Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything

by Nicola Yoon

September 1, 2015

320 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the 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. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.

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 was so excited when I won an ARC of this! This book was a mixture of cuteness, sadness and madness all rolled into one giant ball of feelings. Everything, Everything was a beautiful and poignant story. There's a plot twist that should've been obvious but I didn't see it until it hit. It was powerful.

 

Let me start by sharing the cuteness. The drawings, graphs, charts, IMs and book reviews were too adorable. Written in such a simple and easy way to understand, I don't know how one can not love it. There are terms like Hysterical Abdominal Rhopalocera that had me smiling like an idiot. I love that Maddy's getting to experience it. I love that Olly's the reason she's experiencing it. I love that Carla, her nurse, encourages her to experience it. "Just because you can't experience everything doesn't mean you shouldn't experience anything." (p. 79).

I'm tempted to skip the sad parts but they're vital to the overall story so no skipping. Boy did I ever feel the sadness in Maddy's life. I can't even begin to fathom what it's like to be allergic to the world. How bittersweet to live in it but only be able to see everything from inside a bubble. In order for Maddy to truly live life, it meant stepping out of her protective bubble to suffer a painful death. The fact that Maddy knows all this guts me. She's a tough girl finding the colours in a bleak life. I wasn't surprised when she shut down because it was all just too hard.
 

The plot twist was pure madness and under spoiler cut for obvious reasons. My mind was whirling when Maddy suspected the truth. I was internally screaming when she found out she wasn't sick at all. Not only because it was shocking but definitely because of the implication. Her own mother was the one that's kept her from living her life. The one person that was trying to keep her safe was the one person holding her back. I wished there was more closure between Maddy and her mother but I can understand the betrayal is not something that can be easily forgiven.

So obviously after everything Maddy's been through I wanted her to have her happily-ever-after. She and Olly more than deserves it. At the same time though, I can't feel how conflicted I am at how easy the solution came about. Just like, ta da, you're free to go. That's the only reason this book didn't get five cats. The ending does leave room for more and I sure hope we get some in one form or another!

Basically this book is everything. Nicola Yoon has crafted a story that really tugs at your heart. It's engrossing with its delicate characters, moving storyline and all the emotions. You want Everything, Everything in your life.

*I won an ARC of this book from a giveaway. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way. All quotes were taken from the Advance Review Copy I won.