Beth Reekles was fifteen when she started writing The Kissing Booth books. Let that sink in for a second. While most of us were trying to figure out how to pass sophomore year biology, she was building a digital empire on Wattpad. It wasn’t just a fluke. The story of Elle Evans, Lee Flynn, and the perpetually moody Noah Flynn didn't start with a massive marketing budget or a Hollywood greenlight. It started with a teenager typing away in her bedroom in South Wales.
Honestly, the sheer scale of what happened next is kind of staggering.
The original story racked up over 19 million reads on Wattpad before a publisher even sniffed it. When Penguin Random House eventually picked it up, they weren't just buying a teen romance. They were buying a cultural phenomenon that eventually birthed one of Netflix’s most-watched movie franchises. But if you've only seen the movies, you're basically missing half the picture. The books offer a gritty, more internal look at what it’s like to be a girl caught between a lifelong friendship and a forbidden crush.
The Timeline of a Teen Sensation
The series isn't just three books. That’s a common misconception. While the core trilogy follows the main arc, there are novellas and companion pieces that fill in the gaps for the die-hard fans.
First, you have The Kissing Booth, published in 2012. This is the foundation. It establishes the "Rule Number 9" of Elle and Lee’s friendship: relatives are off-limits. It's a classic trope, sure, but Reekles writes with an earnestness that makes the betrayal feel heavy. Then came The Beach House, a companion novella set during the summer of the first book. It's a bit of a breather, focusing on the domesticity of the characters before the drama ramps up again.
The Kissing Booth 2: Going the Distance hit shelves much later, around 2020. This was strategically timed with the Netflix sequel, but the prose goes deeper into the long-distance struggle. Then we have The Kissing Booth: Road Trip!, another novella, followed by the finale, The Kissing Booth 3: One Last Time.
It’s a lot to keep track of.
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If you’re reading them for the first time, the order matters because the tone shifts. The first book is pure, unadulterated teenage angst. By the third book, the characters are staring down the barrel of adulthood, college choices, and the reality that some friendships have expiration dates. It gets real. Fast.
What Most People Get Wrong About Elle and Noah
People love to hate on Noah Flynn. In the movies, Jacob Elordi plays him with a certain brooding charm, but in the books, the character is arguably more complex—and more problematic. Reekles doesn’t shy away from the fact that Noah has a massive temper. He's not just a "bad boy" for the sake of the aesthetic; he's a guy who doesn't know how to handle his emotions.
Elle’s internal monologue in the books provides a context that the screen version misses. You see her weighing her options. You see her anxiety. The "Kissing Booth books" aren't just about a girl wanting a hot guy. They’re about the power struggle of maintaining your own identity when you’re dating someone who takes up a lot of space in a room.
The biggest misconception? That the story is just a "Cinderella" story. It’s actually more of a "coming-of-age" tragedy in some ways. Elle has to learn that her world doesn't have to revolve around the Flynn brothers. She’s a soccer player, a student, and a friend first.
Why Wattpad Was the Perfect Testing Ground
Wattpad is a wild west of literature. It’s raw. Reekles used that environment to get immediate feedback. If a chapter was boring, the commenters told her. If they hated a character's decision, she knew within minutes. This real-time editing created a narrative that feels incredibly fast-paced.
There are no "filler" chapters.
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Traditional publishing often pads out novels to reach a specific word count. Reekles’ style is punchy. Short sentences. High drama. It’s designed for the digital age, which is why it translated so well to the Netflix "binge-watch" format.
The Discrepancy Between Page and Screen
Netflix took some liberties. That's just how it works. In the films, the tone is bright, saturated, and almost hyper-real. The books feel a bit more grounded in the mundane reality of high school. For example, the "rules" between Lee and Elle feel much more suffocating in the text. You get a sense of how much those rules actually hold them back from growing up.
Also, the ending of the third book caused a massive stir.
Without spoiling the fine details, the book One Last Time was actually written based on the script of the third movie, which is a rare "reverse" adaptation. Reekles had to work within the confines of the film's conclusion while still keeping the voice of the characters consistent with the previous two novels. It was a balancing act. Many fans felt the ending was too open-ended, but in a 2021 interview, Reekles defended the choice, stating that life at 18 isn't supposed to have all the answers.
Why These Books Still Matter in 2026
You might think a series that peaked in the late 2010s would be irrelevant by now. You’d be wrong. The "Kissing Booth books" tapped into a universal truth: the transition from childhood to adulthood is messy.
Current YA literature is often heavy on fantasy or dystopian themes. There’s a craving for "contemporary realistic" fiction that just deals with stuff like:
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- How do I stay friends with my bestie when I'm dating his brother?
- What happens when we go to different colleges?
- Is it okay to put my own dreams over a relationship?
These aren't "dated" questions. They're forever questions.
Actionable Steps for New Readers and Writers
If you’re looking to dive into this series or perhaps start your own writing journey inspired by it, here is how you should approach it.
1. Read in Order, Including Novellas
Don’t skip The Beach House or Road Trip!. They provide the connective tissue that makes the jump between the main novels feel less jarring. It’s the "extended cut" version of the story.
2. Analyze the Wattpad Roots
For aspiring writers, study the first book particularly. Look at how Reekles ends her chapters. They are almost always "hooks" that force you to keep reading. That is the secret sauce of her success.
3. Compare the Third Book to the Third Movie
This is a fascinating exercise in media literacy. See how Reekles handles the internal thoughts of Elle during scenes that were purely visual in the film. It's a masterclass in how to add depth to a pre-existing script.
4. Follow the Author’s Current Work
Beth Reekles didn't stop at the booth. She’s written several other novels like It’s Not My Life and Lockdown on London Lane. Seeing her evolution from a teen writer to a professional novelist is genuinely inspiring for anyone trying to break into the industry.
The legacy of this series isn't just about a booth or a kiss. It’s about the democratization of publishing. It proved that a good story, told simply and honestly, can travel from a small town in Wales to millions of screens across the globe. Whether you love the Flynn brothers or find them infuriating, you can't deny the impact this series had on a whole generation of readers.
To get the most out of the series today, focus on the secondary characters like Rachel or Mrs. Flynn. Their perspectives, often subtle in the books, provide the most realistic commentary on the central trio's chaotic dynamic. Understanding the series as a study of "enmeshment" rather than just "romance" changes the entire experience.