Extraordinary Means

"And the thing about trying to cheat death
is that, in the end, you
still lose."

Title: Extraordinary Means

Author: Robyn Schneider

First Published: 2015

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Available As: Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook

My Rating: 9.5/10

Goodreads Summary:

At seventeen, overachieving Lane finds himself at Latham House, a sanatorium for teens suffering from an incurable strain of tuberculosis. Part hospital and part boarding school, Latham is a place of endless rules and confusing rituals, where it's easier to fail breakfast than it is to flunk French.

There, Lane encounters a girl he knew years ago. Instead of the shy loner he remembers, Sadie has transformed. At Latham, she is sarcastic, fearless, and utterly compelling. Her friends, a group of eccentric troublemakers, fascinate Lane, who has never stepped out of bounds his whole life. And as he gradually becomes one of them, Sadie shows him their secrets: how to steal internet, how to sneak into town, and how to disable the med sensors they must wear at all times.

But there are consequences to having secrets, particularly at Latham House. And as Lane and Sadie begin to fall in love and their group begins to fall sicker, their insular world threatens to come crashing down.

Told in alternating points of view, Extraordinary Means is a darkly funny story about doomed friendships, first love, and the rare miracle of second chances.

I loved this book. Why? Because it's by Robyn Schneider (Just a tiny, minor detail). I've already read one of her other books, The Beginning of Everything. Her writing style is what sucked me in from page one. Told from Lane and Sadie's point of views, the book revolves around their lives in Latham House and their struggles to survive Tuberculosis. Most books about illnesses these days are mainly based on mental illnesses - and that's perfectly fine. It's just that sometimes, we need to read about different types of illnesses, like the ones caused by bacteria/viruses and other harmful living organisms. We have to spread awareness that there are some sinister diseases still lurking out there,

How does this book keep it realistic, you may ask? Well, no illness book is complete without death, am I right? But I'm going to stop right there, to avoid accidentally spilling the dying and the dead. The book also opened up the floodgates - I cried too many times to count. I found myself asking at many points during the book: Why did this have to happen? But the answer is right there: because that's life.

The book is filled with meaningful quotes that should definitely be jotted down. They all add to the ending of the book - which is a happy ending, depending on how you want to look at it. I found it to be a happy ending. Not for everything though, because not everyone gets happy endings.

It was a great read. For everyone out there, I recommend Robyn Schneider's books. They are masterpieces in the modern literary world. It sometimes reminds me of Jandy Nelson's writing. Beautiful books.