Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is a strange mix of many things. There’s first love, coming of age, and a strong theme about living life. Half of it is a love story, half is a forgiveness story, though I wish there weren’t such a split between the two. It was going well for the most part with many strands keeping things interesting, but near the end it got overly simplified and sort of trickled off like an ellipsis. Still, I found the ending satisfying enough. I was happy with it.
I liked the narrative. Madeline’s voice was young and fresh. There were pictures along with it (done by Nicola Yoon’s husband, David Yoon) and the chapters were short and titled instead of numbered. It made for an easy read.
Personally, if it weren’t so easy I wouldn’t have minded, but it’s not geared for that type of audience. There were some parts where I really wanted something horrible to happen. That could be chalked up for my writer’s desire to cause endless pain to fictional people, or maybe the book had boring parts. But who’s to say my hopes for horribleness weren’t satisfied?
One last note. That cover is frickin’ beautiful. I would frame it and hang it on my bedroom wall. Okay. That’s it. I’m done.
If you’re looking for a pick-me-up or some light reading and this sounds like your thing, I’d say go for it and enjoy.
Precarious Reader 