Everything, Everything Movie Tie-in Edition

Book on CD performed by Bahni Turpin & Robbie Daymond
3.5***

From the book jacket: 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

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one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window and I see him.

My reactions:
This YA romance had some significant serious issues to discuss. Can love (even teenage love) conquer all? Yoon certainly makes a good case.

I really liked Maddy (Madeline Whittier). She’s intelligent and mostly serene. She’s come to accept her very limited world and hasn’t really “missed” what she can’t have. Until now, of course. Olly is more complex and guarded. His family situation is fraught with drama and it’s understandable that he’d want to keep some things to himself. Still …

What starts as messages taped to windows, and progresses to texting and IMing, must inevitably lead to meeting in person. Each of these teens has some significant issues to deal with on their own, and sharing their struggles brings them closer together. They come to trust in and support one another in a very nice, somewhat naïve way. Of course, things can’t possibly go smoothly for these star-crossed lovers.

There were some things that bothered me in the plot, mostly dealing with the reality of how things might happen. But I was willing to go along for the ride because I really liked both Maddy and Olly. I guessed the big secret ahead of the reveal, but still liked how Yoon handled it. And I liked the way these teens interacted with one another and their families.

Bahni Turpin and Robbie Daymond do an excellent job of voicing the audiobook. They really brought these teens to life for me. I’m glad, however, that I had the text handy, which includes a number of illustrations which just don’t translate well to audio format.

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Everything, Everything was a fantastic read, I loved every minute of it. I could be cliche and say that I laughed, I cried, it was better than expected. And that would be completely true, but it was more than that, I love Madeline Whittier and her relationship with her mom. I liked that Madeline

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created a life for herself inside her house, what she could have easily called her prison. I’m sure by now we all know that Madeline has a rare illness that prevents her from ever going outside. Madeline didn’t lay down and die, she lived, as much as she could live indoors. She had fun with her situation, I loved those if found little notes she writes in her books, even though there is no way she would lose one. She lets her imagination run wild with how she copes with her situation. As for her relationship with her mother, I expected her to be very angry with her when she wouldn’t allow her to see Olly, but she accepted her punishment so maturely. That sums up much respect and love Madeline has for her Mom.

Olly, didn’t know what to expect from him and was very happy with his part in Maddie’s life. He was sweet, understanding, and wise for his age. He has a lot of ‘Olly like’ opinions on life and the human race. Love his interactions with Maddie, so adorable, and funny too. I actually didn’t have any problem with the insta-love in this story, I don’t know if my acceptance of it had anything to do with Maddie’s situation, as well as Olly’s too, because he had his own difficult situation to contend with. Maybe I was being a romantic, I probably was, I was very opened minded on how this could be possible for two people like Maddy and Olly. Aww, Maddie and Olly, sounds so cute. :-)

Things changed for Maddie after meeting and befriending Olly, she decided that she was not really living before and decided to make a change. She wanted to truly live and she took charge, no matter the risk of what truly living means for her.

I love how cute this book was, those little diagrams and very mini, book reviews were a great added touch to it’s cutability. I love the re-invention of popular games that Maddie and her Mom played. I’m not a good scrabble player by no means, so I think ‘Fonetik Skrabbl’ is what I want to play from now on.

I expected the story to be predictable, but it wasn’t for the most part. That ending was not expected when I started reading the book, but I did have my suspicions at some point in. Certainly makes the story different from the norm of similar books and very unexpected.

I tend to take forever to read books that sound too sad or sometimes I just don’t read it at all, but this book was not too sad for me to read, it’s making me feel braver to possibly tackle a few of those dreaded reads I’ve been putting off. There are so many reviews out there for this book that I don’t think I need to say much more, but that if your looking for something with some heart, charm, and an absorbing read, then Everything, Everything would be a good choice. Really enjoyed it.

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I loved everything about this book. Sure, it is a bit simple and formulaic. Yes, it may trivialize children’s health issues. However, it is truly a special story. The illustrations are amazing. Ms. Yoon never tries to lighten Olly’s family situation or the seriousness of Maddy’s illness.

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Rather, she presents them both very matter-of-factly. To that end, the voices are authentic. Speaking of the end, it was just about perfect. I immediately ran out and bought a permanent copy for my library and cannot wait to share it with my daughter.

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I really enjoyed reading about this illness that I had never heard of before in my life. For a second, I thought it was invented but no, it isn’t. It must be sad to live very secluded like Maddy was. All Maddy had for company were her mom, her nurse and books…lots of books. Then one day this

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family moves next door and Maddy sees the boy next door, Olly—it was love at first sight. I do not like love at first sight in books so you can imagine how frustrated I was. I understand that she was secluded…very, very secluded but come on. All of a sudden, she stopped her game/movie nights with her mom so she could chat with Olly until the wee hours of the night. I wanted to smack Maddy for ditching her mom for a boy she hadn’t even fully met.

The story kept progressing and stop happened that had me frustrated, too. View Spoiler » Still, this was a book that opened my eyes to an illness that, as I said before, I hadn’t heard of and it really intrigued me. The romance was a major turn off but I have to admit that Olly was a cool kid. I give it 2.5 because I did enjoy the book to an extent. It wasn’t all that bad.

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I really enjoyed reading about this illness that I had never heard of before in my life. For a second, I thought it was invented but no, it isn’t. It must be sad to live very secluded like Maddy was. All Maddy had for company were her mom, her nurse and books…lots of books. Then one day this

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family moves next door and Maddy sees the boy next door, Olly—it was love at first sight. I do not like love at first sight in books so you can imagine how frustrated I was. I understand that she was secluded…very, very secluded but come on. All of a sudden, she stopped her game/movie nights with her mom so she could chat with Olly until the wee hours of the night. I wanted to smack Maddy for ditching her mom for a boy she hadn’t even fully met.

The story kept progressing and stop happened that had me frustrated, too. View Spoiler » Still, this was a book that opened my eyes to an illness that, as I said before, I hadn’t heard of and it really intrigued me. The romance was a major turn off but I have to admit that Olly was a cool kid. I give it 2.5 because I did enjoy the book to an extent. It wasn’t all that bad.

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**I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

4.5 stars.

When I first started the book, I had my doubts. Because if there's anything I've learned all these years as a part of the book community, then it's that half the time, the hype surrounding a book is usually

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overhyped and you'll probably end up disappointed. Well, not this time.

'Everything, Everything' is a compelling read that'll suck you in from page one. The writing style is tasteful, the characters are dimensional, and I totally loved everything, everything about this book.

I started this book at 2 am. I just wanted to get a glimpse of the first chapter and see what to expect, but I got sucked in right from the start and ended up finishing 60% of the book by 4 a.m. I had to get up early the next day. I remember thinking Yep, I'm screwed.

So, to begin with what I liked about the book, I loved the main character, Maddy. She's African American/Japanese, so you gotta give the author credit for that. Shoutout to character diversity!

I also loved the writing. It was beautiful. Some lines were so deep and metaphorical, I had to reread them multiple times. Amazing. I love it when books do that to me.

I admit, there were some moments in the book when it felt like I was reading The Fault in Our Stars, but in my opinion, I liked this book better. Also, there was a kind of insta-love element here but I think that's excused due to the MC's circumstances and how little contact she has with the Outside.

I loved the illustrations in this book and how they were formatted throughout the book, it was very creative!

Overall, Everything, Everything is a book that glues you to your seat with it's wonderful story and wonderful characters. Y'all better believe the hype about this book because it's totally worth it!

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So everyone is pretty much saying that this is the best thing since sliced bread, and I just don't see it. I did think that I would enjoy the book, but it just didn't live up to the hype for me.

It starts out with Maddy, who has SCID ("boy in a bubble" disease). Okay...even though SCID almost always

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affects males (the most common form of SCID is genetic based and x-linked, which means for a girl to have this type of SCID, she would have to have a carrier mother and a father with SCID - and Maddy's father didn't have SCID). Still, it's possible for a girl to have SCID - extremely unlikely, but possible. Okay, I can get over that hurdle. Probably. Maybe.

So, basically, she falls in love with the boy next door (literally), but their love can never be, because Maddy has SCID.

Right?

Except as I suspected from the first few pages of the book, Maddy DOES NOT have SCID. In fact, it was pretty much given away for sure that Maddy doesn't have the disease on page 137, when I was like - oh shit, Maddy's mother never got over her husband and son dying, and so she's keeping Maddy locked away in this house to protect her from the world. And that is exactly what it is.

And that kind of ruined it for me, because...this book just isn't what I thought it was going to be at all. It changes from "a romance that can never be because of valid reasons!" to just another young adult romance, and I don't even feel like it was a particularly solid romance. Olly keeps saying how Maddy is just, like, "so different" man, and yet he really doesn't know her that well.

I just really feel that this book could have been done better. There are too many inconsistencies and questions for me - why are certain people allowed to touch Maddy (Carla, who goes home EVERY DAY into the germy world, and Maddy's mother) but other people can't (such as Maddy's tutor, who lives in the same germy world)? Why is everything white (presumably because Maddy is allergic to the dye?) but Maddy is allowed to wear jeans (which - GASP - use dye!)? Why is Carla's medical bag allowed to leave the house with her (even Maddy wonders about that one)?

I also didn't feel emotionally connected to Maddy at all. I just could not get into this book. And Olly felt more like a foil for Maddy than a developed character in his own right. I mean, seriously, Maddy cuts off all contact with him for months, and then when she finally decides that she wants to be back with him, she expects him to drop everything for her (even though he has move across the country with his mother) and...surprise...he does! Bleh. I would have loved it if he had been like, "well, Mads, our time together was cool, but since you decided to kick me out of your life for MONTHS and ignore my every attempt to contact you during that time, let's be friends, k? Also, meet my super cool girlfriend, who likes me for me and doesn't just use me."

Sorry not sorry. This one is a meh for me. Kudos for making the lead character half-Japanese and half-black though - definitely glad to see some diversity.

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This novel is realistic fiction about a girl who can never leave home.

Madeline has “bubble baby disease” where she has such an allergy to literally everything that she can never leave the house. The house even has an air lock, and people have to be decontaminated before coming into the house.

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Therefore, Madeline has few friends. She only sees her mom and her full-time nurse, Carla. One day a family moves in next door. They bring a bundt cake over to be friendly, but Madeline’s mom refuses it because of her allergies. Oliver, the boy next door, feels that it’s very rude, so he begins writing notes to her on his window and using the bundt cake as a prop in tableau he creates for her to see.

Eventually, Olly and Madeline start to communicate via the computer and find a great attraction. How can they have a romance without seeing each other in person or even touching. Maddy’s always been content with game nights and movie nights with mom and talking to Carla. Now she feels the prison-like life she’s leading and realizes that at 18 years old, she should be able to make some of her own decisions. One is to spend time in person with Olly. The question is, will it kill her?

This is a page-turner and the ending is a surprise, so do not read ahead. It will ruin the entire novel! There is one mature scene, so I do not recommend this book to 6th graders.

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I really enjoyed this story of a girl in a bubble and the boy next door. There is some enjoyable sarcastic and witty banter like another book about a sick teen we all loved.

When I first saw this book online, the first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful cover. Then I read the blurb and I thought of that cheesy bubble boy movie with Jake Gyllenhaal and decided it was not the book for me. Then I kept seeing it everywhere, everywhere. Ha! Naturally, I

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started getting curious. Every time I saw the book I imagined what the story would be about. Maybe it's a tragic-star-crossed lovers-Romeo and Juliet type? Maybe she dies for love? I thought to myself. Eventually, I decided that instead of formulating all kinds of theories, I just had to find out what all the fuzz was about.

As I began reading, the first thing that caught my attention was how unique of a format this was. The author was extremely creative with the manuscript and I found this to be very refreshing. Then I realized that I liked Madeline a lot. I liked how bold and brave she was. (Although I was thoroughly disappointed with her for a little while, at about 70% or 80% through). Olly was perfection -nothing else to say there.

The other thing I found -and I most definitely was not expecting this, was how deep it was. While the story was really entertaining, I couldn't help but marvel at the meaning behind every detail. This wasn't just a story of teenage love, it was a book about life. From the references to The Little Prince to Madeline's definitions, every page had me reflecting upon the meaning of life. (Yes, I was in quite a pensive mood). I can't believe I almost missed out on reading this book. 5 awestruck stars!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

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This was a fun book to read. It reminds me a little of a lifetime movie. The writing is tight and the plot takes off quickly. There are a lot of moments where it is just best to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. I thought the protagonist was likable and it was a quick read.

A young adult novel about a girl who is allergic to the outside world and a boy who moves into the house next door. A heartfelt story about love, life, and risk with a surprising denouement.

Seventeen-year-old Madeline never leaves her house. She suffers from a rare autoimmune disease that makes leaving her sterilized environment a life-risky behavior. Therefore she suffers from an extreme lack of human contact as she only sees her mother, coincidentally a doctor, her nurse Carla and

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on rare occasions her teacher. School is done via Skype. However, all that changes when the new family moves next door. Intrigued by her new neighbor Olly, Madeline begins to push her boundaries. The results are not what I expected. This book touches on deaths in families, domestic violence and mental illness resulting from stress. It also explores what lengths we will go to for love – from pushing ourselves to try new things to trying to protect the ones we love from pain and suffering. What made this tale even more interesting are the clever drawings by the author’s husband that bring the story to life in a unique way. This is a very clever and compelling read.

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Maddy lives in a house with airlocks, because she has SCID--a rare disease that makes her allergic to everything. She never questions her doctor mother's diagnosis--until she falls in love with the boy next door.

I didn’t read as much fiction in 2015 as I wished, so I wanted to start 2016 out with some good fiction reads. Oh my, did I ever hit the jackpot with Everything Everything.

Are you a person (like me) who enjoys sobbing along with a story? Everything Everything is the book for you.

I’d heard

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lots and lots of wonderful reviews but I almost passed on this one, scathingly thinking, Just another teen read. Don’t make the same assumption. If you haven’t read this one, go get a copy today.

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Every so often, I take a break from my usual murder and mayhem reading and tuck into a 'teen' read. But honestly, I hate labelling a book - 'teen' reads aren't just for teens. So let's say I enjoy a change of reading style.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon was a great choice.

Seventeen year old

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Madeline Whittier has Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease. "Basically I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years."

And then Olly moves in across the street....."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."

Oh, but it's a wonderful book! It's clever in so many ways - the dialogue, the plotting and the actual presentation of the book. The story of Maddie and Olly is told in texts, post-its, messages, emails, blog posts, drawings, diary entries and charts. (and yes, actual writing!)

Maddie's voice was so engaging - her outlook on life and her sense of humour. Olly is well, swoon-worthy - kind, thoughtful, clever and oh, yeah good-looking. I enjoyed watching their relationship bloom in such an unusual setting and manner. But not all is sweet and light - Olly too has his own set of problems. Yoon tackles love, loss, grief, mental illness, friendship, relationships and more. And all of it done in a wonderfully entertaining format.

But, just when I thought I knew where the book was headed (there's a lot of 'dying/sick teenage girl' books out there), Yoon surprised me with a nice little twist.

I love book covers - and I have to say this one is beautiful and is absolutely perfect for the story. The stark white Everything and the contrasting busy, blossoming Everything mirrors and depicts the novel perfectly. (And there's many little images hidden in the colour that also tell their own story)

Everything, Everything offers up some nice quotes."…Life Is a Gift. Don’t Forget to Live It …" And the title? Maddie..."To want everything, everything the world has to offer."

Fans of The Fault in Our Stars will love this book. Kudos to Yoon for such a great debut novel. Watch for the movie - MGM has bought the movie rights to Everything, Everything.

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What a creative mind the author has. How she created a romance for a girl isolated because of her immune system (a bubble child), developed such believable characters and gave such an unexpected twist at the end makes this one of my favorite books.

After living her whole life in a sterile environment because of a compromised immune system, the main character meets & falls in love with the new boy next door. A book of risk-taking and self discovery with some great plot twists.

Madeline Whittier (Maddy) has SCID, an immunity disorder (think "bubble boy") that confines her to her home. Even stepping outside could kill her. Therefore, she lives alone with her Mom, limited to contact with her and her nurse, Carla. For most of her seventeen years, Maddy has been fine with

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this, until Olly and his family move next door. Suddenly, Maddy finds herself questioning everything about her life.

For me, this was a lovely and touching book. I fell head over heels for Maddy and Olly and their angsty, teen love. The book is fun, with the writing interspersed with Maddy's drawings and sketches (done by Yoon's husband). A scene with a bundt cake is priceless (trust me). Maddy's voice is fresh and it's interesting to "see" the world through her eyes -- as someone who hasn't been outside since she was a baby. The supporting characters are spare, due to Maddy's limited life, but I loved her nurse, Carla, and Olly. Maddy's mom is a formidable character, as well.

The book takes on a lot - Maddy's illness, domestic violence, teen love, mental illness - I think a lesser author could have easily stumbled. It's not perfect, of course, but I still found myself swept up in Maddy's life and story. It's beautiful, touching, and fun. Definitely a worthy read - one of my favorites that I read this year.

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Told from the perspective of teen aged Madeline, we learn that she has a very serious health condition. Basically, she needs to live in a bubble, if people come into the house, they have to go through an arduous hour-long decontamination exercise. Madeline suffers from a very challenged lack of a

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healthy immune system. She is told the smallest contaminant can kill her.

Madeline does not remember a time in her life when she was able to roam outside. She is home schooled. The only people who have regular contact with her are her mother and a wonderful nurse.

When a family moves in next door, her nurse reminds her that watching them come and go has lead to depression previously. When Madeline watches a very handsome young man who lives next door, she knows it will spell trouble. And, she will want more of life than what she has.

Through window waves, instant message and email, technology can foster the relationship.

Mid way through the book, I felt the mother was just too over the top perfect. She seemed way too loving and protective.

There is a surprise ending, and at times the book can drag a tad. But, overall I liked the story line, and the writing was good.

3.5 Stars.

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I read this book in one night--that choice was circumstantial (the power went out and I can't sleep in total silence) but I also really enjoyed this book. It's about a girl with an illness that prevents her from leaving her house...oh, but it's about so much more. Just so good! The ending is WHOA.

This one was sure an interesting book. Well written and good story. Something was off for me though; maybe because this a ya book and I'm an adult.

I ordered this book online and it took a while to reach me, so when I finally received it, I immediately sat down to read and finished it in a few hours. The book is written much like a journal or a diary, complete with doodles, illustrations and diagrams. The tone is conversational and from a

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first person p.o.v., making it such a quick read. However, don't let the "cuteness" of this book fool you as it also tackles serious issues such as abuse and depression.

Eighteen year old Madeline hasn't left her house since she was an infant because of SCID, or severe combined immunodeficiency. Simply put, she's allergic to anything, that's why she needs to stay inside her house where the air is filtered and everything is sanitized. She is cared for by her mom who is also a physician, and Carla, a nurse.

At first Maddy seems to be quite happy and content with her life; she takes online classes, loves books, and enjoys spending time with her mom. Then Oliver and his family moves next door, and everything changes. Soon, Maddy finds herself drawn to the mysterious boy next door and she starts longing to experience life outside of her safe and predictable bubble.

The first few contacts between Maddy and Olly are so cute, I couldn't help but smile. I don't usually like rushed romances (aka instalove) especially when it's between teens. However, considering Maddy's illness, I felt the instant attraction of Maddy towards Olly, and the swift escalation of their romance is understandable. I felt disappointed at how quickly Maddy's personality changed, especially towards her mom, when Olly came into the picture. As a mother I would hate to think my daughter will start lying and be disrespectful just because of a boy. Maddy's actions though are justified towards the end. Nevertheless, I like the character of Maddy, she's smart and brave. Olly is such a sweet guy that you can't help but like him, but I particularly like Carla, she is the voice of reason.

The author effectively captured the thrill of first love and the heartbreak of letting go. But what made me like this novel is the plot twist - I absolutely didn't see that coming! I love it when a book surprises me. The last page with the "reward if found" list that Maddy wrote on the front of The Little Prince made me tear up; what a beautifully apt ending/beginning for Maddy.

Everything, Everything is about the crazy things we do for love - the joy of finding it, the pain of losing it and the fear of taking a risk again. I give this 4 1/2 stars.

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3.5 stars (liked it a lot)

I wanted to read Everything, Everything because I am drawn to stories about teenagers who are sick. Maddie certainly fits that description as she has SCID, a form of a disorder that basically causes her to have to live in near isolation. She is the bubble girl.

I really

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admired her strength and resilience. She basically only sees two people, her mom who is also her doctor (lucky right?) and her nurse Carla. She is homeschooled, and she has to be careful about every germ, every food she comes in contact with. She is a reader but even that isn't simple. Everything that comes in the house has to be decontaminated, and this level of diligence is what has kept her alive. She has a positive outlook and she is grateful for what she does have. The relationship with her and her mom is great, I love how close they are and what each does for the other.

But when new neighbors move in next door after the house being vacant for so long, Maddie starts to notice them. Especially daring, handsome Ollie. But she also watches his sister, and their parents. She realizes just how different her life is, and it makes her long for the things she doesn't have. Which is totally understandable, and I would have been like that for long before she did, I think.

Ollie notices her watching and tries to meet her, but of course, not many people come through the airlock of their home, and Maddie's mom turns them away. But after communicating through a joke about the inedible bundt cake they tried to deliver, Maddie and Ollie start emailing and instant messenging. As she starts falling for him and longing for their next conversation, she wishes more and more to be out of the bubble, or at the very least, get him in.

So, I almost really regretted requesting this one when I reread the summary and saw that it was told in differing formats- diary, graphs and charts, instant messages and such. Normally that sort of thing is not for me, but while this does have those elements it is mostly told from her point of view in the normal narration style.

I took off a star though because while the ending definitely surprised me, I think that it was all too sudden. She got the bomb and then it felt rushed, and I wanted to spend a bit more time on the huge shift and change and what that means for her. The last page almost made up for those feelings those because it was very sweet.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.

Bottom Line: New twist on forbidden love and a girl trying not to let her serious illness define her life.

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