Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

4.5/5 Stars

Published by Delacorte Books

Publishing September 1, 2015

Synopsis: 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. 

In her debut, Nicola Yoon writes a fantastic YA contemporary romance that is definitely going to make your heart clench and ache. This story was beautifully executed. The writing was so smooth and easy to glide over, it was like absorbing butter. The narrator of this story is so similar to teenagers nowadays, that I could feel myself relating to her in many ways. Her narration was brilliant and witty, capturing your attention as soon as you begin. I think having a connection to the protagonist of a story is one of the greatest gifts you could ever receive, and I received that while reading this novel. I heard many good things about this book, but it never occurred to me that those reviews were not doing justice to just how flawless this story is.

Everything, Everything introduces to us the story of Madeline Whittier, a girl who has spent her entire life in a bubble. When she was a baby, she was diagnosed with SCID, a rare disease that is based off an immune deficiency --- basically meaning she is allergic to a lot of the things she comes into contact with. Due to this disease, Maddy has spent her entire life at home with her mother and can only come into contact with people that have gone through rigorous decontamination. Maddy is able to get a piece of the outside world through a multitude of books, and is content with her life until Olly moves across the street.

Maddy is not a protagonist you would find in every YA novel you pick up. She is Afro-Asian, which is a very unlike the 'typical' protagonists we read about. Maddy has warm brown skin, with big, long, wavy hair, and her eyes are a perfect blend of her African and Asian descent. Despite her predicament, she is a very wise character. I could guess that this is due to all the time spent in her room reading, but she is also witty and jovial. She surprised me with her strength and her drive to keep going; she didn't dare let her disease get the best of her. Olly is a very adorable character, that will most likely capture your heart immediately. His determination to protect Maddy warmed my heart, especially after learning about his family history. He is definitely a bit of a flirt, which had me giggling along with Maddy. What I loved the most about this relationship was that it was so pure and innocent. None of the relationship was forced, and Maddy's reactions to everything Olly did was exactly like falling in love for the first time.

There were a lot of small details about this book that made me fall in love with it. I really enjoyed the illustrations that popped up here and there --- it really made the connection between the story and I feel more personal. Plus, I thought the IM'ing section was perfect and completely relatable to every teen out there. Nicola Yoon did an excellent job of keeping my emotions on high, because I was constantly on edge. One moment I was giddy, the next I was tearing up, then all of a sudden I was laughing. There were some surprising twists that had my jaw dropping, but they all tied into the plot effortlessly. I was hooked on this book from beginning to end! Maddy and Olly will live on in my heart. Everything, Everything deserves all the hype it is getting. Kudos, Nicola!

*Disclaimer: ARC provided to me by Netgalley* 

Nicola Yoon

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