The force awakens

Movie was better than the book. Who knew?

In general I'm not a big fan of Alan Dean Foster's writing style. It seems very old school, like something written in the 1980s. I haven't been a fan of his other Star Wars work either, and his original work has never spoken to me. This is almost more of a review of the author than the book.

The novelization didn't add much that wasn't in the movie, which is good for the future and all but not that great for the book. I can't take anything away from him for the plot, since it wasn't his. Most of the dialogue was exactly the same as the film, which helped a bit since I could imagine Adam Driver's almost lazy, emotionless voice delivering the Kylo Ren parts and the weirdness that is Maz Kanata. There are no big reveals in this. You don't get additional hints that Rey is Luke's daughter/Obi-Wan's granddaughter/Han Solo's secret love child/whatever theory you're currently buying into. Captain Phasma has no unshown hints of badassery. You could honestly just save a few hours of your life and watch the movie again.

In answer to the eternal question, I don't honestly know whether it's better than the movie. It's definitely more helpful for those of us not steeped in the Star Wars lore, but I cannot deny a lightsaber fight that “lights up the forest like an explosion” works better on the big screen than my Kindle.
That being said, the novel puts motivations and connections in better order than the movie did (at least on one showing), and the writing quality paints quite the picture. Definitely a worthwhile read for those who are even tangentially interested in the Star Wars mythology.