Everything Everything: A Romantic Emotional Rollercoaster

“I was happy before I met him. But I’m alive now, and those are not the same thing.”

– Nicola Yoon, Everything Everything

Book Title: Everything Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

Length: 306 pages

Genres: Contemporary Romance, YA

My Rating: 4/5

My Age Rating: 14+

Content Notes: Sex, mild profanity, abuse, alcoholism, mental health, death, illness

“Sometimes you do things for the right reasons and sometimes for the wrong ones and sometimes it’s impossible to tell the difference.”

– Nicola Yoon, Everything Everything

Book Synopsis:

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 fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives. 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.

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.

Book Review:

I read this book last month after taking one look at its beautiful cover and immediately buying it. I then waited until I finished the book I was currently reading (I know, such self control and maturity) before starting Everything Everything.

I had a lot of fun reading this book. Even though it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, I did not expect to be as affected as I was. I may have needed to vent for a while after finishing it. My mom was not thrilled about that. But I could not help it. I was a wreck for the entire last quarter of the book. You will understand if you read it.

The writing style was really fun and engaging. The book was not just made up of standard text. There were pictures, diagrams, emails, and other creative elements throughout, which made the story feel very personal and helped me feel closer to the main character. The writing itself felt soft and simple, almost like it was written from the perspective of a teen without much world experience, which fit the main character perfectly. I also loved that the chapters were not just numbered. Each one had its own title, which made the book feel more special.

I really liked the main character. She felt like someone I would genuinely want to be friends with if she were real. Her love for reading made her especially relatable. I also loved the love interest, Olly. He felt unique and sincere, and I found myself falling for him little by little with each chapter. I think I may have a problem falling in love with fictional characters. I wish they weren’t fictional but it is probably for the best. Choosing just one would be impossible.

Now, the ending. We have to talk about the ending. First, I loved it. Second, I wish it had been longer. Third, I desperately want the bookshop to be real. The final chapter, while not the strongest chapter in the book, wrapped everything up in a satisfying way. It was sweet, and I felt genuinely happy with how everything turned out. If you need another reason to read this book, the ending is definitely one.

The main thing I did not like was that the book included a sex scene. I personally felt it was unnecessary, and the story would have been just as good without it. The scene was a few pages long and detailed enough to make me uncomfortable. I would recommend skipping it. There was also a gay character that felt unnecessary to me, as though it was added simply to fill a quota rather than to serve the story.

Overall, the book was mostly clean, with only kissing aside from the one sex scene. There was a small amount of mild profanity, most of it coming from Olly’s abusive father. On that note, the book does include themes of abuse, alcoholism, and family conflict. Olly’s father is verbally abusive throughout most of the story, and later the abuse escalates. There are several intense scenes involving Olly and his parents arguing. The book also explores heavier themes such as mental health, isolation, single parenting, and risking everything for love.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for ages 14 and up, as long as readers are not sensitive to scenes involving abuse and are comfortable skipping a sex scene. Anyone who enjoys romance, books like The Fault in Our Stars or Five Feet Apart, or is simply looking for an emotional and engaging read will likely love Everything Everything.

Happy Reading,

Ava

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