Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Ellie was born with a lot of physical challenges and has had countless surgeries during her young life. As a teenager, she tries to live her life as normally as possible, with a starring role on the debate team and a boyfriend. She tries to compartmentalize her life - normal Ellie doesn't talk about her illnesses, and hospital Ellie doesn't talk about her normal life that much. Ellie does not like her two worlds to mix. ]

When a persistent cough forces her into the hospital for tests, she discovers a group of friends who are insistent that she needs to open up, both for a say in her medical treatment but also in her personal life. Her friend Caitlin has a social media account about her life as a patient. Ellie's mom runs a popular blog where she shares (too much) about Ellie's illnesses. They also meet some new young hospital patients, including Ryan, who is new to being sick and has a Doctors Cure All attitude which he tries to bring Ellie into.

Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal but Grentchn Schreiber is an interesting book about growing up with chronic illnesses. I can't imagine having so many physical limitations in your every day life, and she does a good job at portraying one girl's viewpoint. Her personality is trying at times, but I think ultimately the story is effective.

There is nothing I love more than a coming of age story, and this one in particular was incredibly special. Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal focuses on Ellie - a teenager with VACTERLs - and delves into all facets of her life in and out of the hospital. I am grateful for the light that Gretchen Schreiber shed on VACTERLs and thought that the themes of autonomy and how disabilities impact one’s relationships were beautifully written.

Ellie and her friends (the self-proclaimed Tumor Squad) had the ragtag, found family vibes that I can’t get enough of in literature. The group scenes were by far my favorite and I enjoyed the banter between the characters. Their different backgrounds and stances heightened each exchange and felt realistic to teenagers today. The relationship between Ellie and her mom was quite intricate as well and there were many intense emotional sequences that showcased the complexities behind each of their decisions.

Ellie’s overall cynicism was a bit grating at times but she was dealing with circumstances beyond the norm, all while discovering who she is as a young woman. I wish there had been an additional chapter or two towards the end that displayed how her point of view shifted, but all in all the entire book left me feeling hopeful and inspired.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie wants more than anything to be seen as normal. She has put great effort into proving to her classmates that she can do anything they can do. However, her physical appearance and multiple corrective surgery suggest otherwise. Add to that, her Mom regularly posts updates about her latest treatments or just life in general as a means to give to & receive support from other families dealing with similar conditions. As a result of her surgeries, she has made some hospital friends who get her in ways her school friends don’t. Can the two groups co-exist, or will she have to choose? Can she take control of her narrative or will she be trapped by her Mom’s words in her blog? Can anyone ever be totally normal, and would they want to be?
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest review.

This was a stunning read with great disability representation. It's YA, but tackled difficult topic with such care and skill. Ellie's group of "hospital" friends was such a beautiful representation of true friendship that fights for you no matter what, and their stories were all very well done, especially for being background stories. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to read this and engage with Ellie's story, and learn about a new disability.

The disclaimer at the beginning of the book was also wonderful, more books should include these.

I listened to this on audio, and the narrator did a wonderful job! It had great pacing and the story really came to life!

This will be one I recommend to our local teachers to use in their classrooms for reading and discussion. Many opportunities for expanding out and having some great conversations. Nice peak inside the life of persons with this condition, and even better because it was written from someone who has experienced it first hand. Brings real world to the readers.

DNF - Just not the book for me. Could see it appealing to a younger audience. I love the premise, just couldn't get into it.

This is an awesome coming of age YA book, we have Ellie, who is living with a very unique disability, and she’s literally living 2 lives, one where she’s a normal teen and the other as a hospital teen. She never mixes the 2 or the two types of friends, this time she goes back to the hospital and there is now something else that has to be fixed, and she’s going through it. But this time her home life and hospital life come together and she doesn’t know how to handle it.

I love how throughout the book she has her hospital friends who are so supportive, there for her, and also how funny they are especially with their cancers, or disabilities. I loved also how her friends put her in place and show her that she does have to worry about people leaving her behind or judging her, her disability doesn’t define her.

This book was so enlightening, and very inspirational, what she goes through, what her family has gone through, what they do for the community, and these group of friends of hers were everything I needed and didn’t know it.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I think this storyline will give readers a lot to think about and connect with. I thought the author did a great job taking us on a coming of age journey as the FMC juggles balancing a Chronic Illness with the everyday challenges of growing up.

Overall "Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal" was an enjoyable read. I think that fans of Contemporary and YA Romance are really going to enjoy this story.

Thank you Gretchen Schreiber, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

As a person who lives with disabilities, I was hoping this was going to be a 5-star read for me. However, I kept getting really annoyed by the mom. If my mom talked in great detail about my surgeries and put pictures of me in the hospital online, I would be livid. (Although I have consiered doing some disability advocacy work on social media -- but I also probably wouldn't post pictures of me in the hospital). I felt sorry for Ellie. I thought it would be good to read books about characters with disabilities, but it's also possible it just hit too close to home. With that being said, this book in no way is a bad book. It is actually quite an enjoyable read. However, the mom really just turned me off. With that being said, I know how Ellie feels so I loved her as a character, and I also loved the romance (it reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars). It might be also important to note that I am 25, which is several years older than the character of Ellie. With that being said, I would consider reading other books by Gretchen Schreiber in the future.

if the mom hadn't been so high maintanence, this would've been a 5 star read for me.
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A beautifully written story about a rare disability and the many hospitalizations of Ellie Haycock and how it impacts Ellie's ability to life a typical ordinary teenage life.

The writing is blunt and honest showing the ugliness of life with a disability. It also is poignant as Ellie bonds with another character, also familiar with life in and out of hospitals.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing and the overall story. Ellie is a brave character and I felt for her so many times.

Thank you to netgalley and author Gretchen Schreiber for allowing me to read and rate this book.
Imagine being born with VATERs * Syndrome. Spending more than half your life in and out of hospitals having had hundreds of surgeries by the time you are able to drive. Welcome to Ellie Haycock’s life. Ellie likes to keep her life life: with best friend and boyfriend and her hospital life: with besties Caitlin and Luis separate. The only people who are allowed cross the imaginary line are her parents. Until Jack, (her boyfriend) decided to visit her in the hospital and finds out how serious her condition is and runs for the hills. The story follows Ellie in her quest to get better sooner so she can go to a party in her life life and get Jack back. Along the way we learn how the kids deal with the hand that has been dealt them and how to carry on. In the teen years where parents are the bad guys and the friends you thought were friends let you down it’s great to know that there’s always your tribe if you just open yourself up to them.
4⭐️ read for me.
*VATER’s is short for VACTERL (vertebrate, anus, heart, trachea, esophagus, kidney and limbs). The condition happens when organs and parts do not full form in the womb.
1 out of every 10k-40k babies are affected. With corrective surgeries and meds patients can live a full long life.

What a delight of a debut novel! I absolutely adored getting to know Ellie and her friends - both from home and the hospital. I loved getting to watch Ellie take charge of her life and her body, and really enjoyed the growth she experienced throughout. Also, the friendships! I loved seeing the friends go through everything they did together, supporting and encouraging each other through every up and down. Gretchen's writing was so accessible and I can't wait to read more from her in the future.

Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal Is a decent debut novel. I will be honest and say I'm giving a bit more favorable rating simply for the content and subject matter. Diversity and representation in books, especially children and young adult novels, is so important and critical. Being able to read about main characters that we can identify with is critical to self esteem, providing validation and support. And at the same time breaking down negativr stereotypes and creating compassion. Gretchen Schreiber brings to life a character with a disability, in particular VATER syndrome. You can tell Schreiber put her heart into this book. I just wished I enjoyed it more. Main character, Ellie was tough to like and therefore tough to root for. This book touched on a lot of different topics, spreading the plot thin and creating underdeveloped storylines. For example, Ellie has a huge chip on her shoulder basically the whole novel, there is mention of being let down in past by friends and this is the cause.. but the reader never fully understands what transpired so Ellie comes across as a petulant toddler when it comes to her friendships.

As I said a decent debut, with a much needed story to tell. I think Gretchen Schreiber has the potential to knock our socks off with her next one and I'll be looking for it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Rating - 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - January 23, 2024
Publication Date - March 5, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @gretch_schreiber, @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

I have to say, I didn't remember to take notes on my thoughts and feelings most of the time because I got so caught up in this story! It hurt (in the best way possible) reading the perspectives of mom and daughter. I have a close relationship with my mom and it really made me think about times I have felt guilty about sacrifices my mom has made for me. At the same time, this story serves as a reminder that it’s so important for parents to listen to their children’s feelings and to find ways of meeting in the middle. I feel like so many things would have been different if Ellie and her mom were able to hear each other out and really listen to what the other was saying long before things got to a boiling point. Let’s just say, so many tears were shed in the middle of the night in my bed with my dog but it was so worth it!

If you love the found family trope with some romance and disability rep, this is the book for you!

Get excited to read Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal, available March 5, 2024! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

This was an eye opening read on chronic illness. It made me realize that there truly is no ‘normal’ and that we really need to be mindful of the way we treat and perceive people in our day to day lives.

I loved seeing Ellie’s different relationships in and outside the hospital but it broke my heart that she felt she needed to separate those two. I loved seeing her relationships grow and change, and seeing her grow and change as well.

3.5/5

4.5 Stars - I have never felt more seen that this book. It accurately depicts chronic illnesses and how isolating they are. Everything is spot on from the oversharing moms, trying to keep invisible illnesses away from school friends, and gaslighting doctors. I thought I was the only one that experienced these, but this book validated everything I have felt when in high school. The anger, pain, and sadness shown in this book are all true and resurfaces old feelings. Often times, I felt myself get mad/frustrated/sad for Ellie and what she was going through because it was written in a way that was so real. I docked half a star because of the storyline of getting surgery to get her ex-boyfriend back. I think it could have done without trying to get him back and focused on her shifting from keeping friends separate to integrating friends and focusing on Ryan more.

I read 82 pages of this book, but then I had to stop reading. I was liking the story and the characters, but the transitions and writing were very jarring at times. This made it tough to understand what was happening in the story, which made it not enjoyable to read.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.
I was instantly drawn into this story of Ellie and life with a disability that required quite a bit of medical care. She struggled to let her school friends and hospital friends mix, and this story highlighted the complexity of her life. I think this is such a good book for young adults because it gives them a look into what it's like to live with a disability and a complex medical diagnosis. The author did a great job of educating the reader without taking them outside of the story. It was engaging and full of regular teenage feelings, too. I loved the development of the friendships in this novel. Ellie had to work to balance friends and upcoming surgery while also learning to set boundaries with her mom. This is a book of teens learning from their mistakes, and I think it will be realistic and relatable.

This was a good book with a decent message, but it just didn’t pan out the way I thought it would.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Ellie Haycock. She has VATER. I had not heard of it until this book which speaks for its rareness. I like when books use something that isn’t talked about often. It gives me more knowledge and makes me want to google more information. For a teenager she deals with everything that has been handed to her really well. She doesn’t want to basically live in a hospital and wants a normal life. It would be hard to not be able to have a life and go to high school games, dances, and have those impactful relationships when you can’t see your boyfriend/girlfriend everyday at school.

Just like with an teenager, she can be a bit frustrating with her decisions but I did want the story to turn out in her favor. She has a mom who blogs about it and that can’t be healthy. You are that girl and get a following, even a nurse she had knew who she was from that blog. I think people put too much on the internet now a days. I get it’s her mom’s way of dealing with what is happening, but I think she needs a therapist more than anything.

The writing was okay, but it could have been polish off a bit more.

Overall, this was good. I can see it doing well with teens who may be in a similar situation or want to read about a syndrome that isn’t talked about.

What a great story. It brings to light the lives of those living with a disability and shows how it can effects much more than just their bodies, plus the lives of those around them. I loved the character arc of Ellie as she learns that it’s alright to let others help as she finds people who really care.