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RCM Book Club: “Everything, Everything” by Nicola Yoon

RCM Book Club: “Everything, Everything” by Nicola Yoon

Rocket City Mom virtual book club

I think I struggled with this review more than any of the others that I have done for Rocket City Moms. And it’s not because I didn’t like the book; I absolutely loved it. I just kept thinking of those of you who haven’t read the book yet and I didn’t want to give anything away in my review. Let’s see how I do.

Easy to Read

I read the book because I just finished and enjoyed immensely Nicola Yoon’s most recent novel, The Sun is Also a Star, on a recommendation from a friend who also happens to be an English professor. When I asked her about Everything, Everything, she said that it was very sad. And while the book is poignant (very sick girl, confined to her home for years), I found Yoon approaches this heavy subject matter with a light-hearted tone which made it easier to stomach emotionally.

Yoon writes YA or Young Adult novels. The book is just over 300 pages but some pages have less than twenty words which makes it easy to read. Literally. I blew through this thing in three hours while driving back from Atlanta (OK, Hubby was driving; I was reading. That’s how I like it).

Super Cute

Throughout the book there are several very cute drawings and illustrations. I was delighted to discover that Yoon’s husband did those illustrations. How neat is that? And isn’t the cover so awesome. I am currently participating in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s 2017 Reading Challenge: Reading for Fun. You can check it out here. One of the categories is “a book you chose for the cover.” This could be that one.

Everything Everything Nicola Yoon
Click to see if this book is available at a library near you!
Refreshingly Diverse

As a woman of color, it is a personal thrill to read about novel heroines who are described as women of color but unless you read the description of the heroine you would never know that they were. Maddie’s heritage isn’t the focus of the book but I loved being able to see myself in the story. Yes, my heritage is a part of who I am, but it’s not the entirety of who I am.

The story serves yet another example of the fact that while we are all different, we are all, indeed, the same. Our world is big, beautiful, and diverse and the book reflects that, even down to some of the locations in the story. I loved it.

Thoughtful Content

Don’t let it being YA make you think that the content is in any way trivial and light. Not at all. Yoon is a serious writer in this genre and raises many important questions about life, one of them being: How much should you risk for love?

And not just in the romantic sense although there is plenty of romance. Yay! It’s YA after all. However, this is a Rocket City Mom Book Club pick so of course there is a “mommy” element. In Everything, Everything, love is also displayed in the form of a close mother/daughter relationship. When Yoon was writing the book, she was a new mom; her daughter was four months old. And Yoon raises two serious questions on this front:

  • (1) How far will you go to keep your child safe?
  • (2) How far is too far when trying to keep your child safe?
Discuss It & Watch It With Us!

I look forward to discussing your answers to these questions and what you thought about the book during our virtual book club meeting on Thursday, May 25th at 8 PM. Anyone can join – just send us a request!

Everything, Everything premieres on the big screen on May 19th. Anyone interested in seeing it? It could be a Rocket City Mom outing. If you are interested, let us know in the comment section.


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