Book Review:

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Gretchen Schreiber was inspired to write, Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal, when she noticed a gaping hole in literature. In an effort to create a character that both she and others could identify with, she used her medical journey as a jumping off point. While this is not an autobiographical story, her first hand accounts provide readers with a unique look into a teenager struggling to be taken seriously by medical professionals, well-meaning family members, and society as a whole.

Yes, there have been a handful of recent YA books chronicling teens navigating life, love, and medical illnesses. Some of the more popular ones have even been turned into movies (6 Feet Apart and The Fault in our Stars). However, none of them have been written by an author who has lived it. Schrieber’s first hand experience made for an eye opening read.

Ellie is not your ideal protagonist. I often found myself annoyed or upset with her choices. In her effort to suppress her expectations she blames hospitals and doctors for not being able to cure her. In addition she compartmentalizes her life into two categories: ‘life-life’ and ‘hospital-life’, never wanting to mix the two. This results in her cutting people out when they step over one of her boundaries. This form of self-sabotage was both heartbreaking and infuriating. But if I am being honest with myself I would probably handle things the same way.

While I usually prefer a HEA, I loved how Schrieber chose to close this story. Ellie’s friendships and relationship with her mother was perfectly handled. This was a terrific debut novel that brought much needed awareness to the book community. I look forward to following Schrieber’s career.

Special thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Gretchen Scrieber for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I think this had a lot of potential and will resonate with some but I don’t think it worked for me! Ellie was super jaded and it was hard to read about some times. I didn’t really buy the romance and I was beyond frustrated by the mom. I would definitely read another book by this author!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was such a heartwarming story! The story follows a young lady with a disability throu ought her daily struggles. As someone with chronic illness and disabilities I could definitely relate. The author did a wonderful job!

📖My Thoughts📖

Sometimes you find yourself reading a book that you can really relate to, but from the other side of the fence. While reading said book, you are able to see things from a completely different perspective. This was one of those books. While it was hard to read at times, it opened my eyes to a lot of things, but I also felt a huge connection to Ellie. See, I work in healthcare. I have for over half of my life actually. I started out as a caregiver in a group home. From a caretaker, to an LNA and now a surgical technologist. Not only have I been the caregiver, but I’ve also been the patient myself. While my times as the patient weren’t the same as Ellie, it allowed me get a better idea of what other patients experience. I think the author did an amazing job portraying all the emotions that someone goes through while going through this. I know that she stated that this story is very similar to her own, but sometimes it’s difficult to put things into words. The writing was raw and filled with emotion, allowing the reader to get a better understanding of all that encompasses being a patient. I think the pacing was perfect and the writing was very descriptive and very articulated. While it’s a very heavy story, it’s definitely worth reading.
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Gretchen Schreiber for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a fun young adult romance novel! I loved the story in this book! The main characters disability felt very realistic and I loved getting to explore a disease I didn't know very much about before reading this book. The main character herself was hard for me to connect to than some of the secondary characters like her friends. I also struggled a lot with feeling the romance between the characters. Overall though it was a fun read that explored a topic I wasn't previously familiar with. Definitely recommend if you enjoy ya romance novels with disabilities representation in them.

This book is a very much young adult story about a girl named Ellie who has an illness.

She feels like she lives two separate lives. One where she is a normal teenager in high school on the debate team. While her other life is in and out of hospitals.

What I found a bit frustating was Ellie’s mom who kept posting about her illness online for the world to see. However, toward the end I felt for her mother. This was her way of coping with her daughters illness.

This go around in the hospital she meets an amazing group of friends. I absolutely loved them. I love that they never gave up on her and kept showing up.

The story felt very real and the overall message I got was to make sure to always advocate for yourself in the medical field.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book more than anything, but it fell flat for me. The premise of romance in the context of illness/disability was beautiful but the romance fell flat and the interactions between Ellie and her mom were never empathetic on either side, which as someone with a disability, I found to be unrealistic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This was such a fun book. I enjoyed it so much and read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book to all my family and friends.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal" and all opinions expressed are my own. I really tried to get into this book but it was not for me.

DNF @ 17%

Honestly I just couldn't connect with the characters and the content. I thought this would be interesting when sold as The Breakfast Club in hospital... however, the fmc was rude, and just downright unlikeable. I get that she's been through a lot, but for me, I didn't have any interest in continuing.

They're not kidding about The Breakfast Club reference. That was the reference that hooked me on the book. Ellie has such a huge heart that she doesn't know how to protect it and rather than suffering constant heartaches she has separated her life and, in the process, cut herself off from feeling fully. But Ellie isn't the only character here, all of the characters; Veronica, Luis, Caitlin, Ryan, and even Brooke, who we barely get to know, are all so rounded and full. This is a powerful book for those without disabilities or chronic illness, giving insight into the world most of us are lucky enough to only glimpse most of the time in a way that isn't just depressing like Lurlene McDaniel's books. It was a lot of fun to read. I hope The Tumor Squad does well in the world.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley & Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows a teen girl who stays at home or goes to the hospital and is trying to find her “normal”. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Schreiber did a good job describing a teen girl’s story and how Ellie wants a normal, basic life but has to through so much. I’m not a huge fan of hospital-themed books but I wanted to give this story a chance and really liked the message behind the story. I was not a huge fan of the MC as I kind of found her annoying at times but I did try to understand that she was going through so much and is just angry at the world in the understandable moment. I liked the friend group in this book and how supportive they were. The romance wasn’t it for the book and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the couple. Overall this was a great book that showcases so much of a young girl’s disability and how she navigates the world.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

My heart<3

What an adorable and educational read by Gretchen Schreiber! High school student Ellie navigates life in two separate worlds: one at home, and one at the hospital. During her stay, Ellie forms unexpected friendships and discovers the possibility of an extraordinary life beyond her illness. This heartwarming and inspiring story is perfect for fans of Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott.

This was a good story with a lot of insights for readers to learn from. I feel like the main character learned a lot and was frustrated with the cards they were dealt. But also had her friends help her put things in perspective. It was a great read.

I really felt for Ellie, and I liked the story that was told using the medical diagnoses she'd been dealing with as a child and her sanding up for herself. I felt for the mom and ultimately I liked how the story played out.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book is about a teenage girl named Ellie who has a condition (VATRS) which causes parts of your body to not develop correctly in the womb. Ellie’s mom blogs about the details of her illness online. Ellie has “school” friends and “hosptial” friends which she keeps in very separate groups. Her friends from school do not know many details about her disability. Ellie becomes close to a group of friends at her last hospital stay. Ellie needs another surgery and these friends help get her through the hard times. This book touches on Ellie’s inner struggles and also on her various her relationships. She meets a boy named Ryan at the hospital who is a new patient. He encourages her to think differently and challenges her. Overall, this was a good read. Ellie had a negative way of seeing life at times but she is a teenager who is struggling with a life consuming illness. Overall, I give this book a 3.5. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This is angsty medical drama about teenager Ellie who was born with a rare medical condition, VACTERLs, a condition also shared by the author. Ellie is sent to the hospital with an unknown lung condition and is facing yet another surgery (after >40 surgeries in her lifetime) and meets a group of teens with their own medical issues while there.

I think the book goes to great lengths to realistically portray the complexities of being a medically complex teenager facing a lot of hard realities - between being away from school, having "hospital only" friends, and not having any guarantees around medical treatments, there's a lot of complicated emotions that are portrayed here. Ellie's mom is also a mommy blogger who puts Ellie's entire medical history on the internet, adding a loss of privacy and autonomy into the mix.

Unfortunately, because of the complexity, this book made it pretty hard to get into. Ellie is a pretty complex character with a lot of angst, making her hard to relate to and understand. As a character she is very closed off and stubborn and also kind of a wimp. She refused to stand up for herself and has a very avoidant personality, making for a pretty frustrating read. I also didn't feel a lot sparks between her and Ryan, the love interest. Ryan came across as a very bullish character who came in bossing Ellie around despite having no real authority or experience to back it up. And when they finally kissed, Ellie's reaction was basically just, "well, I didn't hate it." It made it hard to root for them as a couple.

I think it's probably a realistic portrayal of a teenager in her position, but maybe overly so - I was really hoping for a bit more magic and sparkle from this one.

This read is both sweet and heart wrenching. It deals with some heavier topics of more serious illnesses in younger people and all the issues/situations that can occur because of this. I feel that these heavier topics were handled well in this book by being realistic and respectful with it. I enjoyed the supportive friends and circles the characters had as well as the development of the main character and her relatability.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schroeder. This YA book has stayed with me because it so artfully tells the story of teens who are suffering serious disorders and illnesses and just want to feel “normal.”

Ellie Haycock has VATRS, which has caused her many surgeries and hospitalizations. Her mom is a successful blogger who documents every step of Ellie’s journey—sometimes even when Ellie doesn’t want those details shared.

Ellie is determined to keep her hospital life and “normal” life separate… She keeps her school friends totally in the dark about her health issues because she doesn’t want to be seen as different. But her latest hospital visit makes her rethink everything…

This is a great book, with a message that those of us blessed with good health may especially need to hear.

Thank you to the author, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.