The following article originally appeared in Juniata High School's newspaper The Arrowhead.  

Spoiler Alert 

By: Cecilia Moreno

In this current popular read, two teenagers fall in love. The girl, known as Madeline or Maddie, has a rare disease preventing her from seeing the world beyond the windows of her house. The only people she sees are her mother, her nurse Carla, and occasionally her tutor. She's needy and unsure about everything. One day, she meets a boy, Olly, short for Oliver, and everything changes. His family moved into the house beside her and from the minute she sees him (through her safe and clean window, of course) she falls in love with him. Naturally, they communicate through their windows, writing to one another and chatting online, without permission from her mother. They share their secrets and who they truly are with each other. Maddie convinces Carla to let them meet, this too behind her mom’s back. After this happens, her every thought is controlled by Olly; she can't stop thinking about him. They are able to meet more, but only for short  amounts of time. Soon, they start holding hands, which leads to them kissing. Once they kiss, they become even closer and the relationship borders on dangerous. One day, her mom finds out Maddie has befriended Olly. Olly’s abusive dad gets in a fight with his mom, and Olly steps in to protect her. As Olly’s dad punches him, Maddie races out of her house to protect him. Her mom is bewildered, but realizes what has been going on. She fires Carla and bans Maddie from her computer. A few days after this turn of events, Maddie sneaks outside to meet Olly and tells him of the trip she has planned for them. For 2 nights, they stay in Hawaii and explore the world and each other. Maddie finds herself sick one night and goes to the hospital in Hawaii. Her mom finds out where she and Olly are and takes her home. Maddie doesn’t speak to Olly after this happens- she ignores his emails and doesn’t say goodbye when his family moves away from his dad. Through a series of events, Maddie realizes the life she has been living with her disease has been a complete lie. The book ends as she reconnects with Olly in New York City, thousands of miles from her home, and it seems as if all is well again. 

The plot of this book is entirely unrealistic and predictable. You might currently be asking how. Well, does the following structure seem familiar?

 1. Girl meets boy in a too predictable or perfect way

 2. One or both have a problem or flaw

 3. They become friends, then it develops into more.

 4. The two characters fall in love

 5. One or both of their problems are resolved, although new ones emerge between them

 6. They don’t talk to each other for a while; it’s tense, hostile, etc.

 7. They reconcile, reconnect with, and forgive each other

8. The book ends with them “knowing” that they and their love will last forever 

This all too common plot is maddening. The unoriginality of it is annoying and entirely dull. At first, this book was quite intriguing; Maddie and her disease were fascinating. Then, the author threw in a boy that Maddie couldn’t have and the whole book was gone, lost to hackneyed ideas. The entire book is too perfect and gives people false impressions and ideas of love. The plot moves at an alarmingly quick speed- key events happen too fast and too often. Although this book is captivating and keeps you on your toes, there are more clichés than necessary. From the next door neighbor situation to the “he helps her feel alive” stereotype, too many unoriginal ideas are represented. I would easily say that Nicola Yoon is a skilled author. However, this new and becoming book of hers was predictable and had a thoroughly overused plot. Therefore, in many ways, Everything, Everything is cheesy and is one of many generic love stories that fill bookshelves and libraries. Overall, this book had some good ideas but the unoriginality of it all is enough to draw me away and look for a book full of different ideas, not the everyday teen romance such as this one.