My disease is as rare as it is famous. It’s a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but 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. New next door neighbors. 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. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change—starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer.

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.

Review:

(Re Read December 2020)
I enjoyed re reading this book. I decided to re read this story because it show cases disability representation. I love how Maddie and Ollie are together it’s very cute. What I didn’t like is Maddie mom. Although she is a nurse she feels she can just diagnosed her daughter with anything. Maddie’s mom shows symptoms of  munchausen by proxy and I felt this way the first time I read this. The only difference with Maddie’s mom and someone else with these symptoms, she really wanted to protect Maddie and not hurt her I don’t think her intentions were to hurt her but to help. Maddie’s mom wasted so much time trying to protect her rather then be there for her.

Maddie did what any normal teen girl with this disability would had done, test the waters. She just wanted to be a normal teen girl with a crush on a boy. 

I still enjoyed re reading this story and this starts my journey with reading more disabled representation in books all in 2021. Great story and I liked how everything worked it self out for Maddie.

(October 2016)
I started reading this over the summer when I was going through a really bad reading slump. For that reason alone it took me much longer to get through the book. after my slump was over I went back to try and finish this novel because I didn’t want to dnf it simply because it was something I was enjoying, so I’m happy I finished it and I have to say I really enjoyed reading this story.

Maddy is sick, very sick anything out in the world can cause her to became seriously sick which is why she is bound to her house at all times. Maddy’s life is the same everyday with the exception that she doesn’t leave the house. It’s not until a new family moves into the house next door to Maddy and she notices the son (Olly) that is her age. Seeing Olly makes Maddy think about life outside of her home and meeting people for once.

Maddy soon develops a friendship with Olly over emails and IMs, One day Olly comes over to Maddy’s house while Maddy’s mother is at work. From that first visit Maddy knew she liked Olly – a lot. Later Maddy takes it upon herself to see the world without her mother’s consent and of course Olly goes along for the ride. They both travel to Hawai a place that Maddy visited when she was much younger. During their trip Maddy experiences some ups and downs and finally understood what love is.

I loved reading this book! It was fast paced yet full of secrets that you as the reader needed to find out more about. I love the diversity within the character Maddy, she is not your typical YA teenager. This story made me smile and made me feel hurt and sadness. This is such a beautiful story I think anyone who are fans of YA contemporary novels will love. The writing style is perfect for this novel it made reading it fun.

I know that this book is being made into a movie and will be out sometime next year, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the movie a well as reading Nicola Yoon’s new novel The Sun is Also a Star next month.

GREAT BEAUTIFUL 5 STAR READ!

Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐