Summary of my review: Emotional, not only about diseases (other types of problems), great character development, heart-wrenching, correct information about the diseases, weird wording, sometimes unrealistic, sometimes a bit slow


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In Depth Discussion/The Review

Likes: Medium paced book. Gets excited around 60 pages in. 

A lot of character development (Will) and backstories of characters making them more relatable and connected. 
Reference: Chapter 1, 'feel anxious, restless even. Because instead of just wanting to get healthy, I need to get healthy. For my parents’ sake.'
Reference 2: Chapter 1, 'Multicolored patches are sewn over spots where he ripped open, his stuffing pouring out when I squeezed too hard during the most painful of my treatments.'

The characters all have their own unique quirk like Stella needing to be in control of everything or Will trying to have freedom no matter what and might show it by doing risky things or Poe liking to drink milkshake and donuts. 

We don't just only get to know the main characters and their friends, but also the parents who care about their child's sickness, which is quite important for me as it doesn't only show how friendships are affected by a disease, but whole families too. 
Reference: Chapter 1, 'Thirty-five percent is a number that keeps my mom up at night. She doesn’t say it, but her computer does.'

This book is dark and emotional which is perfect for this topic. I wouldn't be able to take a book serious about diseases if the genre would be comedy. So the genre choosen here might upset some, but it is very well conveyed. Also, the subject is not only diseases, but other problems that one may face in their life. 
Reference: Chapter 1 'When you have CF, you sort of get used to the idea of dying young.'
Reference 2: Chapter 1, 'People are always looking at my cannula, my scars, my G-tube, not at me.'

The romance in this book was slowburn but with lots of action. Won't spoil it of course, but I am sure everyone will like it. The emotions and their attachment and little promises, all made me feel flattered!

Great and correct information about the diseases (the author either did some research or had the disease themselve). 
Reference: Chapter 1, 'For cystic fibrosis patients, cross-infection from certain bacteria strains is a huge risk. One touch between two CFers can literally kill the both of them.'
Reference: Chapter 2: 'Pretty much all guys with CF are infertile'



Dislikes: Sheepishly. Way too often used word in this book. 

Sometimes weird wording, like 'My heart feels so full, it’s disgusting.' (Chapter 20) Also: 'You know how anal I am.' (Chapter 1)

Sometimes the book felt a bit slow. Like the beginning was of course an introduction but the first thing being exciting also felt like everything was about to end (I talk about the scene around 60 pages in) and overall there were sometimes moments that felt unnecessary or over-explained/described. 

I don't know how it is to have CF, but there is no way you go normally to school and stuff with only 35% lung volume. That is servere lung disease and at this rate you can't walk for longer than like 10-15 minutes until you are exhausted. It's like having asthma all the time. But maybe it isn't, but that just sounds unrealistic. 
Reference: Chapter 1, 'About 70 percent of the time, things are pretty normal for me. I go to school, I hang out with Camila and Mya, I work on my app. I just do it all with low-functioning lungs. But for the remaining 30 percent of my time, CF controls my life.'


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Rating

How it works: Only everything that is lower than 9 gets reduced from the final rating. Depending on how strong it inflicted the overall enjoyment of reading it effects differently. 

[ Story 8 / 10 ]

[ Characters 10 / 10 ]

[ Triggering 0 / 10 ]

[ Topic/Genre 10  / 10 ]

[ Writing style 7 / 10 ]

[ Grammatic and spelling 10 / 10 ]

[ Ending 10 / 10 ]

Final Rating

4/5


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Final thoughts/Questions

This story wasn't triggering for me, but I will add a trigger warning list for this book on StoryGraph. In case you don't have StoryGraph, but you want to read this book you may write a comment down below and I will send it here too. 



Started the book: 25. May 2024
Finished the book: 26. May 2024
Wrote the review: 27. May 2024

3⭐️0🌶️2💧
Okay so I mostly liked the book but in order to enjoy it I REALLY had to suspend disbelief. I was expecting something along the lines of TFIOS, and we got it, but with a ton more medical content, like only medical content, since the whole story takes place in and around the hospital. It was a pretty slow read because of the medical content and medication names. And sue me but I feel like if you’re writing a sick lit book or making a disease your main plot point, it should be medically accurate. Barb is one big walking HIPAA violation, children are administering their own medications, CFers are near each other constantly, wandering around the hospital unaccompanied. I’ve also read some critiques that say this story only picks and chooses the “best” or most convenient parts of the disease to highlight. These characters seem to be end-stage but they can be up and running through the hospital daily, no GI symptoms are mentioned, etc. However, I learned that this is a book based on the screenplay for the movie, and it started to make sense. Movies are NEVER medically accurate.

Now I don’t have CF but I am chronically ill and I have an entire life and personality and hobbies that don’t relate to my illnesses. These characters do not. They are constantly thinking about their next meds, how their illness affects their loved ones, contemplating death. They rarely get to just be teenagers. The most care-free we see them is when Stella and Will go on their dates. Stella and Will both kind of serve as each other’s manic pixie dream girl, and they completely change their outlook on life. I’m not a huge fan of instant love, I’m more of a slow burn person. And it just didn’t make sense to me that Stella would

throw away her shot at a long-awaited lung transplant just to hang around Will for a bit longer, still 5 feet apart.

I did enjoy the friendships between the characters and how much effort they went through to make each other happy.

I was very wary of when Poe, the only gay and POC character, was introduced. If you’re against the

bury your gays trope,

I’d skip this one. I’m not a fan and generally don’t read books that exist to make you cry, and it seems like the author was just throwing trauma after trauma on the MCs.

Lastly, I’m just not a fan of the inspiration porn that happens in every sick lit book I’ve ever read. Often, people with chronic illnesses are just normal people and have hobbies, relationships, and desires that are outside the realm of their illness. I have yet to find a book where there is a disabled or chronically ill character who isn’t dying or thinking about their condition constantly. I won’t be rereading but I think I’ll try to stream the movie.

Amazing book. thoroughly loved it