Everything, Everything

This story is told in first-person present-tense entirely from the POV of Madeline, who is turning eighteen in the first chapter. Maddy has lived her entire life isolated in the protective confines of her home, thanks to a condition that’s left her without a functional immune system. She has a strong relationship with her doctor mother, and her full-time nurse, Carla, and is resigned to live more vicariously than actually. Until she meets the boy next door…

Simple, serviceable prose with restrained vocabulary. I sometimes forgot this wasn’t aimed at a Middle Grade audience. As some reviewers have noted, this feels like a deliberate diverging away from John Green’s famed work involving a dangerously ill teen—The Fault In Our Stars. It’s almost as though this is meant to be alternative reading for those who didn’t care for hyper-mature teenagers spouting existential literary quotes, (or for Nicholas Sparks-style sobfests, for that matter.)

I personally enjoyed the well-threaded references to Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. The parallels drawn were gut-wrenching and skillfully utilized, regardless of how one might feel about the suicide-related aspects.

And here’s where my medical background swoops in like Nurse Ratchet and mercilessly underscores aspects I might have otherwise been able to ignore...

-Why are surgical filtration masks never mentioned?
No masks of any kind, in fact, for the purpose of at least reducing risk. No one from the outside ever wears one when they go through the decontamination process to enter Maddy’s house. And when Maddy contemplates taking the chance of leaving the purported safe-haven of her home, absolutely zero risk-diminishing measure cross her mind. Hazmat suit? No. Super-soaker full of Purell? Nay. Gloves? Nope. Dollar Tree flu masks? Not even. It’s as though no one has the slightest idea how to manage the practicalities of someone who is immuno-suppressed. I could understand Maddy’s eventual willingness to take risks to live more normally, but why not do so more safely?

-On a related note, it’s pretty unclear why anyone thinks Maddy needs a full-time nurse—who constitutes an additional and consistent exposure risk (i.e. by going out into the world and home to her family ever night.) Maddy isn’t consistently ill and presents as fully independent, albeit within her controlled “bubble” home environment. The house is high-tech and she could easily be monitored while her mother is away at work. As much as she SHOULD know about her own care by age 18, she could be taking and keeping track of her own vital signs. I have a lot of trouble fathoming how a full-time nurse is logical or cost-effective.

-I'm deeply disappointed no efforts were made at using the story to better inform readers about either SCID or Munchausen's by Proxy. Aside from a brief first-page explanation of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, additional information isn’t offered along the way—not even when the obvious educating opportunity of the potential boyfriend presents. All focus was instead placed on the romance. But as far as we know, Olly doesn’t ask many questions or otherwise research his beloved’s condition… (That I find most difficult to believe. The fault of too much personal experience, perhaps.)
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Issues with medical suspension of disbelief aside, I also had some trouble buying the romance.
It starts out beautifully with Olly going to theatric extremes in trying to win and maintain Maddy’s close-distance attention. The bunt cake montage is certainly chuckle-worthy, and sets up readers to anticipate getting to know a young man with a great sense of humor. But alas, that is also the last point where I have recollection of feeling humored. There’s no resurfacing of this goofball-ish determination we at first found endearing. I suspect most of the appeal in their relationship is to those who are more enthralled with Maddy’s first-time-sensations—as those are somewhat amplified due to her lifetime of isolation and longing.

It is implied that a good deal of their romance blossomed gradually via online interactions—which unfortunately, left most of the emotional intimacy to telling rather than showing. We aren’t privileged to know much of what they talked about online. By the end of the book, I felt like I still didn't know either of them particularly well.

Content Note: The book contains a sex scene that, while not graphic, isn’t what I’d call fade-to-black either. Condom use is at least mentioned.
Issues of mental illness are sidestepped, and the handling of the feature illness may strike immuno-suppressed readers (and their family and/or caregivers) as trivialized. There’s also a persistent message that could easily lead some readers to the depressingly insidious conclusion of: “If you are living with limitations, you’re not living at all!”

And therein lies my biggest qualm with this book—a seriously problematic disability portrayal. I could fumble through expanding on this and all the spoilers that would entail, but I’d prefer to point to a far better qualified source--Jennifer J. Johnson’s review from Disability In Kidlit:

http://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/09/04/review-everything-everything-by-nicola-yoon/

I was very surprised when I was approved for this book on Netgalley, that I started reading it the night I got it. The premise was very interesting so I did not hesitate to start reading it. First chapter then bam! I was hooked. I really loved the way Nicola Yoon wrote the book, and the illustrations by her husband gave me an exciting and more memorable experience while reading this.

Everything, Everything tells the story of Maddy, who has SCID, a rare disease which makes her allergic to everything and because of that, it requires her to stay inside of their house, under certain protocols. Things started to change when a new family moves in as their new neighbors, and she met Olly, a boy her age and from there friendship and romance bloomed.

I enjoyed the characters so much. Maddy was a bit naive, but she’s can be pretty firm and yes, stubborn about things. She’s has a strong willpower too, albeit being pretty emotional most of the time. I think it’s due to the way she was brought up by her mother. Even though, we couldn’t agree on some things, I was rooting for Maddy all the way. Olly’s character surprised me. I thought he was going to be this bad boy/player type of guy because of they way he dresses up (all black… so yeah) but NOPE. There’s not even a single thing in his personality that seemed shady or gave off a bad boy vibe. He’s absolutely and utterly adorable! He’s kind, understanding and gentle. He’s also strong and I love that he loves his family so much. Not being biased because his name is Oliver. I’m not, trust me. He’s definitely one to swoon for!

The book was fast-paced. I could’ve finished it in 24 hours but I chose not to because I want to take it all in slowly. The narration was superb! I loved all the illustrations because they added a new dynamic to the story. It also helped visualize things! The plot was definitely enjoyable and I did not expect a twist. It turned out so much better than I was expecting!

Some really minor reservations though. Maddy’s condition could’ve been explained further. I was totally looking forward to knowing more about it. Also for her mother, It could’ve been nice to have her background story to be cleared up.

Overall, I was practically speechless after reading this book because it was written so beautifully. It was a mix of poignancy, hope, and fun. It opened me and my mind up to new things, which gave me absolutely great experience. The romance wasn’t too cheesy, but it was that good to make me swoon. Watch out for this debut novel by Nicola Yoon!

I got to read this book for the Dutch, yet English speaking, bookclub, called “Bored to Death Book Club”. Every month we read and discuss a book that we pick together. And whilst I couldn’t make it to this edition of the bookclub due to my lungs being totally sucky, I did read and enjoy the book, and I will review it for you guys. I didn’t really expect anything of “Everything, Everything” but I was totally blown away!

It all sounds very good, yet at the same time very terrible for the person whose experiencing it: Madeline is too sick to go outside of her house. Living under her mother’s supervision, she gets home-schooled, has no contact with the outside world and tries to make the best of it with. It sounds like a promising story, yet I was afraid it would turn out to be a knock-off of “The Fault in Our Stars” only a little bit different. Turns out I was all wrong, luckily. But I promised not to spoil anything, so I won’t go into detail what it exactly was that surprised me. But the ending has one of the biggest plot twists in all history of plot twists so you should seriously experience this book by yourself.


The story is told from Maddie’s perspective, who is, after all she’s been through, a character that wasn’t annoying at all, even though she could’ve been one of those ‘spoiled by mommie’ brats. She was just a girl longing for the outside world while trying to stay alive inside of her tiny house, her own safe cubicle. She has interesting thoughts and I think Nicola Yoon really created an honest character that tries to except and fight certain circumstances like any other teenager would.

As for Olly, I couldn’t relate to him at all. He wasn’t honest to Maddie, but as a read, you soon find out why he isn’t. But still, even though I loved reading chapters about Olly and Maddie together, I had my doubts about him. But he turned out to be just really sweet and goodhearted and maybe even a little bit naive. I felt sorry for him but at the same time I wan’t to punch him in the face (no joke intended) and you know, let him speak up. It’s not that I don’t like him, I just kinda got frustrated by him.

What I absolutely adore about the book is how it looks. You have pages with just direct storytelling from Maddie, you have lists, pictures and IM messages. You have everything (everything) put together in one book, creating a world that you can easily image and felt so real. Nicola Yoon did a great job at the visuals department: describing surroundings is not something she does all the time, but still, implicitly you get to know a lot bout the surroundings through Maddie’s eyes, since she’s so fixed on what she’s been missing while being locked up in her home. The use of senses was one of the main reasons I think Nicola Yoon is a great author. I like her writing style and the whole thing put together. She also knows how to lighten up serious scenes with subtle jokes and references. So thumbs up on that department.

I do believe she could’ve elaborated on the last couple of chapters of the book. To me it felt too fast, and maybe it was supposed to be that way, due to Maddie’s condition, but I just wished there was more for me to read. It’s both a critique and a compliment I think. But over all I think Nicola Yoon kept great balance in telling her story with a lot of ‘action’ and some slower scenes in which the reader gets to know her living situation better.

I do have to warn you: I couldn’t keep it dry 100%. I think tissues are recommended. Nicola knows how to play with emotions and I think the fact that Maddie is just an ordinary girl living with an extraordinary condition is very easy to relate to. I started to feel really close to the characters and wasn’t ready to say goodbye at the last page of the book. This story is so rare, I think it will stay with me forever and ever.

“Everything, Everything” is a surprisingly good book with lovable characters and a plot twist you won’t see coming. You will wish the book contained about 50 more pages, because the characters will soon feel as if they are real, as if they are your friends, that you cannot get enough of spending time with. I recommend this book to anybody who loves Jasmine Warga, John Green or Rainbow Rowell. You will not get disappointed!

What I Loved: Maddy was the star of the book and I genuinely liked her. Her view on the world, limited as it was, was great. She’s book lover, so that’s already a plus in her favor. She also has a Tumblr book blog and her one-lined reviews were spot on and entertaining. I also really loved all the drawings. They were probably my favorite part of the book. I’m a sucker for a good illustration. They fit with the story and gave me a better mental picture of the story and Maddy as a whole.

I absolutely adored Olly and Maddy together. They were so cute together. Everything was new to them, especially to Maddy, and it was fun watching them navigate a relationship, given Maddy’s condition. I expected Olly to be fascinated by Maddy, anyone would be, but I didn’t expect them to connect so well and I really appreciated that. Given his predicament, Maddy was good for him. Like a breath of fresh air.

I also didn’t see that twist coming. I was totally expecting a different kind of ending and when it first happened I thought it was a cop out, which pissed me off. But then I continued reading and discovered it was this totally different kind of thing and it blew my mind a bit once all was said and done.

What Didn’t Work for Me: Like I said, that twist threw me for a loop at first and it’s a big jarring, but once everything comes to light, it gets better. Also, there’s really not much going on and I could’ve used more in terms of Maddy’s diagnosis, but I guess that would’ve lessened the effects of the twist. I also would’ve liked more of Maddy’s past and of her family back when they were a foursome. I didn’t connect with her mother at all and even though I was sad for the losses, it was only for a second, so I didn’t connect on that level.

Final Verdict: I’d definitely give this book a try. It’s so different and even though not much happens, it’s pretty riveting. I couldn’t stop reading.