I was very excited to read this book, because “The Vow” is my favorite movie. I thought because books are known for being better than the film, that I was going to love this book so much. Sadly, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

I would like to start off by saying that the tragedy that these two went through together is unimaginable. Krickett and Kim were involved in an accident that SHOULD have killed them, but by some act of God, survived. I can’t even begin to understand the struggle, heartbreak, and the physical as well as mental strains on the body and relationship that something like this would cause. On top of trying to go back to normal life, throw into the mix that your partner no longer remembers you, let alone can’t remember being married to you. Awful.

The specific plot points above are the only parallels between the book and the film, which as a fan, was extremely disappointing. The book is heavenly based on faith and religion. While there is nothing wrong with this, I just had no idea, since the film couldn’t stray farther from this idea. I understand that Kim and Krickett are extremely religious, and after surviving the accident, maybe even more so. However, this point was driven pretty hard at times, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. In addition, the spontaneity of the characters and their relationship in the film are nothing like the real life survivors telling the story. I feel awful saying that the film was more interesting, being that this storyline is about how two people rediscover love, but the film did such a great job making you fall in love with the characters and their story, I feel like that’s missing completely in the book.

As I read through the book, there were many times when I didn’t know if I could finish, because it seemed to drag specific points into the ground repeatedly, while other more interesting topics (such as what it was like to fall in love again, Krickett’s side of the story/ emotions, or even more about their struggles before falling in love again) were just brushed upon.

I know the overarching message behind this book is to believe in a higher power and trust that things will work out as they should. But as a huge fan of the movie, there was much more focus on how love can conquer all, and that’s what I was expecting more of this book. I thought this quote from the book was interesting, when Kim was explaining the media coverage of their story: “Krickitt and I were both excited to see that the author and editors hadn't glossed over or even completely failed to mention the importance of faith in our lives.” I found this extremely interesting, because in my opinion, that’s what the film did. But later he goes on to share that they both enjoyed the film, and although filmmakers made a lot of changes to their story, it still had the same message being delivered, which I would strongly disagree.

Overall, I still HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend the film, you will not regret watching it. But honestly, I would say skip reading the book if you’re looking for a love story. If you are looking for a book that will reaffirm your faith and beliefs, this would be the book for you.

The Vow - Likewise Book Reviews

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