First of all I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Because I fell in love with this story and the main characters. Think of ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ but slightly different and in my opinion sheds more light on the issue of people not truly understanding what it’s like dealing with an “invisible illness” and things along those lines. I loved the normal pace build up between Isabel and Sasha who are both sick kids visiting the hospital on the same day at the same time. Isabel is reluctant are first to become anything with Sasha but let me tell you, that boy is the definition of PERSISTENT but in an adorable way that will have him steal your heart from the very beginning. I loved how this story gives you great detail on what it’s like for both characters living with their own “invisible illness” and how it effects their daily lives. The added question and answer part from isabels school column between each chapter was genius and I loved each response from the students at her school. This story captivated me from the beginning and I’m so glad I was able to read it before the release day.

There are few young adult contemporary romances that really make me think in a new way, but SICK KIDS IN LOVE did just that. My own three children suffer from an autoimmune disease that is nowhere near as severe as what Ibby and Sasha have, but it does impact their lives, since it affects what they can eat, something they do three times a day. It was refreshing to read about teens who live a life in spite of, as well as under the constant influence of, a chronic illness. Add to that both main characters are Jewish, and this is a story unlike anything else I’ve read. I’ll admit that I was worried at first. I mean the title leaves a lot open-ended. How sick? Will one or both of them die? But I’m pleased to report, without spoiling anything since the author has freely admitted this publicly, NO ONE DIES!

Isabel has rheumatoid arthritis, requiring her to get regular fusions. At one of these visits, she meets Sasha, a charming boy with gaucher disease. The two flirt, but Ibby has a no-dating policy for reasons that become clear about mid-way through the book. Her father is chief physician in the same hospital, so she spends a lot of time there, not only visiting him, but volunteering one day a week. This creates a collision course between Sasha and Ibby, sooner rather than later, and an instant friendship develops. It’s clear Sasha wants more, but Ibby holds firmly to her no-dating rule. But the more time they spend together, the more obvious it is that she feels more than just friendship for this boy. Witty banter and obvious chemistry gets the reader rooting for these two to end up together. But Sasha and Ibby have deep issues they’ll both need to overcome if they can be more than friends.

Plot
The heart of the story is the relationship between Ibby and Sasha. Feelings develop slowly, though the attraction is immediate. The friendship flourishes because they have more in common than just their respective illnesses. But there are also huge differences that drive most of the conflict. Ibby is rigid and deeply wounded. Sasha is easy going and eager to please. This makes things between them seamless at first, but ultimately comes between them. There is a HUGE twist I never saw coming that turns Ibby’s world upside down. It could have become a cliche, but instead the author uses it as a catalyst for Ibby to see her flaws in a new light rather than turning it into a huge angsty situation creating drama for the sake of drama.

Characters
The characters are so deeply drawn and real in every sense. Ibby has deep wounds, the origins of which are revealed slowly. She’s forced to face the reasons she refuses to date as her feelings for Sasha grow, but her transformation isn’t complete for a long time. In fact, like all humans, she continues to be a work in progress through the end. We learn that Sasha is more than just a light-hearted guy who lets everything roll off him. One of the best ways the author lets us inside the minds of her characters in a story told from a single point of view is through Ibby’s high school newspaper column. She asks people around her a variety of questions and we get to learn who they are through their answers.

What I Loved About SICK KIDS IN LOVE
1. New York City. Both kids live in the city in small apartments and take the subway to get around. The setting is as much a part of the story as the characters.

2. Sasha. I love his outlook and positive attitude and the way he’s honest, open, and caring.

3. Ibby. She’s had so much to deal with in her short life, and while she lets it get to her at times, she’s determined to rise above it.

4. Reality. The author paints a portrait of the daily lives of those living with a chronic illness, neither romanticizing it in any way, nor making it more depressing than it needs to be. This is life for so many Americans, and it’s an honest portrayal of their normal.

5. Friends. Ibby’s friends, all healthy teens, play various roles in her journey. Their responses to her illness and her relationship with Sasha give readers an opportunity to see how our responses as healthy people impact those with chronic illness without coming across as preachy.

Bottom Line
An honest, heartfelt story of teens who are anything but average, doing their best to live average lives.

In many ways, this is a standard teen romance. We have characters who happen upon each other and quickly realized they are enamored with one another. The central concept is an obvious one - who will understand the challenges of being chronically ill better than someone else who is chronically ill? Moskowitz does introduce some unique challenges. Yes they are both sick but their illness are different. They bring along different challenges. And their approaches to their illnesses are vastly different. So while these two characters do understand each other, in some fundamental ways they are vastly different. And this, of course, presents the central conflicts. The general thrust of the plot is relatively predictable. Discussions of perception and medical advocacy make this worth reading.

Okay, I hate to say but, but I have to mark this book as "unfinished". Though it started really nice, I can't bring myself to read it any longer.

According to the name, the story takes place in New York and we can read about two teenagers, Sasha and Isabel who both suffers from different kinds of pain. And that was the first problem I actually had with the book. Isabel is told to have a "common disease", Sasha's illness is way worse, but not critical. It was somehow satisfying to know that there's no cancer - as it's usual last years in YA books about diseases - but it seemed to me that the author expected us to know what kind of diseases they have. Something was told, but not enough to make a clear thought what they, especially Sasha, are going through. This could be explained better.

I really liked the relationships in there. Families are complicated just as they really are, and it was believable. Isabel's relation with her friends was great, I didn't feel like the author tried to persuade me to believe that they were best friends. Same with Sasha and his family. Nothing forced, which is great. But it is not enough.
There's literally no plot. None. Okay, both of them are sick, both of them somehow fall in love - and what? Where are the plot-twists, something unexpected, the thing that pushes me as a reader to read forward and keen on discovering what is going to happen to them? Nothing. I managed to read it to the half, when I stared at the page and asked myself: "Do I really care what is going to happen now?" Unfortunately, the answer was no. No, there was no plot; this was just a bunch of random days from those characters' lives. Nothing to be afraid of, nothing to explore. And I really hate unfinishing books, but I started feeling like I am just wasting my time while I could be reading other books, that's why I quit.

The writing is easy to read, sometimes way to easy - Isabel and Sasha are Jewish, so I was really looking forward to seeing Channukah, but that was just skiped in the paragraphs as "so I spent Channukah with his family and now this is more important". That irritated me pretty much.
It's funny, I can't unsay. Sometimes I laugh out loud. It's just a contemporary romance with sick kids who felt to me like they're sick just to be sick. The illnesses could be described more, and the lack of any action or plot frustrated me. I'm sorry, but I feel like I am not the right kind of person to read this book. I hope that someone will be more satisfied than I am.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC ebook for an honest review.

Honestly, I was hesitant about another book involving characters with chronic illnesses and falling in love. But I was surprised and impressed by Sick Kids in Love. The story, chronically ill characters and romance were well executed and written respectfully. No romanticising sickness and yes, people who are chronically ill do have sex and do “ordinary” things, but they shouldn’t be ashamed of adjusting their lives because of their health.

As someone who has a chronic condition, the book was relatable. Isabel being afraid of people thinking she was faking because she has an invisible illness and having abled family and friends…yes, me too. Yes, I cried. I cried even more at the end – it surprised me.

The writing hooked me in from the start and started off unexpectedly refreshing.

Sick Kids in Love is a welcome addition to the growing list of books with disabled or chronic illness representation. It also has Jewish-American and queer representation.

I have been reading Hannah Moskowitz’s quirky yet entirely authentic novels since her debut Break, in 2010. To see that she is now with a publisher who can give her more exposure is terrific. She writes beautifully with both humour and insight, and I hope loads of people read this, and then go back and find her other, shall we say, less conventional but more challenging, novels.

Sick Kids in Love will probably pick up The Fault in Our Stars and Five Feet Apart readers. I read a review that said exactly that. And it does fit into that trope. Both Ingrid and Sasha suffer from chronic pain, and their lives are to some extent, bound by their condition. Their very different family lives also play a role in how much their diagnoses control them, but at its heart, it’s a story about risk.

We see a lot about chance. Ingrid often muses on the coincidence of meeting Sasha. She also thinks about destiny and fate, and of course, about the way her mother chose to leave rather than stay for the long haul. Ingrid’s father, a doctor, might seem to be the ideal parent for a child who suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis, but in fact he has developed into a medical administrator who is in denial about how much Hannah needs in terms of support and acknowledgement, and a confrontation between them is inevitable.

Sasha, in comparison, seems to be surrounded by love and support. But lately his father, seeing a new woman, is leaving Sasha to care for his younger siblings more and more. Sasha remembers how much his parents were around and present for him, and he is dismayed that his younger brothers and sisters are not getting that same attention. So, both Ingrid and Sasha dealing with parental issues builds and develop a stronger connection.

Of course, it is attraction that initially brings them together. Meeting at an infusion clinic, their flirting is adorable, funny and real. Having decided a long time ago that a romantic relationship is not for her Ingrid is in real trouble when their second chance encounter turns into a thing. But her healthy friends sometimes make her feel less and connecting with Sasha who knows what it’s like to have limitations, appeals to her lonely self. Their honest discussions about having an ‘invisible’ illness are a strong element of the book, however, of course, they do keep a few secrets, so that eventually there is miscommunication and conflict before it is all resolved with a high degree of satisfaction.

I loved this book a lot because all the characters are depicted with flaws, they make many mistakes but always try to do better. The adults are just as important as the teen characters, and the story has layers of complications that never seem unrealistic (although one particular coincidence was a niggle for me). Thanks to Entangled Teen and Netgalley for the advanced copy. It appears that it will be available in Australia this month as well, and I am going to seek it out for my library. My older students will love it. Recommended for readers who look for in-depth narratives with several issues all vying for attention, and who appreciate a mature relationship that develops between the romantic leads. It is not exploitative or graphic, instead offering a loving and accepting depiction. Sick Kids in Love will be out on November 5.

Sick kids in love was my first book by Hannah Moskowitz and I loved it. This book is about 2 teenagers with a chronic illness which is mostly invisible and a lot of people who don't understand it. Which happens a lot in real life. People who get angry with you because you park in a handicap spot but you don't look like anything is wrong with you. So this book portrays such a real life experience.

Two sick kids meet, fall in love, and neither of them die.

Isabel has one rule for herself; no dating. This isn't because it'll be hard for her, but because she doesn't want to make things harder for the other person involved. Then she meets Sasha. Sasha has Gaucher Disease.

I loved the nuanced discussion of visible versus invisible illness, what it's like to have people, including doctors, say that you're perfectly healthy, even when you're in incredible pain.

Isabel and Sasha's romance was so sweet, as well as deep. In a way it reminds me of The Fault in Our Stars, and how Augustus and Hazel run to each other's side if anything goes wrong (Side note, the tagline for Sick Kids in Love is "They don't die in this one," nodding in the direction of books like The Fault in Our Stars. I'm not trying to say that this is TFIOS, just that the relationship reminded me of it.)

Isabel and her father have a good relationship; I especially love that Isabel is willing to argue with her father when he can't fully see her perspective when it comes to her illness or Sasha's.

Finally, I loved Isabel's friends, and in particular, the way that they handle her disability. It's very real, and I loved seeing that.

I don't know exactly where to start with this one, except to say how much I adored it! It was such a sweet and cute story, but with a lot of moments that were still emotionally intense or else really made you think. Since I am not a sick person, there's a lot I don't understand first hand. But, I think this story did a great job at sharing things that people who do have chronic illnesses feel and hear from "healthy" people all the time. The story really made me think a lot about how I feel or think when I hear about people who are sick and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. It definitely brought to mind all the times in the past that I may have even said something about a person not looking like they were sick or disabled whenever they pulled into a handicapped parking spot or something similar. Things in recent years after meeting more people who don't look sick, but are, I've quit even thinking that way myself, and now it does stand out when I hear other people around me say those things. I really liked that the author was able to write a story where as the tagline says, they don't die in this one, but there were still some emotionally tense situations in the book.

It wasn't just the part about being sick kids that was so good in the book either though. There were normal teen situations, absentee parents, not knowing how good some friends really were, and then of course feeling attractive to the opposite sex. It was so great to be able to see a toxic friendship ended, but the character still wondering if she was doing the right thing.

And oh the humor! I loved Sasha's sarcasm in so many situations, as well as his hilarious answers to Isabel's questions. While the dead girl answers weren't completely clear to me for what they actually did for the story, it was a unique and different idea to be included.

A great story, I can't wait to get this for the kids in my school library to read!

Like "The Fault in Our Stars" but hate, you know, the ending? Or any of those angsty books where the sick kid dies? Well, then have I got some good news for you: "Sick Kids In Love" is the book you want to read!

Isabel Garfinkel is 16 and has Rheumatoid Arthritis. She also has one rule in life: No Dating. She tells herself it's easier, for herself, for the other person, if she doesn't date. No one who is healthy knows what it's like to be sick. Not when she looks healthy. That is, until the day that she happens to encounter a boy named Sasha at the hospital, who has a disease she can't spell or pronounce. It was supposed to be an almost once-in-a-lifetime encounter, and trust me she did the math to prove it. But somehow their paths keep crossing, and Isabel has to wonder if maybe her number one rule is worth breaking.

A fantastic #OwnVoices romance featuring chronic illness, "Sick Kids In Love" discusses bluntly about life managing pain and symptoms (especially the invisible symptoms), navigating an world meant for the healthy and able, and interactions with people who are healthy. In addition, both Isabel and Sasha undergo growth as individuals and as they begin a romance with each other, learning how to be a partner, and how to overcome hurdles life throws at them.

** 4.5 Stars **

I was so, so pleasantly surprised by this book. I tend to read a lot of contemporaries because they're fun but I rarely think they're as good as I think this one is.

Sick Kids in Love is the story of Isabel (and yes, I'd say I did enjoy this book just a little bit more since the main character is not only named after me but also spells it the same way which never happens) and Sasha, two teens with chronic illnesses (rheumatoid arthritis and Gaucher disease, respectively) who...fall in love. It genuinely is that simple. The pair deal with the stigmatization surrounding their invisible illnesses and problems with their parents. Nobody dies.

This book is own-voices both for the bisexual rep (Sasha is bi and the author identifies as "gay or somethin i dunno") and the illness (Moskowitz has ankylosing spondylitis, which is a type of arthritis), and you can tell. Sasha's casual bisexuality that is mentioned repeatedly and is just a part of who he is rather than a plot point was a breath of fresh air. The descriptions of Isabel's relationship with her disease were so clearly written by someone who had similar experiences. Nothing about this book felt exploitative or cheap.

I found myself smiling for almost the entire time I spent reading this. My roommate probably thought I was a little insane.

I don't have a chronic illness, so reading about characters that do from the perspective of an author that does was eye-opening and thought-provoking. But even without it, I related so heavily to Isabel. Her tendency to overthink every little thing and jump to the worst possible conclusion? I can't remember a time I read a character who did this in exactly the way I do before this book.

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Truthfully speaking, this book was a big big risk I was taking with myself. Simply because my own anxiety is knotted with health-related topics and there used to be a time I could never even read about a protagonist being sick or suffering in anyway. I would like to think I’ve survived through that and the only way to prove to myself I had, was to give this book a chance. So I did. The blurb and the sound of the book was immediately alluring to me and it was a journey I felt I had to take. Best. Decision. Ever.

I was buddy reading (for the first time ever) this book with a darling of mine, Dany @AmbivertWords and truly it was such a joy to <s>spam her</s> read with her. In the beginning, I won’t lie, it was bit of a rocky start for me. Perhaps because we’re taught to be so careful about everything, we’ve forgotten to be candid? I’m not sure, but I cringed a bit in the beginning, thinking ‘did she just say that?’.

But once I crossed the fifteen-ish percent mark, the book took off for me and never dulled. The way the protagonists spoke to one another, the steady anchor-like feeling that’s inside you even while you feel like you’re falling into something, the genuine way in which they liked one another, their friendship, just them in general even singularly…it all just clicked with me.

Everything about Isabel and Sasha‘s struggles and especially their growing thoughts and feelings about how they would like and should be treated resonated deeply with me. It’s important that in the process of including someone, you’re not inadvertently excluding or being ignorant of their struggles and the fact that they are sick.

I actually don’t wish to speak too much about the characters or what I loved about them because all of that was the joy I experienced while reading. I loved seeing these nuances and all the little things about them that unfolded like it would in a real person, with real feelings and real interactions and struggles.

What I loved about the relationships in this story is that no one is ever better than anyone else. Have you read those books where the protagonist confronts their friends about something and their friends have absolutely nothing to say back and just stand there and look like the worst possible person anyone can be friends with? It’s not this way in real life, it never is. Our friends have their sides to a problem as well and oftentimes we’re equally involved in the problem and when you’re having a confrontation they do point this out to you. Then we admit to our mistakes as they do theirs and it’s never a there’s-only-one-right-side-to-this situation.

Every one in this book is trying. Trying to be strong, trying to show they are weak, trying to me nice and sometimes trying just to not be mean. Trying to come home, trying to stop being convenient, trying to fight and give in and stand up and sometimes just… sit down. Trying to understand themselves.

There are somethings that I would question, of course, because what is ever perfect? But I just can’t find it in myself to look away from what the author is really trying to say and how much it resonates in my heart. A drumbeat, as the protagonist herself says. We’ve all been Isabel or Sasha or their fathers or their mothers or their friends in some way or the other.

We’re all sick in some way or the other, but we’re all okay and we’re all trying.

*falls in love for life with Hannah Moskowitz*. I highly highly highly recommend this book. Like leave everything else and read this. Did I mention how funny this book was? Because it was. Amongst all the fantastic other things, there’s also humour. ❤ ❤

A refreshing and different take on a sick kids YA . I am a big fan of both The Fault in our Stars and Five Feet apart so I had high expectations for this book going in and I was not disappointed! I loved the setting and all of the characters especially the banter between the two main characters. I am very happy that my library has chosen to purchase this book and will definitely be recommending it to my customers.

My Thoughts:

Sick Kids in Love was a delightfully entertaining and heartwarming story. It was uplifting, fresh, and relatable.

Isabel and Sasha meet at the hospital when they are both getting treatments done. Isabel has Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sasha has Gaucher's Disease, which is the deficiency of an enzyme. These two characters struck up a fun and flirty friendship because they could relate to one another and what it's like to be chronically ill.

I Ioved Isabel's sweet, and always wanting to please everyone personality and Sasha's sense of humor. The connection between these two was a thing of beauty and I enjoyed their banter, and the way they played off of each other. Despite the two of them having extra physical challenges due to their respective illnesses, they were like any other teen, in wanting friendship, love, and to enjoy their lives.

The author did an excellent job of educating and bringing awareness to readers about these two diseases. Sasha's disease can be "seen" and observed by others. Often times he has to use an oxygen tank, has nosebleeds, is very thin, and suffers from exhaustion. Isabel's disease is what is known as an "invisible" disease, because when people look at her they can't see that she's sick. She feels like she can't complain, because she's not as "sick" as Sasha, but he explains to her that just because her R.A. is invisible by outward appearance, doesn't mean she's any less sick than he is. She doesn't need to question, hide, or feel guilty about expressing her illness, the pain she feels, and the limitations that she needs to put on herself to protect her body from hurting.

Sasha was such a sweetheart and was so good for Isabel. He came from a warm and very open family who talked about his Gaucher's and made him feel comfortable to express himself. Isabel's mother left her, and her father, who was a doctor was a workaholic. He made it uncomfortable for Isabel to talk about her R.A. and I enjoyed how Isabel was able to find a surrogate in Sasha's family, and grow in to herself.

This story did a great job of balancing what it meant to be chronically ill with lighthearted moments of friendship, humor, romance, and first love! I highly recommend Sick Kids in Love for an all around beautiful story, that will hold you captive from the first page!

The Quick Cut: A girl with Rheumatoid arthritis finds herself breaking her no dating rule when she meets a boy with Gaucher disease.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When you find someone who understands your struggle on a deeper scale, they tend to speak to you on a spiritual level. It's more than just support or understanding, it's a true sense of synergy. That's the connection found between Isabel and Sasha.

Isabel has been living with Rheumatoid arthritis for years now and knows her way around the hospital. With a doctor as a father and a passion for her newspaper article that she writes, she's happy with the way things are. Her no dating rule has helped her deal with relationships while keeping people from getting to close to her pain. It all works until she meets Sasha: a boy who understands how complex living with a chronic illness can be. Will her no dating rule hold up to the new man in her life or will she feel the need to break it?

I have some very mixed feelings about this book. Although the chronic illness aspect of this story is portrayed in a realistic light I rarely see in fiction, the lead characters themselves left me unsatisfied. The chemistry between Isabel and Sasha feels a little forced rather than happening organically. Due to that, I kept seeing myself getting pulled out of the narrative.

On the upside, this one was a quick and easy read compared to many books with heavy page numbers attached. Having a shorter story that goes to the point is always a refreshing take.

Chronic illnesses have a tendency to get portrayed as something that can be risen above with the right person. In truth, that's not reality and you always end up dealing with the constant struggle. It's the coping and dealing with that internal battle - no matter whether you're single or not. You learn how to stay above the gray.

With a story centered around chronic illness, this couple struggles to create sparks but makes a compelling point.

My rating: 3 out of 5

I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it. Reminded me a bit of Five Feet Apart but I enjoyed that book a lot more than this one

From the title you may expect a The Fault Our the Stars kind of tear-jerker but this is not that kind of read. Told with some humour and an interesting, diverse cast of characters, this is a sweet romance between two teens who live with chronic illnesses.

This story has many poignant scenes that often occur within life's smaller moments. It's within these moments that Moskowitz enlightens readers about what it's like to live with a chronic, and often invisible disease. We see how their families and friends interact with them and how the two families handle the illnesses differently. There's a lot of love but there are also misunderstandings and assumptions and Moskowitz gets to the heart of these issues.

You either have to be overcoming [your illness] 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.

While I loved the issues Moskowitz raises, there were some aspects that didn't sit well with me. I wanted more closure with Isabel's relationship with her mom and unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of Isabel. Sasha? He was awesome but she grated on me a bit. But I appreciate how Isabel's character was used to raise issues related to living with an invisible illness: the fear of people thinking she's 'faking' her illness, not being 'sick enough' to be considered ill and society's view of ill people in general.

While at first glance this seems like a heavy read, this is more of a feel good story that will give readers a lot to think about and hopefully a better understanding and awareness of what it's like to live with a chronic illness. Written with humour and heart, Sick Kids in Love will educate readers instead of making them grab the Kleenex box.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Entangled Publishing for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Isabel is sick, She has Rheumatoid Arthritis. Then she meets Sasha. He's got an illness she's never heard of. They get each other, Could Isabel break her no dating rule?

I raced through this story in 2 days. It was so nice to get to the end and find out that nobody dies! It was a super cute teen love story that made me feel all fuzzy inside.

One of my absolute favorite contemporary reads so far this year. Moskowitz's writing is clear and easy to read, as well as hilarious and artful. Sasha and Isabel are well-developed, likably flawed characters whose romance is compelling and adorable. Most importantly, this is an incredibly thorough exploration of what it is like for teens to live with chronic illness. I'll be recommending this book all over the place, as I think it will appeal not only as a contemporary romance read but as a way for teens to build empathy, better understand people they may know living with chronic illness, or find themselves on the page. On top of all of that, it's got great Jewish representation!

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sasha and Isabel were such nice characters to get to know. I was terrified something bad would happen at the end but luckily no overly snotty tissues for me. This was fun to get to see two different sides of sick kids getting together. Like one who for the most part leads a normal life with normal friends and then the other who is in the hospital way more and relatively secluded to himself. I wish Isabel would have spoken out sooner and so weird for me to think she didn't complain more as a kid apparently she was better than me lol. Also my heart hopes her and her friends manage to keep in touch when life take them to different places as I imagined in my head they do.

Overall well written and a good read! Would recommend, my only caveat is that I wish they went into her health issues in a little more details even like two paragraphs because unfortunately I was sorta in her friends boat with not understanding how much pain she was truly in.