Joined at the Joints

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.

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 na

"Frank, sweet, and uplifting."—Kirkus Reviews
 
"Neatly paced, insightful prose punctuated by text exchanges and sweet dates depict Ivy and Grant’s slow-burn romance. Ivy’s introspections about RA are realistic, nuanced, and informed by debut author Eller’s personal experiences, as discussed in an endnote.."—Publishers Weekly

"Joined at the Joints is full of heart, showcasing the importance of love and community. Marissa Eller serves up 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
 
"Eller's joyful romance starring chronically ill teens is just as sweet as her protagonist Ivy's baking. Joined at the Joints delves into the vast variety of lived experiences of chronic illness in a way that will make readers feel seen. A delightful, heartfelt read."—Lillie Lainoff, award-winning author of One for All