In both the TV show and book of “My Life with the Walter Boys” many different characters and events contribute to the plot development. They both technically start the same way. Overachiever Jackie Howard loses her whole family to a car accident. Because of this fated accident, she has to move out of New York and into Silver Falls, Colorado, with the Walters.
Let’s start with the new television show that Netflix created. In the show, Cole and Alex almost have an equal amount of attention on screen.
The book is different when it comes to the time between Alex and Cole. In the book, Cole shows up a lot more than Alex. Although there are a few awkward moments between Alex and Jackie, Cole still shows up a lot more compared to the series. Alex and Jackie start to hang out a lot more in chapter six.
The book and the series have many differences from each other but most of them are almost unnoticeable. The book and the series start in different places. In the television series, the first episode starts at a formal party that Jackie organized. In the book, the story starts with Jackie’s thoughts. Then the reader soon realizes that she’s in her apartment packing with Katherine Walter helping her.
Even though the book and the show start in different places, they still give the same type of atmosphere when the reader gets to a certain point.
The television show took out two of the boys from the book. Jordan’s twin, Jack, wasn’t in the show and neither was Bennie’s twin, Zack.
In the book, Jackie’s two closest friends are Riley and Heather. The television show replaced Riley with Skylar to add some other aspects to the story. Jackie’s best friends in the show are Skylar and Heather.
In the television series, there is a scene where Alex shows Jackie the loft to help her stay distracted from all of the tragic things that have already happened to her. In the book, the scene is the same, but Cole is the one who is giving the tour. He even lets her ride a horse and they explore around the ranch.
In the book, Alex’s ex-girlfriend’s name is Mary Black. Mary threatened Jackie to stay away from Alex. And she even dared to bring up Jackie’s mom. The television show replaces Mary Black with a girl named Paige.
In the book, the reader only reads from Jackie’s perspective the whole story. The show offers multiple different perspectives and relationships that have some way of connecting to Jackie’s life. It gives the viewer a feeling that they get to see behind the scenes.
Even though the book and the television show have a few differences, they still give the same meanings and feelings to the audience.