Everything, Everything-Book Review

Everything, Everything
By Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction

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.

The Gist

Everything, Everything is a sweet story about a teenage girl struggling with an isolating illness. It’s a quick and easy read/listen that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was so inspired by the bravery of Madeline and thought her story was told in a wonderful mixture of elegance and light-hearted humor. I truly enjoyed this book. There was some sexual innuendo at times so maybe not for anyone under 18 (in my opinion), but there wasn’t much of that. For a book about a girl who can’t go outside, I was worried it would be really slow. But in general, I found that wasn’t the case. I listened to the audiobook, but I’ve heard the illustrations and extra personal touches in the book make it even better.

What I Liked

Madeline has a sweet personality and a great sense of humor. That combo made her delightful to read about. I also loved the close relationship she has with her mom and her full-time nurse. Olly was also a favorite. His sweet, slightly bad boy swagger, but also the way he cares about Madeline and wants what’s best for her. Their love story was realistic and adorable. And it wasn’t so cliche it made me want to vomit in my mouth. Yoon’s writing style was also easy and fun to listen to. She does of great job of showing each character’s personality through her writing.

What I Didn’t Like

Sometimes it felt like the pace slowed down (especially in the beginning) with all the extras like Madeline’s dictionary, or noting schedules of other characters. That being said, I see why she did it: to present information in a different way and even cynical me can appreciate that.

My Recommendation

I think this is a great book for people on the older range of their teen years (due to the semi-sexual content, which, let me clarify (SPOILER) there wasn’t a described sex scene, just mention that they did have sex, in case that matters to you). It’s a sweet story that easy and enjoyable to read. I think you’ll like it.