Why ‘Everything, Everything’ makes us believe in love at first sight
In Nicola Yoon’s debut novel, Everything, Everything, we meet Madeline Whittier: a teenage girl who is allergic to the outside world. She’s spent her whole life inside and, as a result, every day is mostly the same. She gets her blood pressure tested throughout the day; she plays boardgames with her mom and nurse; and she re-reads her favorite books.
That is, until a new family moves in next door, and Madeline sees Olly for the first time. In her own words, “Maybe we can’t predict everything, 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.”
Everything, Everything is a beautiful book about taking risks, falling in love, and what it means to live. It offers a refreshing and exhilarating perspective on being a teen, and has us rooting for Madeline and Olly to the very last page. Here are just a few reasons why Everything, Everything has us believing in love at first sight.
It shows us that you can tell when someone is a kindred spirit, even before you’ve exchanged a word
When Madeline sees Olly for the first time, she can already tell that he’s different. Likewise, Olly is instantly captivated by Madeline, the mysterious girl looking at him through the window. They’re curious about one another from the get-go, and we can immediately tell that the sparks are flying.
It proves the age-old adage that actions speak louder than words
Madeline and Olly’s relationship has some rather unconventional beginnings. Without having spoken to one another, they find ways to communicate. At first, the two bond over an indestructible bundt cake — and it totally brings the giggles.
It reminds us that love happens when we least expect it
You never know when a stranger is going to come into your life and change everything. For Madeline and Olly, that goes both ways.
It shows how exciting crushing on a stranger can be
For Madeline, Olly represents so much more than just another crush: he represents the outside world, a normal life, and everything she imagines being a teenager to entail. While we might not be able to relate to her specific situation, we’ve all had a celebrity crush at some point. When you don’t actually know a person, everything feels more innocent and exciting.
Because we all form little crushes before actually meeting people
In the case of Olly and Madeline, they exchange emails via marker on a window. In the case of the rest of us, it tends to be numbers exchanged over a dating app. Either way, sometimes a quick glance is all it takes to feel a connection.
As a bonus, the book cover is pretty darn beautiful
We know, we know: you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But let’s just say our love for Everything, Everything was immediate.
You can find out more about Everything, Everything right here.
