I enjoyed this book! It was an interesting look into the unique world of VATER which I knew nothing about prior to reading. There were places where the phrasing caught me a little off guard and some storylines I had trouble following. Overall though, I would recommend this for an engaging YA read.

Excellent YA novel that throws you right into and integrates you into the world of disabilities, extended hospital protocol and ‘life’ in an open, caring and honest way that doesn’t do it for sympathy but for developing understanding. I found these characters to be completely believable and people I’d want to be involved with. #elliehaycockistotallynormal should be one everyone’s tbr list. Thanks to #netgalley and #wednesdaybooks for this book to read and review, all opinions are my own.

Ellie Haycock is totally normal! At least that's what she tries to convince herself. And while she spends half her life as a normal teen, with friends, speech club, and a boyfriend, the other half of her life is very much not. Born with a cluster of congenital defects known as VACTERL, Ellie is no stranger to doctors, surgery, and time spent at children's hospitals and care homes. But, determined as ever to not be seen as the "sick kid," she tries to keep those two lives separate–at the expense of her relationships, and (unknowingly) herself. So when both worlds come crashing together, Ellie fights by the skin of her teeth to hold them apart, and herself together, without everything around her falling to pieces. Surrounded by a cast of snarky, nerdy, full-of-life teens, who all happen to also be "sick kids," Ellie learns that it's not always best to keep the world at arm's length.

I loved this book, and the way it was written. Gretchen Schreiber herself was born with a variation of VACTERL, and clearly wrote this from the heart, and from experience. While Ellie and her friends have illnesses, anomalies and other disabilities, they're never written with pity or sadness. They are normal teens, just humans trying to exist, and it's clear from the first sentence. Sure, the main character makes choices and says things that are not things I would do, but I really enjoy having a narrator who is flawed. It means she's real.

As a debut novel, this blew me away. I hope that Schreiber continues to write stories from the point of view that so few get to see. No more sad cancer girls, and more badass congenital defect girls!

I am not a teenager so not the intended audience for this book. I do have somewhat relevant experience, though, so wanted to see how life as a doable teen was portrayed. Ellie is a teenager with VACTERLs syndrome. She has been in and out of the hospital her whole life and has dealt with about 40 surgeries. This book explores life as a teen who decides to start taking agency in her own health. The author explains in her note that she had similar experiences so this is an accurate representation. I think that there absolutely needs to be books written about people who have lived experiences and can really write about realistic emotions, however, I just found this book so boring at times. There is a lot of dialogue and much of the conversation is just a rehash of the same things over and over. I do hope that there are teenagers out there who read this and see themselves or are better able to empathize with others.

While I enjoy young adult novels on occasion this one did not hit the spot and I had to end at about 30%. It’s really terrible to say you don’t care about a child with an illness but I just couldn’t make myself care whether Ellie Haycock was totally normal or not. The teen angst was just ok much for me to keep going and nothing much was happening enough in the story to make me hang on. This one just wasn’t for me as a reader.

Excellent book about finding your voice and speaking up as Ellie finds herself back at the doctors because he isn’t sure what’s going on with her lungs and wants her to have surgery.Ellie connects with her best friend Caitlin at the Family Care Home where they end up making new friends, Luis and Ryan. Ellie’s boyfriend,Jack, says he can’t do this anymore he says you shut me out. Ellie and Ryan become close by talking late at night.Ellie wants her mom to stop her blogs about what Ellie is going through. Ryan tells her you choose to face everything alone. Can Ellie tell her mom to stop the blogs? Can Ellie start to share her feelings? Does Ellie get back with Jack or does she feel a connection with Ryan?

I did really enjoy this book, it was a filled with a lot of impactful messages and well written characters and growth. Schreiber is a great author that all young audiences should be reading!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Though I have been a fan of young adult fiction for decades, it’s been awhile since I have read and reviewed any YA fiction. I requested to read “Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal” by Gretchen Schreiber because it had an intriguing premise.

Being a teenager is rough but being a teenager with a chronic genetic illness can really suck. Ellie copes by balancing two identities—one in front of her friends (who know nothing about her illness) and her love interest, Jack, and another for her medical caregivers, other patients and her mom.

A lengthy stay at Coffman (an outpatient home near the hospital) poses challenges on Ellie and her relationships with the “high school” friends and Jack. Meanwhile, her mom does what she can to control Ellie’s narrative by blogging. The author does an excellent job of portraying teenager angst and the difficulties of being a square peg in a society full of round holes. In the wrong hands, this story could become sappily sweet or excessively maudlin but instead, it is neither.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

i did not like ellie at all, she was whiny throughout and not a good friend. very frustrating read overall

This was an enjoyable read. I think it will draw in many YA readers with its exploration of the usual teen issues involving friends, crushes, and parents but as experienced by a character living with a painful, disfiguring, chronic condition. Enlightening and engaging - the perfect combination!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an interesting read. It’s tells about Ellie’s life living through her illness. She has lived different lives at home and in the hospital. Also, Ellie has friends, a team of doctors who treat her, and doesn't like her mom posting online. The book is about a journey through illness and dealing with other things.

Thank you to St Martin Press and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book and write a review.

I loved this book. The teen angst other reviewers have mentioned as a negative felt very believable to me from my own teen years and that's without adding "hospital life" onto my own teen girl issues. I hope this book can help others to feel seen and help them consider that maybe it's okay to let people in sometimes. This book took me back to the days of high school crushes and friendship drama that felt insurmountable until someone gave you the right advice to try to fix it. I am excited to read more from this author.

I was gifted a digital arc of this book from Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions in it are my own and honest. I feel like I should also mention that I went to high school with this author (but no contact in over 15 years) and was overjoyed to hear she wrote a book. When I learned about it I IMMEDIATELY went to Netgalley to request it and support a fellow Spartan.

Overall, I liked the story! But there was too much hatred/anger/selfishness for me to want to read this and get excited for a happy ending, or at least an ending

Ellie is angry. She doesn't want to be back at the hospital. She wants to know why she's sick. And she wants her mom to stop blogging about her life.

What an insightful read about a teenager navigating chronic illness. The author notes that she, too, dealt with a period of medical complications growing up and I can only imagine that Ellie's fears in the hospital are also the author's fears.

I've always wondered how children presented in these medical blogs would feel once they get older knowing strangers have read such intimate details of their life. This was a great topic to focus on and questions when exactly can a child consent for how their life is portrayed and even treated.

3.5⭐ Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I can not say enough about this book. It was unique and had me wanting to learn more about Vater syndrome

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

I chose this book because I thought the title was interesting, and the cover was so cute! Ellie Haycock is a high school girl who essentially lives a Hannah Montana double-life: she has her school friends and a rocky relationship with her boyfriend, while having an entirely different group of friends (and crush??) at the hospital and community home. Although determined to keep these lives separate, she battles her mom's blogging, her friends' optimism, and her own distrust in the medical system in an effort to live as normal a life as possible.

This was exactly the kind of book I would have loved in early high school, when books about childhood medical trauma dominated the library shelves. I thought that Ellie was a character that I really wanted everything to work out for, and she was surrounded by quirky, positive, and unique friends. She not only tackled issues with her family, as most teens do, but really had to fight an internal battle and do some growing up by the end of the book. I also really appreciated that (spoiler alert!) no one died. I feel like death, while an obviously significant and traumatic life event, can help to shape characters, it's not the ONLY thing that can cause trauma. Ellie's medical and familial issues were so complex, and I really appreciated that the author took the time and energy to create much more nuanced issues for Ellie to explore and overcome. She was surrounded by great friends, caring family, and resilience to tackle challenges, and made her a much more empowering character.

Overall, this was an enjoyable YA book, and I think a lot of middle and high schoolers would really enjoy this! (It would also make a great TV miniseries/movie...)

Ellie Hancock was born with a disfiguring and debilitating syndrome that requires regular surgeries and hospital stays. She's separated her life into two parts - regular Ellie and hospital Ellie - and never the twain shall meet. At home, she tries to be as "normal" as she can be, active in speech and debate club and with her boyfriend. In the hospital, she has a separate set of friends. When the two world collide and her at-home boyfriend visits her in the hospital, she's not quite sure how to handle it.

This book has great representation of people who are dealing with chronic illness. It brings to light, the "medical industrial complex" that often overlooks the needs of the patient in favor of the bottom line, and the impact of chronic illness on family dynamics and relationships. However, I struggled with the story at times, trying to understand Ellie's point of view about her friends from home. It was hard to follow at times.

All in all, the positives outweigh the negatives and I enjoyed this book.

Thank you St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I genuinely enjoyed this YA read. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ebook in exchange for an honest review. A solid little story about a teenage girl trying to be a normal teenage girl except that’s challenging when you have medical needs and have spent a lot of time in the hospital.

But because I’m a mom and have spent my fair share of time in the hospital and doctor’s offices with my kids- I really related to the mom in this book. It becomes a chore to update everyone who wants updates and then because you’re helping- you continue… I definitely appreciated the daughters insight to mom’s blog.

But take all the medical drama out and it’s just a girl getting to know a boy she likes. Managing different friend groups. Tough teenage stuff.

Overall a good story, this read like a cross between a memoir and fiction, if that’s possible. Which was interesting. You could tell how much knowledge went into writing this book, the middle was a little slow for my taste, but non the less still an great read.