I’ll be honest, I was completely interested in the concept of this book as soon as I heard about it. It’s a rarity to find YA novels which are comfortable dealing with medical issues while staying away from the whole ‘tragic love story’ thing.

The book focuses on Maddy, an 18-year-old girl suffering from SCID, a condition which essentially causes her to be highly allergic to most things encountered during normal everyday life. This means that she is forced to live her life confined to her home where she is looked after by her mother. Maddy is comfortable and accepting of her situation, spending most of her days reading and taking online classes. Until a new family with a teenage son move in next-door…

I know, I know, suddenly it seems all generic and contrived, but Yoon manages to make Maddy such a well developed and strong voice that you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards a girl who falls in love despite having the knowledge that she can never leave her home. There is probably just as much focus placed on the relationship between Maddy and her mother as there is on the one between Maddy and Olly, which makes a refreshing change. The book is filled with illustrations which provide a unique way of telling the story without distracting from its sometimes heartbreaking nature.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this book based on its synopsis, but I think it’s really well worth reading. The characters and story are so well thought out, and it provides an insight into topics which are very rarely addressed for the Young Adult market.

I recieved an e-book copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.