I have never read the books I went with my daughter and we both thought it was good. She didn't expect it to be exactly like the book. I thought it had a great message for teens that we need to send more often, which is, loving someone and having a passion for someone doesn't mean that you have to have sex to show your in love or prove you are in love. The chemistry I thought was great and you could really see and feel their undying love for each other.