This innovative,
heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally allergic to the
outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins a complicated
romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The narrative unfolds via vignettes,
diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.
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.
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.
Rating:
5 stars
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an
honest review. I was so excited to receive my approval email as this has been
one of my most anticipated debuts for 2015; and not only was I not disappointed
with this read, but I was completely blown away by the amazingness of this
novel. I will definitely purchase a physical copy of this book to add to my
personal library.
Nicola Yoon’s debut Everything, Everything is a quick and
heartwarming read that will leave readers looking forward to more novels. Everything,
Everything is the perfect rainy day read as it has just the right amount of
romance, humor, and heartache. The story takes us on a wonderful journey about
love, loss, hardship, trials and tribulations, abuse, forgiveness, teenage
angst, and just generally growing up and letting go. It is the kind of read
that once it captures your heart it won’t let go, and what’s more you won’t
want it to let go. The novel is narrated by Madeline (Maddy) Whittier who has a
severe combined immunodeficiency, SCID; in short Maddy is allergic to the
outside world and therefore is confined to her house. She hasn’t left her house
in seventeen years and that won’t change in the future as there is no cure for
her disease. The only two people she physically interacts with on a daily basis
are her mother and her nurse Carla. She has online tutors, but basically her
life is limited to books, school which she attends online, movies, and game
nights. She is content with her life, until one day her entire world is turned
upside down when a new family moves in next door. Maddy instantly knows that
she will fall in love with Olly, the boy next door, and she also knows that it
will be a disaster. But if you think this is a story about a sick teen with a
doomed life story you couldn’t be more wrong. There are laugh out loud moments
and tears to be shed, but the story has a very hopeful feel.
The book opens with a lovely quote from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “Here is my secret. It's quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” This is not only Maddy’s
favorite novel, but it also fits the story perfectly.
Nicola Yoon managed to create easy to love characters that
will stay with the reader long after the last page. I loved how Yoon portrayed several
ethnicities in her characters; Maddy is a biracial protagonist, which I found
very refreshing. This was not the emphasis of the story, but it was a great way
of including a more diverse cast of characters.
The use of annotations, IMs, charts, and Maddy’s hand written
notes that were included throughout the novel allowed the reader to further connect
with Maddy, giving her a unique voice and making her more personable to the
reader. I also really enjoyed Maddy’s one sentence spoiler reviews of classic
novels that were included throughout the book and “Madeline’s Dictionary”, which
I found extremely clever.
“Madeline’s Dictionary:
promise – 1. The lie you want to keep [2015, Whittier]”
The story touched on a several issues, such as depression and
family abuse. I can’t say much about this as it would be a spoiler, but I loved
the psychological bread crumbs that were given throughout the book, without
actually giving everything away. I found the twists to be a bit predictable,
but that might be because psychology is one of my favorite subjects and I took
several classes on the subject.
All in all I loved this book; I found the story to be very
well written, unique in its composition, and with amazing characters that I
easily fell in love with. Yoon is an excellent storyteller and I am looking
forward to reading more from her. Fantastic read!
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Sold by: Random House Children’s
I've been hearing so much about this book and the cover is just beautiful. Now knowing more about what the book is about I am even more excited to get to read it. A great review and another book added to my TBR
ReplyDeleteI think you are really going to love it. I am buying a copy of this book soon. I absolutely love the cover and the story, so I must add a physical copy to my shelves. :)
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