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Originally, I saw friends reading this and they loved it. I immediately put my request in for it at the library. The ebooks always take time, so by the time I was notified that a copy was available I had forgotten about this book. This turned out to be a great YA read. It had me sucked in right from the start.



Seventeen year old Madeline lives with her mother and hangs out with her nurse/friend Carla throughout the day. See she can't leave her home because she's been diagnosed to have a rare disease that leaves her basically allergic to the world. It's called SCID. Each time her mother or nurse come and go into the house they have to go through a decontamination process to make sure they don't bring anything into the sterile environment that Madeline needs to live.

Never leaving your house makes for a lot of free time of which Madeline reads, watches movies or plays games with her mother. One of the things that I loved was how she writes her name in her books and rewards to who ever will return it if it's ever lost. She was so creative and funny.

"Property of Madeline Whittier
Reward if Found (Check all that apply)
- Picnic with me (Madeline) in a pollen-filled field of poppies, lilies and endless man-in-the-moon marigolds under a clear blue summer sky.
- Drink tea with me (Madeline) in a lighthouse in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of a hurricane.
- Snorkel with me (Madeline) off Molokini to spot the Hawaiian star fish - humuhumunukunukuapuaa.

This was her normal life. She was content with it. Until one day, when she hears the familiar sound of a moving truck at the house next door. She watches from her window while the family moves in. That's when she sees him, Olly and he sees her. Later, Olly and his sister Kara bring over a bundt cake their mother made wanting to meet Madeline. Unfortunately, her mother has to refuse the food and can't let them in because of Madeline's disease. The things Olly did with that bundt cake latter had me cracking up.

Soon though, Olly and Madeline begin chatting through emails or IMs. It takes Madeline some time, but eventually she opens up about her disease and why she can't go outside. Olly was awesome about it. He didn't stop talking to her or run away and their friendship grew stronger.

With Carla's help they do sneak some visits and let Olly come over to meet Madeline. The rules are to never touch, just talk. And they follow those rules...in the beginning. But later they test their boundaries by holding hands and then a kiss. Soon Madeline is willing to risk it all for him.

"I was happy before I met him. But I'm alive now, and those are not the same thing."

Gah! I loved this book! More than I thought I would. I even dreamed about it. Maybe it's because I had a connection with the Hawaii part. I had been to the exact places that were discussed in this book. the below picture is one I took of Black Rock. Whatever the case may be, this book made me stop and realize that life is short and precious. We take so many things in life for granted and it's nice to have a reminder every now and then.

"Everything's a risk. Not doing anything is a risk. It's up to you."



This was my first read by Nicola Yoon. I loved her husband's drawings that were added. The writing was perfect, captivating and really made me feel. I also liked the plot twist added towards the end. I wasn't expecting it. I was actually expecting a different ending, but the twist, while while sad made for a better ending to me. If you like YA then I would definitely recommend this one.