Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

September 1, 2015

320 pages

Genre: YA Contemporary

Contains: some sexual reference

Source: eARC for Honest review

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.

Wonderful! What a wonderful book! I loved this touching heartfelt journey.

I can't go into too much detail about this book, because the journey is important to explore without spoilers. But what I can say is:

1. Top notch writing! I loved the writing. Yoon's use of short chapters and limited illustrations made my reading experience incredibly engaging. I didn't want to put this book down. I loved how Maddy's personality came out in these chapters and the thoughtful and captivating way the words and prose, pictures and dialogue, all came together.

2. Yay for diversity! Not only do I love Madeline's personality, but on top of that she is multiracial (Japanese and African-American). I love diversity in writing and characters and always want more, so Maddy was a treat. But I also loved that Maddy was portrayed beautifully regardless of her ethnicity. She was a delight to journey with. All her feelings came through the page, and I really loved her.

3. Sweet Romance! I have to say that I loved Olly. Seriously, what a great character! I loved how special and supportive and sweet he was. I couldn't help but root for the two of them. I liked how their relationship initially developed. I liked that they had obstacles to overcome, individually and together. I just really liked them. I liked how they made each other better, made each other think beyond the near and into the what if. And they were just stinkin' sweet.

4. A touching journey! This had so much: a mysterious illness, a sweet romance, the depths of love and protection explored, life and what it means to truly live. Risks and fear, trust and disappointment, truth and hope, life and future. So much was in this gem of a book. I have to say that in the beginning of this story I felt it going in a simple direction, but the deeper I got into it, the more I loved it; the more I delved into Maddy and Olly and their families and their lives, the more invested I was in their outcome. I was fully engaged in this journey. I wanted to see how it would all end, but at the same time I didn't want it to end. I could read about Maddy and Olly all day long. I loved the ending. I loved this story!

Amazon ~ Goodreads