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A review by franuary
Another Day by David Levithan
3.0
Another Day is a retelling of [a:David Levithan|11664|David Levithan|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1426529210p2/11664.jpg]’s [b:Every Day|13262783|Every Day (Every Day, #1)|David Levithan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356993940s/13262783.jpg|18464379] from the perspective of Rhiannon, a teen girl in a dysfunctional relationship. Rhiannon’s boyfriend Justin is distant, controlling, and borderline verbally abusive to Rhiannon, but Rhiannon stays with Justin believing he can change. One day, Justin unexpectedly becomes attentive, caring and passionate toward her, and she finds herself falling for him all over again. But the next day proves that Justin hasn’t changed at all. And out of the blue, a total stranger contacts her with an unbelieveable and life-changing explanation for Justin’s one good day.
When I heard that David Levithan was writing a companion book to Every Day, I was thrilled. I love Levithan, and I especially adored Every Day. I thought it was entertaining and smart and unique. I also loved that sparked conversation about gender identity. My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces for A, someone who has never been known or loved as themselves but is able to show affection so honestly and completely. I can’t overstate how much I loved A as a character.
But… Rhiannon. Rhiannon's side of the story isn’t nearly as interesting as A’s. I sympathize with her. I know what it’s like to stick with someone who makes you miserable out of a misguided sense of loyalty. I completely get that she has zero positive relationships in her life to model her own after and she makes terrible romantic decisions as a result. Maybe if I hadn’t ever been in that place, or if I were still in that place, I would have found her side of the story more compelling. But instead, I kept wanting to grab her and shake her by the shoulders and scream “SNAP OUT OF IT” until she made better choices or passed out (either would have been fine).
While I didn’t love this one, I’m still dying to read a true sequel to Every Day. There were so many unanswered questions left at the end of both of these books, and I know that Levithan can pay them off spectacularly. I just hope that the next book is all A all the way.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Random House Children’s and to NetGalley for the advance copy!
When I heard that David Levithan was writing a companion book to Every Day, I was thrilled. I love Levithan, and I especially adored Every Day. I thought it was entertaining and smart and unique. I also loved that sparked conversation about gender identity. My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces for A, someone who has never been known or loved as themselves but is able to show affection so honestly and completely. I can’t overstate how much I loved A as a character.
But… Rhiannon. Rhiannon's side of the story isn’t nearly as interesting as A’s. I sympathize with her. I know what it’s like to stick with someone who makes you miserable out of a misguided sense of loyalty. I completely get that she has zero positive relationships in her life to model her own after and she makes terrible romantic decisions as a result. Maybe if I hadn’t ever been in that place, or if I were still in that place, I would have found her side of the story more compelling. But instead, I kept wanting to grab her and shake her by the shoulders and scream “SNAP OUT OF IT” until she made better choices or passed out (either would have been fine).
While I didn’t love this one, I’m still dying to read a true sequel to Every Day. There were so many unanswered questions left at the end of both of these books, and I know that Levithan can pay them off spectacularly. I just hope that the next book is all A all the way.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Random House Children’s and to NetGalley for the advance copy!