Book Review: Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary romance
Length: 300 pages
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: November 5th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It’s easier–
It’s safer–
It’s better–
–for the other person.
She’s got issues. She’s got secrets. She’s got rheumatoid arthritis.
But then she meets another sick kid.
He’s got a chronic illness Isabel’s never heard of, something she can’t even pronounce. He understands what it means to be sick. He understands her more than her healthy friends. He understands her more than her own father who’s a doctor.
He’s gorgeous, fun, and foul-mouthed. And totally into her.
Isabel has one rule: no dating.
It’s complicated–
It’s dangerous–
It’s never felt better–
–to consider breaking that rule for him.

I FEEL SEEN.

As someone with a chronic condition reading this hit me with a punch. I have been trying to get a copy of this because I just knew it was going to be something I enjoyed.

“I think it was like…” She paints a stripe of nail polish. “We didn’t want you to feel like you were less capable.”

“And I appreciate that, but I don’t actually need to feel more capable. I need to feel like it’s okay to not be more capable.”

I, of course connected on all fronts with a lot of the sentiments discussed in this book. My issues may not be as severe as others, but being able to read about characters that speak the things you think sometimes really means a lot. I was able to empathize and understand where Isabel and Sasha were coming from. How much it sucks, and how much you can still be proud of who you are and the choices you make for YOU.

The romance was wonderful. I liked how they may have gotten together quickly-ish, but it never felt insta-love. Just a cute high school relationship that built over the months this book spans. It wasn’t about them at last getting together, it was about a full relationship that had its ups and downs. While most of the time I didn’t have any issues, Isabel annoyed me beyond reason with how she handled their relationship at times. Her mommy issues were a nagging consistent that occasionally took over too much of the narrative.

Isabel may have annoyed me, but I was impressed and totally in love with the fact that she apologized and actually understood where she had messed up. The apology scene was SO CUTE and I can get behind a character who owns up. The flawed perfection of Sasha and Isabel made this story.

I love Isabel’s friend group and the way they helped and learned from each other. This was a multi-faceted story that approached “hidden” illnesses from different ways. From a parent, doctors, friends, significant others, etc. This really got me in my soul y’all. A solid read that I definitely recommend picking up.

Overall audience notes:

• Young adult contemporary romance
• Language: for me, there was way too much strong language
• Romance: some kisses, make-outs, a very glossed over FTB scene
• Trigger warning: chronic illnesses

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