Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon | | Book Review

Everything, Everything is a YA novel about Madeline Whittier, an 18 year old girl who hasn't left her house for seventeen years. You see, she suffers from a rare yet ironically famous disease called Severe Combined Immunodeficiency meaning she's allergic to the world. Which sounds absolutely insane and unfathomable but Madeline can be allergic to anything in the outside world. She lives a very isolated life, home-schooled through Skype, spending most of her days reading, with her mum or with her nurse Carla.  

Madeline wants to escape and explore. Go to school, make friends. Sit outside in the grass, breathe fresh air. Is it worth the risk of being deathly ill?

A new family move in across the road. Meet Olly, the mysterious new boy. The boy who dresses head to toe in black. The boy who moves his body easily and impossibly. The boy Madeline may just fall in love with.

Sometimes romance in YA irritates me. It feels over the top, obsessive and unrealistic. I'm not criticising young adult fiction. I love it with all my heart. I understand why it's written. First love is obsessive. You've never felt anything like it before, every feeling goes from 0-100 pretty quick. Yet still, I read some YA and I hate it. I hate how quickly characters fall in love. Maybe it's simply me, no longer a teenager and slightly pessimistic. I felt this strongly with both of Yoon's novels, Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also A Star. It happens too quickly and puts me off. 

Despite my doubts, Madeline and Olly's developing relationship is cute and equally as dangerous. I liked Olly's sub-plot, his support for his sister and mum because his dad is an arsehole. Olly has nothing but a positive effect on Madeline, yet he is a constant threat to her health. He is careful, funny and adorable. Let's not forget the little dimple on his face or his Atlantic Ocean blue eyes. 

The plot twist/revelation at the end was unexpected and completely threw me off. It might be an extremely strong attitude towards the book but it ruined it for me. I felt livid. It was unnecessary. 

The books layout is definitely what kept me reading. Adorable illustrations drawn by the author's husband, they depict Madeline's feelings and plans, almost like a visual diary. 

There's a rock solid Bundt cake, a trip to Hawaii and a heavily detailed architecture model of a shopping centre involving an astronaut. All in all, the story is interesting, imaginative and hopeful.

I rated it 3/5 on Goodreads!