Publisher: Delacorte Press/ Random House
Publication Date: September 1st, 2015
Pages: 307
Song I Played While Reading: Aquaman by Walk The Moon
Rating: 4 stars
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 one day a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my 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. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
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.
I mean, how does one NOT want to grab this book and devour it? I had the unbelievable luck of being at the right place at the right time at Yallwest, because I just standing around, wondering where to go next, and noticed her table. And the gleaming stack of arc copies she had. And I booked it. As in, shoving any damn person that got in my way, probably wacking a crap ton of people with my surfboard as well (don't worry, it was only a cardboard one). I probably made some inhuman noise too because people were giving me weird looks. But I didn't care. This was my chance at obtaining an arc copy I actually wanted and no one was going to stop me.
Mrs. Yoon was an absolute pleasure to meet. She was so sweet and open to all my questions and ramblings. She signed my surfboard, an arc copy, and I walked away on cloud 9. As soon as I got home, I cracked open this book and didn't stop until I finished it. I laughed. I cried. I swooned.
This book was just about flawless from start to finish. I loved how it wasn't written in normal chapters; instead, it was told from diary entries, IM's, emails, lists, charts, drawings, and so on. It made the story feel more real, as if Madeline was a girl I personally knew and had shared memories with. The plot left me guessing because I really didn't know what to expect. Is she going to die? Is there going to be a cure? Is OLLY going to die, a la The Fault in Our Stars style? The story almost always took a turn I didn't see coming. It was exciting.
Madeline is definitely one of my favorite narrators. Even though she knew no other way of life, she accepted her disease and didn't complain. There was no moping or wishing for more (at least in the beginning, pre-Olly). She was very mature for her age and had a good relationship with her mom (something I can relate to very much), and loved to read and write reviews online. Does she not sound awesome or what?! Though at some points she acted a little too recklessly and made some decisions I didn't necessarily agree with (the only reason why this isn't 5 stars), overall I thought Madeline's character development was perfect.
Let's get on to my next favorite character: OLLY.
First of all, I love that name. It fits him perfectly. It's quirky and energetic, which is exactly what Olly is. I loved how accepting he was of Madeline's disease. He took it in stride, not even once considering how complicated a relationship could be. It was slow and sweet and absolutely hilarious, the perfect way to get into a relationship. No annoying insta-love here.
Yoon managed to capture the teenage mind (even if this wasn't your average girl) to the T. Her writing was simple and sweet, filled with hope, love, laughter, and a level of profoundness that leaves you grateful for all the things you have and are able to do. This is a stunning debut novel and I can't wait to see what Yoon writes next!
Quotes
"Olly's window is wide open, the blinds are up, and the lights are off in his room. The indestructible Bundt is sitting on his windowsill wearing googly eyes that are staring right at me. The cake trembles and the tilts forward, as if contemplating the distance to the ground. It retreats and trembles some more. I'm trying to see Olly in his darkened room when the Bundt leaps from the sill and plunges to the ground.
I gasp. Did the cake just commit suicide?"
"Olly: are you knocked up? do you have a boyfriend?
Madeline: Oh my god, you're insane! I'm not pregnant and I don't have a boyfriend! What kind of girl do you think I am?
Olly: a mysterious one
Madeline: Have you spent all day thinking that I was pregnant?
Madeline: Have you?
Olly: it crossed my mind once or twice or fifteen times"
"I look down at my shoes. "I have nine pairs of these exact same shoes."
"And you complain about my wardrobe choices?"
"You only wear black! It makes you look sepulchral."
"I need a dictionary to talk to you."
"Of or relating to a sepulcher."
"Not that helpful of a definition."
"Basically you're the angel of death."
He grins at me. "The scythe gave me away, didn't it? I thought I hid it so well."
"I'm not doing this just because of Olly. Or maybe I am. I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. It's Olly and it's not-Olly. It's like I can't look a the world in the old way anymore. I found this new part of myself when I met him and the new part doesn't know how to stay quiet and still and just observe."
""Be careful!" Olly calls out from somewhere behind me.
I'm not sure what that means in this context. Be careful because I may drown? Be careful because I may get sick? Be careful, because once you become a part of the world it becomes a part of you, too?
Because theres not denying it now. I'm in the world.
And, too, the world is in me."
This book was just about flawless from start to finish. I loved how it wasn't written in normal chapters; instead, it was told from diary entries, IM's, emails, lists, charts, drawings, and so on. It made the story feel more real, as if Madeline was a girl I personally knew and had shared memories with. The plot left me guessing because I really didn't know what to expect. Is she going to die? Is there going to be a cure? Is OLLY going to die, a la The Fault in Our Stars style? The story almost always took a turn I didn't see coming. It was exciting.
Madeline is definitely one of my favorite narrators. Even though she knew no other way of life, she accepted her disease and didn't complain. There was no moping or wishing for more (at least in the beginning, pre-Olly). She was very mature for her age and had a good relationship with her mom (something I can relate to very much), and loved to read and write reviews online. Does she not sound awesome or what?! Though at some points she acted a little too recklessly and made some decisions I didn't necessarily agree with (the only reason why this isn't 5 stars), overall I thought Madeline's character development was perfect.
Let's get on to my next favorite character: OLLY.
First of all, I love that name. It fits him perfectly. It's quirky and energetic, which is exactly what Olly is. I loved how accepting he was of Madeline's disease. He took it in stride, not even once considering how complicated a relationship could be. It was slow and sweet and absolutely hilarious, the perfect way to get into a relationship. No annoying insta-love here.
Yoon managed to capture the teenage mind (even if this wasn't your average girl) to the T. Her writing was simple and sweet, filled with hope, love, laughter, and a level of profoundness that leaves you grateful for all the things you have and are able to do. This is a stunning debut novel and I can't wait to see what Yoon writes next!
Quotes
"Olly's window is wide open, the blinds are up, and the lights are off in his room. The indestructible Bundt is sitting on his windowsill wearing googly eyes that are staring right at me. The cake trembles and the tilts forward, as if contemplating the distance to the ground. It retreats and trembles some more. I'm trying to see Olly in his darkened room when the Bundt leaps from the sill and plunges to the ground.
I gasp. Did the cake just commit suicide?"
"Olly: are you knocked up? do you have a boyfriend?
Madeline: Oh my god, you're insane! I'm not pregnant and I don't have a boyfriend! What kind of girl do you think I am?
Olly: a mysterious one
Madeline: Have you spent all day thinking that I was pregnant?
Madeline: Have you?
Olly: it crossed my mind once or twice or fifteen times"
"I look down at my shoes. "I have nine pairs of these exact same shoes."
"And you complain about my wardrobe choices?"
"You only wear black! It makes you look sepulchral."
"I need a dictionary to talk to you."
"Of or relating to a sepulcher."
"Not that helpful of a definition."
"Basically you're the angel of death."
He grins at me. "The scythe gave me away, didn't it? I thought I hid it so well."
"I'm not doing this just because of Olly. Or maybe I am. I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. It's Olly and it's not-Olly. It's like I can't look a the world in the old way anymore. I found this new part of myself when I met him and the new part doesn't know how to stay quiet and still and just observe."
""Be careful!" Olly calls out from somewhere behind me.
I'm not sure what that means in this context. Be careful because I may drown? Be careful because I may get sick? Be careful, because once you become a part of the world it becomes a part of you, too?
Because theres not denying it now. I'm in the world.
And, too, the world is in me."
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