(Mostly Spoiler Free)Â
Initial thoughts…
A few notes before I get into it, I didn’t do a re-read before watching. The last time I read the book was last year, so I still have most of the plot in my head and I’ve been excited to watch it since the announcement was made.
Ok. The cast is adorable! I love it. I really enjoyed this movie, sure there were a few changes but overall, I’m not mad about it, I went into it knowing this. As far as book to movie adaptations go this one was done well.
Whilst watching…
I love that they included how Adam and Olive initially met, honestly relatable that she didn’t recognise his face because of her blurry vision, I can’t see past my nose without my glasses.
The storyline for the most part does follow a lot of the books. The coffee shop date scenes were hilarious, and they captured the dorky awkwardness between Olive and Adam perfectly.
I loved how heavily they leaned on Olive and Anh friendship, it was so cute and if you have not read the book, the setting up of their relationship at the beginning gives you really good insight into why Olive was so motivated to be fake dating someone. Also, it’s always great to see well developed healthy female friendships on screen.
The chemistry between Olive and Adam worked, it’s probably my favourite part of the film. Lili and Tom did so well here; both of their performances were on point and feel like they captured the essence of Olive and Adam. I particularly enjoyed when Adam dropped his walls around Olive and we got to see some of his softer side.
This is such a me thing, but when they adapt spicy scenes, I can’t take them seriously. Love this for everyone who wanted it though, you won’t be disappointed.
A highlight was Adam confronting Tom… the defence of Olive was hot… I love the “touch her and you’ll die” vibes he brought to that scene. And shout out to whoever cast Arty Froushan as Dr Tom Benton, just a fantastic choice here, I’ve seen him act as an asshole in other shows and played Tom so well. Â
The Changes
So, two big things jumped out for me, Adam’s best friend Holden has been completely cut. It sucks because Holden gave us a lot of insight and depth to Adam in the book and as reader, I definitely felt the loss of his presence, but I understand that are limitations when making books into movies.
The other big thing that they changed, which I’m guessing related to cutting Holden’s character is the ending. I think this is where the move deviated the most for me and it was fine. I didn’t hate it and it fit with flow of the film but the ending in the book was much much more satisfying.
Final thoughts
I’m actually so happy with this adaptation, sure it felt rushed in places but overall, it stayed true to the story the book was telling, the cast were fantastic and I’ll be rewatching in the near future! I’m just so happy that this book has been done justice (imo anyway) as it was my gateway Ali Hazelwood book.
Let me know your thoughts… Did you enjoy this one?
