Sep 17, 2015

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 9.1.2015
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Illness
Series: N/A
Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the world.I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black--black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Review:
I finished reading EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING months ago and I’m still having a hard time figuring out exactly how I feel about this book. Nicola Yoon managed to intrigue, confound, and amuse me in one fell swoop, and even know, I’m trying to puzzle my thoughts into a review that makes any sort of sense.

Let’s talk about what worked: Madeline is a character you can’t help but love. With the odds severely stacked against her, you have to love how she still keeps her sense of humor and wonder of the world around her despite the entire world seemingly trying to kill her via an allergic reaction.

Madeline’s journey of self-discovery and refusing to let the terms of her illness dictate her life is what I found so inspiring. She was never ready to give up and always looked for hope. She didn’t let her illness define her as a person.


That being said, there a few instances where all reason is completely thrown out the window and it made me roll my eyes a bit. Those bizarre instances aside, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING is a book that will inspire and plant hope in your heart. I expect great things from Nicola Yoon in the future. 

3 comments:

  1. I like that the author was able to make you feel so many things, I've heard the ending to this one is something different.

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  2. I liked it when I read it but I was also torn about what it says about invisible disabilities. I can see people being really divided over it.

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  3. I agree, it wasn't perfect, BUT is still a well written and thought out story. I felt so sorry for both Oliver and Maddy and the unfairness of it all. I really loved it :)

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