“Delirium” by Lauren Oliver is the first in a trilogy based on a dystopian fantasy that centers around the idea of forbidden love. Every citizen in the U.S. is required to undergo a surgery to remove the ability to be infected by Amor Deliria Nervosa, otherwise known as love.

Everything is chosen for you. From your marriage partner to your jobs, your whole life is planned out. It’s a terrible world; there is no love for family and friends, and everyone acts the same after the surgery as if they’ve been sugar coated in fake happiness.

Then there are the invalids, the people who still believe in love. They hide out in the lands where everything is destroyed.

Lena, a normal girl about to get her surgery, meets an invalid, Alex. She was taught from a young age that love was a disease, and that the surgery will protect her and cure her.

That was her belief before she fell in love with Alex.

Alex…he’s just perfect. Oliver writes about his character in a way where he is just so intriguing that you start to wonder where you will ever meet a guy like him. He’s cunning, poetic and strong. The love between Alex and Lena is so pristine. It isn’t the Nicholas Sparks kind of love. It is just stunning.

You can really feel the love they have for each other as you read each chapter. It makes you feel a roller coaster of emotions: love, fear, sadness, pity.

Oliver created such an astounding book, and she deserves brownie points for making it an easy read. You won’t regret taking time to read the astounding story that “Delirium” is, and you definitely won’t regret taking the time to connect with the well-rounded characters.