Joined at the Joints
Contemporary romance, General fiction
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
When baking-obsessed Ivy meets a boy who shares her rare diagnosis, sparks fly outside of the kitchen for the first time in her life!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."A sweet and affirming story that embraces the unpredictability of chronic illness."—Anna Sortino, award-winning author of Give Me a Sign and On the Bright Side"Will make readers feel seen. A delightful, heartfelt read."—Lillie Lainoff, award-winning author of One for All"The perfect recipe for an affirming and adorable debut."—Claire Forrest, award-winning author of Where You See Yourself