Book Review: Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

Pages: 300
Publish date: November 5th 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen
ISBN: 9781640637320
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

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.

Sick Kids in Love:

I received an arc of Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz from Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

From the very first moment, I knew that I needed Sick Kids in Love. It sounded like everything that I needed. Sick Kids in Love follows Isabel as she tries to navigate life, being a teenager while also managing her chronic illness. to do this Isabel has a rule – no dating. All is going well until she meets another sick kid. And he might just change her mind – because he understands. Sasha understands what it’s like to be sick, what it’s like to feel alone. For once Isabel might consider breaking her rules.

Olga Kononenko

Isabel was an interesting protagonist throughout Sick Kids in Love. I didn’t really fall in love with her, but I still was able to enjoy her as a protagonist. Isabel was really easy to connect with throughout the book that made me fall in love with the novel even more. I loved her resilience not just regarding her health but with life as well. She had a lot of things going on and was being pulled in so many different directions. And sometimes she did feel overwhelmed, but that was fantastic to see. You see it a lot in YA, especially in contemporary. Characters being able to deal with everything that is thrown at them without a care. But Moskowitz was able to really show the realistic side of any human in Isabel and that made the book that much better.

Like Isabel, Sasha was a fantastic protagonist. It was easy to connect with him and I loved seeing him grow throughout the novel. Sasha had fantastic characterisation and character arc. I really enjoyed seeing the way that he shared his emotions and the way that he looked at life. It’s not often that you see an honest male character. And I don’t mean honesty. Sasha felt very real. His emotions, his character and everything in between. I loved that he cared for his family, it added another dimension to his character and made me love him even more.

Alice Donovan Rouse

I adored the romance in Sick Kids in Love. Like the characters, the romance felt so natural and real. I loved seeing Isabel and Sasha’s relationship grow throughout the novel. It’s a very slow burn kind of romance and it was really nice to see. At times Isabel did pull away and because of this pause in the romance, it made it feel jarring. But it’s also what made it feel very real. Isabel and Sasha were totally adorable together and that just made me fall in love with them even more.

Now to the nit and gritty part. Reading books that focus on disabilities is always a hit and miss for me. Sometimes I adored and the representation and other times, it makes my blood boil. But Hannah Moskowitz did an absolutely fantastic job. Now I can’t talk about the preciseness of the medical conditions. However, in relation to chronic pain and illness, it was done so well. I have chronic illness and pain so I was really able to connect with the characters on this part throughout Sick Kids in Love.

Another reason why I loved this book, was the disabilities weren’t everything. Sometimes in novels, I find that disabilities take over and it isn’t about the characters anymore. But Hannah Moskowitz was about to find the perfect balance between representing disabilities and life with chronic illness and pain, while also letting Isabel and Sasha be characters, and people who just aren’t their medical condition.

Coming of age is a massive theme throughout Sick Kids in Love and Hannah Moskowitz was able to excel at representing it in an honest and real way. Isabel and Sasha are both at that stage in their lives where there is a lot to think about and decisions to be made. And the exploration fo this was really enjoyable. Along with coming of age, relationships of all sorts are explored through Sick Kids in Love. One of the highlights for me was the contrast of Isabel’s friendship with her ‘healthy’ friends and with Sasha. I really liked how Moskowitz explored it and I was really able to connect with the troubles.

Fabrizio Verrecchia

Overall I really enjoyed Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz. It’s the perfect example of exploring disability and illness in a book without it being all about it. Sick Kids in Love explores coming of age, first love, and finding yourself. Isabel and Sasha are put through a lot throughout the book. And their honesty and resilience really shine through. Throughout the novel, Hannah Moskowitz is able to explore and represent chronic illness and pain through Isabel and Sasha in a way that worked so well. If you are looking for a book that would make you smile and cry, then this book is perfect.