I read the book series and LOVED it!!!!!!!!
I'm not gonna lie, I didn't even finish the show. I was so mad (I made it halfway through episode 2) I can't even begin to describe how ticked off I am. There were so many inconsistencies between the book and what the show produced, such as:
1. When Pip first went to go talk to Ravi
-In the show she followed him after he got off the bus BUT in the book she went over to his house
2. They opened the show with Andie Bell walking down the road with blood coming from her head
-That was supposed to be a big reveal, but they ruined it because now the viewers know something that was a big cause to her death
3. Cara was very depressing
-in the book Cara was very upbeat and happy but in the show she was just very moody and not a very fun character to watch
4. Andie Bell and Nat da Silva's Friendship
-They weren't friends. Andie bullied Nat relentlessly. She tricked Nat into sending certain photos, blackmailed her and was just awful
There are even more from the brief time that I watched the show which is less then two episodes.
My main take away from this is that if you're going to adapt a book into a show or movie you have to and I mean HAVE to follow the book. Your main viewers are going to be the people who have read the books and loved and cared about the characters. You can't just change pretty big moments and expect everyone to be fine with it. Yes of course some people won't care and they'll love the show, but others will. It's the screenwriter's responsibility to ensure the plot line of show closely alines with the plot and character development of the book. The screenwriters of the show failed time and time again to do so. It doesn't matter how good the actors are, how good the set is. As readers, when our favourite books get devolved into movies or shows, we expect accuracy and the show failed to do so.