Let me start by saying how much I loved this. Nicola Yoon has a wonderfully whimsical writing style. It feels real and also fanciful at the same time. You relate to the characters as though they are people you know in real life. The inner monologue of Madeline is funny and sad all at the same time. I adore the emails and IMs of Madeline and Olly. It's a great way of illustrating a very well read girl with wit and charm. Olly is a charismatic character who pulls you in from the beginning with his secret love of math covered under all his black clothes, tragic family and careless front. I like that both of our main characters are smart. They are portrayed as naïve in some ways, but in most ways they are written as very self aware and intelligent which is nice to see in a YA book. I think the best part of the story for me was that they fell in love almost virtually. Most of their interactions were online or through a window. Yet, somehow they were able to see each other better this way.
All that being said, the twist was a little predictable for me. I called it about half way through the book. I could see the subtle hints with Madeline's mother and the backstory of her father and brother. It may have been a little unsurprising, but the writing style and loveable characters more than made up for any shortcomings I found. I actually wish there was a second book so we could see how Madeline and Olly move on with their lives.
Overall, this was a wonderful book that I am so glad I finally read. I wish I hadn't waited so long. Many times there is a lot of hype around books and they don't always live up to it. That is not the case with this book. It was worth every ounce of praise and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something that will make you smile.
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