Expected
Publication: September 1, 2015
Publisher:
Delacorte BYR
Format:
via NetGalley
Challenges: 2015 NG/EW
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis
This
innovative, heartfelt debut novel tells the story of a girl who’s literally
allergic to the outside world. When a new family moves in next door, she begins
a complicated romance that challenges everything she’s ever known. The
narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists,
illustrations, and more.
My
disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I
don’t leave my house; have not left my house in seventeen years. The only
people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But
then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see
him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black
sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me
looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe
we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am
certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a
disaster.
My
Thoughts
Oh
the feels!! Yep that’s all I can say about this wonderfully written tale. No
book has made me feel this way in a long time and to think I was thisclose to
not reading it! Silly me!! However I am glad I did and I encourage everyone to
read this if you can.
This
is the tale of Maddy who is allergic to the outside world and who is all alone
in her “world” she is just left with her mom, nurse and her books. She never
thought of anything else until one day some new neighbors moved in next door
and little did she know this one little action would change her whole world and
most importantly her life.
Olly
and his family move in and soon he is mesmerized by the girl next door. He doesn’t
know at first why he never sees her outside but soon they exchange emails after
some exchanges via their bedroom windows. Maddy for some reason feels like she
can trust Olly right away and tells him that she isn’t like other people. Soon
their emails are on regular basics and Maddy realizes that she is falling for him
but knows that it can never lead anywhere; she knows she can never have a
normal relationship with him. But none of that matters for either one of them
because they can’t deny that they are falling for each other.
Olly
has his own problems with a dad who is a drunk and is abusive. He is always
hitting Olly and his mother and one day that action causes Maddy to do the
unthinkable she bolts from her house and has to know if Olly is alright. Olly tells
her to go back that he is ok and her mom pleads with her to go inside that she
knows what might happen if she doesn’t. Her mother has always been so
protective of Maddy, especially since it’s just the two of them after the
deaths of her father and brother years ago. However after that night Maddy
realizes she loves Olly too much and now that she has felt the outside world
she knows she cannot live the way she did before, doing so isn’t living to her
anymore.
What
comes next sets off a chain reaction of things that I never saw coming. Maddy
sets a plan to leave with Olly and live the time she has left with the person
she loves and at least live for a bit. They set off to Hawaii and when she
becomes sick she thinks that’s the end, but what happens next is something she
could never imagine. I won’t spoil the rest for you but all I can say is WOW! I
for one never saw the next things happening in my wildest dreams. We find out some truth and how some of them are just downright twisted and sad. I was heartbroken
then mad talk about a rollercoaster of emotions! This is one book I totally recommend
everyone reading. Maddy and Olly are so adorable and this read while
emotional is totally sweet at the same time. I love when a read throws me for
a loop and I’m so glad I took the chance on reading this one, and personally I think
you should too.