Latest Read: Every Day

Here are the basics ...
Book: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Site: http://www.davidlevithan.com/
Category: Young Adult

Summary: 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. (Adapted goodreads.com) 

My thoughts…

The good: Only an author as amazing as David Levithan could pull off a story like this.  In another person's hands, the premise might come off too weird to wrap your head around (and it is weird, there's no getting around that!) but he makes it work.  However, you have to be willing to accept that some things are left unexplained.  That you won't fully understand everything.  You just have to take the facts -- A is this spirit/soul that has been inhabiting different people every day of his/her/its entire life -- and run with it.  Because through this unconventional character, the author is able to express some really interesting and beautiful views on love, relationships, self-esteem, life and all those little seemingly unimportant moments.  Through each day, you meet so many people who could very easily be someone you went to high school with or even know.  It made me think of that saying about how you never really know a person until you walk a mile in their shoes.  And that's what A does. Literally. Which made him (I always think of A as "him" in my mind) falling in love with Rhiannon so compelling to read about. Because on the outside, A could be a boy or girl, tall or short, fat or skinny or a different nationality every day and none of that affects A's feelings. The book continually expresses this idea that love is something you feel in your soul and transcends all physical appearances.

I have to admit though, after reading a little more than halfway through the book I started to wonder where it was all going.  How could this possibly end in a way that's satisfying? And I have to say, I was happy with how it ended. To me, it made sense and I was surprised by how emotional it made me feel.

The bad:  There's this unexpected, even stranger twist that gets introduced later in the book. And even though the twist does act as a catalyst for the events leading to the end, I didn't think it was completely necessary. It's not really bad but it didn't seem to fit in with the flow of the rest of the book.

Do I recommend?: Yes! If you're already a fan of David Levithan and his writing, you will want to read this.  And if haven't read his books before, I suggest you start! You won't be disappointed.

Happy reading!