Reviews with content warning for Deadnaming - This Day Changes Everything

*thank you netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review*

okay wow i actually really liked this

i was weary going in when i realized this was insta-love and set over only a day, but i fell deeply in love with these characters and their relationships to each other

not only are the friendships healthy and solid (i’m looking at you evan), but the relationship between leo and abby felt genuine and developed in a way that felt natural. seeing them fumbling and being awkward teens was so refreshing in a sea of ya novels that feel a little too grown up

this book is also dripping in representation and is the kind of book i would have loved when i was still a teen finding myself. the way these characters navigated who they were really tugged on my heart strings. and it showed that it’s not a simple yes or no answer, especially at the beginning of one’s journey

also, as a former band kid, i loved the marching band aspect. it made me miss the days of suiting up and performing.

Content Warnings

caseythereader's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Thanks to Wednesday Books for the free copy of this book.

THIS DAY CHANGES EVERYTHING is basically "eeee so cute!" in book form. I loved everything about it, from the queerness to the band nerdery to the running around NYC landmarks hoping for magic. It's beautiful queer joy wrapped in a book.
I love that Abby and Leo are allowed to be grumpy and touchy, that they can feel both joy and frustration.
It's also great to see a YA novel where the queer characters are still figuring themselves out: trying to find the right label, or decide that labels might not even be necessary at all.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Both Abby and Leo’s bands have been chosen to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. However, where Abby is excited about the opportunity, Leo isn’t as much. For Abby, New York is her chance to tell her best friend she’s in love with her with a huge romantic gesture–an annotated copy of their favorite book. She has it all planned out. On the other hand, Leo is afraid of getting outed as trans to his entire extended family and just wants the day to be over.

After they both get on the wrong train, Leo causes Abby to lose her book. Separated from their bands, they decide to spend the day in New York getting Abby souvenirs to give her best friend instead. But the more they spend time together, the more they realize that maybe there’s a spark.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill to review! Underhill’s debut, Always the Almost, was such a great read, so I was excited to pick this one up.

Let me start by saying: why didn’t this come out in November? I can think of very few YA books set around Thanksgiving, and I think a November release date makes so much more sense. I get that it’s a romance, so that’s probably why it’s coming out in February, but still. It would have made such a great November book!

Anyway, the characters in this are so well-rounded and realistic. Both of them come from smallish towns, trying to figure out how to best live their queer identities where they don’t know a lot of queer people. For Abby especially, getting to be in New York and see the possibilities gave her the confidence to come out to her friends. On the flipside, Leo is out, but has a lot of anxiety around his extended family seeing him and accepting him. They both work well as narrators, and Underhill creates distinct voices for both of them.

This book is being pitched as Ferris Bueller meets Dash and Lily, and honestly, what a great description. You get a bunch of fun adventures roaming around New York city, all the while you can tell that Abby and Leo are growing feelings for each other. It’s such a fun, lighthearted story, with a supporting cast that is there for their friends, no matter what.

With this and his debut, I think Underhill is carving out his place in the YA queer romance genre. I can’t wait to see what else he does next!

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chronicacademia's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I downloaded it this morning and then almost immediately was sucked into it and I only meant to read the first chapter but now I’m finished with it and it’s over and I’m just supposed to move on with my life???????

I really loved Edward Underhill’s writing in Always the Almost, and I knew the moment I saw the cover reveal of this one that I wanted it on my shelves. I am so grateful I received an early copy of this one. This Day Changes Everything is a love letter to the romance genre. If it’s a romance cliché, you can almost guarantee you’ll find some iteration of it in this book, written in the freshest, twistiest, most wonderful way possible. He takes a story that has been told a million times and makes it feel brand new. The characters are lovable and real, and the story centers their joy above all things. I truly cannot recommend this book enough.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC! All views reflected are my own.

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