Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. 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.
Books
Young Adult Fiction
Every Day
Every Day http://www.yabookscentral.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/200x285s/d1/1a/45/_13262783-1343066195.jpg Featured
Author(s)
Publisher
Age Range
12+
Release Date
August 28, 2012
ISBN
9780307931887
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Editor reviews
Average editor rating from: 3 user(s)
I’m jealous of all the young people who get to grow up with David Levithan’s novels in their lives. He is a master of painting the lives of adolescents in all their permutations, and in Every Day, he does this in a way unlike anyone who has come before him. Known only as A, our hero is a soul who wakes up every day in the body of a different teenager. After almost six thousand days of living like this, it has become normal for him (her?) to spend each day in a different life, fitting himself into strangers’ lives temporarily. When he meets Rhiannon, he wants to stay in the same life for the first time and let someone know his secret.
Every Day is magical, built on a complex premise but with the most basic of morals: everyone wants to be seen and loved. I want to hand this book to all the teenagers I know, telling them, “David Levithan speaks the truth.” This book is full of simple lessons which are beautifully phrased and never condescending. I want to hang my classroom’s walls with phrases like, “Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen” and “…being best friends is always about the benefit of the doubt.”
One of Levithan’s many gifts (meaning his talent as a writer and also his present to the reader) is how he embraces sexuality in all its forms. Everyone is welcome in his world, as seen in his previous novels like Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility. One of A’s most affecting days is spent as Vic, biologically female and gendered male. Levithan writes, “It is an awful thing to be betrayed by your body. And it’s lonely, because you feel you can’t talk about it. You feel it’s something between you and the body. You feel it’s a battle you will never win…and yet you fight it day after day, and it wears you down. Even if you ignore it, the energy it takes to ignore it will exhaust you.” Fortunately, Vic has a loving relationship with Dawn, parents who care for him, and friends that see him for who he is. These few pages will go a long way for young readers who may be in the same position, or know someone who is.
There are some unanswered questions in Every Day, and that is to be expected. A doesn’t know how he became this way, so the reader doesn’t either. It doesn’t matter. This is the most creative love story I’ve ever read.
Every Day is magical, built on a complex premise but with the most basic of morals: everyone wants to be seen and loved. I want to hand this book to all the teenagers I know, telling them, “David Levithan speaks the truth.” This book is full of simple lessons which are beautifully phrased and never condescending. I want to hang my classroom’s walls with phrases like, “Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen” and “…being best friends is always about the benefit of the doubt.”
One of Levithan’s many gifts (meaning his talent as a writer and also his present to the reader) is how he embraces sexuality in all its forms. Everyone is welcome in his world, as seen in his previous novels like Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility. One of A’s most affecting days is spent as Vic, biologically female and gendered male. Levithan writes, “It is an awful thing to be betrayed by your body. And it’s lonely, because you feel you can’t talk about it. You feel it’s something between you and the body. You feel it’s a battle you will never win…and yet you fight it day after day, and it wears you down. Even if you ignore it, the energy it takes to ignore it will exhaust you.” Fortunately, Vic has a loving relationship with Dawn, parents who care for him, and friends that see him for who he is. These few pages will go a long way for young readers who may be in the same position, or know someone who is.
There are some unanswered questions in Every Day, and that is to be expected. A doesn’t know how he became this way, so the reader doesn’t either. It doesn’t matter. This is the most creative love story I’ve ever read.
| Overall rating | 5.0 | |
| Plot | 5.0 | |
| Characters | 5.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
David Levithan Knows Love
I’m jealous of all the young people who get to grow up with David Levithan’s novels in their lives. He is a master of painting the lives of adolescents in all their permutations, and in Every Day, he does this in a way unlike anyone who has come before him. Known only as A, our hero is a soul who wakes up every day in the body of a different teenager. After almost six thousand days of living like this, it has become normal for him (her?) to spend each day in a different life, fitting himself into strangers’ lives temporarily. When he meets Rhiannon, he wants to stay in the same life for the first time and let someone know his secret.
Every Day is magical, built on a complex premise but with the most basic of morals: everyone wants to be seen and loved. I want to hand this book to all the teenagers I know, telling them, “David Levithan speaks the truth.” This book is full of simple lessons which are beautifully phrased and never condescending. I want to hang my classroom’s walls with phrases like, “Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen” and “…being best friends is always about the benefit of the doubt.”
One of Levithan’s many gifts (meaning his talent as a writer and also his present to the reader) is how he embraces sexuality in all its forms. Everyone is welcome in his world, as seen in his previous novels like Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility. One of A’s most affecting days is spent as Vic, biologically female and gendered male. Levithan writes, “It is an awful thing to be betrayed by your body. And it’s lonely, because you feel you can’t talk about it. You feel it’s something between you and the body. You feel it’s a battle you will never win…and yet you fight it day after day, and it wears you down. Even if you ignore it, the energy it takes to ignore it will exhaust you.” Fortunately, Vic has a loving relationship with Dawn, parents who care for him, and friends that see him for who he is. These few pages will go a long way for young readers who may be in the same position, or know someone who is.
There are some unanswered questions in Every Day, and that is to be expected. A doesn’t know how he became this way, so the reader doesn’t either. It doesn’t matter. This is the most creative love story I’ve ever read.
Good Points
Creative, fresh, and totally new
Welcoming to all readers
Welcoming to all readers
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
I read a teaser of EVERY DAY from the BUZZ BEA ebook from Netgalley and knew I had to read this novel! I was bummed I wasn't able to snatch a galley at ALA this last June but I ended up preordering a copy from my local Barnes and Noble.
Let's just say the book fulfilled all my expectations and more!
I totally loved this story! 'A' starts every day in a different body, different gender. Sure, you're not sure what gender 'A' is but it's like the author states in the novel:
...I have never fallen in love with a gender. I have fallen for individuals...
That's the beauty of this novel. You don't see 'A' as a gender but rather an individual especially when 'A' falls for Rhiannon and tries to keep the connection no matter which body 'A' is in at the time.
This story also opened up some questions. What responsibility does 'A' to the host body? In one scene, 'A' ends up in a girl's body who not only is suicidal but maps out the different ways to do it. 'A' freaks and calls Rhiannon, asking what to do. What Rhiannon says had me ponder the whole ethical matter here.
Also apparently 'A' has always jumped into different host bodies. I couldn't help but wonder more about the backstory about how this all started. Toward the end of the novel, there's more hinted at. I kind of hope the author will write at least a novella to show us a little more of this world.
And this world is amazing and fascinating! Each different host is the same age and in basically the same geologically area. Then 'A' makes a mistake and the one host Nathan calls what happened demonic possession.
Beautifully written with a premise that is part Quantum Leap, part Time Traveler's Wife. I happened to love the cliffhanger like ending which teases readers that there might be more to 'A's future. I do admit, the ending totally took me by surprise and is bittersweet. But then again I love stories like that. And I love EVERY DAY which is a fascinating look into 'A's journey that starts each day in a different body with different problems/issues.
Reviewed by
Kim Baccellia, Editor
September 03, 2012
Last updated: September 03, 2012
Top 50 Reviewer - View all my reviews (299)
Let's just say the book fulfilled all my expectations and more!
I totally loved this story! 'A' starts every day in a different body, different gender. Sure, you're not sure what gender 'A' is but it's like the author states in the novel:
...I have never fallen in love with a gender. I have fallen for individuals...
That's the beauty of this novel. You don't see 'A' as a gender but rather an individual especially when 'A' falls for Rhiannon and tries to keep the connection no matter which body 'A' is in at the time.
This story also opened up some questions. What responsibility does 'A' to the host body? In one scene, 'A' ends up in a girl's body who not only is suicidal but maps out the different ways to do it. 'A' freaks and calls Rhiannon, asking what to do. What Rhiannon says had me ponder the whole ethical matter here.
Also apparently 'A' has always jumped into different host bodies. I couldn't help but wonder more about the backstory about how this all started. Toward the end of the novel, there's more hinted at. I kind of hope the author will write at least a novella to show us a little more of this world.
And this world is amazing and fascinating! Each different host is the same age and in basically the same geologically area. Then 'A' makes a mistake and the one host Nathan calls what happened demonic possession.
Beautifully written with a premise that is part Quantum Leap, part Time Traveler's Wife. I happened to love the cliffhanger like ending which teases readers that there might be more to 'A's future. I do admit, the ending totally took me by surprise and is bittersweet. But then again I love stories like that. And I love EVERY DAY which is a fascinating look into 'A's journey that starts each day in a different body with different problems/issues.
| Overall rating | 5.0 | |
| Plot | 5.0 | |
| Characters | 5.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
Reviewed by
Kim Baccellia, Editor
September 03, 2012
Last updated: September 03, 2012
Top 50 Reviewer - View all my reviews (299)
Amazing Body Jumping Tale
I read a teaser of EVERY DAY from the BUZZ BEA ebook from Netgalley and knew I had to read this novel! I was bummed I wasn't able to snatch a galley at ALA this last June but I ended up preordering a copy from my local Barnes and Noble.
Let's just say the book fulfilled all my expectations and more!
I totally loved this story! 'A' starts every day in a different body, different gender. Sure, you're not sure what gender 'A' is but it's like the author states in the novel:
...I have never fallen in love with a gender. I have fallen for individuals...
That's the beauty of this novel. You don't see 'A' as a gender but rather an individual especially when 'A' falls for Rhiannon and tries to keep the connection no matter which body 'A' is in at the time.
This story also opened up some questions. What responsibility does 'A' to the host body? In one scene, 'A' ends up in a girl's body who not only is suicidal but maps out the different ways to do it. 'A' freaks and calls Rhiannon, asking what to do. What Rhiannon says had me ponder the whole ethical matter here.
Also apparently 'A' has always jumped into different host bodies. I couldn't help but wonder more about the backstory about how this all started. Toward the end of the novel, there's more hinted at. I kind of hope the author will write at least a novella to show us a little more of this world.
And this world is amazing and fascinating! Each different host is the same age and in basically the same geologically area. Then 'A' makes a mistake and the one host Nathan calls what happened demonic possession.
Beautifully written with a premise that is part Quantum Leap, part Time Traveler's Wife. I happened to love the cliffhanger like ending which teases readers that there might be more to 'A's future. I do admit, the ending totally took me by surprise and is bittersweet. But then again I love stories like that. And I love EVERY DAY which is a fascinating look into 'A's journey that starts each day in a different body with different problems/issues.
Good Points
1. Wow, just wow
2. Think Quantum Leap meets Time Traveler's Wife
3. Great pacing, plot work
2. Think Quantum Leap meets Time Traveler's Wife
3. Great pacing, plot work
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
This is one of those books that some people love while others are left to ponder all of the unanswered questions they still have. *points to self* This is certainly an interesting story, well written and the characters are engaging but I honestly don't know how I feel about it. The idea that love knows no boundaries, defies physical appearances, constant change etc. is all good stuff but it doesn't always work out like that. When you love someone you're supposed to focus more on their inner self and the outward shouldn't matter as much but it still matters. (If my husband woke up tomorrow and was suddenly a woman, it.would.matter.)
It bothered me not to know whether "A" was a boy or a girl at his/her core but it bothered me more to not know how "A" came to be. I also felt like all of the other stories we were getting glimpse's of were left hanging. It seemed a lot to keep track of along with the complexities of the love story that was taking place. I'm a big fan of closure and I don't need a "Happily Ever After" ending but this one had me asking, "That's it? What happens now?"
It bothered me not to know whether "A" was a boy or a girl at his/her core but it bothered me more to not know how "A" came to be. I also felt like all of the other stories we were getting glimpse's of were left hanging. It seemed a lot to keep track of along with the complexities of the love story that was taking place. I'm a big fan of closure and I don't need a "Happily Ever After" ending but this one had me asking, "That's it? What happens now?"
| Overall rating | 2.3 | |
| Plot | 1.0 | |
| Characters | 3.0 | |
| Writing Style | 3.0 |
Interesting look at what matters most in love.
This is one of those books that some people love while others are left to ponder all of the unanswered questions they still have. *points to self* This is certainly an interesting story, well written and the characters are engaging but I honestly don't know how I feel about it. The idea that love knows no boundaries, defies physical appearances, constant change etc. is all good stuff but it doesn't always work out like that. When you love someone you're supposed to focus more on their inner self and the outward shouldn't matter as much but it still matters. (If my husband woke up tomorrow and was suddenly a woman, it.would.matter.)
It bothered me not to know whether "A" was a boy or a girl at his/her core but it bothered me more to not know how "A" came to be. I also felt like all of the other stories we were getting glimpse's of were left hanging. It seemed a lot to keep track of along with the complexities of the love story that was taking place. I'm a big fan of closure and I don't need a "Happily Ever After" ending but this one had me asking, "That's it? What happens now?"
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
User reviews
Average user rating from: 9 user(s)
The ending of this book annoyed me. I wasn't very happy with it.
| Overall rating | 4.3 | |
| Plot | 4.0 | |
| Characters | 5.0 | |
| Writing Style | 4.0 |
Every Day Review
The ending of this book annoyed me. I wasn't very happy with it.
Good Points
I received Every Day by David Levithan as a winning from Random Buzzers. This is an honest review.
Wow Every Day is so not what I was expecting, but in a totally good way. A switches bodies every day, and that means exactly what I said he or she is never in the same body for twice ever and it’s a little tough but this is the only life A has ever known so it’s normal and he or she is okay with it until Rhiannon comes along.
I’m not really sure how to describe A because it was not made known in the book if A was a boy or a girl but I kind of just went with he. I’m not sure why but from the very beginning that was my first instinct and I went with it. Either way I enjoyed A’s character, no matter what happened he was always hooked on Rhiannon from the day he met her he knew she was the one. He always wanted what was best for her even if it hurt him or the body he was in, and that I thought was pretty amazing.
My favorite character though was Rhiannon, and the reason being is because I saw a little bit of myself in her. The things that were going on in her love life I could relate. I could also relate with her feelings most of the time, which is what totally drew me into her character.
Can we just talk about switching bodies every day for a second? I cannot even imagine that happening. I would so not be able to handle it the pain of not knowing who I really was not having real parents or real friends would kill me and I’d probably just become this depressed person. I have no clue how A dealt with it! (as if he’s a real person!)
I’m not sure if this book is meant to be a standalone because by the ending I was very confused. Out of the whole book the ending is the one thing that I was totally not happy with! It’s crazy how things just abruptly ended and left me with my jaw hanging open. Sometimes that factor can be good but In this case I’m not too happy with it. (part of me thinks that’s because of my mood at the time of reading the ending but who knows)
Overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because of the whole ending thing but If I had the chance to turn around and pick another book I wouldn’t because I really did end up enjoying this one quite a lot.
Wow Every Day is so not what I was expecting, but in a totally good way. A switches bodies every day, and that means exactly what I said he or she is never in the same body for twice ever and it’s a little tough but this is the only life A has ever known so it’s normal and he or she is okay with it until Rhiannon comes along.
I’m not really sure how to describe A because it was not made known in the book if A was a boy or a girl but I kind of just went with he. I’m not sure why but from the very beginning that was my first instinct and I went with it. Either way I enjoyed A’s character, no matter what happened he was always hooked on Rhiannon from the day he met her he knew she was the one. He always wanted what was best for her even if it hurt him or the body he was in, and that I thought was pretty amazing.
My favorite character though was Rhiannon, and the reason being is because I saw a little bit of myself in her. The things that were going on in her love life I could relate. I could also relate with her feelings most of the time, which is what totally drew me into her character.
Can we just talk about switching bodies every day for a second? I cannot even imagine that happening. I would so not be able to handle it the pain of not knowing who I really was not having real parents or real friends would kill me and I’d probably just become this depressed person. I have no clue how A dealt with it! (as if he’s a real person!)
I’m not sure if this book is meant to be a standalone because by the ending I was very confused. Out of the whole book the ending is the one thing that I was totally not happy with! It’s crazy how things just abruptly ended and left me with my jaw hanging open. Sometimes that factor can be good but In this case I’m not too happy with it. (part of me thinks that’s because of my mood at the time of reading the ending but who knows)
Overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because of the whole ending thing but If I had the chance to turn around and pick another book I wouldn’t because I really did end up enjoying this one quite a lot.
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
I was so excited to start this book, I had been hearing wonderful things about it and the premise sounded really interesting. I just wish that I liked it more than I did. This was a good book, don't get me wrong, but I think the thing that ruined it most for me was that my expectations were too high based on everything I heard. The storyline was still interesting, but I just couldn't dive in as much as I wanted to.
There were some issues I had with this. First off the way that A spoke. No teenager speaks the way he does. It was too mature for how old he was and I just couldn't believe it. If anything in a story should be believable it should be the main character. My next biggest issue was the serious case of instant love. A knew Rhiannon for maybe 6 hours and he knew he was in love with her? I think that is kind of forced. No way can anybody fall in love with someone after 6 or so hours. It just does not happen, you can't know anything about the person that has any substance at all.
The one part of this story I liked the best was the end. Not because it was over but because of how the story ended. I believe that A made the right choice in the end, both for Rhiannon and himself. I think the decision itself showed how much A cared about her because he knew he wouldn't be able to be what was needed.
While this story may not have been the one for me I will definitely be checking out another one of his books.
There were some issues I had with this. First off the way that A spoke. No teenager speaks the way he does. It was too mature for how old he was and I just couldn't believe it. If anything in a story should be believable it should be the main character. My next biggest issue was the serious case of instant love. A knew Rhiannon for maybe 6 hours and he knew he was in love with her? I think that is kind of forced. No way can anybody fall in love with someone after 6 or so hours. It just does not happen, you can't know anything about the person that has any substance at all.
The one part of this story I liked the best was the end. Not because it was over but because of how the story ended. I believe that A made the right choice in the end, both for Rhiannon and himself. I think the decision itself showed how much A cared about her because he knew he wouldn't be able to be what was needed.
While this story may not have been the one for me I will definitely be checking out another one of his books.
| Overall rating | 3.3 | |
| Plot | 4.0 | |
| Characters | 3.0 | |
| Writing Style | 3.0 |
Every Day (ARC Review)
I was so excited to start this book, I had been hearing wonderful things about it and the premise sounded really interesting. I just wish that I liked it more than I did. This was a good book, don't get me wrong, but I think the thing that ruined it most for me was that my expectations were too high based on everything I heard. The storyline was still interesting, but I just couldn't dive in as much as I wanted to.
There were some issues I had with this. First off the way that A spoke. No teenager speaks the way he does. It was too mature for how old he was and I just couldn't believe it. If anything in a story should be believable it should be the main character. My next biggest issue was the serious case of instant love. A knew Rhiannon for maybe 6 hours and he knew he was in love with her? I think that is kind of forced. No way can anybody fall in love with someone after 6 or so hours. It just does not happen, you can't know anything about the person that has any substance at all.
The one part of this story I liked the best was the end. Not because it was over but because of how the story ended. I believe that A made the right choice in the end, both for Rhiannon and himself. I think the decision itself showed how much A cared about her because he knew he wouldn't be able to be what was needed.
While this story may not have been the one for me I will definitely be checking out another one of his books.
Do You Recommend?
Maybe
Was this review helpful to you?
Totally made me want to read more of this authors books!
| Overall rating | 5.0 | |
| Plot | 5.0 | |
| Characters | 5.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
Every Day = Amazingness
Totally made me want to read more of this authors books!
Good Points
I received Every Day by David Levithan as a winning from Random Buzzers. This is an honest review.
Wow Every Day is so not what I was expecting, but in a totally good way. A switches bodies every day, and that means exactly what I said he or she is never in the same body for twice ever and it’s a little tough but this is the only life A has ever known so it’s normal and he or she is okay with it until Rhiannon comes along.
I’m not really sure how to describe A because it was not made known in the book if A was a boy or a girl but I kind of just went with he. I’m not sure why but from the very beginning that was my first instinct and I went with it. Either way I enjoyed A’s character, no matter what happened he was always hooked on Rhiannon from the day he met her he knew she was the one. He always wanted what was best for her even if it hurt him or the body he was in, and that I thought was pretty amazing.
My favorite character though was Rhiannon, and the reason being is because I saw a little bit of myself in her. The things that were going on in her love life I could relate. I could also relate with her feelings most of the time, which is what totally drew me into her character.
Can we just talk about switching bodies every day for a second? I cannot even imagine that happening. I would so not be able to handle it the pain of not knowing who I really was not having real parents or real friends would kill me and I’d probably just become this depressed person. I have no clue how A dealt with it! (as if he’s a real person!)
I’m not sure if this book is meant to be a standalone because by the ending I was very confused. Out of the whole book the ending is the one thing that I was totally not happy with! It’s crazy how things just abruptly ended and left me with my jaw hanging open. Sometimes that factor can be good but In this case I’m not too happy with it. (part of me thinks that’s because of my mood at the time of reading the ending but who knows)
Overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because of the whole ending thing but If I had the chance to turn around and pick another book I wouldn’t because I really did end up enjoying this one quite a lot.
Wow Every Day is so not what I was expecting, but in a totally good way. A switches bodies every day, and that means exactly what I said he or she is never in the same body for twice ever and it’s a little tough but this is the only life A has ever known so it’s normal and he or she is okay with it until Rhiannon comes along.
I’m not really sure how to describe A because it was not made known in the book if A was a boy or a girl but I kind of just went with he. I’m not sure why but from the very beginning that was my first instinct and I went with it. Either way I enjoyed A’s character, no matter what happened he was always hooked on Rhiannon from the day he met her he knew she was the one. He always wanted what was best for her even if it hurt him or the body he was in, and that I thought was pretty amazing.
My favorite character though was Rhiannon, and the reason being is because I saw a little bit of myself in her. The things that were going on in her love life I could relate. I could also relate with her feelings most of the time, which is what totally drew me into her character.
Can we just talk about switching bodies every day for a second? I cannot even imagine that happening. I would so not be able to handle it the pain of not knowing who I really was not having real parents or real friends would kill me and I’d probably just become this depressed person. I have no clue how A dealt with it! (as if he’s a real person!)
I’m not sure if this book is meant to be a standalone because by the ending I was very confused. Out of the whole book the ending is the one thing that I was totally not happy with! It’s crazy how things just abruptly ended and left me with my jaw hanging open. Sometimes that factor can be good but In this case I’m not too happy with it. (part of me thinks that’s because of my mood at the time of reading the ending but who knows)
Overall the book gets a 4 out of 5 stars because of the whole ending thing but If I had the chance to turn around and pick another book I wouldn’t because I really did end up enjoying this one quite a lot.
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
Every Day is very different to all the other books that I have ever read. It must be a sort of torture waking up in a different body everyday, never being able to find out who you truly are, as you adopt that person's personalities. It was really sad for A, as he was unable to love Rhiannon, as she was disgusted at times by the person he was inside. I was truly feeling for A, it must be so hard.
From what I gathered, I felt that A was a good person, even he did mess up some people's lives when he inhabited them. I was angry at him for destroying and upsetting people's lives, because he left them in a bit of a mess, like with Nathan and the boy in the library. To me, I felt like that A was a boy, by the way he talked, and how he loved Rhiannon who was a girl. I thought he rushed things a bit, but I guess it was because he he thought his time was limited, and it was.
The ending just didn't work with me. I thought the writer just slowly must of drifted off and decided they had better things to do and just finished it off. Maybe they could of just added more of a motive for A, like getting a real body, without destroying another's. If the writer put a little more effort in, then the story would of been perfect.
Every Day was a really great book at the start, then the plot was dragged out, but otherwise was perfect. This is a great book, and I think that people should give it a try.
From what I gathered, I felt that A was a good person, even he did mess up some people's lives when he inhabited them. I was angry at him for destroying and upsetting people's lives, because he left them in a bit of a mess, like with Nathan and the boy in the library. To me, I felt like that A was a boy, by the way he talked, and how he loved Rhiannon who was a girl. I thought he rushed things a bit, but I guess it was because he he thought his time was limited, and it was.
The ending just didn't work with me. I thought the writer just slowly must of drifted off and decided they had better things to do and just finished it off. Maybe they could of just added more of a motive for A, like getting a real body, without destroying another's. If the writer put a little more effort in, then the story would of been perfect.
Every Day was a really great book at the start, then the plot was dragged out, but otherwise was perfect. This is a great book, and I think that people should give it a try.
| Overall rating | 3.7 | |
| Plot | 4.0 | |
| Characters | 4.0 | |
| Writing Style | 3.0 |
Every Single Day
Every Day is very different to all the other books that I have ever read. It must be a sort of torture waking up in a different body everyday, never being able to find out who you truly are, as you adopt that person's personalities. It was really sad for A, as he was unable to love Rhiannon, as she was disgusted at times by the person he was inside. I was truly feeling for A, it must be so hard.
From what I gathered, I felt that A was a good person, even he did mess up some people's lives when he inhabited them. I was angry at him for destroying and upsetting people's lives, because he left them in a bit of a mess, like with Nathan and the boy in the library. To me, I felt like that A was a boy, by the way he talked, and how he loved Rhiannon who was a girl. I thought he rushed things a bit, but I guess it was because he he thought his time was limited, and it was.
The ending just didn't work with me. I thought the writer just slowly must of drifted off and decided they had better things to do and just finished it off. Maybe they could of just added more of a motive for A, like getting a real body, without destroying another's. If the writer put a little more effort in, then the story would of been perfect.
Every Day was a really great book at the start, then the plot was dragged out, but otherwise was perfect. This is a great book, and I think that people should give it a try.
Good Points
-I thought that this idea was absolutely brilliant!
Bad Points
-The ending didn't really work, I was kinda expecting him to figure out his condition, get some answers.
-I thought the author brought about the love between Rhiannon and A a bit to first (well for A, anyway). I think he should of slowed it down a bit.
-I thought the author brought about the love between Rhiannon and A a bit to first (well for A, anyway). I think he should of slowed it down a bit.
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This is a great book! There are no other ways to put it, it is just great!
| Overall rating | 4.3 | |
| Plot | 4.0 | |
| Characters | 4.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
Very interesting book
This is a great book! There are no other ways to put it, it is just great!
Good Points
This is a book that I would highly recommend because it is so unique. I haven't read any other book like it and I love everything about it. Although, it would be better if the author made Rhiannon stand out more so we could see exactally why A likes her so much. To sum it all up though I think who ever is reading this review should go and read the book!
Do You Recommend?
Yes
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First, the positives. Every Day definitely kept my interest. I was never bored, and I thought his prose had a nice simple flow to it. The concept was indeed both original and interesting, and I kind of liked that, like A, we never really figure out why he* jumps from body to body each day. It's just a mystery that A has come to accept, and therefore we have to accept it too. Which kind of diffuses the paranormal aspect of the book, since A really isn't interested in why he jumps bodies every day. I thought it was kind of neat to have a paranormal-esque book where the protagonist really wasn't very interested in finding out anything about the paranormal aspect. He just accepted it and moved on.
I liked Rhiannon, the girl A falls in love with. She felt infuriatingly real to me, in that occasionally she'd act like a real person instead of being a neat and tidy fictional character and that was bothersome (like when she insisted on sticking with her deadbeat boyfriend).
Unfortunately, here's where my positives end. While I liked Rhiannon, I didn't love her, and I couldn't see anything extraordinary about her that caused A to fall in love with her during his one day inhabiting the body of her boyfriend. Certainly nothing that would provoke the stalker-like behavior that he started exhibiting afterward.
And then there was A. The premise of the book is, "can you truly love someone who is destined to change every day?" And while I think exploring the answer to that question is interesting, the problem with this book's way of exploring it is that A did not seem to be a character worth that sort of transcendental love. He's kind of flat. He doesn't have much in the way of personality. He's not particularly funny. Yet Rhiannon tries really hard to make things work between them, and I don't understand why. To make that sort of sacrifice in a relationship, I'd think the other person would have to have a spectacularly awesome personality to get past the physical weirdness, and A just doesn't. He's obsessive and intellectual and kind of judgmental and not all that amusing. It almost makes me wonder if the fact that Rhiannon is inherently a good person, combined with the intrigue of the body switching, is why she attempts to make things work with A at all. Because contrary to how many times they insist it is his sparkling personality, I just don't see it.
Then we get to the book's subplot, where one of A's daily hosts catches on to him and makes it his mission in life to figure out who/what A is and expose him to the world. And seriously, this annoyed me so much. Not just the fact that A dismissed the character's obsession to find out who had taken over his body for a day as inconsequential and unhealthy. A tends to be extremely un-empathetic and self-involved, so I could look past the fact that he thought being, essentially, possessed for a day should be no big deal to someone else. But on top of that, every foray into this subplot felt like a poorly placed and ill-informed jest at the Christian community, which I didn't appreciate. Are there crazies in the world, Christian and otherwise? You betcha. But the way this book handled the whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth.
And speaking of things that left a bad taste in my mouth, let's talk for a minute about the main plot of the book: the "romance" between A and Rhiannon. First of all, Rhiannon seems like a reluctant participant the entire time, which makes me not really want to root for this romance (especially since I already liked her more than A). Second, A is dismissive and condescending about her concerns, which are legitimate and serious. Every time he suspects that maybe her hesitation is in any way tied to the body he's in, he's disappointed in her. Not in the hand they were dealt. In her. Which completely discounts the role physical attraction plays in romance. And while I don't think romance based solely on physical attraction is healthy, I also don't think one should completely disregard the role physical attraction plays in romantic relationships. Beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder, and different appearances appeal to different people, but the fact that he seemed to look down on her any time he suspected she may not be physically attracted to the body he was currently inhabiting bothered me immensely.
Now, I understand that because A does not have a physical body of his own, he has taught himself to believe that the physical self doesn't really matter. It's kind of a self-preservation mechanism. So in terms of the character, I can understand why he thinks that way.
But the way he expresses his views throughout the book seemed heavy-handed and unreasonable to me, and once again, I found it hard to root for him.
Now, lots of people have complained about the end of the book. This is one thing I actually didn't have a problem with. No, it's not a storybook ending. But it felt like a good conclusion to the story of A and Rhiannon, and while maybe it wasn't entirely satisfying, I thought it was appropriate. So on that front, I have no complaints.
Overall, I give it an A for originality, but a D for characters and connection. I know I'm in the vast minority here, as most of the reviews I've read indicate that readers were sobbing and heartbroken over this book. I wanted to be among them, truly I did, but in the end, I remained unmoved.
*I refer to him as "he," because although he thinks of himself as genderless, his voice sounded extremely male to me. Plus, we first meet him as a guy, and you know what they say about first impressions
I liked Rhiannon, the girl A falls in love with. She felt infuriatingly real to me, in that occasionally she'd act like a real person instead of being a neat and tidy fictional character and that was bothersome (like when she insisted on sticking with her deadbeat boyfriend).
Unfortunately, here's where my positives end. While I liked Rhiannon, I didn't love her, and I couldn't see anything extraordinary about her that caused A to fall in love with her during his one day inhabiting the body of her boyfriend. Certainly nothing that would provoke the stalker-like behavior that he started exhibiting afterward.
And then there was A. The premise of the book is, "can you truly love someone who is destined to change every day?" And while I think exploring the answer to that question is interesting, the problem with this book's way of exploring it is that A did not seem to be a character worth that sort of transcendental love. He's kind of flat. He doesn't have much in the way of personality. He's not particularly funny. Yet Rhiannon tries really hard to make things work between them, and I don't understand why. To make that sort of sacrifice in a relationship, I'd think the other person would have to have a spectacularly awesome personality to get past the physical weirdness, and A just doesn't. He's obsessive and intellectual and kind of judgmental and not all that amusing. It almost makes me wonder if the fact that Rhiannon is inherently a good person, combined with the intrigue of the body switching, is why she attempts to make things work with A at all. Because contrary to how many times they insist it is his sparkling personality, I just don't see it.
Then we get to the book's subplot, where one of A's daily hosts catches on to him and makes it his mission in life to figure out who/what A is and expose him to the world. And seriously, this annoyed me so much. Not just the fact that A dismissed the character's obsession to find out who had taken over his body for a day as inconsequential and unhealthy. A tends to be extremely un-empathetic and self-involved, so I could look past the fact that he thought being, essentially, possessed for a day should be no big deal to someone else. But on top of that, every foray into this subplot felt like a poorly placed and ill-informed jest at the Christian community, which I didn't appreciate. Are there crazies in the world, Christian and otherwise? You betcha. But the way this book handled the whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth.
And speaking of things that left a bad taste in my mouth, let's talk for a minute about the main plot of the book: the "romance" between A and Rhiannon. First of all, Rhiannon seems like a reluctant participant the entire time, which makes me not really want to root for this romance (especially since I already liked her more than A). Second, A is dismissive and condescending about her concerns, which are legitimate and serious. Every time he suspects that maybe her hesitation is in any way tied to the body he's in, he's disappointed in her. Not in the hand they were dealt. In her. Which completely discounts the role physical attraction plays in romance. And while I don't think romance based solely on physical attraction is healthy, I also don't think one should completely disregard the role physical attraction plays in romantic relationships. Beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder, and different appearances appeal to different people, but the fact that he seemed to look down on her any time he suspected she may not be physically attracted to the body he was currently inhabiting bothered me immensely.
Now, I understand that because A does not have a physical body of his own, he has taught himself to believe that the physical self doesn't really matter. It's kind of a self-preservation mechanism. So in terms of the character, I can understand why he thinks that way.
But the way he expresses his views throughout the book seemed heavy-handed and unreasonable to me, and once again, I found it hard to root for him.
Now, lots of people have complained about the end of the book. This is one thing I actually didn't have a problem with. No, it's not a storybook ending. But it felt like a good conclusion to the story of A and Rhiannon, and while maybe it wasn't entirely satisfying, I thought it was appropriate. So on that front, I have no complaints.
Overall, I give it an A for originality, but a D for characters and connection. I know I'm in the vast minority here, as most of the reviews I've read indicate that readers were sobbing and heartbroken over this book. I wanted to be among them, truly I did, but in the end, I remained unmoved.
*I refer to him as "he," because although he thinks of himself as genderless, his voice sounded extremely male to me. Plus, we first meet him as a guy, and you know what they say about first impressions
| Overall rating | 2.7 | |
| Plot | 3.0 | |
| Characters | 2.0 | |
| Writing Style | 3.0 |
Unique premise, but I couldn't seem to connect
First, the positives. Every Day definitely kept my interest. I was never bored, and I thought his prose had a nice simple flow to it. The concept was indeed both original and interesting, and I kind of liked that, like A, we never really figure out why he* jumps from body to body each day. It's just a mystery that A has come to accept, and therefore we have to accept it too. Which kind of diffuses the paranormal aspect of the book, since A really isn't interested in why he jumps bodies every day. I thought it was kind of neat to have a paranormal-esque book where the protagonist really wasn't very interested in finding out anything about the paranormal aspect. He just accepted it and moved on.
I liked Rhiannon, the girl A falls in love with. She felt infuriatingly real to me, in that occasionally she'd act like a real person instead of being a neat and tidy fictional character and that was bothersome (like when she insisted on sticking with her deadbeat boyfriend).
Unfortunately, here's where my positives end. While I liked Rhiannon, I didn't love her, and I couldn't see anything extraordinary about her that caused A to fall in love with her during his one day inhabiting the body of her boyfriend. Certainly nothing that would provoke the stalker-like behavior that he started exhibiting afterward.
And then there was A. The premise of the book is, "can you truly love someone who is destined to change every day?" And while I think exploring the answer to that question is interesting, the problem with this book's way of exploring it is that A did not seem to be a character worth that sort of transcendental love. He's kind of flat. He doesn't have much in the way of personality. He's not particularly funny. Yet Rhiannon tries really hard to make things work between them, and I don't understand why. To make that sort of sacrifice in a relationship, I'd think the other person would have to have a spectacularly awesome personality to get past the physical weirdness, and A just doesn't. He's obsessive and intellectual and kind of judgmental and not all that amusing. It almost makes me wonder if the fact that Rhiannon is inherently a good person, combined with the intrigue of the body switching, is why she attempts to make things work with A at all. Because contrary to how many times they insist it is his sparkling personality, I just don't see it.
Then we get to the book's subplot, where one of A's daily hosts catches on to him and makes it his mission in life to figure out who/what A is and expose him to the world. And seriously, this annoyed me so much. Not just the fact that A dismissed the character's obsession to find out who had taken over his body for a day as inconsequential and unhealthy. A tends to be extremely un-empathetic and self-involved, so I could look past the fact that he thought being, essentially, possessed for a day should be no big deal to someone else. But on top of that, every foray into this subplot felt like a poorly placed and ill-informed jest at the Christian community, which I didn't appreciate. Are there crazies in the world, Christian and otherwise? You betcha. But the way this book handled the whole situation left a bad taste in my mouth.
And speaking of things that left a bad taste in my mouth, let's talk for a minute about the main plot of the book: the "romance" between A and Rhiannon. First of all, Rhiannon seems like a reluctant participant the entire time, which makes me not really want to root for this romance (especially since I already liked her more than A). Second, A is dismissive and condescending about her concerns, which are legitimate and serious. Every time he suspects that maybe her hesitation is in any way tied to the body he's in, he's disappointed in her. Not in the hand they were dealt. In her. Which completely discounts the role physical attraction plays in romance. And while I don't think romance based solely on physical attraction is healthy, I also don't think one should completely disregard the role physical attraction plays in romantic relationships. Beauty is most definitely in the eye of the beholder, and different appearances appeal to different people, but the fact that he seemed to look down on her any time he suspected she may not be physically attracted to the body he was currently inhabiting bothered me immensely.
Now, I understand that because A does not have a physical body of his own, he has taught himself to believe that the physical self doesn't really matter. It's kind of a self-preservation mechanism. So in terms of the character, I can understand why he thinks that way.
But the way he expresses his views throughout the book seemed heavy-handed and unreasonable to me, and once again, I found it hard to root for him.
Now, lots of people have complained about the end of the book. This is one thing I actually didn't have a problem with. No, it's not a storybook ending. But it felt like a good conclusion to the story of A and Rhiannon, and while maybe it wasn't entirely satisfying, I thought it was appropriate. So on that front, I have no complaints.
Overall, I give it an A for originality, but a D for characters and connection. I know I'm in the vast minority here, as most of the reviews I've read indicate that readers were sobbing and heartbroken over this book. I wanted to be among them, truly I did, but in the end, I remained unmoved.
*I refer to him as "he," because although he thinks of himself as genderless, his voice sounded extremely male to me. Plus, we first meet him as a guy, and you know what they say about first impressions
Do You Recommend?
No
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A lives the loneliest of existences, living a life that’s really not his at all. You see, each day A wakes up in the body of a different person, never knowing which race, gender, religious affiliation, or type of person he’ll be from one day to the next and at midnight, he’ll be pulled from that body and transported to the next. It’s been this way for as long as he can remember and his biggest struggles of the day are to remain in that person’s body, living their life as they would live it, without raising too much suspicion from those around him- parents, siblings, friends, significant others- that anything is different, that for this one single day, that person is anyone other than themselves. He has questions about his life, but is pretty resigned to the fact that things are the way they are and nothing can be done about it. A is meticulous in his efforts, never imposing his will on his host’s thoughts, never interfering in their lives, until one day he wakes up as Justin. After meeting Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon, suddenly he’s making mistakes he’s never made before and wishing against all hope that he existed in a single body and never had to say goodbye again.
“Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.”
I was drawn to this book immediately by its original premise, the ability to live your life each day essentially as a new person. I can say I’ve had this thought often enough, wondered what it would be like to be recreated over and over again; the possibilities are endless. I love the way that the author wove this tale, such creativity in creating all these people and the lives that went with each person. I enjoyed getting to know them all, their quirks and flaws, what made them who they were and the experiences that A was able to receive from being in their body for a single twenty-four-hour period. The knowledge he is able to access from seeing the world through a different pair of eyes (or in the case of a blind girl he was at one time, other senses) each day is almost unfathomable.
I also liked the embedded message within, about love at it’s most basic form. Do people really fall in love with someone’s soul, their very being, or regardless of how much we wish to deny it happens, are our emotions- our love- tied to how we view a person? Does it matter that a person is of a certain gender or race, does altering that person’s appearance really alter how you would feel about them in the end? I think we’d all like to think of ourselves as being able to love free of judgement and not be superficial, but is that truly possible? To be honest, I don’t know if I woke up to my husband as a woman one day how I would feel about that, and it has nothing to do with being attracted to a certain sex or not. I mean, the rational part of me wants to say that I’d love him no matter what, but like Rhiannon addresses so very often in the story, who and how we love a person is often tied to the images and memories we have of them. Yes, love goes beyond skin deep for most people, but doesn’t seeing the same skin over a period of time tie into the love that we feel? This story is definitely one that makes you think.
Without a doubt, Mr. Levithan has the effortless ability to captivate his readers from the beginning of the story and to tether their emotions to each page with his tender, real-to-life prose and charismatic way of storytelling. I fell into the story easily and found myself enthralled with this heartbreaking journey of these two people trying to defy the odds and find true love.
I wanted to love this story; I wanted to believe in this teen romance. I wanted to pull for them, to wish for them to navigate the complications of this type of love, and find a compatible rhythm that meant they could exist in one another’s life each and every day, but… I couldn’t. It was hard for connect to A’s infatuation and almost insta-love for Rhiannon. I just couldn’t understand it. After existing for almost 6,000 days, always being so careful, what was it about this one girl that made him want to disrupt all these other people’s lives for her? Rhiannon’s hesitation about it all, and her slow-building attraction for him and her never-ending questions, was the only thing that kept this romance somewhat believable for me.
I also struggled with the side-story that was Daniel’s quest to find out who inhabited his body for a day. He was the one exception to the rule, a person that felt he was “possessed” after A slipped up because his thoughts are too consumed with finding ways to be with Rhiannon. I can only conclude that his sole purpose in the book was to be the loophole to finding out about Reverend Poole and the possibility of other’s with A’s “situation.” More often than not, I became aggravated with his part in the story, and felt like it was more of a distraction from the romance than an integral part of the plot.
As much as I enjoyed this novel, in the end, I found it wasn’t enough for me. In general, I’m not a big fan of “falling down the rabbit hole.” In some cases, I can deal with being left with the big unknown, but in this case I needed more answers. The more I read, the less it became about the journey, and the more it became about the destination. Why was this happening to A? Were there truly others like him? What gender was he/she (it?) born as and where are the birth parents? How does Rhiannon’s story unfold after A left her, and do they every find love– together, separately? So. MANY. Questions. Reading this story was like watching LOST (If you haven’t ever seen this show, just ignore the next part.). At the beginning I watched it because I enjoyed it. Then I watched it because I needed to know what was going on and why they were on the island ? Finally, I gave up in the middle of the very last season because my brain couldn’t deal with all the mind-screwing that was going on and the frustration ruined it all for me.
Levithan’s writing capability was never a matter of questioning. I’ve heard of his books before this, and he definitely has a way with words, so I doubt this will be the last book of his I read. If I had the assurance that there was going to be a companion novel or even a series that guaranteed me answers, I probably would’ve even rated this Every Day higher and enjoyed it more. But I don’t have those; therefore, I felt like I only received half of a story. If you’re a person who can appreciate wonderful storytelling and revel in the journey of a book, then this one is for you. However, if you’re like me and need to have the answers and general closure at the end, I might would wait to see if Mr. David Levithan has anything else up is sleeve in regards to this book.
*An e-galley of this title was provided by Random House Children’s Books via Net Galley.
Reviewed by
Christina
October 09, 2012
Last updated: October 11, 2012
Top 500 Reviewer - View all my reviews (21)
“Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.”
I was drawn to this book immediately by its original premise, the ability to live your life each day essentially as a new person. I can say I’ve had this thought often enough, wondered what it would be like to be recreated over and over again; the possibilities are endless. I love the way that the author wove this tale, such creativity in creating all these people and the lives that went with each person. I enjoyed getting to know them all, their quirks and flaws, what made them who they were and the experiences that A was able to receive from being in their body for a single twenty-four-hour period. The knowledge he is able to access from seeing the world through a different pair of eyes (or in the case of a blind girl he was at one time, other senses) each day is almost unfathomable.
I also liked the embedded message within, about love at it’s most basic form. Do people really fall in love with someone’s soul, their very being, or regardless of how much we wish to deny it happens, are our emotions- our love- tied to how we view a person? Does it matter that a person is of a certain gender or race, does altering that person’s appearance really alter how you would feel about them in the end? I think we’d all like to think of ourselves as being able to love free of judgement and not be superficial, but is that truly possible? To be honest, I don’t know if I woke up to my husband as a woman one day how I would feel about that, and it has nothing to do with being attracted to a certain sex or not. I mean, the rational part of me wants to say that I’d love him no matter what, but like Rhiannon addresses so very often in the story, who and how we love a person is often tied to the images and memories we have of them. Yes, love goes beyond skin deep for most people, but doesn’t seeing the same skin over a period of time tie into the love that we feel? This story is definitely one that makes you think.
Without a doubt, Mr. Levithan has the effortless ability to captivate his readers from the beginning of the story and to tether their emotions to each page with his tender, real-to-life prose and charismatic way of storytelling. I fell into the story easily and found myself enthralled with this heartbreaking journey of these two people trying to defy the odds and find true love.
I wanted to love this story; I wanted to believe in this teen romance. I wanted to pull for them, to wish for them to navigate the complications of this type of love, and find a compatible rhythm that meant they could exist in one another’s life each and every day, but… I couldn’t. It was hard for connect to A’s infatuation and almost insta-love for Rhiannon. I just couldn’t understand it. After existing for almost 6,000 days, always being so careful, what was it about this one girl that made him want to disrupt all these other people’s lives for her? Rhiannon’s hesitation about it all, and her slow-building attraction for him and her never-ending questions, was the only thing that kept this romance somewhat believable for me.
I also struggled with the side-story that was Daniel’s quest to find out who inhabited his body for a day. He was the one exception to the rule, a person that felt he was “possessed” after A slipped up because his thoughts are too consumed with finding ways to be with Rhiannon. I can only conclude that his sole purpose in the book was to be the loophole to finding out about Reverend Poole and the possibility of other’s with A’s “situation.” More often than not, I became aggravated with his part in the story, and felt like it was more of a distraction from the romance than an integral part of the plot.
As much as I enjoyed this novel, in the end, I found it wasn’t enough for me. In general, I’m not a big fan of “falling down the rabbit hole.” In some cases, I can deal with being left with the big unknown, but in this case I needed more answers. The more I read, the less it became about the journey, and the more it became about the destination. Why was this happening to A? Were there truly others like him? What gender was he/she (it?) born as and where are the birth parents? How does Rhiannon’s story unfold after A left her, and do they every find love– together, separately? So. MANY. Questions. Reading this story was like watching LOST (If you haven’t ever seen this show, just ignore the next part.). At the beginning I watched it because I enjoyed it. Then I watched it because I needed to know what was going on and why they were on the island ? Finally, I gave up in the middle of the very last season because my brain couldn’t deal with all the mind-screwing that was going on and the frustration ruined it all for me.
Levithan’s writing capability was never a matter of questioning. I’ve heard of his books before this, and he definitely has a way with words, so I doubt this will be the last book of his I read. If I had the assurance that there was going to be a companion novel or even a series that guaranteed me answers, I probably would’ve even rated this Every Day higher and enjoyed it more. But I don’t have those; therefore, I felt like I only received half of a story. If you’re a person who can appreciate wonderful storytelling and revel in the journey of a book, then this one is for you. However, if you’re like me and need to have the answers and general closure at the end, I might would wait to see if Mr. David Levithan has anything else up is sleeve in regards to this book.
*An e-galley of this title was provided by Random House Children’s Books via Net Galley.
| Overall rating | 3.7 | |
| Plot | 4.0 | |
| Characters | 2.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
Reviewed by
Christina
October 09, 2012
Last updated: October 11, 2012
Top 500 Reviewer - View all my reviews (21)
Wanted to love it, but all I feel is disappointment.
A lives the loneliest of existences, living a life that’s really not his at all. You see, each day A wakes up in the body of a different person, never knowing which race, gender, religious affiliation, or type of person he’ll be from one day to the next and at midnight, he’ll be pulled from that body and transported to the next. It’s been this way for as long as he can remember and his biggest struggles of the day are to remain in that person’s body, living their life as they would live it, without raising too much suspicion from those around him- parents, siblings, friends, significant others- that anything is different, that for this one single day, that person is anyone other than themselves. He has questions about his life, but is pretty resigned to the fact that things are the way they are and nothing can be done about it. A is meticulous in his efforts, never imposing his will on his host’s thoughts, never interfering in their lives, until one day he wakes up as Justin. After meeting Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon, suddenly he’s making mistakes he’s never made before and wishing against all hope that he existed in a single body and never had to say goodbye again.
“Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.”
I was drawn to this book immediately by its original premise, the ability to live your life each day essentially as a new person. I can say I’ve had this thought often enough, wondered what it would be like to be recreated over and over again; the possibilities are endless. I love the way that the author wove this tale, such creativity in creating all these people and the lives that went with each person. I enjoyed getting to know them all, their quirks and flaws, what made them who they were and the experiences that A was able to receive from being in their body for a single twenty-four-hour period. The knowledge he is able to access from seeing the world through a different pair of eyes (or in the case of a blind girl he was at one time, other senses) each day is almost unfathomable.
I also liked the embedded message within, about love at it’s most basic form. Do people really fall in love with someone’s soul, their very being, or regardless of how much we wish to deny it happens, are our emotions- our love- tied to how we view a person? Does it matter that a person is of a certain gender or race, does altering that person’s appearance really alter how you would feel about them in the end? I think we’d all like to think of ourselves as being able to love free of judgement and not be superficial, but is that truly possible? To be honest, I don’t know if I woke up to my husband as a woman one day how I would feel about that, and it has nothing to do with being attracted to a certain sex or not. I mean, the rational part of me wants to say that I’d love him no matter what, but like Rhiannon addresses so very often in the story, who and how we love a person is often tied to the images and memories we have of them. Yes, love goes beyond skin deep for most people, but doesn’t seeing the same skin over a period of time tie into the love that we feel? This story is definitely one that makes you think.
Without a doubt, Mr. Levithan has the effortless ability to captivate his readers from the beginning of the story and to tether their emotions to each page with his tender, real-to-life prose and charismatic way of storytelling. I fell into the story easily and found myself enthralled with this heartbreaking journey of these two people trying to defy the odds and find true love.
I wanted to love this story; I wanted to believe in this teen romance. I wanted to pull for them, to wish for them to navigate the complications of this type of love, and find a compatible rhythm that meant they could exist in one another’s life each and every day, but… I couldn’t. It was hard for connect to A’s infatuation and almost insta-love for Rhiannon. I just couldn’t understand it. After existing for almost 6,000 days, always being so careful, what was it about this one girl that made him want to disrupt all these other people’s lives for her? Rhiannon’s hesitation about it all, and her slow-building attraction for him and her never-ending questions, was the only thing that kept this romance somewhat believable for me.
I also struggled with the side-story that was Daniel’s quest to find out who inhabited his body for a day. He was the one exception to the rule, a person that felt he was “possessed” after A slipped up because his thoughts are too consumed with finding ways to be with Rhiannon. I can only conclude that his sole purpose in the book was to be the loophole to finding out about Reverend Poole and the possibility of other’s with A’s “situation.” More often than not, I became aggravated with his part in the story, and felt like it was more of a distraction from the romance than an integral part of the plot.
As much as I enjoyed this novel, in the end, I found it wasn’t enough for me. In general, I’m not a big fan of “falling down the rabbit hole.” In some cases, I can deal with being left with the big unknown, but in this case I needed more answers. The more I read, the less it became about the journey, and the more it became about the destination. Why was this happening to A? Were there truly others like him? What gender was he/she (it?) born as and where are the birth parents? How does Rhiannon’s story unfold after A left her, and do they every find love– together, separately? So. MANY. Questions. Reading this story was like watching LOST (If you haven’t ever seen this show, just ignore the next part.). At the beginning I watched it because I enjoyed it. Then I watched it because I needed to know what was going on and why they were on the island ? Finally, I gave up in the middle of the very last season because my brain couldn’t deal with all the mind-screwing that was going on and the frustration ruined it all for me.
Levithan’s writing capability was never a matter of questioning. I’ve heard of his books before this, and he definitely has a way with words, so I doubt this will be the last book of his I read. If I had the assurance that there was going to be a companion novel or even a series that guaranteed me answers, I probably would’ve even rated this Every Day higher and enjoyed it more. But I don’t have those; therefore, I felt like I only received half of a story. If you’re a person who can appreciate wonderful storytelling and revel in the journey of a book, then this one is for you. However, if you’re like me and need to have the answers and general closure at the end, I might would wait to see if Mr. David Levithan has anything else up is sleeve in regards to this book.
*An e-galley of this title was provided by Random House Children’s Books via Net Galley.
Good Points
Interesting plot.
Bad Points
I was left with far too many questions.
Do You Recommend?
Maybe
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Each day is a new body for A. Each day A is someplace new, waiting to be someone new. A has made guidelines so as not disrupt the body's life too much. Then A meets Rhiannon. A woke up in her boyfriend's body and ended up spending one wonderful day with her. The next day A can't stop thinking about her though—same with the next day and the next. How can a relationship work though when you never know who or where one of the people might wake up. Maybe someone has answers for A, but they not be the answers A wants.
In case you though he might, David Levithan does not disappoint with this fantastic new novel. I was drawn in from the first line—the first page. The idea of waking up every day in a different body is just an amazing thing to think about. I can't even imagine the outlook on life that A has. Of course I got to see a small glimpse into his psyche, but it's nowhere near enough. A was a good person through and through though. That's one thing that inhabiting multiple bodies can do. You have been every race and gender and sexual orientation, so you are pretty much without prejudice. Rhiannon on the other hand, was not a great person.
Rhiannon wasn't a terrible person, she was just honestly prejudice. I don't think there's any way that she loved A nearly half as much as A loved her. If she loved him, it wouldn't matter what body he was in, she would just want to be with him. I realize that this is an impossible situation. It would take a lot of understanding, and I can see the issues with it. Love is love though. I just think it would be hard to love someone you can't be with. I just didn't like that she seemed put out by him being in a girl's body or an unattractive body. I really wished she could have just always seen into A.
This is a great novel about love knowing no bounds, but knowing plenty of struggle. I wish everyone could have the same outlook on love as A, but I think that's what everyone would like. I think people are all people and should be treated the same...respectfully. If you are a fan of David then I'm sure you already grabbed this, if not make sure you do. If you aren't a fan yet you should check this one out. It was beautifully written and an interesting concept with a great lead character.
First Line:
"I wake up."
Favorite Lines:
"He's a hardcore design geek, and his room is an orchard of Apple products."
"I wanted love to conquer all. But love can't conquer anything. It can't do anything on its own. It relies on us to do the conquering on its behalf."
In case you though he might, David Levithan does not disappoint with this fantastic new novel. I was drawn in from the first line—the first page. The idea of waking up every day in a different body is just an amazing thing to think about. I can't even imagine the outlook on life that A has. Of course I got to see a small glimpse into his psyche, but it's nowhere near enough. A was a good person through and through though. That's one thing that inhabiting multiple bodies can do. You have been every race and gender and sexual orientation, so you are pretty much without prejudice. Rhiannon on the other hand, was not a great person.
Rhiannon wasn't a terrible person, she was just honestly prejudice. I don't think there's any way that she loved A nearly half as much as A loved her. If she loved him, it wouldn't matter what body he was in, she would just want to be with him. I realize that this is an impossible situation. It would take a lot of understanding, and I can see the issues with it. Love is love though. I just think it would be hard to love someone you can't be with. I just didn't like that she seemed put out by him being in a girl's body or an unattractive body. I really wished she could have just always seen into A.
This is a great novel about love knowing no bounds, but knowing plenty of struggle. I wish everyone could have the same outlook on love as A, but I think that's what everyone would like. I think people are all people and should be treated the same...respectfully. If you are a fan of David then I'm sure you already grabbed this, if not make sure you do. If you aren't a fan yet you should check this one out. It was beautifully written and an interesting concept with a great lead character.
First Line:
"I wake up."
Favorite Lines:
"He's a hardcore design geek, and his room is an orchard of Apple products."
"I wanted love to conquer all. But love can't conquer anything. It can't do anything on its own. It relies on us to do the conquering on its behalf."
| Overall rating | 5.0 | |
| Plot | 5.0 | |
| Characters | 5.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
Every day the same feelings
Each day is a new body for A. Each day A is someplace new, waiting to be someone new. A has made guidelines so as not disrupt the body's life too much. Then A meets Rhiannon. A woke up in her boyfriend's body and ended up spending one wonderful day with her. The next day A can't stop thinking about her though—same with the next day and the next. How can a relationship work though when you never know who or where one of the people might wake up. Maybe someone has answers for A, but they not be the answers A wants.
In case you though he might, David Levithan does not disappoint with this fantastic new novel. I was drawn in from the first line—the first page. The idea of waking up every day in a different body is just an amazing thing to think about. I can't even imagine the outlook on life that A has. Of course I got to see a small glimpse into his psyche, but it's nowhere near enough. A was a good person through and through though. That's one thing that inhabiting multiple bodies can do. You have been every race and gender and sexual orientation, so you are pretty much without prejudice. Rhiannon on the other hand, was not a great person.
Rhiannon wasn't a terrible person, she was just honestly prejudice. I don't think there's any way that she loved A nearly half as much as A loved her. If she loved him, it wouldn't matter what body he was in, she would just want to be with him. I realize that this is an impossible situation. It would take a lot of understanding, and I can see the issues with it. Love is love though. I just think it would be hard to love someone you can't be with. I just didn't like that she seemed put out by him being in a girl's body or an unattractive body. I really wished she could have just always seen into A.
This is a great novel about love knowing no bounds, but knowing plenty of struggle. I wish everyone could have the same outlook on love as A, but I think that's what everyone would like. I think people are all people and should be treated the same...respectfully. If you are a fan of David then I'm sure you already grabbed this, if not make sure you do. If you aren't a fan yet you should check this one out. It was beautifully written and an interesting concept with a great lead character.
First Line:
"I wake up."
Favorite Lines:
"He's a hardcore design geek, and his room is an orchard of Apple products."
"I wanted love to conquer all. But love can't conquer anything. It can't do anything on its own. It relies on us to do the conquering on its behalf."
Was this review helpful to you?
This book was my first David Levithan book, and I was not disappointed! David Levithan is a great author, and he was able to make this slightly weird idea and love story become an amazing novel.
A is a different person every day, and it's been like this for A's entire life. When I first heard about this I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. I ended up really enjoying it. The great thing about this book is that A isn't a girl or a boy, A is just A. A loves people based on who they are and she struggles loving someone who isn't as open to that idea. I wasn't a huge fan of the love story, but I did love seeing A grow and seeing A decide to just live.
The book was really enjoyable.
A is a different person every day, and it's been like this for A's entire life. When I first heard about this I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. I ended up really enjoying it. The great thing about this book is that A isn't a girl or a boy, A is just A. A loves people based on who they are and she struggles loving someone who isn't as open to that idea. I wasn't a huge fan of the love story, but I did love seeing A grow and seeing A decide to just live.
The book was really enjoyable.
| Overall rating | 4.7 | |
| Plot | 5.0 | |
| Characters | 4.0 | |
| Writing Style | 5.0 |
Great and Interesting novel!
This book was my first David Levithan book, and I was not disappointed! David Levithan is a great author, and he was able to make this slightly weird idea and love story become an amazing novel.
A is a different person every day, and it's been like this for A's entire life. When I first heard about this I wasn't sure if I would like it or not. I ended up really enjoying it. The great thing about this book is that A isn't a girl or a boy, A is just A. A loves people based on who they are and she struggles loving someone who isn't as open to that idea. I wasn't a huge fan of the love story, but I did love seeing A grow and seeing A decide to just live.
The book was really enjoyable.
Do You Recommend?
Yes
Was this review helpful to you?
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