Scan barcode
A review by katykelly
Another Day by David Levithan
4.0
4.5 stars
Know David Levithan? Then you'll probably have been as keen as I was to try the sequel to 'Every Day'. Never heard of him? Then let me introduce you to an original and bold author for Young Adults that you'll not regret getting to know.
This is a sequel and a companion piece to Levithan's popular 'Every Day'. If you've not read it though, don't be put off, as it can be read without knowledge of its predecessor. The author himself explains this in his forward.
See what you think of this synopsis: 'A' has spent his whole life in the strange situation of moving around from body to body every day. Each morning he awakes in a new bed. With different parents, a different face in the mirror. For one day. Then he moves on. Only into bodies of the same age. It's fascinating. It's never explained how or why.
We never even come to know if A is a boy or girl. At 16, A finds a connection with a girlfriend of his occupied body and from then on tries to see her each day, wherever and whoever he wakes up as. Can they connect? Can it work?
That was 'Every Day'. Now in 'Another Day', we get to see the girl's side - Rhiannon's story. This is her perspective as she one day notices her boyfriend (who we see is not really right for her) is suddenly interested, loving and communicative. She falls in love with him all over again. But then finds out that it wasn't her boyfriend in love with her that day - it was the person inhabiting his body. And then another body, and another... Does she believe it? Rhiannon may fall for A too, but can they make it work?
You really do have to suspend your disbelief throughout (A only inhabits bodies within a certain area, of a certain age, leaves at midnight precisely), but once you accept the premise, it's hugely engaging to consider the ramifications for their relationship and lives.
I think I preferred A's own story, he's the character you want to understand and know more about. While I HAVE read the first book, it's such a long time ago that I couldn't clearly remember if their email exchanges and conversations are copied verbatim (they felt it), and if so, it's only Rhiannon's thoughts and feelings we are observing now.
I couldn't really find much sympathy for Rhiannon in her relationship with Justin, or the trials of her teenage life (friends arguing, parties), I just wanted more of A and his story. She and her friends also have a way of talking that felt too mature and planned out, not a lot like regular teenagers that didn't ring true (a bit like some John Green characters), though I'd like an actual teenage reader's perspective on that. Those are the reasons for just 4.5 stars though.
It's a concept that compels you to read on, a character in A you can't help but feel empathy for. And a love story that can surely have no happy ending - how can you build a future life together if every day your partner is unrecognisable, in some distant unknown place, and probably involved in another family? These thoughts crossed my mind as I finished the book, which ended for me one sentence too late.
I want to read more about A, but not necessarily about Rhiannon. Sorry if you're a fan! I'll be interested to know if Levithan takes the story further, and in what direction.
Definitely one to be tried by teenagers and adults alike. You'll appreciate your own life that much more by being reminded of what you wake up to every day...
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
Know David Levithan? Then you'll probably have been as keen as I was to try the sequel to 'Every Day'. Never heard of him? Then let me introduce you to an original and bold author for Young Adults that you'll not regret getting to know.
This is a sequel and a companion piece to Levithan's popular 'Every Day'. If you've not read it though, don't be put off, as it can be read without knowledge of its predecessor. The author himself explains this in his forward.
See what you think of this synopsis: 'A' has spent his whole life in the strange situation of moving around from body to body every day. Each morning he awakes in a new bed. With different parents, a different face in the mirror. For one day. Then he moves on. Only into bodies of the same age. It's fascinating. It's never explained how or why.
We never even come to know if A is a boy or girl. At 16, A finds a connection with a girlfriend of his occupied body and from then on tries to see her each day, wherever and whoever he wakes up as. Can they connect? Can it work?
That was 'Every Day'. Now in 'Another Day', we get to see the girl's side - Rhiannon's story. This is her perspective as she one day notices her boyfriend (who we see is not really right for her) is suddenly interested, loving and communicative. She falls in love with him all over again. But then finds out that it wasn't her boyfriend in love with her that day - it was the person inhabiting his body. And then another body, and another... Does she believe it? Rhiannon may fall for A too, but can they make it work?
You really do have to suspend your disbelief throughout (A only inhabits bodies within a certain area, of a certain age, leaves at midnight precisely), but once you accept the premise, it's hugely engaging to consider the ramifications for their relationship and lives.
I think I preferred A's own story, he's the character you want to understand and know more about. While I HAVE read the first book, it's such a long time ago that I couldn't clearly remember if their email exchanges and conversations are copied verbatim (they felt it), and if so, it's only Rhiannon's thoughts and feelings we are observing now.
I couldn't really find much sympathy for Rhiannon in her relationship with Justin, or the trials of her teenage life (friends arguing, parties), I just wanted more of A and his story. She and her friends also have a way of talking that felt too mature and planned out, not a lot like regular teenagers that didn't ring true (a bit like some John Green characters), though I'd like an actual teenage reader's perspective on that. Those are the reasons for just 4.5 stars though.
It's a concept that compels you to read on, a character in A you can't help but feel empathy for. And a love story that can surely have no happy ending - how can you build a future life together if every day your partner is unrecognisable, in some distant unknown place, and probably involved in another family? These thoughts crossed my mind as I finished the book, which ended for me one sentence too late.
I want to read more about A, but not necessarily about Rhiannon. Sorry if you're a fan! I'll be interested to know if Levithan takes the story further, and in what direction.
Definitely one to be tried by teenagers and adults alike. You'll appreciate your own life that much more by being reminded of what you wake up to every day...
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.