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.
My Thoughts: When I saw the trailer for this book, I simply had to read it! Lately, I found myself staying away from YA literature because I have no patience for any teenage angst, but somehow this one called out to me. Luckily, I ended up enjoying the book.
What I liked most about this book was how it was presented. The chapters were short, but they represented how the main character, Madeline, felt. It went back and forth between snippets of Madeline's journal entries, e-mail messages, mini book reviews, medical charts, and drawings. It was very creative how Madeline's story was told.
When it came to the story and characters, I enjoyed the majority of it. Madeline's story had a Rapunzel feel to it. She was trapped in her home by her mother due a disease that prevented her from going out into the real world. So here she was, trapped in her tower (I mean home) since infancy but then all of a sudden the prince shows up. Olly was a great character and I really liked him for Maddy. Yes, it was a little absurd that Madeline fell head-over-heels for the first boy she ever encountered, but her emotions and actions made her appear very teen-like despite having very little interaction with the outside world. Their teenage love was adorable.
The only thing that I did not like about this book was the plot twist. I suspected the plot twist very early on in the book, so it wasn't a big surprise to me when it was revealed. However, I did not like how it was handled. It felt rushed and it felt like an easy answer to the story's problem. At the same time, I could not fathom the idea of putting a loved one through what Madeline went through. Aahh! I wish I can say more without spoiling the book. Let's just say that I wished the last part of the book was handled better.
Overall, I had fun reading the book. It was not perfect but it was sweet. I also did not feel irritated over a YA book for I found myself liking the characters. Now, it's time to catch the movie. I rate this book:
This book counts for the Library Love Challenge.
No comments:
Post a Comment