This book is a very much young adult story about a girl named Ellie who has an illness.

She feels like she lives two separate lives. One where she is a normal teenager in high school on the debate team. While her other life is in and out of hospitals.

What I found a bit frustating was Ellie’s mom who kept posting about her illness online for the world to see. However, toward the end I felt for her mother. This was her way of coping with her daughters illness.

This go around in the hospital she meets an amazing group of friends. I absolutely loved them. I love that they never gave up on her and kept showing up.

The story felt very real and the overall message I got was to make sure to always advocate for yourself in the medical field.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book more than anything, but it fell flat for me. The premise of romance in the context of illness/disability was beautiful but the romance fell flat and the interactions between Ellie and her mom were never empathetic on either side, which as someone with a disability, I found to be unrealistic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This was such a fun book. I enjoyed it so much and read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book to all my family and friends.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal" and all opinions expressed are my own. I really tried to get into this book but it was not for me.

DNF @ 17%

Honestly I just couldn't connect with the characters and the content. I thought this would be interesting when sold as The Breakfast Club in hospital... however, the fmc was rude, and just downright unlikeable. I get that she's been through a lot, but for me, I didn't have any interest in continuing.

They're not kidding about The Breakfast Club reference. That was the reference that hooked me on the book. Ellie has such a huge heart that she doesn't know how to protect it and rather than suffering constant heartaches she has separated her life and, in the process, cut herself off from feeling fully. But Ellie isn't the only character here, all of the characters; Veronica, Luis, Caitlin, Ryan, and even Brooke, who we barely get to know, are all so rounded and full. This is a powerful book for those without disabilities or chronic illness, giving insight into the world most of us are lucky enough to only glimpse most of the time in a way that isn't just depressing like Lurlene McDaniel's books. It was a lot of fun to read. I hope The Tumor Squad does well in the world.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley & Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows a teen girl who stays at home or goes to the hospital and is trying to find her “normal”. I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Schreiber did a good job describing a teen girl’s story and how Ellie wants a normal, basic life but has to through so much. I’m not a huge fan of hospital-themed books but I wanted to give this story a chance and really liked the message behind the story. I was not a huge fan of the MC as I kind of found her annoying at times but I did try to understand that she was going through so much and is just angry at the world in the understandable moment. I liked the friend group in this book and how supportive they were. The romance wasn’t it for the book and I didn’t feel the chemistry between the couple. Overall this was a great book that showcases so much of a young girl’s disability and how she navigates the world.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

My heart<3

What an adorable and educational read by Gretchen Schreiber! High school student Ellie navigates life in two separate worlds: one at home, and one at the hospital. During her stay, Ellie forms unexpected friendships and discovers the possibility of an extraordinary life beyond her illness. This heartwarming and inspiring story is perfect for fans of Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott.

This was a good story with a lot of insights for readers to learn from. I feel like the main character learned a lot and was frustrated with the cards they were dealt. But also had her friends help her put things in perspective. It was a great read.

I really felt for Ellie, and I liked the story that was told using the medical diagnoses she'd been dealing with as a child and her sanding up for herself. I felt for the mom and ultimately I liked how the story played out.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book is about a teenage girl named Ellie who has a condition (VATRS) which causes parts of your body to not develop correctly in the womb. Ellie’s mom blogs about the details of her illness online. Ellie has “school” friends and “hosptial” friends which she keeps in very separate groups. Her friends from school do not know many details about her disability. Ellie becomes close to a group of friends at her last hospital stay. Ellie needs another surgery and these friends help get her through the hard times. This book touches on Ellie’s inner struggles and also on her various her relationships. She meets a boy named Ryan at the hospital who is a new patient. He encourages her to think differently and challenges her. Overall, this was a good read. Ellie had a negative way of seeing life at times but she is a teenager who is struggling with a life consuming illness. Overall, I give this book a 3.5. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

This is angsty medical drama about teenager Ellie who was born with a rare medical condition, VACTERLs, a condition also shared by the author. Ellie is sent to the hospital with an unknown lung condition and is facing yet another surgery (after >40 surgeries in her lifetime) and meets a group of teens with their own medical issues while there.

I think the book goes to great lengths to realistically portray the complexities of being a medically complex teenager facing a lot of hard realities - between being away from school, having "hospital only" friends, and not having any guarantees around medical treatments, there's a lot of complicated emotions that are portrayed here. Ellie's mom is also a mommy blogger who puts Ellie's entire medical history on the internet, adding a loss of privacy and autonomy into the mix.

Unfortunately, because of the complexity, this book made it pretty hard to get into. Ellie is a pretty complex character with a lot of angst, making her hard to relate to and understand. As a character she is very closed off and stubborn and also kind of a wimp. She refused to stand up for herself and has a very avoidant personality, making for a pretty frustrating read. I also didn't feel a lot sparks between her and Ryan, the love interest. Ryan came across as a very bullish character who came in bossing Ellie around despite having no real authority or experience to back it up. And when they finally kissed, Ellie's reaction was basically just, "well, I didn't hate it." It made it hard to root for them as a couple.

I think it's probably a realistic portrayal of a teenager in her position, but maybe overly so - I was really hoping for a bit more magic and sparkle from this one.

This read is both sweet and heart wrenching. It deals with some heavier topics of more serious illnesses in younger people and all the issues/situations that can occur because of this. I feel that these heavier topics were handled well in this book by being realistic and respectful with it. I enjoyed the supportive friends and circles the characters had as well as the development of the main character and her relatability.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal by Gretchen Schroeder. This YA book has stayed with me because it so artfully tells the story of teens who are suffering serious disorders and illnesses and just want to feel “normal.”

Ellie Haycock has VATRS, which has caused her many surgeries and hospitalizations. Her mom is a successful blogger who documents every step of Ellie’s journey—sometimes even when Ellie doesn’t want those details shared.

Ellie is determined to keep her hospital life and “normal” life separate… She keeps her school friends totally in the dark about her health issues because she doesn’t want to be seen as different. But her latest hospital visit makes her rethink everything…

This is a great book, with a message that those of us blessed with good health may especially need to hear.

Thank you to the author, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie lives two lives - her hospital life and her normal life. She never wants her paths to cross and keeps her friends completely separate. However, she's not well and her "normal" friends want to know more about her life and illness. Ellie has to choose - can she accept that the hospital will always be a part of her life and allow her two lives to finally intersect?

This is an emotional read learning about Ellie and her lifelong health struggles/amount of surgeries she's had to go through in her lifetime. Her mom blogs about all of it as a release but now that Ellie is older she's conflicted on how to talk to her about it because it's HER life not anyone else's business. It took me awhile to get into it because of how emotional it was and reading about the struggles of having lifelong illnesses but I'm so happy that I finished. It's a beautiful read and highly recommend others try it out.

I loved this sweet book! The author did an amazing job connecting us to Ellie and taking us through her day to day struggles. It definitely encapsulates what its like to be a teenager, and it has great messaging about autonomy and owning your life and choices. As an adult reading it, some parts about Ellie's temperament and outlook were frustrating, but I still think it rang true. That's how teenagers are!

I think its a wonderful YA coming of age option for teens who are exploring what it means to be a good friend.

Well done!

Thank you for the advance copy!

This is a young adult novel that centers around a teenager that suffers from an unusual disease, VATRS. It was interesting to find out more about the realities children that live with any disease have to deal with everyday. As an adult it's so hard to handle tedious medical tests and hospital visits, so I can imagine that it is so much more difficult for a young person.
I enjoyed the pace of the book, the writing, as well as the way the author structured the book. The only issue I had with the book is that I didn't really like Ellie. Although I felt bad for everything she was going through, it was hard to relate to her. She was acting insufferable at times and made stupid decisions. Yes, teenagers are known for that type of behavior, but it didn't resonate with me. Hence the three star rating.
It was ok overall, but I wouldn't know what type of reader to recommend this book to.

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book will take you through Ellie Haycock's life, you will be there with her when she is at the children’s hospital, the house for the family to stay while having treatment done, and how she is dealing with trying to be a normal teenage girl. All she wants is to forget about the hospitals, the doctors and she just be a teenage girl in love with her boyfriend.

This book had me laughing and a few tears, the way that the author wrote this book made it so that I felt what the characters were saying, and it helped me to connect with them. I can’t lie and say that I loved Ellie right away, I did find her annoying at times in the book, but it helped me to understand where and why she acted the way she does sometimes. I loved the character growth from Ellie and to watch her grow into a young lady who stands up for herself and asks the important questions.

I thought the author did a great job with helping the audience to understand how a teenage girl navigates friendships that she has in the hospital and the house to her friends from high school who doesn’t know how to explain to her friends what is really going on with her. I found Ryan to be the best friend/boyfriend that Ellie could ever have. He pushes her in all the right ways and helps her to find her own footing.

This book is for anyone who likes to found family tropes, great friendships, great plot and pace throughout the book and of course teenage romance.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martins for the opportunity to review this book.

Ellie Haycock was born with a litany of genetic abnormalities that have necessitated regular stays at the children's hospital for treatments. She wants to keep her "normal" life and her "medically fragile" lives separate, and largely ghosts the friends in whichever group she isn't with at the time. Ellie has to learn that she cannot separate the two parts of her life - that it is one big whole. She also needs to confront her mother's constant and invasive blogging about her medical journey and the affect on her privacy.

This was a moving glimpse into the life of kids who consistently require medical interventions, their treatment by their peers, the support system of kids in a similar position, and their hopes for a normal life. It was told with both optimism and realism about the devastating toll on the kids and their families.