I'm not really in the habit of watching the movie first before reading the book, but this one's one of the few exception to that rule.

I watched the movie twice, loved it both times. The first time I fell in love with it, then upon reading other people's opinions and thoughts about it, realised that it might not be okay to like the movie because apparently liking it means that you agree with everything that happened in it when that's rarely the case (yes, you can like things and be aware that there are certain things about that thing that aren't good. a wild concept for some people. but i'm not gonna police you on what you can or can't love so let's not go there.) and so I did not read the book and then I forgot all about it. But 3 years is apparently a long time and a person can change a lot during that time. And so, I decided to rewatch the movie and just yesterday, to listen to the audiobook and I'd draw my own conclusion instead of having my opinion swayed by public's opinion.
Here's the thing, I agree that the age gap is not good and that everyone is angry about it, so let me not talk about that because that's not the part of this book and the film that I love. I understand that it's a sensitive topic to a lot of people, but after reading it I've drawn the conclusion that with this context, it's not that creepy or predatory (for me), but again what do I know, let me just... talk about the things that I love about it instead.
I love the romantics. I love the conversations about language and art and music, to me it is romantic. You can say that it is a romanticisation of life, at least for me, because a life where people summer in italy, having villas with people streaming in and out of them while vacationing in the Mediterranean, of endless summertime and lazing around near ponds or pools or the ocean without worries, where time seems infinite and happy and full of sunshine just seems like a dream that is too good to be true. And André Aciman is that good that he transported us there . He transported us to heaven, as Oliver had often said, and goddamn he makes it feel so believable. Because his words are rich, his descriptions are full of life, full of passion, and full of romance. In a moment I feel like I am there and I am surrounded by these people.
I love that it reminds me sometimes, in my solitude when I'm by myself, that there are more to life than this. I absolutely love that.
Everything else about the book comes second to that part that I love. The infatuation Elio holds for Oliver, the way his inner mind works, it feels believable to me that this is the working of a seventeen years old boy. The narration feels honest, like a stream of consciousness, like he is telling a story of a memory from the past. I'm not sure that Elio even said, not even once in the book that he loved Oliver. There is no 'I love You', just 'I loved how his white tennis shorts-' 'I loved the way he repeated what I myself had just repeated' 'I loved it when he broke the silence between us' and so on and so forth.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the audiobook (narrated by Armie Hammer), I think it's absolutely lovely and I felt my heart break for them at the end of the book.
This book is far from perfect, but the fact that it could draw these feelings from me is enough reason for me to consider this as one of the best I've read this year.