I'm not sure what I was expecting from Sick Kids in Love when I requested it, but I'm so glad I did. I'm absolutely in love with this book! Sick Kids in Love is a heartfelt tale of two sick kids in love.

Isabel and Sasha are both Jewish-American, something they bond over. They also have another thing in common: living with a chronic illness. Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis, and Sasha has Gaucher disease.

I don't live with a chronic illness, so I don't want to overstep when I talk about this. I liked that the book showed how they're living "normal" lives; they're teenagers! They're going through typical teen stuff! Just with an illness on top of that.

I found this book similar to To All the Boys I've Loved Before, in that it deals with a lot of little moments in life, rather than an overarching plot. This is actually one of my favorite parts of TATBILB, so Sick Kids in Love having this was a plus in my book. Little moments are the best! That's life, babey! There's ups and there's downs; it's not an easy life, but it's their lives.

I love that Isabel and Sasha help each other grow as well. Sasha helps Isabel realize that she doesn't have to pretend like she's healthy and that her healthy friends shouldn't treat her like she is. Meanwhile, Isabel helps him realize that, just because some parts of his life are changing, he still has a good one.

Sick Kids in Love was so cute and also very emotionally investing, so naturally I loved it. It's a book of two teenagers in love, and who happen to be sick. Life isn't a monolithic experience, but there are universal ones, and reading about their family and friend struggles felt so real. I definitely recommend Sick Kids in Love if you want a devastatingly adorable love story!

Love, LOVE, LOOOOOOVE this book!!!!

Author Hannah Moskowitz brings snarky, realistic teenagers to life while accurately representing chronic illness, physical disability, and family interactions in a way that is a joy to read, and kept me wanting to know what happens next.

This tale of sick kids being allowed to be sick, versus having to hide it and pretend things are fine, really resonated with me. This is something everyone should read and be aware of; everyone who has someone in their life who is chronically ill or disabled to some degree. The whole idea that well-meaning acquaintances, or even close family members, may affect the way a chronically ill person views themselves and their abilities. Those around us may wield unknown influence over a person’s way of thinking; disappointment when they can’t do something; often or all the time, or ever, versus it’s okay to not be able to do that thing sometimes, or often, or ever. These are really important concepts and Moskowitz completely gets it, and portrays it accurately, in a fun way.

*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***

3.5 STARS

Isabel, who has RA, has a rule against dating until she meets Sasha, a boy with Gauches Disease, a genetic illness.

Like Isabel, I have a chronic, invisible illness. Hannah Moskowitz either has personal experience or has done impeccable research because she hits all the nuances about living with pain and illness. I wasn’t ill as a teen, though I could picture myself being a combination of both Isabel and Sasha if my condition hit earlier. Moscowitz avoids most of the cliches about characters with illnesses like med noncompliance and risk taking behavior, which made me love SICK KIDS IN LOVE even more.

Isabel is complex and at times maddening young woman who isn’t always easy to embrace. Most of the time I liked Sasha, except when he was manipulative and didn’t respect Isabel’s boundaries. I loved his family too.

I did not like the ending of SICK KIDS IN LOVE because so many issues were left unaddressed. If SICK KIDS IN LOVE has a planned sequel, I’d understand Isabel never looking at her unhealthy, black and white thinking regarding relationships and up my review to four full stars. I also don’t appreciate expecting another chapter and poof, the story is over. I don’t need endings wrapped in shiny bows, but feel like I should know when the book is over.

SICK KIDS IN LOVE will appeal to readers who enjoy realistic fiction.

A look into the lives of two teens dealing with two different types of diseases. They come together in their fight in trying to be normal and learn to it is ok to lean on each other and other people. Loved that this was messy, heartbreaking and humorous all rolled into one. Isabel and Sasha and all their issues collide at times but others you can see how they rely on not being the only one facing difficult lives.

I was so intrigued by the synopsis of Sick Kids in Love that I knew I had to read it.

Both Isabel and Sasha live with chronic illnesses, and this book was eye-opening for me, as I personally do not have experience with chronic illnesses. I very much appreciated their perspectives on how they live their lives and how they want to be treated by others.

Furthermore, the dialogue and banter between the two was so refreshing, as was their friendship and romance. I found myself staying up way too late devouring their story.

I especially loved Sasha and his family, and I wish we could have alternated viewpoints between him and Isabel. Isabel actually frustrated me immensely during a certain portion of the book, but everything worked out.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

#SickKidsInLove #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of this novel.

This book had a lot of potential to be really great. And while I enjoyed the concept and loved Sasha.... I really couldn't stand Isabel. I felt out of character for her to be so goodie goodie yet drinking, making references to smoking marijuana and cussing as well. Like yes as a high schooler I hid things from my parents but it just felt very misplaced from the overall context of her character. I spent the first half of the book really enjoying Sasha and Isabel's chemistry and easy flirting. I started disliking her around the snowball dance and then mentioning she was cursed. Just didn't do it for me. But then I reminded myself that this is a high school girl and yes we all overthink things. I gave it 3 stars because I think it could have been better but the bones and writing was good.

4 Stars! This book is great, I loved the journey and growth of the main character Ibby. It was also nice to read a book about sick teenagers but they weren't fatally ill, although there is definitely an unknown with their illnesses it had a more upbeat feel to it than others in a similar genre. It seems like it would be suitable for 13 years and older.


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This is a beautiful book about two teenagers who are living their lives, oh and they have illnesses that they live with, but don't define them as people. The empathy this book evokes is just wonderful and the characters are well written. I loved the way this book made me think and feel I have a friend who is just learning about RA as it was a recent diagnosis for her and this book truly gave me a lot to think about. Thank you netgalley for this arc, it is definitely a book I will share with my students.