Book Review: Everything, Everything


Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 1, 2016
Format: Physical
Source: Author Event


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(goodreads)

 


I haven't finished a book in a day in a long time. I physically couldn't pull myself away from Everything, Everything!
Plot: I'm a disgrace. I met Nicola Yoon last October at YA Fandom Frenzy and she was quite lovely. As a result, I bought her debut novel, Everything, Everything and it sat on my shelves until earlier this week. FOR SHAME. 

Everything, Everything is the optimistic and heartwarming book that I didn't know I needed. Maddy has to live life through what she sees in the media and she has been pretty complacent with her life until she meets Boy Next Door Oliver. I loved following Maddy's quest for "life" and the visuals throughout the book made Everything, Everything even more so engaging. While a bit predictable, I loved every page and was moved to tears more than once. I can't wait to see the movie so I can cry in public!

Characters: HELL YEAH DIVERSITY. YOU GO NICOLA, YOU WRITE THOSE BIRACIAL CHARACTERS.  Madeline is such a darling character because she's so naive and has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I fell in love with her from the moment we are introduced to her, and I loved how narration of the books' events. She and Oliver, while they suffer a bit from instalove, but it's oddly forgivable. I loved how the learned from each other and couldn't seem to stay away from each other no matter how many "this is a bad idea" conversations they had.

I was surprised by how easy it was to love the secondary characters as well, especially when some of them don't even have exchanges with our main characters.

Worldbuilding: With a vast majority of this novel taking place in Maddy's room, I thought that Yoon did an amazing job with this world. Maddy's home felt sterile and it was very easy to picture Maddy's all-white life.

Short N Sweet: Everything, Everything made me the ever optimist, and for that, it gets a special place on my shelves! 

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