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nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book shines a (glaring) spotlight on ableism. The main characters, Isabel and Sasha both have chronic illnesses that aren’t life-threatening (at least not directly) but are serious. Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and lives in near-constant pain. She decided long ago that she didn’t want to be in a relationship—her life is just too complicated, and she knows darn well that she’s not always the most cheerful companion. But when she meets Sasha, her feelings start to change. Sasha has Gaucher Disease, an illness that puts him in the hospital often. Isabel relates to Sasha in a way she hasn’t with anyone else—he understands her, and he understands the challenges of living with a chronic illness. One aspect of the book that I love is how it explores the ways that different illnesses can be seen (and felt) differently—Sasha has always known he was sick. No one expects him to just “get over it” and move on. But Isabel’s illness is invisible. She sometimes even wonders herself if she’s making symptoms up in her head or turning them into something more than they actually are. She’s left constantly feeling like she’s letting people down or like she should be trying harder to ignore her symptoms. Moskowitz just delves into so many nuances of chronic illness—it’s obvious this is an #ownvoices book when it comes to chronic illness—including exploring the more philosophical side of the issue, bringing up a lot of topics I had never given much thought to.
This story captured my heart. I was wrapped up in the romance between Isabel and Sasha, and I was completely engaged in their friendships and family relationships as well. I definitely recommend this book!!
***Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book shines a (glaring) spotlight on ableism. The main characters, Isabel and Sasha both have chronic illnesses that aren’t life-threatening (at least not directly) but are serious. Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis and lives in near-constant pain. She decided long ago that she didn’t want to be in a relationship—her life is just too complicated, and she knows darn well that she’s not always the most cheerful companion. But when she meets Sasha, her feelings start to change. Sasha has Gaucher Disease, an illness that puts him in the hospital often. Isabel relates to Sasha in a way she hasn’t with anyone else—he understands her, and he understands the challenges of living with a chronic illness. One aspect of the book that I love is how it explores the ways that different illnesses can be seen (and felt) differently—Sasha has always known he was sick. No one expects him to just “get over it” and move on. But Isabel’s illness is invisible. She sometimes even wonders herself if she’s making symptoms up in her head or turning them into something more than they actually are. She’s left constantly feeling like she’s letting people down or like she should be trying harder to ignore her symptoms. Moskowitz just delves into so many nuances of chronic illness—it’s obvious this is an #ownvoices book when it comes to chronic illness—including exploring the more philosophical side of the issue, bringing up a lot of topics I had never given much thought to.
This story captured my heart. I was wrapped up in the romance between Isabel and Sasha, and I was completely engaged in their friendships and family relationships as well. I definitely recommend this book!!
***Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
peachescozycorner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
nora_n13's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was good but I feel like the major plot twist, or what I took to be the main twist, was never brought up again. I do like that it talked about living with chronic illnesses for teenagers and I really felt like i could understand their struggles
nklosty's review
5.0
I was intrigued by the title, and the novel didn't let me down. Ibby and Sasha drove the story and kept me engaged. I'm glad their illnesses weren't the center of the story. It was refreshing to have characters who went beyond their illness. I'm not sure about the question and answer parts. I didn't really get into them. 89*
leepetterson's review
3.0
A typical romance story, sure, but absolutely adorable! I loved the representation in the characters... which was a bit refreshing I suppose.
I do have to say it was pretty flat, anticlimactic and predictable, hence the three stars.
I do have to say it was pretty flat, anticlimactic and predictable, hence the three stars.
itratali's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sleepysamreads's review against another edition
5.0
You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Before I get into this review, here’s a short background on me: I was born with spina bifida and have since been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and transverse myelitis. All of these things combined plus surgical outcomes makes me very disabled and chronically ill.
When I got really sick back in 2008, I turned to reading. I have read hundreds and hundreds of books, but I’ve never found a book that I could relate so much to as Sick Kids in Love. When I first picked it up I was a little afraid that it would be another book that just didn’t quite get it. (Usually because of their able bodied authors.) You can tell almost immediately that Sick Kids is an ownvoice novel. There’s no way someone who is healthy could possibly write sick characters as authentic as Isabel and Sasha.
Although I don’t have rheumatoid arthritis or Gaucher disease, I fully understand what it’s like to be chronically ill. So many of these character’s reactions and interactions were familiar. The gutting disappointment of receiving normal test results, able bodied friends and family not quite understand even though they try, the utter hurt and disappointment that they can’t understand. There’s so many more instances that I could relate to.
Representation is so SO important. As a white person, I've had that rep my entire life. As a lesbian, that rep started really picking up in the last 10 years or so. Representation as a disabled and chronically ill person? It’s taken my entire 24 years to find some. And that breaks my heart, but also makes me so grateful for this book.
Not only does this gorgeous book have sick rep, the main characters are Jewish, and there’s tons of queer rep! Sasha is bi, has queer moms and a ton of queer cousins. One of Isabel’s best friends is a lesbian and dating another one of Isabel’s friends. All of this made me love the book even more. Another thing I really loved was it didn’t shy away from talking about chronically ill people having sex! It’s not an explicit part of the book, but it does show them talking about it and the things they would have to do different from a healthy couple because of their illnesses. I LOVED this part, because it’s shocking how often disabled/sick people are infantilized. Sick people can have sex too! And it’s nothing to be ashamed of if a few things have to be changed!
There are only a couple things I didn’t super love, but nothing major. One is that Isabel’s dad never really had any character growth. He is very dismissive of Isabel’s RA, which is so annoying (and something I can relate to as my dad is very dismissive of my illnesses.) I know that not everyone grows and that it would take a lot more than one conversation with Isabel, but I would have liked to see something more there. I also didn’t love how so opposed Isabel was to using a cane. I totally get not wanting to use it/being scared to use it, but I would have liked to see her use one in the end. I’ve been in the same situation of fear of what others will think of someone young using a mobility device, but eventually I got over that because of the need for it.
Other than those two things, this was so so so beautiful. It quite literally brought tears to my eyes knowing there’s people out there in the world who have had the same experiences I have. Thank you, Hannah Moskowitz, for giving me that.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Before I get into this review, here’s a short background on me: I was born with spina bifida and have since been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and transverse myelitis. All of these things combined plus surgical outcomes makes me very disabled and chronically ill.
When I got really sick back in 2008, I turned to reading. I have read hundreds and hundreds of books, but I’ve never found a book that I could relate so much to as Sick Kids in Love. When I first picked it up I was a little afraid that it would be another book that just didn’t quite get it. (Usually because of their able bodied authors.) You can tell almost immediately that Sick Kids is an ownvoice novel. There’s no way someone who is healthy could possibly write sick characters as authentic as Isabel and Sasha.
Although I don’t have rheumatoid arthritis or Gaucher disease, I fully understand what it’s like to be chronically ill. So many of these character’s reactions and interactions were familiar. The gutting disappointment of receiving normal test results, able bodied friends and family not quite understand even though they try, the utter hurt and disappointment that they can’t understand. There’s so many more instances that I could relate to.
Representation is so SO important. As a white person, I've had that rep my entire life. As a lesbian, that rep started really picking up in the last 10 years or so. Representation as a disabled and chronically ill person? It’s taken my entire 24 years to find some. And that breaks my heart, but also makes me so grateful for this book.
Not only does this gorgeous book have sick rep, the main characters are Jewish, and there’s tons of queer rep! Sasha is bi, has queer moms and a ton of queer cousins. One of Isabel’s best friends is a lesbian and dating another one of Isabel’s friends. All of this made me love the book even more. Another thing I really loved was it didn’t shy away from talking about chronically ill people having sex! It’s not an explicit part of the book, but it does show them talking about it and the things they would have to do different from a healthy couple because of their illnesses. I LOVED this part, because it’s shocking how often disabled/sick people are infantilized. Sick people can have sex too! And it’s nothing to be ashamed of if a few things have to be changed!
There are only a couple things I didn’t super love, but nothing major. One is that Isabel’s dad never really had any character growth. He is very dismissive of Isabel’s RA, which is so annoying (and something I can relate to as my dad is very dismissive of my illnesses.) I know that not everyone grows and that it would take a lot more than one conversation with Isabel, but I would have liked to see something more there. I also didn’t love how so opposed Isabel was to using a cane. I totally get not wanting to use it/being scared to use it, but I would have liked to see her use one in the end. I’ve been in the same situation of fear of what others will think of someone young using a mobility device, but eventually I got over that because of the need for it.
Other than those two things, this was so so so beautiful. It quite literally brought tears to my eyes knowing there’s people out there in the world who have had the same experiences I have. Thank you, Hannah Moskowitz, for giving me that.
jwinchell's review
3.0
3.5 stars because this is a unique work of own voices disability and chronic illness. I did not fall for the love between Sasha and Isabel, so I had a hard time riding the waves of their 5 month relationship that this book covers.
librarianboy's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0