Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Official Blurb:
My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the 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. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.
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.
My Review:
💗💗💗💗
Sometimes the stars just line up and you find a book that you really like. That's what happened here. I was in the library and just browsing the Young Adult section and stumbled across Everything Everything. With all of the spell-it-out reading challenges that I do, I always need an "E" and an "N" and a "Y", but I also needed a book that was made into a movie or tv show. Check, check, check and check!!
I really really like this book and now I need to look to see where the movie is available because while I know it won't be the same as the book (the movies never are!) I want to see how they are portrayed on the big screen.
Maddy has spent her eighteen years of life isolated in her germ-free house. Her father and brother died when she was a baby so she's really only interacted in real life with her mom and her nurse Carla. All she's known is that if she leaves her house, she could die. All that she's learned about the outside world has come from books.
So when she sees a new family moving into the house next door, with a teenaged boy and his sister, she's intrigued and wants to know more than just what she sees outside of her window. So begins an unconventional friendship as their only way of communicating is through waves from window to window. It's not enough for Maddy and Carla comes up with a plan that will allow Olly into the house - but with a few rules. He gets decontaminated and stays on the opposite side of the room and there can be absolutely NO touching at all. Suddenly the friendship shifts - now they can communicate through IMs and emails until Mom realizes what is happening, and fearing that Maddy will want to make changes that could endanger her health, she tries to put a stop to their friendship.
I won't go on any further because I don't want to spoil the story for you, but all Maddy wants is to live her life to the fullest knowing that taking the biggest risk is either going to be the end of it all or bring the greatest reward of all.
