Review by rhirihreads - Delirium

rhirihreads 's review for:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2.75

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into Delirium with high hopes, given all the hype around it and its premise of a dystopian society where love is treated as a disease. The story starts strong—Lauren Oliver paints a vividly controlled world, and the tension builds nicely as Lena begins to question the rules she’s been taught her whole life.

However, the novel struggled to live up to expectations for me. The pacing feels uneven, with the middle sections dragging as Lena’s internal conflict is repeated multiple times. While the romance with Alex is central, it develops in a fairly predictable way, and I found myself wishing for more depth in both the love story and the broader dystopian world-building.

That said, the writing is readable and occasionally lyrical, and there are moments of genuine emotional resonance. It’s not a bad book—it’s just not the game-changing YA dystopia I had hoped for.

Final thought: A solid but uneven read—worth exploring if you enjoy YA dystopian romance, but it didn’t quite meet the high expectations I had going in.

Content Warnings