To kick off this feature, I have my very first best friend and one of my younger sisters, Melissa. She's my sidekick, my partner-in-crime and one of the best people I know. While we have very different personalities, we share a love for travel and reading and writing. Mel has developed a healthy appetite for young adult fiction, as well as romances, and today, she's decided to share her thoughts on Every Day.
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Source/Format: Bought || Hardcover
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
It’s the classic case of boy meet girl, boy falls in love with girl, and then sadly, boy has to let her go. The only difference? He’s not always a boy.
Confused? Don’t be. David Levithan's story may take you on a roller coaster ride into the different lives of A, who changes bodies every single day. And yet, it remains in A’s point of view, and focuses on his struggle. He doesn’t know who he’s going to jump into the next day. It could be a boy high on drugs, a popular cheerleader, or a bully. The only thing he does know for sure is that he has 24 hours before he wakes up in another 16 year old's body.
And A was okay with it. He’s got the routine down like clockwork. Try to act normal. Access certain memories to make it believable. Never get too attached. Do not interfere. That was, until he met Rhiannon.
Without giving too much away, the story deals with the complexities of A’s first love and how the rules A has always lived by no longer apply. For the first time in his life, A wants to be with one person all day, every day.
My favorite line from the book goes, "That is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be."
In my opinion, the novel is a simple reminder that (1) we live with, in and through time and (2) no matter how much we’d like to change who we are or imagine being someone else, we are lucky to be ONE person. These allow us to build relationships, grow and develop together in the course of a string of moments, weaved through time. As much as we would like to revel in certain memories, or fast-forward those which have brought us pain, we have to remain thankful that we have the luxury to see ourselves grow, to fix our mistakes, to create even more memories – to love and be loved by one person, if you’re lucky enough to find him/her. (If you stare at the center of the universe, there is a coldness there. A blackness. Ultimately, the universe doesn’t care about us. Time doesn’t care about us. That’s why we have to care about each other.)
At the end of the day, I am saddened by A’s fate, but it made me appreciate mine all the more. I may constantly want to change the way I look on the outside, but I wouldn’t want to be anyone else. I am who I am and that’s something I’m lucky to live with everyday.
Confused? Don’t be. David Levithan's story may take you on a roller coaster ride into the different lives of A, who changes bodies every single day. And yet, it remains in A’s point of view, and focuses on his struggle. He doesn’t know who he’s going to jump into the next day. It could be a boy high on drugs, a popular cheerleader, or a bully. The only thing he does know for sure is that he has 24 hours before he wakes up in another 16 year old's body.
And A was okay with it. He’s got the routine down like clockwork. Try to act normal. Access certain memories to make it believable. Never get too attached. Do not interfere. That was, until he met Rhiannon.
Without giving too much away, the story deals with the complexities of A’s first love and how the rules A has always lived by no longer apply. For the first time in his life, A wants to be with one person all day, every day.
My favorite line from the book goes, "That is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be."
In my opinion, the novel is a simple reminder that (1) we live with, in and through time and (2) no matter how much we’d like to change who we are or imagine being someone else, we are lucky to be ONE person. These allow us to build relationships, grow and develop together in the course of a string of moments, weaved through time. As much as we would like to revel in certain memories, or fast-forward those which have brought us pain, we have to remain thankful that we have the luxury to see ourselves grow, to fix our mistakes, to create even more memories – to love and be loved by one person, if you’re lucky enough to find him/her. (If you stare at the center of the universe, there is a coldness there. A blackness. Ultimately, the universe doesn’t care about us. Time doesn’t care about us. That’s why we have to care about each other.)
At the end of the day, I am saddened by A’s fate, but it made me appreciate mine all the more. I may constantly want to change the way I look on the outside, but I wouldn’t want to be anyone else. I am who I am and that’s something I’m lucky to live with everyday.
Such a lovely review. I loved the thoughtfulness that went into this book. It's a great conversation piece, especially in regards to gender.
ReplyDeleteAlexa- love this feature!
What a fun feature!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this book, so I can't say much about it, but I really like what Melissa has to say. It's so true that we can't be anyone else but ourselves, and so we must (or at least try) embrace it.
Great review Melissa! I read this book and absolutely adored it, I'm glad you got some good messages out of it :)
ReplyDeleteWell done on the review! I loved this story, and Melissa made some very good points about the story and our own lives - nice tie-in! :D
ReplyDeleteLoved this book so much and what an insightful review! This is a very cool feature - can't wait to see more!
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Melissa! I have promised too many people now that I would finally read something by this author, and this sounds like a great place to start. Glad you liked it.
ReplyDelete1. What a fun new feature! Yay Alexa!
ReplyDelete2. A great review to kick things off with - way to go, Melissa! Really enjoyed reading your thoughts on Every Day and can't wait to hopefully see more reviews from you!
Wow, Melissa! So nice to meet you! What a great book you've chosen, as well. David Levithan is one of my absolute favorites, period. But I haven't read this book yet!
ReplyDeleteI have it, but I like to take his books and save them up like I'm saving the very best of something and bring them out on the very best of occasions. So I look at it when I pass by my bookshelf. One of these days I'll read it. This is such a lovely review and it's so nice to meet you on the blog!
I have no words for this book because it totally blew me away. Amazing doesn't even begin to cover it....
ReplyDeleteIrene Jennings (Truck Driver Jobs)