This review is part of Melody’s Summer Reading: Diversity Spotlight. Enjoy!
Every Day by David Levithan
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, LGBT, Romance
ISBN: 978-0307931887
Source: Bought
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Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan introduces readers to what Entertainment Weekly calls a “wise, wildly unique” love story about A, a teen who wakes up every morning in a different body, living a different 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.
Every Day is just as magnificent as I knew it would be. The concept is what sparked my interest and I knew that anyone who could pull something like this off would probably become one of my favorite authors. This is the second novel of David’s that I’ve read and I think I’m onto something. I’m so ashamed I bought this a few months after it came out in 2012 and I am just now getting to it. But I’m so glad I finally did.
I loved following A, who wakes up in a different body every day, that body always the age that he currently is. In this case, he’s always sixteen years old. I loved, loved, loved the world building for which A is built on and the little elements such as A being able to access so easily the memories of the person they are that day and A being able to carry on the knowledge that they gain each day. Because A learns so much as so many different people not just because he’s a boy one day, she’s a girl the next, a caucasian one day, a minority the other. David Levithan really goes there and leaves no road unmet. We see A in a transgender body. We see A in a morbidly obese body. We see A at their first funeral. We see A struggle to stay as close as he/she can to the girl he/she finds himself/herself falling in love with. Because one day A surrenders and simply gives life a shot for no one other than themselves, something A hasn’t done in a very long time.
Watching A on this journey as he/she struggles to find out what selflessness is, struggles to learn what truly knowing one self and someone else means and what’s enough to give and take when you know, struggles to know what love is for someone in their predicament, and how to love once you’ve fallen…wow. I am left speechless. This was a flawlessly executed story, the structure of it so absolutely beautiful. Each day flowed so smoothly to the next, even when A woke up in less than ideal environments. This story, A’s journey was so fluid, so raw, so emotionally gripping. Every Day is a lovely, heartbreaking, mesmerizing story that everyone of every age should read. You will be so, so glad you did. Don’t put it off like I did. Experience the magic of David Levithan today. You will be blown away.
Every Day by David Levithan is available today.