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4.5 stars! This review will contain no spoilers!
Synopsis:
If you haven’t heard the synopsis of this book or seen the trailer for the movie adaptations, I’m shocked. Still, this is the story of a girl with a rare disease most know as “bubble boy disease.” Madeline is allergic to virtually everything and if she steps outside… She could die. The only people she ever gets to interact with are her mother and her nurse, Carla. But one day a family, including one very mysterious and very sexy boy, moves in across the street and infatuation ensues. Maddy and Olly are most certainly going to fall in love. And “it’s most certainly going to be a disaster.”
Thoughts:
I'm not going to lie, I did not plan on reading this book ever. Then I saw the trailer... Yes, I know the trailer is super spoilery, but it was just so DARN CUTE. I couldn't stop thinking about these two very adorable characters and just had to read it. AND BOY, did I inhale this read. First of all, the main female is Japanese/African American. Praise for diversity. Second, this girl loves to read, loves the ocean, and clearly has great taste in boys. I fell in love with Olly at "he was wearing all black.” Lastly, she has this super rare disease and you expect her to find a way to get over it, but for me personally, I did not expect the twist that came at the end making this story all the BETTER. The last chapter also made me so happy for these two love birds, that I could not contain myself. It was perfect. I could not have asked for a better ending.
Does this book have it's flaws? Yes, the way S.K.I.D was portrayed has upset some people. Yes, the relationship that developed did kinda sorta happen in an insta-love way. Yes, the cynical side of me continuously tells me that this struggle was solved almost too easily. STILL, this read is flowery, fluffy, adorable goodness that you want from YA contemporary and if you want a short happy read to get you out a slump, I'd most definitely suggest this one!
*Also, I read this book using Audible! The narrators for this book, Bahni Turpin and Robbie Daymond were amazing! I imagined Maddy’s voice to sound exactly like Bahni. I’d recommend this audible, but try speeding it up to 1.25x or 1.50x because they do read a little slow.*
Plot/Characters:
Can we just take a second to appreciate that Maddy, despite the SKID, is very relatable. She loves books! So do I. She loves the ocean! Same here! She gets infatuated with cute boy next door, who can blame her? We all know going into this book that there is a very basic plot line that most contemporary reads follow. This was no exception, but regardless Everything, Everything still contained it’s own uniqueness hidden within the little details. Example: I liked how Maddy didn’t know what was considered normal for beauty standard, but didn’t discredit her own beauty.
I also love that Maddy has such a great relationship with her mother and nurse, who is like her second mother. She loves them both greatly and you can feel that loves throughout the book even when things get rocky between them. Maddy’s nurse, Carla, is such a sweet woman. I like how she treats Maddy like her own and is understanding about her sickness. Even is willing to push a little bit of braveness into Maddy.
Not that Maddy isn’t already super brave herself. I love love love her character if you couldn’t already tell. I also love Olly. He wasn’t just a simple boy next door, he came with his own cracks and flaws. His family relationship is almost the opposite of Maddy’s and they complete opposite-ness made them mush together even more perfectly.
Then comes the second half of the book when things start to rush a little. Which I personally did not mind because I enjoy a quick, easy read every now and then. But oh my gods I could not stop reading when the adventures ensued. So exciting! Then so heart breaking!
The ending that followed was the red ribbon that perfectly wrapped up all loose ends in a secure knot and bow. I do not think there could have been a better ending in all honesty.
Overall:
I’m ready to buy all of Nicola Yoon’s books now.