Delirium by Lauren Oliver

They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Delirium, a totally gripping, enticing and intense book by Lauren Oliver. The setting is Portland USA, a  little in the future from what I can guess, where love is classed as a disease.
Most individuals support the government and want to be cured but there are, of course, the "invalids" the people who do not want to be cured and have, dangerously, ventured into the "Wilds" a place beyond the "safety" of barbed wire, electric fences and walls, a place where you are not allowed, you will be executed or thrown into the "crypts" if you are caught trying to escape. The streets are patrolled by the "regulators", who are there to catch anybody who may have contracted the deliria. Only approved music must be played, you shouldn't be too happy, singing, dancing, too much touching are all signs of the deliria. The deliria is deadly, “The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.” (direct quote).

I loved this book, I mean I seriously couldn't put my Kindle down, in fact the second I finished reading Delirium I purchased the second instalment, "Pandemonium", and read that straight away. The ending was so intense, my palms were sweating, my heart rate went up, I was completely sucked in. Delirium will keep you completely at the edge of you seat the whole time.

Characters

Lena is such a "goodie two-shoes", but when her best friend, Hana, begins breaking the rules she gets sucked into a different world, which is where she meets Alex, the guy she falls in love with. Lena's parents both died when she was little and she was raised by her Aunt Carol and Uncle William.

Overall

Overall I would give Delirium a 5/5. It is fantastic, exciting and engrossing story that you will struggle to put down. So what are you waiting for? Get down to your nearest book store or download it onto you E-Reader, I promise you it will not disappoint.

People. People scare me, I hate the way the are judging me on everything, the way my hair is, my make up, my clothes, my language, my everything. Deep down I think I know that nobody is actually paying any attention and it is all in my mind but neither the less people still scare me. So walking into my first class, English, sitting down and gazing at the people surrounding me, about 10 all together, scared me half to death. I knew nobody, not even the teacher, how would I act, would they like me, would I like them, what if I failed the class, what if everyone laughed at me. Oh my goodness, the panic set in, I felt like the whole world was staring at me waiting for me to share my name and my hobbies, an ice breaker the teacher called it, torture in the cruellest form I thought.
"Charlie and  I have two kids", I mumbled and then I hung my head in a pathetic desperation for everyone to stop looking at me. 10 minutes later and I  was in complete panic mode. I did not want to be in that room, no way could I do this, no way could I spend 36 weeks in a classroom with these people, these strangers that did not know anything about me, they would hate me I was sure of it. The teacher, Amy, must have seen how much I was freaking out and lead me out of the room, they say the first impression you make sticks, well that's great the first impression I gave was me crying , snot dripping down my face, as fist impressions go I am sure it was the worst one ever, now ever the teacher would think I was a joke!!

Actually I was wrong about a lot of things I spent the rest of that lesson sitting at the back of the room, taking notes and speaking to nobody, still scared of what could happen and looking back its ridiculous, seriously what on earth could have happened?  The thing is I stuck at it and now 2 months on I speak out in class, I answer questions, I am not afraid...well of the people in my class because lets face it there is still a whole world of people out there that still frighten me and I am not sure I can ever get over the overall fear of people but starting with a class room of people is a good place to start.

Love Charliy.