There's a Japanese phrase that i like, Koi No Yokan. It doesn't mean love at first sight. it's closer to love at second sight. it's the feeling when you meet someone that you are going to fall in love with them. Maybe you don't love them right away, but it's inevitable that you will.
— Daniel —

Hello there! Welcome back to the first series i made in this blog (that have been long time neglected) Book to Movie review! where i would compare the book with the movie and decide which i like the most between the book and the movie. 

This is the second book written by Nicola Yoon, which the first book of her Everything Everything also adapted to the movie and i really like the book, and of course the movie too, and i highly expecting a lot from this book when it released, also when i found out that they also adapted it into the movie, with the cast is one of Riverdale Cast (Yes, guys i watch Riverdale, but to be honest, and a bit spoiler ahead, i was kind of sad with that casting decision). Without further ado, let's dive in!

Synopsis

The story started by Natasha, our main female character is in the end of her days in America, must be deported to Jamaica because her family is illegal citizen that got discover because of DUI accident by her father. In last day in America, she still trying to find a way to stop the deportation with asking help in immigration office who in the end refer her to an attorney who might help her.  

David in other hand born as Korean American, with the failure of his older brother in Harvard, he carry the burden to be Doctor in the family as the first generation who immigrate to America. Met Natasha at the day of he suppose to be interview for the Yale University, but suddenly met Natasha and the whole day just gone with super different way.

Book Review 

But things that i don't like is that it consist of lots of characters POV, we got some main characters POV, their family's POV, some theories, but also some minor characters that i think at some point it did a lot of help in explaining things, which usually i don't hate books with multiple POVs but i would love if there are some POVs that didn't included in the book. 

The book also introducing a lot of terms in korean, but sadly in weird spelling. Like the food, Sundubu jiggae, she spell it as SOON dubu, more like english trying to pronounce it, not the actual how it suppose to be written. But i really like that she introduced a lot of Korean things here, just made it more authentic at some point. 

But the theme of Instalove is just, again as always, not my fave troupes in the book. Although the story is good, but i don't really relate with that feeling of Daniel. Tho he is helplessly romantic, just as his love to poems. 

Book and Movie Comparison

I got lots of list the differences between the book and the movie (because right after i finished the book, i watch the movie right away since it's highly anticipated book to movie adaptation for me). I got some mini details that i think really mini but did a big role in the book.

1. In the book Daniel is wearing white shirt and bright red tie because his mom suggest it which she said brings confidence, while in the movie he wears a pale blue shirt and plaid tie. Red though, in Korean is believed to bring luck, so they wear them when they are in auditions, test, and lots others (some believe wearing red underwear works a lot too)

2. Daniel cast in the movie doesn't really represent Korean in my heart. I know! Charles Melton is half Korean, just like Daniel, but he's so American to me, and his brother looks a lot of younger and smaller than him in the movie, while the book Charles (his brother) is a Casanova, and lot of bigger than Daniel. I can't even understand his first line in the movie (i know i'm not a korean, but i think his korean accent is weird, his brother's accent —played by Jake Choi— is a lot better and sounds authentic in my ear).  In my heart the one who act as Minho in The Maze Runner would suit the role a lot more to me.  The Natasha cast tho, looks old in the movie poster, but turns out so young in the movie, which is a good surprise. 

3. I would say Daniel in the book represent a lot of Korean people. A manner man, the one that keep you from too close with the edge of the pedestrian, the one that lend you his suit at time needed, just a manner man. While in the movie his small actions are just not showed and it's a bummer. 

4. Their first encounter in the book which is in the Record shop, is not included in the movie, i really like Daniel's first sentence tho, and their first encounter in the shop (which is an embarrassing moment of Natasha, meeting her ex kissing the girl he cheated on her, but this ex drama didn't included in the movie at all) and she's smart enough not to tell Daniel her name at first place (well, hello? strangers are dangerous! sometimes.)

5. The first meeting in the movie is actually the second meeting of them in the book, where Daniel saves her from getting hit by the car, and sadly when that happened, Daniel just being awkward in the movie, while in the book Daniel, again, offering her to buy the replacement of the headphone and her phone. Again, another manner man action here.

6. The theory of the Bad Grandpa in the book is really fun read, showing that Natasha is just a science geek, and that moment made Daniel realize that dang! this girl is smart, i like her even more. The movie also showed her science geek side, but the theory of that Bad Grandpa is just left unspoken.

7. In the book, Daniel DECIDED to postpone his interview because of her, not got called by the interviewer that the interview was postponed. And he only got to know that he's interviewing in same place where Natasha has to go ONLY after going there for the second time to search for her, not at the first time when they got there. It just show in the book that they are meant to be because of that fate.

8. Natasha in the book is desperate, but not rude. She didn't forcefully enter the room uninvited like she did in the movie, and she got the result of her deportation issues by phone in the book, not by finding the man who interviews Daniel is the same man who promised to help her to avoid the deportation. Plus the name of that man suppose to be Jeremy Fitzgerald not Jeremy Martinez. And the reason why he can't help her not because of the law, but because he's having affair with his secretary that day that he missed the appointment. 

9. When they first separated, they got into fight, not because Natasha going mad alone by herself (like in the movie). In book Daniel asked her why not telling him that she's leaving America tomorrow, while Natasha said to him back why not telling his family that he didn't want to be a doctor and it hurts him to that left them going in separate way. 

10. The moment that they are searching for each other, they just missing each other twice, riding the same train, but didn't met. And also the kissing in the rooftop also didn't include in the movie because the interview was postponed to the next day instead of later of the day. So the meeting of them not in one day but two days. 

11. Lastly, in the ending of the book, they meet again in the plane, which in POV of character that i would love to be included in the movie, Irene because Natasha saved her life by calling her thank you for accepting her almost everyday in past few weeks in immigration office who now working as the fight attendant, 10 years later. While in the movie is that they met again 5 years later in the same cafe the first time they have that conversation about love and how he can made her fall in love scientifically. Which i think the ending in the movie is more romantic. But Irene was a "big" small role povs in the book that i think worth to be included in the movie. Also there's a character added in the movie that isn't mentioned in the book, the boy who talked to Daniel in train, asking his opinion about his song.

My Verdict

I would say i love the book a lot more than the movie (it's a Uh Yeah read for me), although i can say i like the ending better but i still love the korean representation in the book a lot more, also Natasha's character is a lot better in the book than the movie.

Read the previous chapter of this series :