths are the authentic, alternating voices of Stella and Will and its unflinching, educational portrayal of life with cystic fibrosis.
Key Takeaways:
Never take the simple act of human touch for granted.
Living in fear is not the same as truly living.
The greatest act of love is sometimes sacrifice.
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Sources & References
- Amazon’s book page
- Goodreads’s book page
- Author’s image source: goodreads.com
- Book Cover: Amazon.com
