Review Detail

"Everything, Everything" follows Madeline, who lives in a bubble- she has a rare disease called SCID, which means she is severely immunocompromised and so she must stay in a protected space away from anything and everyone. Madeline loves to read but wishes she could see more of the world. When a boy moves in next door, she is drawn to him and he to her. They begin to chat over IM and then he comes to visit (they have a decontamination process to allow him inside).

Olly is the next door neighbor. While most of the book focuses on Madeline, Olly is also dealing with some big things. His father is an alcoholic and abusive. He wishes his mother would leave him, but she is not yet able to do so. Olly immediately likes Madeline and a teenage romance quickly begins.

Madeline, tired of her life inside, decides to risk everything, telling Olly she is taking an experimental drug and convincing him to go with her to Hawaii- a place she visited as an infant before her father and brother were killed in a car accident. Her world has been her mother, but she wants so much more from life, even if it might kill her.

As the story evolves, we realize there is much more to what is going on than things first appear. There's a big twist in the book, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. It seemed to be downplayed more than I would have anticipated such a big thing to be. This is not to say it isn't discussed, but it's a much bigger issue than I felt came across from the book.

Overall, I wasn't sure how I felt about it- the writing is good and moves fast, but there is instalove plus some bigger issues (such as risking her life to take this trip, lying, plus the twist at the end). It's a quick read both in length and in terms of fast-paced plot, and I enjoyed the first parts of it, but am not sure if I feel the same by the end.