Young Adult Book Review – Joined at the Joints by Marissa Eller

JOINED AT THE JOINTS

Written by Marissa Eller

(Holiday House; $19.99, Ages 14 and up) 

 

 

 

Once again, it’s a delight to have guest reviewer and author, Karol Silverstein, back to share her thoughts on Joined at the Joints, a young adult novel that resonated with her.

 

REVIEW:

At 17, Ivy’s great love is baking, and she’s more than content to spend her summer elbow-deep in her project to convert all of her beloved grandmother’s recipes to gluten-free since her older sister Caroline has Celiac disease. Having been diagnosed with juvenile arthritis a couple of years earlier, she shares living with a chronic illness with both her sister and her mom, who has Lupus. Also managing significant social anxiety is just the gluten-free icing on Ivy’s cake

At Caroline’s urging, she reluctantly attends a support group for teens with chronic illness and meets Grant, who shares her arthritis diagnosis, setting off an infestation of butterflies in Ivy’s stomach. Regardless of her attempts to deny what she’s feeling, Ivy falls for Grant—hard. He’s gorgeous, sweet, funny, and understands the pain and uncertainty she faces on a daily basis like no one else she’s ever met.

Her planned summer of carefree baking now includes navigating her first romantic relationship and a flare in her arthritis that becomes too severe for her to ignore. Her senior year of high school brings a new doctor and treatment, awkward conversations about birth control (since her new medication would cause harm to a pregnancy), and the chance to reconcile with her former best friend who Ivy kept in the dark about her arthritis diagnosis.

Joined at the Joints is both a typical YA romance and revolutionary. Most contemporary realistic YAs feature a teen who falls in love while dealing with the traditional trappings of teen life … plus. The plus can be academic pressures, family drama, a specific sought-after goal, etc. In Joined at the Joints, Ivy’s plus is her chronic illnesses. This isn’t a diagnosis story, specifically focused on coming to terms with a dramatic health shift. It’s more “season 2” in Ivy’s life, and therein lies the revolution. Guess what? Sick kids fall in love, too. Diagnosis stories will always be essential and necessary parts of the disability and chronic illness representation canon. But so, too, will be telling stories beyond that initial jolt, and that’s exactly what author Marrisa Eller has done here. She shows us how a teen with social anxiety, chronic pain, and fatigue can fall in love, begin dating, and handle all the awkward complications that come with that experience. Eller makes you root for Ivy and Grant without ever sugar-coating their challenges. Engrossing, sexy, and fun, Joined at the Joints is a must-read YA romance that’s both typical and revolutionary.

I would be remiss to complete this review without mentioning the book’s cover—which is also revolutionary. The illustration shows two teens sitting back-to-back in a pretty outdoor setting, shyly (almost) holding hands. And it’s their hands that drew my attention right away as both kids are wearing wrist braces, commonly prescribed for those with arthritis. The illustrator, Fevik, even went a step further in depicting a realistic image by featuring two different types of braces! The story never even mentions the braces but any kid with arthritis knows them well—and knows how awkward and embarrassing wearing them in public can be. This cover clearly lets readers know that the story is a romance. The wrist braces, for those who spot them, let readers know a romance story can and should include teens with health issues. I can’t begin to imagine how impactful having a book like this—with a cover like this—might have been for me when I was thirteen and newly diagnosed with juvenile arthritis.

• Reviewed by Karol Silverstein

 

BUY THE  BOOK:

Special purchase link – Bookmarks (signed copies available):

https://www.bookmarksnc.org/book/9780823456215

 

BRIEF AUTHOR BIO:

Marissa Eller is a novelist with chronic pain and an abundance of emotions. She holds a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University, which she uses in her work as an academic consultant. She resides in Hickory, North Carolina, with her family and two rescue cats, all of whom she couldn’t love more if she tried. When not writing, reading, or helping students, she can be found thinking entirely too much about her favorite TV shows, obsessing over a band she’s loved since she was fifteen, or enjoying an afternoon nap.

Find Marissa here:

https://marissaeller.com/

https://twitter.com/marissaeller

https://www.instagram.com/themarissae/

 

BRIEF REVIEWER BIO:

Karol Ruth Silverstein (she/her/disabled) is an award-winning children’s book author and longtime SCBWI member. Her debut young adult novel, Cursed (Charlesbridge Teen, 2019), was loosely drawn from her experience of being diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at thirteen and won the Schneider Family Book Award in 2020. Originally from Philadelphia, Karol now lives in West Hollywood, California, with two unmanageably fluffy cats.

 

Find illustrator Fevik here:

https://www.instagram.com/fevik.studio/