If you’re like me, you can’t get Finding Her Edge out of your head! This YA sports romance, Persuasion retelling turned Netflix series has been stuck in my mind while I eagerly await season two news. Curious what changed from book to show? Let’s breakdown some of the differences between the book and Netflix series.
21 Book vs. Show Differences in Finding Her Edge
1. Brayden has been Adriana’s partner for two years.
In the book, Adriana never retired after dropping Freddie as a partner. She pairs up with Brayden after ending things with Freddie, and they have been skating partners for two years already by the start of the story.
2. Elise competes at the Olympics.
Instead of getting injured like she does in the show, Elise goes to the Olympics at the start of the book and ends up falling during her performance. Now she’s back home, picking up the pieces of her failure of not medaling.
3. The Russo family owns Kellynch Rink.
Unlike in the show where Adriana’s parents opened Russo Rink and established their elite program where athletes live and train together, Kellylnch Rink was opened by Adriana’s great-great grandparents over 50 years ago. It’s the most prestigious club in the country, and they host elite camps.
4. All the skaters at Russo Rink are competing in the Junior Worlds Championships.
In the show, all the skaters live together and train at Russo Rink with Will and Camille as their coaches. But in the book, all the skaters descend upon Kellynch Rink to prepare as Team USA for the Junior Worlds Championships. Qualifiers happened before the book, so Adriana, Brayden, Freddie, Riley, Maria, Charlie, Ben, JJ, Katya, and Gillian are spending the month together to train before Junior Worlds. While the show doesn’t specify, we assume the skaters are competing for Senior Worlds since Maria, Charlie, and Gillian are left at the rink for the first competition.
5. Riley and Freddie do not share a coach with Adriana and Brayden.
In the show, Riley and Freddie return to Russo Rink to train with Camille. In the book, they train with Freddie’s older sister, Georgia, and brother-in-law, Harry. They are retired ice dancers and expecting their first child.
6. The book is set in Boston.
The show doesn’t reveal where Russo Rink is located, but in the book, it’s in Greater Boston.
7. Several of the character’s names are slightly different.
Instead of Will and Sarah, Adriana’s parents’ names are Walter and Guilia in the book. Elise is actually Elisa, and JJ is Jimmy. Camille St. Dennis is Camille Radinski.
8. Riley and Charlie are siblings.
In the show, it’s briefly mentioned that Riley and Charlie are cousins. In the book, they are actually brother and sister! Also, the Russo’s manager, Charles, is Riley and Charlie’s father. Riley grew up at Kellynch with Adriana, but moved to Atlanta to train with Freddie. Riley lives with their mom, and Charlie lives with their dad in Boston so he can train with Maria.
9. Freddie and Brayden’s home lives are different.
Unlike the show, the book does not delve deeply into Freddie and Brayden’s families. The book reveals that Brayden lives with his mom and that Freddie is close with his sister. The show changes things up, bringing in more drama and backstory about their parental relationships.
10. Elise has had a crush on Brayden for many years.
Brayden and Elise had a brief fling before the book begins. This ended when Brayden decided to seriously train with Adriana. Elise still has feelings for him, though, and does not date Weston, who was created for the show.
11. Elise and Freddie never kiss.
During a moment of hurt and jealousy, Elise and Freddie kiss in the show. This never happens in the book. In fact, they barely interact with each other at all.
12. Adriana and Brayden’s fake dating situation begins differently.
While they fake date in order to secure sponsorships in both the show and book, the fake dating begins differently in the book. As Elise prepared for the Olympics, a reality tv show was filmed at the rink. When the show starts airing, fans immediately start shipping Adriana and Brayden after their little moments are caught on screen in the background. This leads to both their social platforms growing exponentially, and eventually the birth of the fake dating scheme.
13. Adriana and Freddie dance at the club.
In the book, the full team attends the club together in Paris. While it’s not as steamy as Brayden and Adriana’s club scene in the show, Freddie and Adriana steal a moment away from the others and dance together.
14. Riley falls in practice and cannot compete in Worlds.
In the show, Freddie crashes into Brayden and Adriana on the ice during practice. While he is injured, he and Riley still compete at Worlds. In the book, Freddie accidentally drops Riley during practice. She tears her ACL, so they are unable to compete in Worlds.
15. Adriana and Freddie skate together at an outdoor rink in Paris.
After visiting Riley in the hospital, Adriana and Freddie walk around Paris together. They come upon an outdoor rink, and decide to skate their last routine. This is caught on film by another skater, who later shows Brayden. In the show, Brayden sees them kiss at the carousel.
16. Brayden never quits on Adriana.
In the show, there are two scenes where Brayden quits on Adriana after frustration in losing (first competitively, then later romantically). This never happens in the book. He is a solid partner to Adriana the entire time, even after his heart broke from unrequited feelings.
17. Riley and Ben become a couple.
Ben is bi in the book. Instead of dating JJ, Riley and Ben become a couple after connecting in the hospital while Riley is recovering.
18. Will does not sell his medals or the rink.
In the book, the Russo’s financial situation isn’t dire enough where the rink or Will’s medals are sold. Instead, Adriana sets firm boundaries with her father and older sister by setting up a trust to protect her money from their reckless spending.
19. Maria doesn’t quit skating.
In the book, Maria is committed to skating and wins the bronze medal at Junior Worlds with Charlie. They continue competing and eventually win bronze at the Olympics as revealed in the epilogue.
20. Adriana and Freddie perform the gala skate together.
Since Freddie isn’t able to perform in Worlds, Adriana decides to skate with him instead of with Brayden at the gala. Brayden is onboard with this plan. Adriana and Freddie end their performance with a kiss, announcing their relationship to the world. In the show, Maria and Elise join Adriana on ice after Brayden stands her up.
21. Adriana and Brayden stay partners.
The show ends with Adriana and Freddie switching partners. In the book, Adriana stays partnered with Brayden and Freddie with Riley. The epilogue ends at the next Olympics, where the two pairs have been battling it out for first and second place at every ice dance competition. Freddie and Riley win the gold medal at the Olympics, with Adriana and Brayden winning the silver medal.
