Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

The greatest risk is not taking one.

I feel a bit stuck with how to review this one. I clearly enjoyed it as I sped my way through it, reading it in one day. However, the ending felt too predictable to me and I was a tad disappointed with it.

Yet, the story and it's characters hooked me. Madeline is 17 going 18 and is sick. She has a disorder that means she can not go outside as something might kill her. It's a very rare illness and she has to cope with living a very sheltered life. Her only company is her mum and her nurse Carla. To have any visitors they have to be decontaminated just to ensure that nothing is let in that could harm her.

Trouble is Madeline starts to want. She starts to want more then the restrictions her disease imposes on her. She begins to feel trapped by the airlock, the tests and the monotony. Naturally this is all because of a boy: Olly. Olly moves in next door and he is the predictably good looking, funny and clever boy next door. He moves in and takes over Madeline's heart.

It all moves very quickly. The chapters are short and to the point creating a very I'll just read one more page feeling. Madeline is a witty girl who despite her difficulties in life seems to be quite normal. I do find this a little hard to believe, I really feel if you had literally never been outside in your life you might be a little less well adjusted then Madeline appears.

For me the story is all a little too neat a little too perfect. I wish Yoon had done a little more with Olly's domestic abuse background and with Madeline's mother. I wanted more from those grittier aspects of the story. Although Madeleine falling in love is the key part of the story I wanted more then that. I was really rooting for a bit more development of the subplots.

On the whole it does grip you and for fans of books such as Before I die, If I stay, Fault in Our Stars and Wonder this will be right up their street.

I was hooked. Well written.