“Everything, Everything,” by Nicola Yoon was a quirky little teenaged romance that I adored, but it was so much more than just a love story. Madeline has lived her entire life in her mother’s home because of a severe allergy to the outside world. Anything and everything can make her extremely ill and even cause death. Madeline seems to have taken her fate very well. She remains positive and travels places in the books she reads and in her vivid imagination.
Then she discovers Olly, a handsome young man that moves in to the house next door and makes Madeline suddenly aware of the life she is missing. Soon these two begin communicating through instant messages and develop a deep attraction that stems into love.
Madeline: “I was happy before I met him. But I’m alive now, and those are not the same thing.” “How can I live the rest of my life in this bubble now that I know all that I’m missing?” “For the first time in a long time, I want more than I have.”
There is a plot twist near the middle of the book that I had figured out already. The book was funny, sad, and touching. I read this book in one day. I laughed. I even teared up a little. The characters had a lot of insightful things to say about life and love. I think the ultimate question here is, “How much are you willing to risk for love?”
Quotes from the book:
“Everything’s a risk. Not doing anything is a risk. It’s up to you.”
“Maybe growing up means disappointing the people we love.”
“Love is worth everything. Everything.”
“Life is a gift. Don’t forget to live it.”
“You’re not living if you’re not regretting.”
dawn loves books 