Every Exquisite Thing

by Matthew Quick

Nanette O'Hare, a star student and athlete, is given a mysterious out-of-print cult classic novel by her beloved teacher that sparks the rebel within her, but as she befriends the reclusive author and attempts to insert her true self into the world with wild abandon, Nanette learns the hard way that sometimes rebellion comes at a high price.

• ISBN10: 031637959X
• ISBN13: 9780316379595
• Publish Date: 31 May 2016 (first published 10 May 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Quick's books are always such a head trip for me, but the good kind, the kind that make you think. Nanette, I guess, sort of experienced a mid-life crisis, though she was a teen. She found this book she connected with, which had her thinking about all the choices she made and the people in her life. It was quite a roller coaster, where Nanette made friends, fell in love, lost that love, was abandoned. It was tragic, sad, and I can honestly say, I think I understood some of what Nanette was going through. It was tough watching her spiraling out, but I think she was on her way to figuring out who she was and what she wanted, and maybe, she wasn't as lost as she was at the beginning of the story.

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[mrs_mander_reads]

I really loved this story. It's heart wrenching and tragic, but I connected with Nanette so much. Worth a read for anyone who is attracted to characters who live on the fringes of popularity, society, etc.

[Bianca]

And then one day you will look for you in the mirror and you’ll no longer be able to identify yourself—you’ll only see everyone else. You’ll know that you did what they wanted you to do. You will have assimilated. And you will hate yourself for it, because it will be too late.

When you look at the mirror, do you see yourself or pieces of everybody else? Rereading this at the point in my life where I chose what I want for myself instead of conforming to what others are doing was really meaningful. I love this book more than ever 🥺

[nightingalereads]

3.5 stars

It's startling to read a book that echoes your thoughts so precisely. It's like walking into an art museum and finding a snapshot from your childhood memory displayed for all to see. It's alarming and comforting at the same time. What kept going through my mind while reading was, I'm not alone, I'm not alone, I'm not the only one who thinks like this. Although I didn't really connect with Nanette when it came to her home and social life, her world view was so like my own that I feel lucky to have found a book that verifies a part of me that I never thought anyone else would understand.