This book was promising, in that the summary gave me Five Feet Apart vibes. Ellie Haycock has grown up in hospitals, having VACTERL syndrome (a group of growth abnormalities–birth defects–that happen in the early stages of embryo development during pregnancy). She has school friends and hospital friends, and they don’t mix. She also has a mistrust of doctors, due to having spent way too much time with them and learning the hard way that they don’t always get the answers right. Her other issue is that her mom has been blogging about Ellie’s life, and Ellie is tired of her life being public–note to parents everywhere to stop oversharing about their kids! One of the things that I had a hard time with was the romance. Supposedly Ellie was dumped by Jack, but that was never developed enough for the reader to care. And then the blooming relationship with Ryan was more real, but there wasn’t enough of it. Overall though, this was a good read and not as heart wrenching as other sick teen romance books have been.

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal was a bittersweet story about a chronically ill/disabled teenager navigating life in and out of the hospital. Her mother runs a blog about her daughter’s illness and Ellie tries to keep her “normal” life and her “hospital” life separate. This books is a snapshot of her treatment between her “normal life” boyfriend breaking up with her and a new “hospital friend” entering her life and capturing her interest. Being a teenager is already hard enough, so this was an interesting read from a perspective most of us never have to even think about. I felt myself rooting for Ellie and her friends, cringing alongside her as her mother documented every vulnerable and ugly moment, and being angry at the medical system. I enjoyed this book and the raw emotions it was written with. It felt like an honest peek into the author’s life.
3.5⭐️

Ellie is a normal high-school teenager, or so she wants everyone to believe. Unfortunately for Ellie, she was born with a disability, "VACTERL", which causes her to have many visits to the closest large health care system. When she travels to this health system she tries to keep her struggles from her home friends, and when she is at home tries to keep her "hospital friends" separate from her home life. But when her most recent trip to the hospital causes her to question the physicians and the other care-givers, she finds she needs to learn how to break down these "divisions" and trust her friends to support no matter what the circumstance.

Overall, this was an enjoyable audiobook, and I found it to be an interesting topic that I had not given much thought previous to listening to the novel. That being said I also had a hard time relating to the difficulties of Ellie in including her friends in the nuisances of her health/home life. That being said, the narrator was enjoyable to listen, and the audio quality was good. I would recommend to anyone looking for a different type of young-adult novel with a unique circumstances, but still the ability to build a support system and meaningful relationships.

This book felt lost and incomplete. I was feeling like i was missing chapters in understanding what was going on.

Fantastic ya novel. The story covers several difficult concepts. Also has a strong emphasis on being your own advocate. Highly relatable. Great narrator.

This book was really good and had great representation for kids with disabilities. The main character Ellie has a chronic medical condition and the book follows a period of time when she is in and out of the hospital. I love seeing diverse voices represented in YA books. Ellie has to manage friendships and relationships with signification others and relationships with her parents, all while struggling with her own physical health. This will be a great addition to many classrooms and school libraries!

Thanks to NetGalley for and advanced copy of the book to read and review.

This is probably a very unpopular opinion, but I think it sells this gem of a book short to compare it to The Breakfast Club or Five Feet Apart. It’s so much more than either of those. It’s an eye-opening read that enchants consistently from start to finish. I found myself googling any number of topics, but I was particularly interested in how accurately the condition was presented. Too often things are sanitized to make things “more accessible.” I think that’s hogwash. Making hard things “look pretty” or easy isn’t fair to the reader or to the storyteller. All of that is to say that I felt like this one maintained a sense of reality and authenticity. Parts of it were hard to read, but they were good hard. The kind of hard that makes me think and makes me consider my perspective and the perspective of others. On top of that, the audio was stellar. It’s fair to say that I loved this book & am looking forward to what comes next!

This is a YA novel about Ellie, a teenage girl who has VATER syndrome and thus has been in and out of the hospital her entire life. We quickly see that she has a lot of suppressed emotions about this and her life in general, and she tries to deal with that by separating her hospital life and her “normal” life. Her disability is displayed with very raw emotions and I think the hospitalized teens are all portrayed well across the different spectrums. Ellie herself is angry at her lot in life, and especially at doctors not being able to fix her, and at her mom for blogging about it (although her mom doesn’t know that). Her emotions are 100% valid, as she’s gone through a lot, but she does not know how to process them. My problem is that I think such real writing on the front end, deserves a better resolution at the end. Something that is still real, but healthy. Showing that seems important. I can’t get behind how much anger and negativity Ellie shows throughout the novel without ever resolving it in a healthy manner. I know she’s a fictional character, but the lack of help that she received for her mental health just gave me anxiety to listen to. Everything can’t get magically better at the end. Ellie’s mom literally fought doctors for her physical health, yet nothing is mentioned about getting her help for her mental health. Again, the topics that are covered here are super important, and very well written, which is probably why I really desired a better more healthy resolution to give real hope to those teens struggling with dealing with anger and things in life that are essentially out of their control. All of that being said, it’s still a solid 3 star read, as long as it’s taken as fiction and not a guide, and especially if listening to the audiobook which was perfectly narrated. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was able to listen to the audiobook through NetGalley and really enjoyed the subject and the ideas brought up in the book.
It deals with a teenage girl with a congenital syndrome which has led to multiple surgeries and constant healthcare challenges. Her mother has blogged about her condition throughout her life as a coping mechanism and to advocate and support others with the same condition.
Ellie has tried to keep her “normal” life and her “hospital” life separate and as she is coming of age this is getting harder to do especially with her mother blogging about all the details of her life.
I think the book brings up some really good ideas to consider as far as who should and can broadcast the personal details of a child’s life no matter how it might impact you as a parent.
I think the author did a great job of explaining the feelings from both sides of the situation. I used to teach high school intro to medical classes and this would be a great book to discuss in class. Is it ethical to blog about every medical detail regarding your child, even if you have the best intentions? What will happen as they grow up and want privacy about their health and body?
Sometimes in our always online world the lines are blurred and what people want to have shared is not always what our idea would be.
Ellie learns to trust her friends in the end and combines her worlds which is also a good message- if you don’t trust people to accept you and be your friend, you’re denying them that opportunity.

Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber follows the story of Ellie, a high school student with a rare deformity and disease that she likes to keep hidden from her friends as much as possible. She likes to separate her hospital self from her “normal” self, which strains her relationships inside and outside the hospital.

I am always looking to broaden my worldview via books, and I am glad that I picked up this one as it gives a glimpse into a different life. I think that the story was good, and the representation of chronic illness was positive. But I struggled to connect with Ellie. I am unsure if it’s because she is an unlikeable character or if I have matured from YA and New Adult fiction. I do not believe that she really had significant character development through to the end of the book. But again, maybe that is the point with these coming-of-age stories. Characters are just beginning to figure out who they are.

Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal gave me feelings of The Fault in the Stars, and the feels that came with it. As a parent of a teenager, I loved the insight that it gave into a teenager’s feelings toward a parent that posts everything about their child on social media, especially about their illness and disability for the world to see. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to preview this audiobook.

I was attracted to Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal for three reasons. First, the cover. Second, the idea of having to live two separate lives. Third, Natalie Naudus narrates the audiobook. Result, a new favorite read of 2024 that felt very personal in some aspects, with the realities of being disabled, both good and bad, with a coming of age tale with friendship and romance all into one.

For her whole life, Eleanor Haycock has been splitting between her “normal” life and her hospital life, and it’s worse when her whole life and medical history with VACTERLs has been blogged by her mother, while having good intentions, has crossed some lines as of late, especially when she just wants to fit in. Most of the story takes place during another one of Ellie’s hospital stays, this time for lung issues. Though it’s not long before her two lives collide.

Especially to those that are disabled, this book is very relatable, mostly to Ellie’s challenges of trying to be as “normal” as possible, but knowing that she’ll stick out in the crowd, and the frustration that your life isn’t truly your own in more than one aspect. The coming of age aspects deal with trying to grow your own advocacy and autonomy, when many times, disabled people are denied this. I especially loved when Ellie aired out her frustrations about constant hospital stays and being treated like a project by the rest of the world. Other aspects of Ellie’s character that I liked was that she built up this stubbornness through years of hospital trips and she’s not immune to learning some valuable life lessons herself about life balance.

While there is a romance arc and rivals to lovers, there’s a just about equal focus on Ellie’s friends, both in and out of the hospital, and they were done well. Each of them had their own mini arc and I enjoyed learning about each of them and they weren’t just there for inspiration for the “normal” audience. I also like how Ellie’s parents are humanized as instead of these evil parents that don’t care for her. They are doing what they feel is best, but of course, they have to learn things too and mend the parent-child relationship, which can be so complex in these situations, so I appreciate that.

The prose was easy to follow along and Naudus nails the range of emotions, especially when Ellie is upset. I also enjoyed her narration during the blog posts, with a more mature voice. There is talk of medical terminology and procedures, but it’s nothing graphic.

If you’re up for the less pretty parts of living with disabilities, this is a must read for anyone.

I have watched multiple tv shows featuring sick kids. Zac and Mia, Red Band Society, Five Feet Apart. I don’t know what they truly experience or how it feels to be them but Gretchen seemed to do a good job letting us into Ellie life. As someone who isn’t in and out of hospitals but have experience with doctors not knowing what’s wrong or having to pay for doctor bills, i get it. I saw a few reviews complaining about Ellie’s behavior but she’s is a teenage girl doing her best in a world where is hard to be normal. I can’t imagine how that would feel, plus her mom’s blog. I can’t even imagine having my mom put all my personally information out, when she was young it was one thing but as a teenager who has her own mind. I was so excited when she finally listened to her daughter. I was probably my favorite part of the whole book.

This book could have stuck with a large friendship angle and that would have been incredible. I felt that friendship should have been Ellie’s main goal in this book. The romance wasn’t my favorite. I also really liked Jack in the beginning of the book, how many guys would go out of their way, 4 HOURS and be crushed. I wanted so badly to give him a hug, he got such a rotten end of the stick and it broke my heart. I did enjoy Ryan’s character but the getting over a relationship and jumping into another one so quickly just didn’t seem healthy, especially with all the stuff she was going through. I know she is a teenager and they jump from relationship to relationship but I still really couldn’t stop thinking about Jack.

All in all, I can say I did enjoyed the book. I loved the growth of Ellie as her lives interwined and hope we might get a sequel about her in the acting world. I want to thank NetGalley, Gretchen and Wednesday books for the arc

This was a sweet and sometimes moving story. I felt for Ellie and her desire to be allowed to grow and her struggle to find her place and her people. I also was frustrated with her inability at times to see and appreciate what was right in front of her. But, don’t we all do that at one time or another?

Overall, an enjoyable YA read that gave me a window into living with a chronic illness.

Natalie Naudus did a good job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Gretchen Schreiber, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

There were so many things I loved about this book. Ellie's hospital friend group is absolutely amazing - witty, no-nonsense, and I wish we learned more about them. I like how it showed both sides of doctors (a lot are incredible and some are not that wonderful), and what life is really like living in and out of a hospital when you have a long-term illness. I liked Ellie herself, but she is almost too jaded. All around, this was a great coming of age novel about a girl just trying to figure out what she wants in life.

2.5 STARS rounded up to 3....maybe

Eillie Haycock was just ok for me. It was one of those books where some things worked and some things just did not, sadly more things did not work for me in this case.

Here's what worked for me...
*This storyline has potential. I could see my HS students liking it as well.
*Some of the characters were GREAT. Ellie's friends are the EPITOME of the kind of friends you want to have. They show up for you, they support you and they get you! They were the best part of this story.

Here's what did not work for me....
*Ellie was just such a MOOD! She was such a Debbie downer, ALWAYS! Her amount of hatred overshadowed the book.
*I didn't get the romance at all....it felt too much like TSwift and TKelce, fake & forced!
*The hate she has for her Mom....ugh it just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you MacMillan for the audio copy of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber, performed by Natalie Naudus.
This is a wonderfully welcome examination of adolescent development and disability rep. Naudus effectively performs Ellie's voice, her thoughts, and her experiences with empathy and in a way that captures the feelings and "sounds" of being adolescent (I won't use the word whining, that's so unfair to adolescents). Schreiber writes a story the unites the complexities of adolescence and high school, of crushes and social lives, of academics and stress and pressure, with the nuances of disability, of being in a hospital, of being held up as a token symbol, of at times being seen as less than or weaker because of disability. The author understands, as you can tell from her note, that just because you are disabled, or in a hospital, doesn't mean that all the other things about being an adolescent go away or stop being important.... instead the desire to fit in, to be connected, to have friends might actually be amplified.

Ellie Haycock is gloriously insightful and a great read for young adults. As a health psych teacher I also think this is a great read for classes examining health and development.

4.25/5

This was a difficult but important read. It was so empowering to see Ellie learning to stand up for herself against her parents and her doctors. This book was a deep dive into how hard it is for people with terminal illnesses, both in how the illness affects them and how the people around them treat them. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute book that did put me in mind of "Five feet apart". It was interesting to read about Ellie's friendships in the hospital and how she navigated her life there. I did not like how her mother used" her though. The audio was well done, and I enjoyed it a lot.

⭐️⭐️ Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schreiber Audiobook

Ellie is a high schooler with a rare deformity and disease that she likes to keep hidden from her friends -- or at least not talk to them about. She likes to keep her hospital self and personal self separate, which puts a real strain on things. Then she meets Ryan in the hospital.

I really didn’t care for this book. Ellie was a hateful, callous, and obnoxious person. I feel bad about how much I disliked Ellie since the entire story was surrounded around her disability and what her life is like. (And I think it is based somewhat on the author’s life.) With her attitude, I don’t know how she had any friends at all. Her relationships with her school friends were very superficial and unrealistic -- how do they not know she’s at a hospital for an extended period of time? Her hospital friends are great but she treats them like crap. Her reasons for not telling them things were unconvincing and narrow minded. The dynamic between her and her mother was another aspect that I struggled with. Her mother created an online blog, chronicling her life through Ellie’s diagnosis, treatments, and surgeries, connecting with other parents going through the same struggles. Ellie suddenly decides her mom is being selfish and demands her mother quit blogging, and throws a temper tantrum.

The story was so slow and really nothing happened. I didn’t even care about the romantic aspect between her and Ryan because it felt so fake and forced.

It was a solid attempt but just didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.