Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

I have such mixed feelings about this book! It was sweet, adorable, emotional and perfect for the first half, then the plot twist just changed EVERYTHING and left me loathing a certain character and feeling angry and let down. Still, it was a captivating and interesting story and I rooted so much for the main character. So I’m really struggling with sorting my feelings out and rating this book…

The story is about Maddy who has been ill ever since she was born in a rare disease that makes contact with others impossible. She’s therefore lived her whole life isolated in her house together with her mother. But one day, the new neighbors moving next to them has a very cute and mysterious teenage boy, Olly, and Maddy starts to question her life.

I rooted so much for Maddy already from the start! Being a bookworm myself, I loved this extra much about her, and the way she saw the world and thought about things. I felt so sorry for her situation and could completely relate to her longing for more.

And Olly… if I’d been Maddy I’d fallen so hard for him too! He was the perfect combination of good looks and a kind heart. I loved his humor and how he was the catalyst for freedom for Maddy. Yes, it might be a bit instalove, but honestly, Maddy and Oliver were so cute together that I didn’t really mind that their friendship moved to love at lightning speed.

“Is it always like that?” I ask, breathless.
“No,” he says. “It’s never like that.” I hear the wonder in his voice.
And just like that, everything changes.”

My main problem was the huge plot twist at the end and how it changed the whole premise for the story. That thing was just so completely unforgivable that it made me loathe a certain character, but also left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth and dislike for the entire book. Some of the parts (not just the plot twist) were also a bit too unrealistic.

But trying to sort out my mixed feelings, it was nevertheless a very captivating and emotional read, and I absolutely loved the first part of it. And Maddy and Olly were some of the cutest YA couple ever. It was therefore so frustrating the way the execution of the plot twist ruined that. Without the plot twist this would easily have been a 5 star read for me, but with it I will have to take away two of those stars and settle for a 3 star rating overall. 

Rating:
​3 stars

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​Author info:
Nicola Yoon