21. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Read this: 

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Watch this: 

Firefly Lane – 2 season series on Netflix

Why We Made This Selection and Background Knowledge

Claire: Nothing. I had only heard of the author through #Bookstagram, but never knew anything about her books or what she wrote.

Julie: Almost nothing.

Overall Opinion of the Book

Claire: It was okay. I liked how it was in chronological order, but that also made it hard to remember the things that happened early on when they would talk about them later on in the book. There were also times I thought Kate forgave Tully too easily. If my best friend had me on their talk show and talked about my bad parenting, I probably would have never forgiven them.

Julie: Same, it was just okay. I had some major issues with the building up of the characters and then having them act completely out of character in the last 1/4 of the book. I wish they would have hopped back and forth through the timelines.

Overall Opinion of the Show

Claire: I’m not one who likes jumping around between timelines, but I actually really liked it here. And that’s all I liked. Did the producers and writers even read the book?!?

Julie: I like the way the show jumps between timelines. That was one of the top things I thought would have made the book better. Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke playing college was a real stretch. The show makes the storylines and the characters more complicated and I maybe like that. 

Before you say which you liked better, did you read the book or listen to the audiobook… because it matters.

Claire: I listened. The narrator was decent. She was new to me – Susan Ericksen.

Julie: I read it on Kindle

Which was better?

Julie: The show

Claire: The book

Ranking…

1. Was the outcome the same in both the show and the book? Yes
2. Was the main character/primary narrator the same in the show and the book? Yes
3. Was the primary conflict the same in the show and the book? Yes
4. Would you read the book again or recommend it to a friend? Julie: Yes, Claire: No
5. Would you watch the show/movie again or recommend it to a friend? Julie: Yes, Claire: No

Overall rating: Julie: 5/5, Claire: 3/5

To listen to the full episode on Firefly Lane check out But the Book Was Better on Apple and Spotify. Don’t forget to subscribe so you know exactly when each episode is released!