Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon | Spoiler-free

Title: Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Published: September 1^st 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Pages: 310

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Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble

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(via Goodreads):

 “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.”

I read this book a few weeks ago but never got around to upload the review so here we are! 😀

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long time and when I saw the movie trailer with Nick Robinson (gosh, I love him) when it first came out, I knew I had to give it a go!

I have to say I really enjoyed reading it at first – we have a diverse (yay!) main character (half-black/half-Japanese) who has a rare disease that doesn’t allow her to leave the house. The only human contact Madeline has is her mother and her nurse who both check on her every day. When Olly, the new neighbour from next door, starts messaging her and they start getting to know each other, Madeline falls in love. And that love has been doomed from the start.

Madeline was a very relatable character and she reminded me of my young, naive and pubescent self! When I had my first crush (and my second… and my third lol) I behaved exactly the same way she did. Just thinking about the other person makes you blush, you get butterflies in your stomach whenever they message you and all that jazz! It was so cute to read about all her thoughts and initial feelings and emotions when contacting Olly, whether it be via chat or in person.

I enjoyed Nicola Yoon’s writing a lot and the whole set up of the book was so cool. It was so easy to just breeze through it because the writing just flowed so naturally. And there were loads of drawings, lists, emails etc which was really engaging and made the reading experience so much more fun! This is also a book that you could easily finish in one sitting!

I really liked the idea of an impossible and basically hopeless romance between Madeline and Olly. Madeline is trapped in her house forever because of her illness and Olly has to sneak in when her mum isn’t home. The thought of a relationship between them was crazy at first but with time they could have made it work! I thought it was an interesting idea and would make the story really unique!

And I was really liking this book until I got to the end and the very disappointing plot twist. The ending really is the only reason why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 or maybe even 5.

I won’t spoil anything on my blog but I will link you to an #ownvoices review if you want to know more about why the ending of Everything, Everything is harmful and ableist. Be aware that the review contains spoilers!

All in all I think the concept of this book was unique and promising and it had good potential but it wasn’t carried out/developed well enough. I am really disappointed with the ending and a lot could have been done differently! I feel like the author herself wasn’t sure how to wrap the story up so she did that.

While I have acknowledged and realised why Everything, Everything is problematic, I still enjoyed the rest of the story and therefore I give it 3 stars.

 (3 out of 5 stars)

I’m still going to watch the movie because the trailer is soooo cool – I swear I’ve probably seen it 50 times. Nick Robinson might be the BIG reason why I’ll be watching it haha he is just adorable *drools*. And I love Amandla Stenberg! Watch the movie trailer for Everything, Everything below!

Have you read Everything, Everything? What did you think of it? Are you planning on watching the movie? Let’s chat in the comments!

 

February Wrap-Up

Well, this month has been very sparse when it comes to books if I do say so myself. I have only managed to read 4 (ok, let’s be honest, 3 and a half) books in the month of February but that wasn’t my fault! I’ve been writing all my exams in the first 3 weeks of the month so I only really had time to read in the past week and a half. But I’ll do better in March and hopefully tackle my huge TBR list! I will have reviews for all of these up soon so keep an eye out!

Anyway, here’s my February Wrap-Up:

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Goodreads: “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.”

(A review of Everything Everything will be up soon!)

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Goodreads: “Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy.”

(A review of Shadow and Bone is up on my blog!)

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Goodreads: “Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality. It’s more than just a game or a performance. It’s the closest you’ll ever find to magic in this world . . . 

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.”

(A review for Caraval will be up soon!)

Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Goodreads: “Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.“

(Technically, I’ve finished this book in March but I’d still like to mention it in my February Wrap-Up 😉 You can find my review for Siege and Storm here!)

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Happy reading!

Jackie x