Joined at the Joints made me cry, smile and laugh. It’s a YA debut that I’d recommend to everyone. I loved how Eller portrays this family, cooking and baking, and Ivy. Joined at the Joints is full of heart. Keep reading this book review of Joined at the Joints for my full thoughts.
Summary
Chronically ill seventeen-year-old Ivy has stayed inside baking all summer—pies are better than people, and they don’t trigger her social anxiety. So when her (also) chronically ill mom and sister cook up a plan to get Ivy out of the house and into a support group, Ivy doesn’t expect to say more than a few words.
And she certainly doesn’t expect Grant. Grant is CUTE: class-clown cute, perfectly-messy-hair cute, will-always-text-you-back cute. There’s an instant connection between them. He has the same illness as her—juvenille rheumatoid arthritis—and he actually understands Ivy’s world. But just because he understands her pain doesn’t mean he can take it away, and she wishes he could… because it’s getting worse. Ivy has always tried her best to seem “normal,” but between symptom management, new treatment plans, and struggling with medical self-advocacy, being sick feels more and more difficult. With her energy plummeting, even her bestie starts drifting away! What if Grant does, too? Will Ivy’s sugar-sweet romance pan out? Can she maintain her façade, for him and for the world… or should she be brave and let it drop?
Marissa Eller serves up a sweet, satisfying romcom that tackles the realities of chronic illness—and coming-of-age milestones from friend breakups to first kisses—with wry humor, tons of heart, and a huge helping of honesty. Nuanced, funny, and deeply enjoyable, readers will fall for Eller’s voice in this compelling debut that offers all the right ingredients.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
One of my favorite elements of Joined at the Joints was Ivy’s family. There is such a clear sense of love, of care, of support in these characters. From the way they pitch in when they can, to the little mannerisms that are so detailed and characteristic. At the same time, the way our siblings can make us feel so small and unshiny without even trying. Watching the family see Ivy’s life and new experiences was a true joy. That being said, Ivy is one of my favorite recent characters.
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The way Ivy sees her body, her future, and herself evolve so beautifully over the course of the book. We witness the ways she experiences her body. The disconnect between her body and mind, between what she wants to do and experience, versus the pain she feels on a daily basis. How some days she wants to do what everyone takes for granted, pushes herself past her limit, and then pays for it. Joined at the Joint celebrates how fulfilling it can be to have someone who can see us, share what we feel, and support us.
Who knows when we need just a gesture, not pity, not sorrys. To not apologize, just know. Don’t even get me started on how much I need Ivy’s recipes either! Joined at the Joints is, in many ways, navigating the limitations of our body, but it’s also about friendships. About letting people be there for us, take some of the weight off our shoulders, show up only if we let them know. The hard conversations we have to have. The ones that change a relationship.
Find Joined at the Joints on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.