The time has come to kiss Elle, Noah and Lee goodbye.
Over the last three years, we’ve swooned and had our hearts broken watching good girl, Elle Evans (Joey King) torn between her best friend, Lee (Joel Courtney) and his bad boy brother, Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi).
For one last time, we get to find out how it all ends.
The Kissing Booth series was first published in 2011 by a 15-year-old Beth Reekles on Wattpad and it was one of the online platform’s biggest ever success stories. Reekles describes writing the conclusion to her series as an ‘interesting challenge’ because she had to write a book based on a movie based on the movies based on her books. Mind-boggling, right?
The Kissing Booth 3: One Last Time (the third and final book in the series!) begins with Elle’s upcoming college decision: does she go to Harvard with her boyfriend, Noah or does she stick to her promise and go to Berkeley with her best friend, Lee, like they’ve always planned?
Meanwhile, after finding out that the beloved family beach house is going on the market, your favourite characters plan their most epic last summer ever – set with completing a bucket list Elle and Lee rediscover from when they were five. But torn between the two brothers, Elle struggles between choosing friendship or love, or herself.
Read on to discover the major differences between the novel and the film …
WARNING: The following review is full of spoilers for both the book and the film. Read on at your own risk!
Marco, who?
Assuming you’ve watched The Kissing Booth 2, you’re sure to remember hot AF Marco, who Elle teams up with for a dance contest (and kisses then has a huge falling out with Noah because … drama). Well, in the third book, Marco is actually called Levi, who works at a 7-Eleven. Elle calls him frequently throughout the novel to talk about her problems while the poor guy listens from the friend-zone. Meanwhile, Marco is a hot lifeguard/musician and doesn’t appear for at least 20 minutes into the movie. The film also leaves out an awkward confrontation between Marco’s mother and Elle when his family comes in for lunch at the café where Elle works. Plus! In the book, after the volleyball fight between the two love rivals, Levi kisses Elle while in the movie, Elle pushes Marco away before he gets the chance.
Noah’s hot British gal pal
Levi and Marco are not the only character swap we experience. If you’ve watched the second movie, you’ll know that at Harvard, Noah befriends a beautiful British girl named Chloe. While beautiful and British are consistent in the novel, we are instead introduced to Amanda. You’ll be pleased to hear that Chloe and Amanda have next to zero differences between their book and film counterparts. What I loved about the third part of this series is how close Elle and Chloe/Amanda become after Elle’s puts aside her insecurities. There was more to their friendship in the book that was left unseen in the film save a beautiful heart-to-heart at the beach house. Overall, it’s a toast to girls supporting girls, which earns my seal of approval.
The Bucket List
I would argue that the movie bucket list is more hardcore and fun than the book’s version. There is no helium karaoke or swimming with sharks in the book. And the film’s montage of Elle and Lee completing the bucket list really makes the movie – as does the visual representation of ‘turning Noah into an ice cream sundae’. However, what is undeniably the best part is the real-life Mario Kart race. I was afraid the film would scrap this part but was both relieved and elated when they didn’t. The novel’s commentary is present, fast-paced and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Thankfully, the film does a great job of depicting the cart spin-outs and the balloon sabotage. The palpable tension between Noah and Marco is exactly how I pictured the post-race confrontation in my head while reading the book.
Rachel and Lee
One of the most surprising differences between the book and the film was that Rachel breaks up with Lee towards the end! While it was hinted at throughout the movie, it was non-existent in the book. In fact, Reekles portrays Lee and Rachel’s relationship as steady as a rock. I’ll leave out the why for you to watch if you have not already but it left me rattled after reading the book.
The ending …
The ending is not that much different from the book. It still takes place about six years later, Elle does graduate from college and she’s still best friends with Lee. I sighed with relief when I saw that Lee and Rachel got back together after college and were engaged. In both versions, there’s an awkward conversation between Elle and Noah at the Spring Carnival and it very much ignites hope that the ex-lovers will rekindle their old flame. However, I do think it’s left more ambiguous in the film compared to the novel.
Final thoughts?
I equally enjoyed reading and watching The Kissing Booth 3 and I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book before watching the film. Although, if you’ve already watched it then you’ll still enjoy the book and here’s why. The thing about movies is that you never get as much detail as you do in the books. While you do hear Elle’s inner monologue in the film, it’s just a mere narration of what’s to happen next. For instance, you don’t feel her anxiety of choosing a college or the passion she feels for Noah.
The conclusion to this series was a breath of fresh air after the last three years watching Elle’s world revolve around the two Flynn brothers. While love and friendship are equally important, putting yourself first is the ultimate takeaway for teenagers and The Kissing Booth 3 teaches us this in the most heartfelt, hilarious way.
—The Kissing Booth 3: One Last Time is out now on Netflix, and you can find the book (published by Penguin Books Australia) here.
The Kissing Booth 3: One Last Time
It is the summer before Elle goes off to college and everything is changing. All too quickly, Elle's plans for the future are shaken up when she's taken off the waitlist for a college she never thought she'd get into. Soon, Elle needs to make a difficult decision- go to Harvard to be with Noah or Berkeley as originally planned with Lee...
The gang come up with a plan to have one last summer at the beach house - to have the best summer ever. But with change looming on the horizon, Elle can't help but wonder what she really wants in life...
Young adult fiction highlights for August!
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