Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release Date: November 5th, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: Physical ARC received from publisher which did not influence my opinion
My rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It's easier--
It's safer--
It's better--
--for the other person.
She's got issues. She's got secrets. She's got rheumatoid arthritis.
But then she meets another sick kid.
He's got a chronic illness Isabel's never heard of, something she can't even pronounce. He understands what it means to be sick. He understands her more than her healthy friends. He understands her more than her own father who's a doctor.
He's gorgeous, fun, and foul-mouthed. And totally into her.
Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It's complicated--
It's dangerous--
It's never felt better--
--to consider breaking that rule for him.
My Review:
I don't know exactly where to start with this one, except to say how much I adored it! It was such a sweet and cute story, but with a lot of moments that were still emotionally intense or else really made you think. Since I am not a sick person, there's a lot I don't understand first hand. But, I think this story did a great job at sharing things that people who do have chronic illnesses feel and hear from "healthy" people all the time. The story really made me think a lot about how I feel or think when I hear about people who are sick and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. It definitely brought to mind all the times in the past that I may have even said something about a person not looking like they were sick or disabled whenever they pulled into a handicapped parking spot or something similar. Things in recent years after meeting more people who don't look sick, but are, I've quit even thinking that way myself, and now it does stand out when I hear other people around me say those things. I really liked that the author was able to write a story where as the tagline says, they don't die in this one, but there were still some emotionally tense situations in the book.
It wasn't just the part about being sick kids that was so good in the book either though. There were normal teen situations, absentee parents, not knowing how good some friends really were, and then of course feeling attractive to the opposite sex. It was so great to be able to see a toxic friendship ended, but the character still wondering if she was doing the right thing.
And oh the humor! I loved Sasha's sarcasm in so many situations, as well as his hilarious answers to Isabel's questions. While the dead girl answers weren't completely clear to me for what they actually did for the story, it was a unique and different idea to be included.
A great story, I can't wait to get this for the kids in my school library to read!
