Everything, everything | book talk

03.00 pm / books

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon • 2015 • Young adult, contemporary • 307 pages • Stand-alone 
 
Everything, Everything is a contemporary novel about Madeleine, who hasn't left her house in seventeen years due to her disease. She has lived her whole life indoors with her mother and her nurse Carla, so she doesn't really know anyone from the outside world or know what it is like to be there. Even a minute outside could kill her.
 
People have moved in and out of the house next door during the years, but this time it's different. The family moving in this time will change Madeleine's life, or to be more exact, the boy, Olly, will change her entire life. 
 
 
Everything, Everything is about 300 pages long, but most of the chapters are really short, so it's incredibly fast to get through, and the language is more on the simpler side so it's also an easy read. The author, Nicola Yoon, has a talent with using words and making basic, informal words transform the sentence into something completely else. I loved the fact that the book isn't just 300 pages full of words, but there's also for example online chats between the characters, lists and hand-drawn illustrations in the book, which add a little extra to it, and especially the illustrations allow the story to come to life. 
 
Although the thought of a story about a girl who has never been outside might seem a bit depressing, this really isn't. Madeline has spent her entire life indoors, but she still has such a positive view on life and makes the most of it doing what she can. Carla, the nurse, has a bright personality too, which brings even more positivity into the story. The love story between Madeline and Olly start from nothing and changes into love in practically no time at all, which makes it feel somewhat unrealistic, but then again, why wouldn't it be possible to happen in real life too.  
 
 
The ending gave me mixed feelings. It really wasn't what I had expected, not at all. While I didn't mind the plot twist and the ending, I feel like it's something the majority of the readers might not like. It did feel rushed too, at least for me personally. It was like the writer got to the thing, and then just wanted the book to end as fast as possible. How did the thing affect life, the relationships etc. in the long run? Did things stay like that forever or did it change? What happened? I wanted to know more, before the last few pages came along and the book ended. 
 
Everything, Everything is overall a really lovely and cute young adult novel, an exciting and easy read. If you're in a reading slump, in the mood for a short book or just want to read a young adult, contemporary novel, this is the perfect book for you. If you're a seasonal reader, save this one for the warm summer days (or day, because you'll probably finish it in a few hours).



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