REVIEW: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver
Publication Date: February 3, 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.



This book was recommended to me by a friend that absolutely loved it.  I put off reading it though, because to be honest...it didn't sound that good. But boy was I WRONG! This book took me on an emotional ride that completely shocked my system. 

When I started reading Delirium, I had very low expectations about it. The idea that love is a disease that can be cured sounded a bit silly to me. However, Lauren Oliver truly has a great imagination and turned this seemingly dull story into a powerhouse. 

We begin with Lena, an average teenage girl. She loses her mother when she is a small child to the "disease" and ends up living with her aunt and cousins. She only really has one friend, Hana, that is her absolute best friend. Hana, seems like a really good friend in the beginning  She encourages Lena to continue her secret relationship with Alex (who we'll talk about later) and keeps all of her deepest secrets...until one day she doesn't... the betrayal is almost too much to bear. Lena, doesn't know about this betrayal until later on, but the reader can definitely feel the heartbreak that Lena is going through and doesn't understand why it all happened. 

Alex is the boy that stole Lena's heart...and mine **squeals with glee** with a flash of his smile. Alex cares so much about Lena and would clearly do anything for her, including give his life. The love between these two is so heartwarming and Alex is truly so delectable that you have to wonder where he is in this world. He must be somewhere... Find.Him.Now!

So without further delay I urge you all to go out and buy this book, find a shady tree to urch by, and lose yourself in this wonderful world that Lauren Oliver gave life to. 

Kudos to you Ms. Oliver, I look forward to the next one!