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A review by mathman329
Every Day by David Levithan
2.0
This book was my free book in a buy 2, get 1 free deal at my local book store whose premise was very intriguing to me. I didn't realize that it was a YA Lit book, but that probably wouldn't have dissuaded me from reading it anyways. What would dissuade me from recommending it to others is what actually transpires. Without giving away the main story, the idea is the narrator wakes up every day in the body of someone new. At first, this seemed like a novel (pun intended) idea. Unfortunately, it quickly sparked some problems for me.
First, the narrator seemed to be this worldly, mature-beyond-their-years teen, even though they've never had the consistency of being the same person for more than a single day. I found it difficult to see how this character could have so much more maturity compared to other characters in the book.
The second thing that was frustrating was the actual mechanics of being a new person each day. They always "respawned" as someone not overly far from the previous people, usually within a couple hours drive. I guess the sequel might delve into this, or maybe it's a question better left unexplained, though not for me.
Finally, the crux of the novel, young love, becomes the catalyst for getting the narrator to try and stop this endless cycle of "new day, new you". Up to this point, this idea has apparently never been a real goal of the narrator's. What about the constant revolving door of new families? That wasn't enough to try and stop the process? Having no best friend, no support system, that never made the narrator want to stop?
I do feel I need to highlight one of the benefits of this novel, which was that it was short and I read it over the summer break shortly after moving into our new house. Luckily, I didn't have to waste much of my time with the book and could quickly move on to another, much like the narrator moving from one body to another. What started with great promise quickly turned into a missed opportunity, and thus only receives 2 out of 5 inhabited bodies. In other words, don't bother.
First, the narrator seemed to be this worldly, mature-beyond-their-years teen, even though they've never had the consistency of being the same person for more than a single day. I found it difficult to see how this character could have so much more maturity compared to other characters in the book.
The second thing that was frustrating was the actual mechanics of being a new person each day. They always "respawned" as someone not overly far from the previous people, usually within a couple hours drive. I guess the sequel might delve into this, or maybe it's a question better left unexplained, though not for me.
Finally, the crux of the novel, young love, becomes the catalyst for getting the narrator to try and stop this endless cycle of "new day, new you". Up to this point, this idea has apparently never been a real goal of the narrator's. What about the constant revolving door of new families? That wasn't enough to try and stop the process? Having no best friend, no support system, that never made the narrator want to stop?
I do feel I need to highlight one of the benefits of this novel, which was that it was short and I read it over the summer break shortly after moving into our new house. Luckily, I didn't have to waste much of my time with the book and could quickly move on to another, much like the narrator moving from one body to another. What started with great promise quickly turned into a missed opportunity, and thus only receives 2 out of 5 inhabited bodies. In other words, don't bother.