Review: Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 310
Overall: ★★★★★

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 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.

I'm going to be very honest with you on this, I picked this book up having a lot of expectations considering I had been hearing about it for months and it was being made in to a major motion picture. This book did not disappoint. The second I picked it up I was hooked, and I finished it the same day I started, I'm not even sure if I took any breaks while reading to be completely open. So let me get to the general break down of this book.

Our main character Madeline has a rare disease called SCID. This makes it impossible for her to ever leave her house because she is essentially allergic to everything and anything. Her mother has basically turned her house in to a safe haven with air purifiers, decontamination chambers, so on and so forth. So Maddy has lived essentially her entire life in her house like a cage. She spends her days doing homework, reading, and spending time with her nurse Carla. That is, until a new family moves in next door.

Maddy instantly becomes drawn to her new neighbors, more specifically their son Olly. She spends some time learning their habits, watching their family dynamic, and discovering things most people don't know about this family. Then one day, Maddy realizes that Olly sees her too. They start a sort of friendship by holding up notes like a Taylor Swift music video to IMing almost every night.

From there is really where the story begins, and I don't want to say too much to give it away. But what I will say is that the relationship created between Maddy and Olly and the way they interact is so beautifully written it would give anyone butterflies to imagine. It's such an amazing story of a first love, and of what someone is willing to do for that love.

Again, to be completely honest, there is a LARGE plot twist at the end of the book. This was something I wasn't completely aware of nor was I sure it was going to actually happen or be true until the time that it did happen, and the way that Nicola Yoon wrote it and spun it was so well done. I still felt a connection to all the characters involved and I could understand all points of view from the twist, but I also knew that it was a necessary twist to really give you that permanent connection with the characters.

As stated above I gave this book a five out of five star rating. It was captivating, it was enjoyable, and it really created a beautiful world for these characters. I would highly suggest if you are interested in reading the book before seeing the movie to do so, but I would also suggest not to watch the trailer for the movie either, because man does it give away a lot about this book, and I know personally I like to go in to a book not knowing the total outcome of it until I get there myself. Overall, Everything Everything will be a book I recommend to readers of all ages for some time to come.

Tome Topple

Hey Everyone! Welcome back to the blog. So today is a later post than normal, because I was thinking pretty hard about what I wanted to share with you all today. I heard about a read-a-thon happening both on Twitter and on Goodreads called the Tome Topple Read-a-thon. In this read-a-thon the goal is to try to read a book, or more if you're ambitious,  that has over 500 pages. The big books that seem too scary to read on a normal day or books that are on your list that you want to read but you just haven't had the motivation to try and sit down and read it. This read-a-thon is going to be happening from April 7th to April 20th, and I really want to participate in this. I've had some books on my to be read shelf that have been scaring me while I look at them, so what a better time then now to start them! I'm going to share my ambitious list below and let you know how many pages are in the copies that I have. If you want to participate in this read-a-thon you can find the Goodreads group here, and if you want to follow the Twitter to check out the sprints you can find that here. Are you going to participate? Let me know if so, and for now, let's get in to the books

The Diviners by Libba Bray

578 Pages

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Replica by Lauren Oliver

520 Pages

Lyra

From a distance, the Haven Institute, tucked away on a private island off the coast of Florida, looks serene and even beautiful. But up close the locked doors, military guards, and biohazard suits tell a different story. In truth, it is a clandestine research facility where thousands of replicas, or human models, are born, raised, and observed.

But when a surprise attack is launched on Haven, two of its young experimental subjects—Lyra, or 24, and the boy known only as 72—manage to escape. As they make their way through a new and menacing environment, they meet a stranger named Gemma, who has embarked on a perilous quest of her own. And as Lyra tries to understand Haven’s purpose, she uncovers earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls.

Gemma

Gemma has been in and out of hospitals her whole life. A sickly child, she has grown into a lonely adolescent whose life is circumscribed by home, school, and her best friend, April.

But after she is nearly abducted by a stranger claiming to know her, Gemma starts to investigate her family’s past and discovers her father’s mysterious connection to the secretive Haven research facility. Hungry for answers, she travels to Florida, only to stumble upon two human models, or replicas, 24 and 72—and a completely new set of questions. As Gemma tries to unravel the mysteries of Haven, she learnes terrible truths about herself and her family that will threaten to destroy everything she loves.

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

519 Pages

Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life. Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

540 Pages

The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Circle by Sara B. Elfgren & Mats Strandberg

596 Pages

On a night after the apparent suicide of high school student Elias Malmgren, a blood-red moon fills the night sky. Minoo wakes up outside her house, still in her pajamas, and is drawn by an invisible force to an abandoned theme park on the outskirts of town. Soon five of her classmates--Vanessa, Linnea, Anna-Karin, Rebecka and Ida--arrive, compelled the same force. A mystical being takes over Ida's body and tells them they are fated to fight an ancient evil that is hunting them. The park is a safe haven; the school, a place of danger. The six are wildly different and definitely not friends…but they are the Chosen Ones.

As the weeks pass, each girl discovers she has a unique magical ability. They begin exploring their powers, but they are not all firmly committed to their mission--to discover the truth about Elias's death. Then a horrible tragedy strikes within the circle. Newly determined to fight the evil forces, they begin to learn magic from The Book of Patterns, an ancient work with a will of its own that reveals different things to different witches.

If you watch BenjaminofTomes on youtube, the last book was something he HIGHLY recommended and I was so excited to get it and try to read it, and then I saw how big it was. But that books is on the top of my TBR for this read-a-thon. What do you all think? How does your TBR stack up?

Stacking the Shelves {1}

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or from the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks!

Stacking The Shelves is hosted over at Tynga's Reviews

Welcome back everyone!  So I went a little crazy over the past few weeks buying books trying to catch up on what I've missed, so I'm only going to show the books that have arrived THIS week, because if not this would go on forever. I will link the goodreads pages so if any of the covers interest you you can check out what the books are about! I got 6 physical books and 1 digital book, so let's get in to the books!

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Shadow and Bone (Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Seige and Storm (Grisha #2) by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising (Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Digital Book for Review

Chameleon by Zoe Kalo

What books did you get this week? Feel free to leave a comment below to let me know or to check out your post!

March Wrap Up

Hey Everyone and welcome back to my blog! I hope you're having an amazing day. Today I wanna show off the books that I was able to read in the month of March. I've actually been pretty lucky, because these books were read mostly in the past 2 weeks, because I'd been so behind on reading, so I'm pretty proud of myself even though it's only a total of 5 books. Something is better than nothing right! Next month we'll have to aim higher with out TBR. Reviews for all of these books will be coming out soon, but I'll list my rating as well as the synopsis of the books so if you're not sure what they're about you can get a bit of an idea and see how I felt about it. So let's get in to the books. 

The Assassin's Game by Kirsty McKay
Rating: 3.5/5

Who will be left after lights out?
Tag, you’re it…

It’s 4:00 a.m. when they come for me. I am already awake, strung out on the fear that they will come, and the fear that they won’t. When I finally hear the click of the latch on the dormitory door, I have only a second to brace myself before—

At Cate's isolated boarding school, Killer is more than a game—it’s an elite secret society. Members must avoid being “Killed” during a series of thrilling pranks, and only the Game Master knows who the “Killer” is. When Cate’s finally invited to join the Assassins’ Guild, she know it’s her ticket to finally feeling like she belongs.

But when the game becomes all too real, the school threatens to shut it down. Cate will do anything to keep playing and save the Guild. But can she find the real assassin before she’s the next target?

By Your Side by Kasie West

Rating: 4.25/5

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.

Only he doesn’t come. No one does.

Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Rating: 5/5

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 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. 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Rating: 3.75/5

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Rating: 4.25/5

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

So that's everything that I read in the month of March, even though I'm working on a couple more and today is the last day, I wanted to share with you guys these books. I honestly would recommend these to anyone and everyone, I was really pleased with everything I read this month and I'm 5/25 for my yearly goal!

Library Loans {1}

Hey everyone! Welcome back to my blog. I've missed being part of the online book community so much, and have realized how much I haven't heard about new books since I've been out of the loop. So Tuesday this week I went to the Library and got a brand new library card and proceeded to check out way too many books. Now I know this is going to be a long post, so please stick with me, but I'm pretty excited to start reading all of these and be part of the hype again. I will link the goodreads page for all of these books so if you by some chance don't know about these books you can check them out! So let's get in to the books!

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

The Heartbreakers by Pamela Wells

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Mo

The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

I'm already working on a couple of these books, but I'm super excited about all of them, are there any that you want to read? Any that I should check out from my library? Let me know!

Waiting on Wednesday {19}

Welcome back lovely readers! I am so excited to talk about some new books that are going to be coming out over the next couple of months. There are tons and tons that I cannot wait to get my hands on, but for the sake of a first post back I'm going to mention one that comes out very soon! I will link the goodreads page if you happen to want to check this book out as well.

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray April 4th 2017

Noemi Vidal is a teen soldier from the planet Genesis, once a colony of Earth that's now at war for its independence. The humans of Genesis have fought Earth's robotic "mech" armies for decades with no end in sight. 

After a surprise attack, Noemi finds herself stranded in space on an abandoned ship where she meets Abel, the most sophisticated mech prototype ever made. One who should be her enemy. But Abel's programming forces him to obey Noemi as his commander, which means he has to help her save Genesis--even though her plan to win the war will kill him. 

Together they embark on a daring voyage through the galaxy. Before long, Noemi begins to realize Abel may be more than a machine, and, for his part, Abel's devotion to Noemi is no longer just a matter of programming.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine