Author: Nicola Yoon
Publisher: Delecort Books for Young Readers
Series: n/a
Published: September 1, 2015
Source: Sent for review
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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.
Overall?
I ENJOYED IT
When I was younger I discovered a show on what was then the Discovery Health channel and I decided I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. Several years later after realizing I was slightly terrified of sick people I no longer want to be a doctor, but weird diseases still fascinate me, so I was pretty excited about reading this novel. I had also heard from a good friend who has a scary-similar taste in books that it was really good, which made me even more excited!
First I want to let you all know that despite having a protagonist with a deadly disease it's NOT in the vein of The Fault in Our Stars, so if you're looking for something akin to that book you will not find it here. What you will find is essentially a cute contemporary romance with a sick main character. Aside from the main character's disease, made famous by the movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble starring John Travolta, the book is fascinating in the sense that it's not only told in prose but also in IMs, some lists, medical charts, and a variety of other "mediums". That alone made it a pretty fascinating read.
It was really fascinating watching the main character, Madeline, grow as a character. She went from interacting with two people who kept her very sheltered from the world to interacting with three people, one of whom is very much a part of the outside world. The romance might have been a little fast, but because of the situation she grew up in it's understandable how quickly she fell for a cute boy her age who actually paid attention to her and liked her. That being said the romance was also pretty darn adorable, which made it the perfect summer read.
The incorporation of the graphs, charts, and various other ways the story was told was a great addition and made the book stand out in a way that, without it, it might not have. There are very few novels that include things like that, although they are becoming more common, and so for now it makes them unique and fun to read because they're something new. It also makes it twice as adorable because Yoon's husband drew all of the doodles and whatnot included in the book.
Oddly enough I think the thing that bothered me the most about the novel was actually the disease. I don't want to say too much and spoil anything but the part of me that is transfixed by rare diseases and conditions was a little disappointed by the small details, but I suppose that since it all made sense in the end I can't really complain THAT much about it.
Despite that it was a really quick read that brought a smile to my face and I have no doubt that because of the other mediums of storytelling along with Yoon's beautiful writing this book will take off. Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins will most likely find this debut novel to be to their liking and I personally look forward to reading what comes next from this author because if it's anything like this one it's sure to be fantastic.
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