People online were not kidding when they said the show is a pretty faithful adaptation of the book. As I was reading it, I was seeing the scene play out in the show, and it was still great. The advantage that books have over shows or movies is that they can go deeper into characters’ thoughts. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Shane’s own personal homophobia from Hudson Williams’ performance in the show, but in the book, I truly got the depths of it and the true fear of being gay and what they would mean not just for his career but for him personally. For all the bravado and torment that Connor Storrie brought to Ilya in the show, in the book, we really see how deeply he feels unworthy of Shane’s love. There wasn’t a lot that was left out from the show, and while it would have been interesting, it didn’t take away from the story. The book was enjoyable to read. I finished it in three days. It had the same heart, yearning, and laughs I got from the show. Showrunner Jacob Tierney said that he approaches writing the show by staying true to the spirit of the books, and he did. There is a reason that people loved the books to begin with, and there was an interest to turn it into a show, so why mess with that? I am really looking forward to reading the sequel in a couple of months when it becomes available from my library. Knowing what I know so far, it isn’t going to be the light-hearted romance this one was.