There are not many good books that young teenagers can relate to on a realistic level, but Nicola Yoon’s #1 New York Times Bestseller, “Everything, Everything”, changes the perspective of many teenagers about books that we can relate to. Yoon wrote her romantic fiction model about a young girl named Maddy, who has been sick for 16 years. She is 18 in the book, and her sickness has caused her to remain inside only. Maddy has her mom and her nurse. Her brother and father passed away when she was very young. Yoon shows Maddy and her mom’s relationship as a strong, loving mom-daughter relationship, resembling the relationship that she has with her mother and the kind of relationship she strives for with her young daughter. Yoon’s inspiration to write this novel started when she was a nervous new mother with her own daughter.

Throughout the story, a new neighbor moves in next door. There is a boy named Olly, about the same age as Maddy. She watches him everyday, eventually getting his email through writing on his window. They IM eachother everyday, falling in love. Maddy tells Olly about her sickness. Yoon shows the two characters personalities very well through communicating with each other. As the story goes on, Maddy starts to feel more independent and rebellious, and admits to her nurse Carla who is pretty much her best friend, that Olly makes her feel like she is outside. Eventually, Carla lets Maddy and Olly meet each other, behind Maddy’s mom’s back.

Yoon adds pictures and graphs drawn by Maddy in her book. They are symbols of how she feels, or something she makes up regarding what her emotions are at that moment. I think adding these gives all of the readers a better view of what Maddy’s personality is like. I think the biggest theme of the book would be taking risks, because Maddy does take so many risks and sees the world for almost the first time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic fiction novels, but especially teenagers, because I think Maddy’s character goes through similar struggles that every teenager goes through. “Everything, Everything” is a great book that I think anyone who reads it will enjoy it very much.