Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Reviewed by Ambrea

Madeline Whittier is allergic to the world.  Diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (known as SCID—aka “bubble baby disease”) when she was just a baby, Maddy hasn’t left her house in seventeen years.  But she hasn’t minded much:  she loves her mother, who also acts as her doctor; she enjoys the company of her nurse, Carla; she reads books voraciously and she attends classes online.

Her life is fine—until she meets Olly.

Olly is wild and vibrant and full of energy.  Maddy knows he’s trouble, but their connection is instantaneous, unexpected, and completely life-changing.  She’s on the precipice of falling in love with a boy whose hand she can’t hold, a boy she can’t visit in real life, a boy who lives in a world that might just kill her.

Honestly, I loved reading Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.  I know I’m a little late to the game, considering the movie was released over a year ago and the book came out two years before that.  However, I only recently stumbled across a copy of the book at my library gift shop and I devoured Everything, Everything within a couple of days.

I enjoyed the way Yoon’s novel is written, and I loved reading Maddy and Olly’s story.  It’s interesting to see how their relationship develops, especially given the complexity of Maddy’s condition.  In particular, I appreciated how Maddy chronicles her life and her growing relationship with Olly through drawings, IMs, text messages, emails, and snapshots.  It’s really lovely to see the humor and understanding between them, as they learn more about each other and grow closer.

One of the main things that appealed to me about Maddy is her love of books.  I loved coming across her spoiler reviews, titled “Life is Short.”  They were short and, yes, they will spoil the end of certain classics (if you haven’t already read them), but they’re a wonderful reflection of Madeline’s feelings. She read books that appealed to her, whether she was lovesick or heartbroken, and her reviews offered unparalleled insight into her feelings, adding a greater depth to her experiences.

(Plus, I just really liked that she loved books.)

Overall, I really enjoyed Everything, Everything.  It’s a fun, sweet YA novel that’s slightly tragic and unexpectedly heart-wrenching and completely wonderful.  I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA novels or romances in general, but I will note that I was a little torn about the ending when I reached it.