Out of curiosity, have you seen the Project Hail Mary film? I read The Martian long before I saw the movie. Loved both, but I think having many years between helped me not compare them too much.
This time around I've seen Hail Mary, and am wondering what the experience might be like to read the book after.
I'm only 3/4 of the way on my first read-thru, but already dreading the end. It's taken several years as well, so not looking forward to that post-partum XD
*editing to add: I'm on Going Postal at the moment