whisperingchapters
Written on Nov 2, 2019
Isabel has RA (rheumatoid arthritis). And she thinks because of this, she shouldn't date (there're more reasons, but I don't want to spoil this for you). So when she meets Sasha, who has Gaucher disease, she states she won't date. At the same time, she loves that she finally has a friend who understands what it's like to be sick, since all of her other friends are healthy and don't get her.
I enjoyed this story a lot. I definitely learned a lot while reading this, especially on "invisible" illnesses. Isabel and Sasha are totally right that society doesn't want to classify them as sick because they're not dying, but they are still sick. They still have to deal with more struggles than the healthy human being. Society doesn't want you to identify/call yourself sick and I agree. It's sad, though, because we don't notice how these people are coping with life and trying to be "healthy" just so society doesn't tell them, "It's in your head," or "At least you're not dying."
"You either have to be overcoming it or you have to be completely disconnected from it. God forbid it be an important part of your identity that you're just living with."
Sasha's family showed that it's okay be candid about your illness without thinking someone is overstepping. This wasn't the case with Isabel and her dad. It's like she had to walk on eggshells around him when it came to her RA, especially since her dad is a doctor. I'm glad Isabel got to see that contrast because it became the gateway for her to start being accepting that she was sick and to slowly be more candid about it.
There was one issue in this novel that I wished had been addressed and it had to do with Isabel's mom. I feel like it was left in the air for the reader's imagination, but it would have been so lovely to see that issue being resolved and coming together.
The romance was absolutely beautiful. One of my personal favorite scenes was when Sasha decides to read Isabel's favorite book and then he proceeds to write an entire book report for her on it. I mean, if that's not boyfriend goals, I don't know what is.
Something that I personally loved about this novel was the romance. Even though Isabel and Sasha weren't officially dating, the feelings and sparks were there. What I loved was the fact that this book showed the pretty and the ugly of a teen relationship. It wasn't just, "Girl and boy meet, it's all pink and rainbows, one minor argument, happy ending." No. It definitely went deep in their relationship.
I rarely read a YA novel where the couple has been together for 5 months already and still struggling with certain aspects of themselves. In this case, the author gave the nitty-gritty that would normally happen in a relationship, as well as between a couple where both are sick and all that they have to deal with. It was an eye-opener and totally refreshing to see this happening in YA because the teens need to see it's never perfect and that way their expectations can get lowered and be more realistic.
Sick Kids in Love is a sweet, enlightening, realistic story that will tug at your heart-strings and make you fall in love with the story, especially with Sasha. It will have you wanting to learn more about "invisible" illness and how you can be a better person in understanding these.
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