During lockdown I’ve finally had time to start reading more again and eventually got round to reading The Kissing Booth book series. I thought I would do a general overview of all of the books because 1) it’s one of my favourite series I’ve read 2) I don’t want to risk giving to much away about each book for people that haven’t read it yet and 3) I feel like I could go on forever haha.
So this review will be spoiler free because there’s nothing worse than having an ending ruined and hopefully it’ll give you another reason to read the books.
After the first book ‘The Kissing Booth’ was turned into a major Netflix film in 2018 and was a huge success, author Beth Reekles wrote an accompanying short story called ‘The Beach House’. With the film being one of Netflix’s most watched in 2018 it was a certain favourite and fans wanted a sequel. The sequel was officially announced on Valentines Day 2019 with filming occurring in the summer later that year. The second book in the series ‘The Kissing Booth 2: Going The Distance’ was released early this year and a second short story was released for World Book Day 2020 called ‘The Kissing Booth: Road Trip!’ The release date for the second film is still to be confirmed, expected to be some time this year, as well as a much anticipated trailer.
I’ve seen the film multiple times and it’s one of my favourites. So I had been wanting to read the books and they didn’t disappoint! This is the first series I’ve read that includes short stories and I feel they were a perfect addition to the storyline and expanding on the characters.
One of my favourite subject genres is adaptations and I actually did a module in my final year of my degree on TV and Film Adaptations. I love to watch a film and the book and compare, it differed as to whether I see the film or read the book first. In this case I watched the film before. As always there are a few changes but I really enjoyed reading the book and seeing that the changes had still stayed true to the story.
The things that I felt made this series stand out from others was it wasn’t stereotypical and I couldn’t predict the way the story was going to go.
The sequel was the perfect extension and what, as a reader and fan, you would hope for in terms of the storyline and each characters development. I enjoyed it just as much as the first and that’s very rare for me to enjoy a sequel just as much.
After the first book focusing on the romance between Elle and Noah which is kept secret to protect her friendship with her best friend and Noah’s younger brother Lee; it was great to see the second book show the development of Elle and Noah’s relationship now it’s out in the open. I thought it was great how new characters are brought in to the mix and test all relationships of the book both romantically and friendship. It was so refreshing to read a book which offered a balance between the two when normally a book will go with one or the other.
The fact that Beth Reekles wrote the first book when she was 15 is unbelievable. To be able to write a story so well and then take it further years later is just another reason that makes it a must read!
I bought all 4 books on my kindle but I’m wanting to buy the physical copies to add to my book collection as well because I love to have the actual book of my favourite reads!
I’m even more excited for the sequel to be released on Netflix and I’m hoping it has the same ending because it was perfect! I’m sure it won’t disappoint based on the cast and how much of a success the first film was. It’ll be great to see the cast including Joey King, Joel Courtney and Jacob Elordi plus the new additions continue their characters story.
Personally I would recommend reading the books in preparation for the second film. I’m so grateful for these books especially during these times.
Elle as the main female lead is also great as she fits into many ‘groups’ and has her own story/personality and holds the storyline together being at the centre between Lee and Noah.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for more stories from this series in the future as it has been so enjoyable!
Beth Reekles has also just released a new book called Lockdown On London Lane on Wattpad which is literally perfect reading for these times! So that is my next read. (At the moment each chapter is being released every Tuesday) Beth also has a great blog and YouTube channel where you can keep up to date on her newest releases and The Kissing Booth.
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