I have been putting Everything, Everything off for years now. I was certain that the protagonist’s medical condition would be too triggering for me, personally. The more time that passed, though, and the more the hype stayed stubbornly high, I knew that I had to bite the bullet and give it a shot. Turns out that I had no reason to be cautious: this book is not about SCID at all.

Sigh.

I am frustrated and saddened by the ableism of this story and how many of its fans refuse to admit its flaws. While I understand that a lot of readers identified with the biracial main character - yay for that! - or adored Yoon’s writing style, it does not minimise the hurtful message this book conveys. It is an insult to anyone with SCID or severe anaphylactic allergies.

Ignoring the ableism, there was nothing about this story that worked for me.

• Maddy was a bland protagonist and Olly a bland love interest.
• Their relationship took place over an extended period of time - which should have been positive - but they completely lacked chemistry.
• Yoon’s writing style was not as lush and vivid as promised.
• The plot holes bothered me immensely. I cannot deal with them.
• Her mother's mental illness deserved to be addressed properly, calling her 'broken' and leaving it to her is not a solution.

Please also consider checking out Cait @ A Page in View’s #ownvoices review of the SCID representation.

🍂 Trigger warnings for domestic violence, child abuse, mental illness and needles/hospitals.

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