** 4.5 Stars **

I was so, so pleasantly surprised by this book. I tend to read a lot of contemporaries because they're fun but I rarely think they're as good as I think this one is.

Sick Kids in Love is the story of Isabel (and yes, I'd say I did enjoy this book just a little bit more since the main character is not only named after me but also spells it the same way which never happens) and Sasha, two teens with chronic illnesses (rheumatoid arthritis and Gaucher disease, respectively) who...fall in love. It genuinely is that simple. The pair deal with the stigmatization surrounding their invisible illnesses and problems with their parents. Nobody dies.

This book is own-voices both for the bisexual rep (Sasha is bi and the author identifies as "gay or somethin i dunno") and the illness (Moskowitz has ankylosing spondylitis, which is a type of arthritis), and you can tell. Sasha's casual bisexuality that is mentioned repeatedly and is just a part of who he is rather than a plot point was a breath of fresh air. The descriptions of Isabel's relationship with her disease were so clearly written by someone who had similar experiences. Nothing about this book felt exploitative or cheap.

I found myself smiling for almost the entire time I spent reading this. My roommate probably thought I was a little insane.

I don't have a chronic illness, so reading about characters that do from the perspective of an author that does was eye-opening and thought-provoking. But even without it, I related so heavily to Isabel. Her tendency to overthink every little thing and jump to the worst possible conclusion? I can't remember a time I read a character who did this in exactly the way I do before this book.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley