All the major differences between the Luckiest Girl Alive book and the Netflix movie

The ending was VERY different in the book

2 years ago

Spoilers ahead!

Netflix’s new movie Luckiest Girl Alive is based on Jessica Knoll’s book of the same name and fans of book have already been making known their opinions on the huge changes made in the film. Luckiest Girl Alive tells the story of Ani FaNelli, played by Mila Kunis, who seemingly has the perfect life until her past is soon revealed after a documentary is being made about the tragic events that happened at her high school. Here are the biggest differences between the Luckiest Girl Alive book and the film:

Ani doesn’t write about her experiences in The New York Times in the book

At the end of the movie version of Luckiest Girl Alive, after breaking up with Luke and getting Dean’s confession on tape, Ani writes about her experience in high school in The New York Times and connects with other women who reach out to her with stories similar to hers.

via Netflix

However in the book, this doesn’t happen. In the book, Ani takes part in the documentary and agrees to meet with Dean. Like in the movie, Dean offers to tell the world of Ani’s innocence in the school shooting in exchange for her silence about him sexually assaulting her and apologises. Ani gets his confession on tape and she goes on to live independently.

In the book, Ani wants to take part in the documentary despite her fiancé’s apprehensions

In the movie, Ani has to almost be begged to take part in the documentary and Luke is very supportive of her taking part in the documentary when she eventually decides to do so. This is quite different in the original novel. Ani keen to do the documentary and wants to clear her name but Luke wants her to move on from her past traumatic experiences.

via Netflix

One of the school shooters, Ben, isn’t seen in the book until the event

Ben, who initiated the shooting with Arthur, was never seen in the book until the school shooting first happened. Ben’s story was mentioned and readers are told about how he had been bullied out of school but he was not present again until the shooting. In the film, Ben is part of Ani’s group and is one of Arthur’s friends.

The relationship between Mr Larson and Ani is very different in the book

One of the biggest plotlines that is missing from the movie is the difference in the relationship between Ani and Mr Larson. In the book, Ani does reconnect with her former teacher during dinner with Luke and the two begin to spend more time together as they prepare to share their stories in the documentary. A relationship forms and they even cross the line when they both return to Bradley for the documentary.

via Netflix

In the book, Luke and Ani have dinner with Mr Larson and his wife and they briefly talk about the past and that’s it. Mr Larson does help Ani in the book as he does in the film after Ani is assaulted but in the book him helping her takes place after the second incident between Ani and Dean.

Ani almost marries Luke in the book and splits up with him for a different reason than she does in the movie

In the book, Ani almost married Luke but just as she is about to go through with it, she finds out Luke got rid of a framed photo of Arthur and his father, which Ani stole in their last interaction before the shooting. After Luke admitted he broke it during a night out with friends, Ani realised how little he cared about her past and how much he did not accept her.

via Netflix

Ani then makes the decision to break up with Luke and live her life independently. In the movie, Ani tells Luke about her article in The New York Times magazine, exposing Dean and the others. Luke is very against the exposé and in that moment, Ani decides to choose her career and life over the life she could have had with Luke.

Ani’s backstory isn’t discussed as much in the film as it is in the movie

One of the differences from the Luckiest Girl Alive book fans have noticed is Ani’s backstory. In the book, readers learn that Ani got in trouble at her old school for smoking marijuana with two of her friends which led her to be transferred to Bradley. Her relationship with her mother and father is strained in the book and is hardly shown in the movie, with her father not even being a character. Ani makes several attempts to fit in at her new school, including dying her hair blonde, but these moments aren’t shown in the film.

Luckiest Girl Alive is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.