One-sentence summary:
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is a young adult romance novel about an eighteen-year-old girl struggling to make the best of her life stuck in a bubble of medical care and how she discovers a whole new world.
Book genre:
Young Adult Romance
Main topic of the book:
Living life to the fullest under duress
Key ideas:
- Bravery – facing fears and conquering them in order to live life to the fullest
- Love – opening up to someone and risking rejection in order to feel a genuine connection
- Hope – having faith that there may be a way out of a difficult circumstance
Main parts of the book and a short summary:
Everything, Everything tells the story of Maddy, an eighteen-year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder that confines her to her home. Maddy’s only world is her home, and her only human interaction is with her mother and her caregiver, Carla, until she meets Olly, her neighbor across the street. Olly is the first person who is able to break through Maddy’s tightly guarded walls. With Olly, Maddy discovers the courage to break free from her illness and experience life for the first time.
Key takeaways:
- Life is too short to waste it on fear and doubt – life is full of risks, but there is also plenty to gain from taking those risks.
- Love is the most powerful emotion – it has the strength to bring people together and create powerful connections.
- Hope is a powerful force – it can help people get through the toughest times with a renewed sense of courage and clarity.
Author’s background and qualifications:
Nicola Yoon is a Jamaican-American author. She is best known for her two New York Times bestsellers, Everything, Everything and The Sun is Also a Star, which have been translated into thirty-one languages. She also co-wrote a graphic novel, Goliath Girls. Nicola also writes picture books and runs a small handmade jewelry business.
Target audience:
Young adults between the ages of 14 and 21.
Publisher and first publication date:
Everything, Everything was first published October 1st, 2015 by Delacorte Press.