Cute YA coming of age story for a teen who is trying to navigate a unique illness while also having to deal with her mom sharing her, what should be private, medical journey. While she has been trying to keep her illness as far away from her school life as possible it's increasingly harder every day. It's Nice to hear a story from her perspective but many did she seem annoying, whiny, stubborn and she just wont get out of her own way in order to see what might be good around her. she's missing so much.
Kudos to the author for bringing a young voice to this sort of journey that must be so hard to navigate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a cute read! I really appreciated the insight into how kids with chronic illnesses handle the constant hospitalization. This book was a good mix of informing the reader & escapism into a YA romance, which I feel like would be hard to balance. The author also did a great job showing what it’s like to have separate friend groups growing up and balancing those different sides of your life. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

I think the narrator did well, but the voice was a little old for the story.

Posted on Instagram, Goodreads & StoryGraph 3/4,

Ellie Haycock Is Totally Normal is a coming of age story about a teen who has had cancer her entire life. As someone who hasn’t had cancer but who have plenty of people who have, I loved every minute of this book. The way Gretchen Schreiber wrote this story was so beautiful and she wrote it in a lighter way than other cancer books I’ve read. It was phenomenal!

Natalie Naudus as the narrator was perfect! She brought this story to life and so enjoyable to listen to. I enjoyed everything about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book!

"Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal" offers a charming narrative that is reminiscent of books from John greens “The Fault in Our Stars” Although the plot may feel somewhat predictable at times, Haycock's writing style keeps the reader invested. However, a few more unexpected twists could have elevated the story. Overall, a pleasant and nostalgic read.

I read somewhere that "Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal" is "Six Feet Apart" meets "The Breakfast Club" and I feel like this is an absolutely accurate assessment of this story. It's YA, but not the cheesy type of YA that adults are embarrassed to read. Ellie Haycock is a 16 year old girl who, due to a mystery illness, continually ends up in the hospital. She likes to try to keep her hospital life separate from her outside life as much as possible. That's near impossible though when her mom is a high profile blogger who puts every part of Ellie's hospital stays and many surgeries online for others to read and relate to. Ellie struggles a bit this time around with trusting the doctors to do the right thing, becoming closer with some of her hospital friends (and maybe even some new ones) and wondering if she will be better in time to go to the dance with her boyfriend back home. It was a good mix of emotions going on. I liked reading about Ellie and she seemed like a real 16 year old girl. For those who liked "Six Feet Apart" and possibly the TV show "Red Band Society", I would recommend this book.

If you enjoyed Six Feet Apart and/or the Breakfast Club vibes you’ll really enjoy this novel by @gretche. Ellie has a chronic illness and as a result has separated her life into hospital Ellie and home Ellie. At home she is a member of the speech and debate team, and at the hospital she rolls with the punches.

When her latest hospital stay ends up merging home Ellie and hospital Ellie’s worlds, she starts to wonder if she really needs to keep things so separate or if she can just live one life.

This is one of those books that you can just feel the amount of heart that it was written and the audio narration from @macmillianaudio was perfect. I was also thankful for the author’s note at the beginning of the book, knowing that this one was loosely based on the author’s own experiences, made me enjoy it so much more.

While this is a YA book, I do think that you need to be on the more mature end to read it (strong subjects and language). Yes, the characters are teenagers, but the topics covered are very heavy. Chronic illnesses are in my book a heavy yet delicate topic, and the author did a wonderful job portraying the character in a non-discriminatory way. I do think that the character development could have been a little deeper as I felt like we barely scratched the surface, but I enjoyed learning more about the illness. I did enjoy what a strong character that Ellie was, and it was easy to see how her experiences helped shape her into such a strong young woman.

This is a beautifully written novel and it’s worth a read or listen. I enjoyed learning more about this illness that I had never heard of.

𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗬𝗖𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗟 𝗯𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿 offers a poignant exploration of the complex duality in Ellie's life, seamlessly balancing her roles in high school and the hospital. Schreiber's personal connection to the narrative lends authenticity to the emotional journey Ellie undergoes, making it a deeply moving read. The meticulous portrayal of Ellie's relationships, particularly with her best friend, boyfriend, and newfound hospital friends, adds layers of realism to the story. The juxtaposition of optimism and skepticism, embodied by Ellie and Ryan, creates a compelling dynamic. While the narrative is emotionally charged, the author manages to weave in moments of levity. Overall, for the right audience, this book proves both entertaining and enlightening, providing a fresh viewpoint on life's extraordinary moments.

What’s it about?
Ellie has two lives: one “normal” life in school, and her “hospital” life when she’s staying at a home near a hospital undergoing diagnoses and treatments for VATER syndrome. She doesn’t ever want her two lives to collide. And then her mom has a viral blog where she documents every single part of Ellie’s life–and Ellie has come to resent her for it.

And now Ellie is sick again and her frustration with doctors and fear of surgery and needles means she’s angry and resisting surgery. Her hospital friends try to convince Ellie to not hate all doctors, go on an adventure, and be open to sharing her hospital life with her “normal” life.

Along the way she makes some amazing hospital friends and even sparks a romance with Ryan, who is firmly “team doctor” and has an autoimmune disease.

My thoughts:

I knew, as soon as I heard the author’s note, that this book was going to be difficult for me to get through. I’m the parent of a chronically ill child who went through more than a year of “we don’t know what’s going on” before settling on a working diagnosis with multiple surgeries and countless tests and hospital visits. And while Ellie’s illness is far worse than my son’s and what he’s endured, many points of this novel hit me in some real and painful places.

At one point in the story, Ellie’s “medical coach” and friend, Ryan, talks about his friend’s girlfriend who has the same illness my son has. It literally stopped me in my tracks while I was walking.

A lot of readers were irritated and frustrated with Ellie’s mom and her blog in this book. And while I empathize with Ellie and her frustration, I related so much to the mother. How could I not? That being said, I was still very frustrated with both Ellie and her mom throughout the book. Their lack of communication and coping mechanisms were tough to read.

I think this book has great insight into what it’s like to live with chronic illness–both as patient and caretaker, and I do think it will hit differently with those who have had some of these experiences. Personally, it made me open my eyes to my child’s thoughts on his own care, and even laugh a little at how, no matter the circumstances, teens experience so many of the same feelings.

I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal and I am pleased to say it was a great read!!

While YA isn’t my normal genre, I do love them! They take me back to my summers reading on the beach or up late in my room. And this one did just that.

Ellie is a teenager trying to navigate to highs and lows of high school; and if that wasn’t hard enough, she is chronically ill. Ellie has spent her life in and out of the hospital and like a double agent, Ellie lives two lives. Ellie has her home friends and her hospital friends, but the two never intermix. Ellie likes to keep her lives separate, until she meets someone who changes the way she thinks.

Ellie also struggles with her mom, who runs a blog all about Ellie and her health journey. Something that is so common these days. However the book gave a perspective from Ellie that isn’t talked about enough.Ellie doesn’t want her life defined by her health and she wants to control who knows what’s going on. However, her mom wants and needs the support from their online community. At what point is it too much?

This book really resonated with me. I’ve spent time in the hospital, sadly not with a lot of friends, but the discussion of controlling how much your friends know about your health really struck me.

The book was raw and honest but it also was joyful and fun to bring me back to the times of being a teenager.

A great coming of age book, I would recommend this to those who it will resonate with and some who loves a good YA!

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 Macmillan Audio 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!

I was excited to read this title and waited for the audiobook to be released as an ARC so I quickly started it upon approval. I want to thank NetGalley and the Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my honest review.

For starters, Phew. Finally a book where I didn’t mind the audio reader. Natalie Naudus does a good job of bringing the characters alive and engaging while not treating it like a radio play and thus not skewing the readers creation of the world.

She moves between the characters with different voices that are consistent and engaging.

For the book itself, overall it was a decent read for people to get a snap shot of what it’s like for folks living with a chronic illness. It also is a way for some people to see themselves in the pages if they themselves have a serious chronic illness/ are a frequent hospital patient.

The audio book starts with a message from the author which on one hand is a really big trigger warning but also pre- addressing some potential negative feedback that would surely happen with a book like this. That note impacts the way the story hits as she discloses that the book is semi auto biographical in that she herself has a chronic illness and spent a lot of her childhood in a hospital. But she also says that the story itself is indeed fiction.

The story was a bit different than I thought that it would be. It turned out to be Elle complaining about everything she could for the book’s entirety. It talked about her struggle between her hospital life and school life in the “real” world but for the vast majority it takes place in the hospital.

Elle is just not likable. I can see that some may DNF the book as it goes way overboard and it makes you feel icky that you end up having some venom towards a chronically ill child.

However, people will be able to identify with a lot in this book if they can take it down a notch in their own heads.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6301240413

Ellie’s story gives us an important and humanizing look into the lives of teenagers living with health problems and chronic illnesses. Not many of the books I’ve read with disability representation allow the reader to really step into the hospital with characters, and experience everything that goes with it. We are able to see the walls Ellie builds between her hospital life and home, the impact her illness has on her relationships, the things her family has to give up to make sure she is taken care of, and the constant struggles she faces. Throughout this story, I felt happy, sad, frustrated, resigned, and hopeful. Just let Ellie and her friend groups.

I can’t wait to add this title to my classroom library, as it tells a story that is so important for able-bodied young people to read.

A different stance with a teen who has a chronic illness. Mom blogs everything about Ellie's journey. Ellie hates it. She is positive Mom pushes for more surgeries just so she can blog about it and get more traffic. Ellie's friends know she is more than her illness. Now, it is past time for Ellie to figure that out about herself.
VERDICT- A great addition for teens especially where requests about chronic illness are frequent.

I love it when the writing is so good that the reader only has the responsibility of getting lost in the story. Gretchen Schreiber, thank you for writing a unique story like this! The world needs it - especially our teens.

Ellie Haycock has two groups of friends - her friends at her high school and her friends at the hospital, where she will often be for months at a time. She's in and out of treatments, surgeries, and procedures for a rare condition that she has had for a few years now. She doesn't want her school friends to know ANYTHING about what goes on at the hospital, especially her boyfriend, Jack. When she's finished at the hospital, she will go back to her "normal" life of speech competition and time with Brooke and Jack. Ellie doesn't trust doctors and her hospital friends Kaitlyn, Ryan, and Luis keep telling her she needs to trust them more because it looks like she will be here longer than expected. She keeps these two groups of friends at arms length, not letting them get too close. It's bad enough that her mom has a popular blog about every detail of her hospital life, telling the world how hard it is to have a daughter in and out of the hospital . She's watched her friend, Kaitlyn, go through several breakups since Kaitlyn is open and honest about her health with friends. Most people can't handle it. And when Ellie's boyfriend, Jack, shows up to the hospital to visit, she's faced with a decision of loyalty to her friends and herself.

As a High School teacher, I have had students that have lived Ellie's life. This struggle is absolutely real for them. I found this writing, the characters, the storyline, and settings to be heroic and real. I went through so many emotions reading this YA novel. I felt sadness in the ways Ellie had to build walls to protect herself from hurt. I felt completely angry at Ellie's all too realistic mom for blogging every detail of Ellie's life to the world. I found all of Ellie's hospital friends to be fun and incredibly loyal. I was even frustrated with Ellie at times for blaming her doctors and pushing her friends away. I was completely satisfied with the ending and so grateful I was given the chance to read this book.

Natalie Nautis COMPLETELY captured every single character in this audio recording. Her voicing could not have been more perfect in drawing me in.
I am thankful to NetGalley, Gretchen Shreiber, and MacMillan Audio for the chance to read this AudioARC in exchange for my honest, original review.

Initial Thoughts
This was good! I had no idea what this book was about when I started listening. (Yes, I grabbed it for the cover alone.) It didn't take me very long before Ellie's story hooked me. The last thing that she wants is another surgery. She has worked so hard to keep her hospital life and her real life separate in an attempt to be what she believes is "normal". I really enjoyed seeing how much Ellie's group of friends at the hospital supported her. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a great job with the story.

I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher. Full review to be posted soon.

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.

I also enjoyed the narrator and how she slightly changed her voice for each character- I don’t like when narrators do drastically different voices for characters but I appreciated that she differentiated between everyone. Very enjoyable.

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.

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.
Of course I had to listen because Natalie Naudus narrated, and she is one of the best performers. All of the different voices helped each character's personality shine.

This book was promising, in that the summary gave me Five Feet Apart vibes. Ellie Haycock has grown up in hospitals, having VACTERL syndrome (a group of growth abnormalities–birth defects–that happen in the early stages of embryo development during pregnancy). She has school friends and hospital friends, and they don’t mix. She also has a mistrust of doctors, due to having spent way too much time with them and learning the hard way that they don’t always get the answers right. Her other issue is that her mom has been blogging about Ellie’s life, and Ellie is tired of her life being public–note to parents everywhere to stop oversharing about their kids! One of the things that I had a hard time with was the romance. Supposedly Ellie was dumped by Jack, but that was never developed enough for the reader to care. And then the blooming relationship with Ryan was more real, but there wasn’t enough of it. Overall though, this was a good read and not as heart wrenching as other sick teen romance books have been.