Every Day

Sep 05, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ala-2012, august, 2012-publication, paranormal-general, male-pov, male-ya-author, young-adult, lgbt, rh, read-2012, 2012-favorites, made-my-heart-hurt, mature-ya, questionable-ethics

What makes us fall in love--and what makes us who we are?

Those are the questions at the heart of this novel, which tells a thoughtful, touching story that will surprise readers with its sentient literary style and gentle feeling.

Everyone longs for human connection, but 16-year-old A.'s search for it seems to be a losing proposition. Every day, for as long as he can remember, he wakes up in a different body: sometimes as a girl, sometimes with a different ethnicity, sometimes with a different se...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Kathryn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, on-my-nook, young-adult, book-club

I'm in the minority here: I didn't like Every Day, and the more I think about the book, the more it angers me.

The main character, A, is Dr. Sam Beckett; A quantum-leaps from person to person, landing in a different host each day. A has no body of A's own, having been leaping since A was an infant at least. There are a few rules limiting the leaps:

1. A leaps only into a host of approximately the same age, and A appears to age in the same progression as a human (that is, A at one is mentally indis...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Stacia ~ Mistress of Mediocrity by: Buddy read w/Amanda, Joan & Rebecca

Shelves: adult

I wake up the next morning in Beyonce's body.

3.5 stars. I think I hated this book, even though I was drawn into it like a moth to a flame. And by hate, I mean that I did like the book, but found myself frustrated because I was forced to question every single damn thing. There was something about the entire story that suffocated the hell out of me. My head hurt from trying to figure out how all of 'this' was supposed to work. My heart hurt from the presumed hopelessness of the situation. Yet,...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Blythe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss-arc, highly-anticipating-2012, 2012-reads, cried-my-eyes-out, didn-t-see-that-coming, exceeded-my-expectations, favorites, hand-me-some-tissues, i-e-i-will-always-love-you, i-totally-saw-that-coming, judge-a-book-by-the-cover, take-your-insta-love-and-leave, read-reviewed, 2012-favorites

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Despite what you might think from my rating, I really, truly loved this book. I want to give this book a full five star rating so much, but, regardless of how much I think this book deserves a five star rating, and how much I want to give it a five star rating, I just can't bring myself to give it that.

A has an indeterminate gender, an indeterminate family, and even indeterminate name. Each and every day, A finds himself waking up in a new body...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Nancy rated it 1 of 5 stars

The concept for the story is intriguing - A is a person that inhabits another person's body for one day. Sometimes A is a boy, sometimes a girl. A can inhabit different colors of skin and different shapes and sizes. A tries to minimize the impact of occupying the body. A is supposedly not judgmental. Whatever body A inhabits is fine with A.

The story is, I believe, about acceptance. People come in all shapes, sizes, genders and orientations. There is no preference given the above mentioned catego...more The concept for the story is intriguing - A is a person that inhabits another person's body for one day. Sometimes A is a boy, sometimes a girl. A can inhabit different colors of skin and different shapes and sizes. A tries to minimize the impact of occupying the body. A is supposedly not judgmental. Whatever body A inhabits is fine with A.

The story is, I believe, about acceptance. People come in all shapes, sizes, genders and orientations. There is no preference given the above mentioned categories. Biology does play a part in a person's makeup, as demonstrated by the chemically depressed girl A inhabited one day which was moving and empathetic. Very well written. Also well-written is the chemical dependence of the addict and physical pain A felt and the act of defying the urge by staying in the bedroom until the end of the day, enduring.

Yet I feel like Leviathan is preachy about his own beliefs, pushing his viewpoint whether than just letting the reader think. The lack of understanding that gender might effect Rhiannon's attraction and the implication that she is wrong for that isn't fair. I'm only attracted to men. Does that make me a bad person? Even though being attracted to one gender is more common, A pushes the idea that it's wrong and judgmental which feels judgmental to me.

Much of the storyline focuses on gender and orientation rather than acceptance of each person. Not that the author doesn't attempt this topic because he does. The protagonist inhabits a 300 lb. boy, an addict, a boy grieving for his grandfather, a mean girl, a football player, a deeply depressed girl. Yet the recurring theme tends toward gender being a societal construct rather than a biological reality. Love is love no matter what. There is lesbian love, homosexual males in a gay pride parade, a transgender female going through hormone changing injections with a girlfriend, a past where A fell in love when occupying a boy's body with another boy and began a romantic relationship yet I don't recall (although I may be mistaken) a healthy heterosexual relationship portrayed throughout the book.

Additionally, the topic of religion is brushed upon but not in a favorable light. I did like the summation that religions share a great deal of commonalities because I agree with this especially when clarified with the differences being the history of their church and origin. But overall, humans believe in a higher power and a greater purpose. However, brushing religion under the carpet as being unimportant is rather condescending. Despite the commonalities of all religions, I'd wager that identifying with a religion is one of the top 5 characteristics of most people. Perhaps because my sexual orientation is just assumed, I don't typically qualify myself as "heterosexual."

The concept of this book is interesting, but overall it's a romance. It carries all the cheesy declarations of loves that come with that. If the book had focused less on the romance and been more well-rounded in it's portrayals of different belief systems it would've probably rated higher for me. It seems to want people to understand different viewpoints without fairly attempting to understand theirs. Faith being portrayed so inaccurately is very frustrating, especially when it's also unnecessary.(less)

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Sep 06, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Why do I remember a time spent driving around all day with wind and music in my hair as if it was yesterday, but can’t recall one detail about my high school graduation? Some days stick. Others fade away. A life mystery...I hope forever remains a mystery.

One day at a time. Live every day to the fullest. Be in the moment. Day to day. Today is a new day. See you tomorrow…..Are just a few of the common expressions that Mr. Levithan blows up and almost redefines in the pages of Every Day. A book tha...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Kat (Le Pauvre Cœur) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: pretty-cover, awesome-main-character, beautiful-writing, blew-me-away, cheesy-romance, f-cking-brilliant, must-add-to-personal-library, insta-love

Every day, A is a different person. When he/she goes to sleep at night, he wakes up in someone else's 16 year old body. By now, A is used to it; he can't do anything to stop it.
One morning, A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. Against his own rules, A takes Rhiannon to the beach and they connect in a way that A has never felt before. Even after switching bodies, A can't stop thinking about her and continues to meet her as different people.
Until A finally te...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Wendy F rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, young-adult, gritty

Why do you read books?

I read books because they transport me somewhere else. I go on adventures, fall in love, grieve, laugh... I find best friends, and sometimes I lose best friends. This is the first time that I've read a book and actually felt alone... lonely.

Imagine, you have nobody of your own. Every day you have a new mother, new father, new life... you drift from body to body, without any real roots or anything that you can call your own. The MC, 'A', kept trying to convince Rhiannon, and...more

Why do you read books?

I read books because they transport me somewhere else. I go on adventures, fall in love, grieve, laugh... I find best friends, and sometimes I lose best friends. This is the first time that I've read a book and actually felt alone... lonely.

Imagine, you have nobody of your own. Every day you have a new mother, new father, new life... you drift from body to body, without any real roots or anything that you can call your own. The MC, 'A', kept trying to convince Rhiannon, and us as the reader, that 'A' lived a full life. That 'A' had experiences and a world larger than an average person because 'A' got to live 6000 different people's lives. But how could you? How could you really live without any true connections?

And when you read a book about a character that wakes up every day in the body of someone new, what ending do you wish for? 'A' is in love. For the first time 'A' has told someone what kind of life 'A' leads. (Please note that I continue to say 'A' because 'A' has no stated gender. One day A's a male, one day A's female. 'A' just is.) Do you hope that 'A' finds a way to keep a body, so that 'A' can live life with Rhiannon? 'A' does deserve everything that an average everyday individual has. 'A' is a good person, and up to meeting Rhiannon, 'A' has made sure to leave each host body with the least amount of impact possible. 'A' has a conscience, and feels guilt when something about the hosts life is affected by the visit. So, while you can't help but hope that 'A' gets to live life, you also hate the idea that 'A' would give up that integrity to accomplish it. It's an awkward position, as the reader, because you want a happy ending, but you don't want to compromise the moral compass that has guided 'A' thus far. Already 'A' is doing things more and more questionable out of love for Rhiannon. You don't blame 'A'. Remember, 'A' wants to be, and 'A' IS a person who does things that 'A' normally wouldn't out of need for a connection, 'A' aches for it. It reminded me a bit of Stolen: A Letter to My Captor in that way. You know how it SHOULD end, but it's not necessarily how you want it to end.

Am I making it sound depressing? Because 'Every Day' wasn't depressing, per se. It was... a book about hope. Well, actually, it was more about hoping for hope. And it was about selflessness.

And it made me think, and likely will leave an impression on me long after I finish this review. (Thanks Stacia, you were right. This definitely was a 'Wendy' book.)

4.5 stars (less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Maree rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-magical-fantasy, text-publishing, in-the-bookshelf, 2012-read

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Every day A wakes up in a different body. A has learnt to live with this and is resigned to the fact that this is fate. A has strict rules when it comes to interfering with the bodies A inhabits for the day, accessing their memories just enough to make it through the day without being noticed and never becoming too attached. Then A connects with Rhiannon and suddenly A has something to live for, to look forward to every day. Suddenly A has something which lasts more than one day...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-netgalley

This review can also be found on My Fiction Nook.

I don't even know where to start. This book made me cry, it was so good.

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

The MC is a person of indeterminate gender, looks and even name, who wakes up in a different body every single day. 'A', as s/he calls him/herself has been like this since birth. Every morning, 'A' has to check whether the body currently inhabited is male or female, check the location...more

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Sep 21, 2012 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, supernatural-fiction, arc, netgalley-arc, 2012-reads, 2012-reviews, read-need-to-buy, creeeeepy, emotional-whiplash, reviewed, i-love-you-for-your-words, a-marysue-by-any-other-name

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

4.25 out of 5

Every Day is another remarkable novel from a very talented and thankfully prolific author. Just when I start to feel again that YA sticks to and retreads the same trends, ideas, themes, constantly, Mr. Levithan publishes such a starkly original and thoroughly readable novel. Unlike anything else I've read (though I can see slight shades of both The Time Traveler's Wife and Quantum Leap in components of Every Day), this is a thought-prov...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Ariana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended, must-read, emotional, male-pov, favorites, great-books, rereading-material

Wow! This was such a feast for my eyes and mind!

My thoughts after finishing the book: SO GOOD! I didn't even have time to mark it as currently-reading, this is how lost into the story I've been. One of the best books I've read in quite a while!

Full review:

Romance aside, this story is about people .. All kinds of people in all kinds of scenarios, with different lives and in different environments. It's the most wonderful book about what it means to be human.

It takes you on a journey around the w...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Scott Pilgrim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, must-read-2012, male-pov, fantasy, favorites

"One person can make a difference."

People are always saying how one person can make a difference. It is hard to accomplish but it is possible. A is born into a different body every day and he has an option to interfere in their lives. A's policy of non-interference is broken the day he meets Rhiannon. Soon A falls in love with Rhiannon and he wants to be with her every day.

Every Day is a book that shows love has no limitations. No matter what body A is in, whether it be male or female, he st...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Komal rated it 1 of 5 stars

David Levithan formed the perfect hypothesis, but he failed to design an experiment, plan an observation or conduct a research and quench the bits which mattered the most. Instead, he took the easier route out and declared the result unreachable when it could have, so easily, been created right out of the never-emptying vaults of his mind.

Sometimes, an author gets a brilliant idea, an idea that is out of this world, untried, new and unique and awaiting to challenge him and his readers alike. Dav...more David Levithan formed the perfect hypothesis, but he failed to design an experiment, plan an observation or conduct a research and quench the bits which mattered the most. Instead, he took the easier route out and declared the result unreachable when it could have, so easily, been created right out of the never-emptying vaults of his mind.

Sometimes, an author gets a brilliant idea, an idea that is out of this world, untried, new and unique and awaiting to challenge him and his readers alike. David Levithan had had such an idea occur to him: an idea that is an instant appeal to any audience curious enough. An idea that has so many countless possibilities and doors open for exploration and knowledge and rides of humongous thrills and fictious amusement. An idea which draws its power from the intriguing absurdity of it. Once you spot the synopsis, you can not not wonder what the story is about and would be like (unless you're some form of an oppressor of fantasy or just plain dismisser of anything one-of-a-kind). Even if you wouldn't read, you'd still wonder... and then perhaps turn that wonder into a plan to find out what it's all about.
This was all that I felt when I picked up Every Day. Plus the whole sweet whiff of romance sounded so warm and nice.

Every single dedicated chapter of the book was a sword digging deeper and deeper into my Nerve of Tolerance. You seem to be a man of wide-margined and unbound imaginations, but Mr. Levithan, I hope you realize the kind of opportunity you passed up on by leading this book into a direction completely regretful and extremely far from where I pictured it would be going. This book, the magnificent idea it harbours, could have turned into such a SWELL fiction, or an urban fantasy or any other tale of sorts. But you, Sir, you left all the questions unanswered and plunged your eye-brow raising idea into the deepest seas of confused emotions and a muddle of love.
I never got what I was actually looking for in the book. I was looking for the paths lighting ways deeper into the theory you created, woe is me.

There should be a mention, however, of David Levithan's writing style which is unexpectedly compelling and has a tone of 'factualness' about it - a tone I find quite endearing, hence making my regrets of the story going downwhill inflate in size. No exaggerations in his words or portrayals of destestable and time-wasting thoughts.

Read this only if you're a reader who cares not for logic, solutions, depth of exploration of ideas, characters with definite genders and a sense of morality and a story of sound closure. A treasure of an idea gone to utter waste - right from the beginning.

Kathryn's review sums up all my questions and opinions on this novel pretty nicely:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...(less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Belkis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Just WOW. I just finished this book and I don't know where or how to begin expressing all of the things I'm feeling right now. I honestly can't articulate them all properly my head and heart are in jumbles. This book is unlike any other I've EVER read. David Levithan, what a mind you have. What an imagination. I can only equate this level of awe inspiring experience with the likes of reading something written by the geniuses that are John Green and Laini Taylor. Now, having read and LOVED t...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fiction, magic-realism, romance, love

Originally posted here.

description

The concept presented by Every Day intrigued me enough, and I would still probably pick it up even if I didn't read (and enjoy) Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary a couple of years back. My interest was piqued not entirely by the development of the story, but by how it’s supposed to end.

*

There’s this being – a soul? a spirit? something – called A who inhabits people’s bodies for a day. Just for a day – legally speaking, the entire 24 hours of it. I am guessing the name is...more

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May 08, 2013 Bren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, december-2012, disturbing, be-tissue-ready, not-for-everyone, stomach-twisting-emotional-wreck

WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR EVERYONE....

With that said, I put this book as one of my favorites. When I finished my feelings were all over the place, that I needed time to collect them. Now its been months and this book still makes my heart beat faster, my palms get sweaty, and I am eager to see where "A" will be next. You see this is a tale like no other. David Levithan has messed with my head, in a way that I am grateful for. He made me think and choose between ideas and feelings I never thou...more

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Mar 15, 2013 the golden witch. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, arc-galley, ebook, net-galley, teenage-shennanigans, gay-and-genderqueer, best-of-12, reviewed, urban-fantasy, magical-reality, phantasmagoria, own-print-arc, favorites-novels

This book is just...wow. I've been looking for a book like this in YA for a long time, and I've finally found it. This book is insanely risky in that it doesn't adhere to the status quo when it comes to romance - we have het relationships, gay relationships, and trans relationships all within one book and between two people. "Every Day" will make your heart hurt, and only hammers home one of the most important truths in the world: when it comes to love, gender is absolutely irrelevant if you rec...more This book is just...wow. I've been looking for a book like this in YA for a long time, and I've finally found it. This book is insanely risky in that it doesn't adhere to the status quo when it comes to romance - we have het relationships, gay relationships, and trans relationships all within one book and between two people. "Every Day" will make your heart hurt, and only hammers home one of the most important truths in the world: when it comes to love, gender is absolutely irrelevant if you recognize the person beneath it.

I'll admit, this is my first Levithan book. I tried reading "Will Grayson", but it wasn't my cup of tea. But with "Every Day", I very easily sank into the prose and into A's beautiful and horrible world of having to experience a new body (and a new life) every single day. This book is not an easy one to read in the emotional sense, though: there are a LOT of feels to be felt, and a lot of questions you're going to end up asking yourself, the most important of which being "what is identity?". Though we get multiple version of what A physically looks like, we get a ton of exposition on A's side mentally on how they're constructed on the inside. A is like any other person with faults and graces, but just has the unfortunate problem of being torn from the body everyday and shoved into a new one.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays with the traditional YA set. There is no heaving bosoms or hot guys or love triangles - there's a lot of thinking, a lot of heart-hurting, and a lot of beautiful tears you'll be crying by the end of the book. There's not a lot of action physically, but emotionally, this book will move you regardless of what your views are on gender identity and relationships. This is a very quiet book, and it will creep up on you - it definitely did on me.

And yet, there's still the question - is this a standalone? While I definitely wouldn't mind another book in A's universe (especially with the revelations of A's gender and the Big Reveal the Reverend makes), I think I'm happy with the way this book ended and don't mind if this ends up staying a standalone. It ends openly, leaving the reader free to kind of make their own ending about what A is going to do next. The world Levithan weaves here is very, very thorough and bright, but heartbreaking all the same when we realize the enormity of the struggle A and Rhiannon must take on in order to stay together. The characters weave back into the world, so for a magical realism YA contemporary, this has some of the best worldbuilding I've ever seen for the genre. And that's saying a lot. While Rhiannon's character is not quite entirely 3D enough for me (hence the slightly lower score), A is fully fleshed out, as is Nathan, and that was adequate enough for me.

As someone with a taste of gender dysphoria (and a HUGE case of body dysphoria), this book means a LOT to me. I'm glad Random House is brave enough to publish it because we NEED more books like this in YA, period. It made me feel okay about who I may or may not be, and it comforted me in ways that I've been looking for for awhile. Levithan truly understands the nature of love - and its ultimate truth. It doesn't matter if the person is a boy, girl, or in-between, gay or straight or trans or bi or pan - if you love them, you love them. The rest are just trappings that society slap on as a way to mentally process you (and as a way for you to process yourself). You find someone beautiful at their core, not necessarily on the physical level. You find love there, not as what the rest of YA lit would have us think anyway.

So I hope that more YA authors have the huge balls that Levithan does and publish more books like this. "Every Day" is out now through Random House in North America, and its place on my best of 2012 list is very well deserved. You can bet that once I get the chance, I'll be adding this to my bookcase. Seriously, guys. Read this book. It will change you in ways you won't even see coming.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Clementine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, fiction, magical-realism, ya

A wakes up in a different body every single day. There’s no telling who it will be, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. All A knows is that the person will be roughly the same age as A and will be in roughly the same geographic location as the body A went to sleep in the night before. Each day, A navigates the world from a different perspective and tries hard not to make connections. Then A meets Rhiannon, and everything changes. What do you do when you meet the person you wa...more A wakes up in a different body every single day. There’s no telling who it will be, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. All A knows is that the person will be roughly the same age as A and will be in roughly the same geographic location as the body A went to sleep in the night before. Each day, A navigates the world from a different perspective and tries hard not to make connections. Then A meets Rhiannon, and everything changes. What do you do when you meet the person you want to be with but you’re a different person every day?

David Levithan’s latest offering gives the reader plenty to think about. Although there’s not much time spent explaining why A’s life is the way it is, the reader soon discovers that it doesn’t matter so much why A spends a each day in a different body as much as it does that it means A can never have a normal existence. Levithan’s take on this is brilliant for myriad reasons. Because A has no actual body, A has no set gender, race, or sexual orientation. This allows the reader to think about what it means to love without the social constructs of these categories.

It’s an interesting, intriguing premise, and Levithan’s gorgeous prose draws the reader in and doesn’t let go until the end. While some readers might struggle with how quickly A develops feelings for Rhiannon, this reader never felt like it was too rushed. Everything about their intense feelings for one another felt authentic, heartbreaking, and all too real. Rhiannon, like A, struggles with what her feelings mean for a person she can never truly see.

There are things here that don’t quite work. Levithan’s novel is clearly approaching the topic of love from a perspective of tolerance and understanding, and yet he devotes an entire chapter to fat-shaming one of the bodies that A inhabits. The fact that this happens later in the book and largely serves as a way to wedge some distance between A and Rhiannon is understandable, but Levithan’s insensitive handling of obesity clashes horrifically with his overall message. This is going to alienate some readers and tarnish the overall reading experience, which is a shame, because there’s a lot here worth thinking about and enjoying.

A sad, thoughtful YA book with plenty of crossover appeal for adults. Recommended.

Every Day by David Levithan. Knopf Books for Young Readers: 2012. Library copy.(less)

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Aug 21, 2012 Cassi aka Snow White Haggard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: galleys, read-in-2012

3.5 stars

Every Day by David Levithan is intriguing book but I have a complicated relationship with it. It's a fascinating and daring premise. Every day the main character wakes up in someone else's body, treading lightly, trying not to disturb the life their walking in. The main characters has no parents, body, gender or name of their own. For the sake of having an identify, the main characters call themselves A. (For the YA readers/TV viewers this may be a poor naming choice).

Then one day, A me...more 3.5 stars

Every Day by David Levithan is intriguing book but I have a complicated relationship with it. It's a fascinating and daring premise. Every day the main character wakes up in someone else's body, treading lightly, trying not to disturb the life their walking in. The main characters has no parents, body, gender or name of their own. For the sake of having an identify, the main characters call themselves A. (For the YA readers/TV viewers this may be a poor naming choice).

Then one day, A meets Rhiannon. She's a beautiful and kind girl. Suddenly, A wants everything he can never have. He wants a life of his own, friends of his own and mostly to wake-up and spend every day with her. This book does have a small case of insta-love. However, it's unfair to judge it by our understanding of love. Insta-love is the only kind of love A can ever have, because the next day he's gone.

This book explores Rhiannon and A's attempts to build a relationship while switching between bodies, physiques and genders. It's really interesting to explore disconnecting the person from the physical aspects.

Yet I feel like Leviathan is preachy about his own beliefs, pushing his viewpoint whether than just letting the reader think. The lack of understanding that gender might effect Rhiannon's attraction and the implication that she is wrong for that isn't fair. I'm only attracted to men. Does that make me a bad person? Even though being attracted to one gender is more common, A pushes the idea that it's wrong and judgmental.

After A, breaking his own rules, leaves one borrowed body parked on the side of the highway, when the real person returns he remembers what happened to him. Because Nathan lacks any explanation, he jumps to the conclusion that he was possessed by a demon. Then apparently hoards of Christians jump on this bandwagon. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure when the last time demon-possession was in vogue. I cannot actually believe that Evangelicals whole-heartedly supported this claim. Demon-possessions are not really anywhere on the evangelical radar.

I'm bothered by the stereotypical, one-sided almost caricature of evangelicals. It's not fair and it lacks an understanding of the complex relationship between the bible, faith and what you experience in life.

The concept of this book is interesting, but overall it's a romance. It carries all the cheesy declarations of loves that come with that. If the book had focused less on the romance and been more well-rounded in it's portrayals of different belief systems it would've probably rated higher for me. It seems to want people to understand different viewpoints without fairly attempting to understand theirs. Faith being portrayed so inaccurately is very frustrating, especially when it's also unnecessary.

Received an ARC from publishers via Netgalley (less)

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Oct 10, 2012 Ailyne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

How? How in the vastness of the universe can I explain to you the absolute perfection inside the pages of this book. As I write this tears fall down my cheeks, my heart hurts a little, and the nagging feeling of the unknown lingers in my head. What great things the human mind is capable of writing. What great things it is capable of creating. I wish I had the right words...to describe everything I feel...everything this book made me feel, I guess I'll only have to try...a mere insignificant atte...more How? How in the vastness of the universe can I explain to you the absolute perfection inside the pages of this book. As I write this tears fall down my cheeks, my heart hurts a little, and the nagging feeling of the unknown lingers in my head. What great things the human mind is capable of writing. What great things it is capable of creating. I wish I had the right words...to describe everything I feel...everything this book made me feel, I guess I'll only have to try...a mere insignificant attempt, but an attempt at least.

There are great writers...those who have the ability to make the reader imagine with words amazing and great worlds, beautiful castles, magnificent people. There are great writers indeed, but Mr. Levithan is not a great writer...he is PERFECT...the closest to a perfect writer there is. Every Day is the heart-breaking, earth-shattering, soul-lifting, life-changing story of A. A who wakes up in a different body every day. A who has a mind of his/her own but is forced to skip from body to body without control of anything. A who falls in love and must learn to handle wanting to be with someone while having no physical attachment and no place to call home. The grand story here is not the love story, though it is just as powerful as everything else. Here we are drawn into each life A must live in for just one day.... And so the simple every day of humanity is what entangles you the most.

this story is written in the point of view of so many people, but the same person as well ( I know its a bit confusing but it works). We learn about the absolute most simple desires, needs, troubles, hardships and joys of humanity. The main character here has no body, no gender, no sex, no voice or place of his own. He/She just is. A human? A soul? Everything that we as a society have turned into negative is stripped. A is good right down to the core. This book is good right down to the last word. This book should grow wings and fly up to heaven because that is where it belongs. The characters in the book are teenagers, but are seen and described through the eyes of A who is also a teenager, but one who has lived too many lives and gathered the wise thought of someone who has lived a hundred years. At the end my heart was broken, my heart was reconstructed in diamonds, my heart was all light.

As you turn the pages of the book you don't imagine words, you feel them, you feel every single word on the page. Something as small as a freckle is turned into something more valuable then all the gold in the world and all because it is on a page of this book. Read it. Read it as soon as you can.

I wish i could get the words out of my brain right, but even as I write this I can't find the right adjective... David Levithan created a masterpiece.

A beautiful thing.

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May 06, 2013 Theresa Flores rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, with-review

"This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot."

Every Day is a novel about a person named "A" whose life has always been changing ever since he/she was born. Every single day, for the past sixteen years, "A" wakes up every single morning in a different body from that of the day before. It was a routine "A" had grown used to; he/she lives the life of the person he/she had taken over temporarily as...more

"This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot."

Every Day is a novel about a person named "A" whose life has always been changing ever since he/she was born. Every single day, for the past sixteen years, "A" wakes up every single morning in a different body from that of the day before. It was a routine "A" had grown used to; he/she lives the life of the person he/she had taken over temporarily as accurately as he/she can, and move on just as easily. No attachments, no interference. Until one day, "A" wakes up in a body of a 16 year old named Justin, and as the day ended, "A" had fallen in love with Justin' girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment on, instead of normally living inside the body of the person whose life he/she's currently in, "A" tries to go after something he/she had found after all these years- love, a real connection,a girl named Rhiannon.

Plot wise, definitely an A for originality. The plot was refreshing, interesting and unique. It actually makes you think at first- How did he realize what he was going through wasn't normal? How can he actually live in someone else's life every single day? The good thing is, the book explains just enough supporting details about the plot itself that it makes the plot easy to go along with even though it's impossible to actually happen in real life. As the book progressed, I loved how the plot was played out chapter by chapter. The inevitable conflict with A and Rhiannon's "relationship" had just the right emotional pull towards the readers. What I also loved about the book was how it tried to define love though "A"-- how gender is not a matter of issue, how love is an emotional connection, how love is getting past the issue of how someone looks or what/who he/she is on the outside, what love can actually do.

What made me hesitant to give the book 5 stars was the fact that, for me, I don't think the book had any specific part that was really exciting or climactic. But at the same time, I still enjoyed how mellow it was- it was indeed, a love story. I'm also not sure about what I feel about the ending. I thought it was perfect, but at the same time lacking. But I guess I liked it more than I didn't like it, since it was still very emotionally gripping that it actually left me with leftover feelings. Hahaha. So, overall, I just had to give it 5 stars instead of 4.

A must-read! (less)

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Apr 07, 2013 Evie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-ya, 2013-contemporary-month, freaking-awesome, beautifully-written, best-thing-ever, loved-it, miya-event, mind-blowing, pure-awesomeness, thought-provoking, ya

Every Day is absolutely and completely extraordinary. It's unlike anything else out there. An excellent and brilliantly executed mix of contemporary romance and science fiction - beautiful, powerful and utterly unforgettable. Brimming with intensity, wit and soulful depth, it's a bittersweet tale of love, identity, and the power of human connections. It's not just a book. It's one of the best YA books on the market. A must have, must read, and must share.

“This is what love does: It makes you wa...more Every Day is absolutely and completely extraordinary. It's unlike anything else out there. An excellent and brilliantly executed mix of contemporary romance and science fiction - beautiful, powerful and utterly unforgettable. Brimming with intensity, wit and soulful depth, it's a bittersweet tale of love, identity, and the power of human connections. It's not just a book. It's one of the best YA books on the market. A must have, must read, and must share.

“This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be.”

The premise of Every Day is quite simple, yet entirely unique and fresh at the same time. Sixteen-year-old A wakes up every day in a different body. Sometimes it's a boy, sometimes a girl - there is no pattern or rule for that. The only thing that doesn't change is age - all his hosts are always the same age as he is. He doesn't get emotionally attached, he doesn't do anything his host wouldn't do, he's merely an observer, a passer-by. Until he meets Rhianna, a girl who happens to be the girlfriend of one of his hosts. Until he falls in love, unable to resists, move on and forget. Until the universe comes crashing down on his head and the life as he knew it gets flipped upside down and inside out.

“I am a drifter, and as lonely as that can be, it is also remarkably freeing. I will never define myself in terms of anyone else. I will never feel the pressure of peers or the burden of parental expectation. I can view everyone as pieces of a whole, and focus on the whole, not the pieces. I have learned to observe, far better than most people observe. I am not blinded by the past or motivated by the future. I focus on the present because that is where I am destined to live.”

Levithan artfully explores themes such as love, life, sexuality, equality, abuse and sacrifice. And he does it with unmatched cleverness, intelligence, honesty and sensitivity. Every Day is filled with inspiring, thought-provoking reflections and beautifully constructed, meaningful scenes. It's full of memorable quotes that are demanding to be read over and over again and then shared with your family and friends. The narrative voice is not only authentic and haunting, it's also - or perhaps most of all - strikingly and searingly intimate and personal. It's impossible not to be deeply affected by it.

“It's one thing to fall in love. It's another to feel someone else fall in love with you, and to feel a responsibility toward that love.”

I loved A. I absolutely and utterly adored him. Everything about him - from the darkness and coldness within him, to how smart, understanding, thoughtful and caring he appeared - was magnetic. He was such a fascinating character. Opinionated, intelligent, passionate. He resigned himself to his fate, accepted it and tried to make the best out of every day, making sure not to harm his "hosts" and the people around them. He understood the hopelessness of his situation - he did not go looking for love; love found him. And it was the truest of all true love - the one that inspires you to do good. Selfless love. Pure love.

“People take love's continuity for granted, just as they take their body's continuity for granted. They don't realize that the best thing about love is its regular presence. Once you can establish that, it's an added foundation to your life."

I love, admire and respect David Levithan. He is an excellent writer. His stories encourage deep intellectual and emotional engagement, they're not just something you read, put away and forget about. They stick with you. They make you feel and think. They change the way you see the world. They crush you to pieces and then glue you back together, leaving you all shaky and broken, but hopeful and satisfied at the same time. They're rare. Extremely rare. And Every Day is quite possibly the rarest one of them all. Don't miss it!(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Aug 18, 2012 Sab H. (YA Bliss) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: magical-realism, reviewed-books, read-from-netgalley, vine, own-arc, own

WOW WOW. MIND = BLOWN.

This book will make such huge impact on teens today. It's one of those one-in-a-million books that has an outstanding message, a super cool premise and an unputdownable quality as the cherry on top. Levithan manages to tackle equality, humanity and, above all, LOVE in this gorgeous and utterly thought-provoking story. It's like a thousand stories packed into one, wrapped up and toppled with the most beautiful aftertaste. So much LOVE. I kind of knew I would't have much to s...more

17 likes · like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-2012

I read most of this in our hammock...a perfect place for contemplating life and love.

Levithan's books always move me with their themes of love but this one may have touched me more than any other...and that is saying a lot.

This book hits at the very heart of what I've always believed about love and the shapes that it comes in. The bodies. The minds. The various forms....and how all of them are equally valid...real.

There's so much more...but I am working on a blog post for the book. Stay tuned.

Me...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

I first encountered David Levithan’s work nearly a decade ago when I happened to catch sight of the cover of Boy Meets Boy in a local bookstore: simple, elegant, three candy hearts, three little words. I picked up the book, read the teaser on the inside cover of the book jacket, and ran (sprinter-style) to the cashier’s counter to pay for it. I may or may not have taken out a couple people in the process. Besides being a lovely, romantic story, Boy Meets Boy fundamentally changed what was possib...more I first encountered David Levithan’s work nearly a decade ago when I happened to catch sight of the cover of Boy Meets Boy in a local bookstore: simple, elegant, three candy hearts, three little words. I picked up the book, read the teaser on the inside cover of the book jacket, and ran (sprinter-style) to the cashier’s counter to pay for it. I may or may not have taken out a couple people in the process. Besides being a lovely, romantic story, Boy Meets Boy fundamentally changed what was possible in YA LGBTQ storytelling. It’s still rare to encounter such joy and acceptance and humor in most YA LGBTQ narratives. Almost ten years later, Levithan’s Every Day is equally surprising. It’s darker, but like Boy Meets Boy, it pushes boundaries and forces readers to confront their assumptions about what is “normal” and what love looks and feels like.

In Every Day, A (the main character) wakes up every day in a different body. This has been happening for as long as A can remember. Although the promo for this book uses the pronoun “he” to refer to A, this isn’t really accurate; A doesn’t have a specific gender. Because A doesn’t have a body to speak of, s/he assumes the gender of the body of that day’s person. Over the course of the novel, A is male, female, and transgendered. In the same way, A’s sexuality can’t be defined. S/he has been attracted to boys as well as girls in the past, and the people whose bodies A has occupied have been both gay and straight. The only constant in this process is that A’s age is the same as the bodies s/he enters.

In general, A accepts this life. It’s fascinating, but it’s not conducive to forming any sort of personal attachments. A knows this and doesn’t mind it, really, until s/he meets Rhiannon. Then, A wants more. A wants to be with her.

What fascinated and impressed me most about Every Day was that every character (with the exception of Rhiannon’s boyfriend, Justin) felt real. A is complicated and so is Rhiannon and so is every single person A inhabits. Some of these characters are certainly types, but because we see them through A’s empathetic point of view, they’re not merely empty vessels. A isn’t biding his/her time in their bodies. S/he’s living their lives. S/he feels responsible for their lives, even as s/he tries to live a life of his/her own. As a result, even after a day, we feel like we know them.

I loved the questions the book prompted me to consider: What would it be like to experience life in this way? What would it be like to spend the day as me? Yikes. Perhaps more importantly, I appreciated that Levithan never resolved the problem of A’s gender or sexuality because it’s not a problem for A. It is, however, an issue for Rhiannon who can “see” A in all of these people, but can’t necessarily reconcile her own growing feelings for A with A’s constantly changing appearance. Is it even possible to love someone who looks different every day?

As I approached the end, I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out how Levithan would resolve everything. He does, sort of – and it’s pretty darn romantic – but the romance isn’t without sacrifice. Ultimately, I can’t decide if the ending is about A’s agency and hope or something else (fear? escape? self-preservation?). Levithan certainly leaves open the possibility that there will be more to A’s story.

Like Boy Meets Boy and all of Levithan’s other work, the writing is elegant and engaging, the narrative innovative and beautifully crafted. I don’t love the book in the same way I love Boy Meets Boy, but I sincerely appreciate Levithan’s ability to tell me stories I haven’t heard before and to tell them in ways that startle me into paying closer attention. This is why I continue to race to the bookstore every time he publishes something new. This is why I have a feeling I’ll be reading Every Day again (and again).
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Apr 03, 2013 Maryann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, so I finished this book about two days ago and I can't stop thinking about it. I just have to write this review.

So basically, A wakes up in a new body every morning, he/she can access their memories to know their names and essentially what's going on with them. It's been like that since he/she was born and he/she doesn't know why. The bodies A hosts are limited in his/her age range, which is 16. He/She accepts his sad life and gets used to it, until one day it turns upside down when A meet...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 01-january-tbr, favorites

Every Day is the story of A, who wakes up every day in another person's body. When he meets and falls in love with Rhiannon, he goes against his drifter lifestyle and tries to form a relationship with her.

This book was captivating and interesting right away. I loved the premise, and was really intrigued by this genderless main character who doesn't have a body of their own, who instead wakes up every day in someone else's body. Plot wise, the main story here was the romance, and how A and Rhiann...more Every Day is the story of A, who wakes up every day in another person's body. When he meets and falls in love with Rhiannon, he goes against his drifter lifestyle and tries to form a relationship with her.

This book was captivating and interesting right away. I loved the premise, and was really intrigued by this genderless main character who doesn't have a body of their own, who instead wakes up every day in someone else's body. Plot wise, the main story here was the romance, and how A and Rhiannon are in love and trying to have a relationship despite A's body hopping tendencies. The other big plot line happens after A forgets to erase the browser history after checking his own email while in a boy named Nathan's body. Nathan then goes public with his story of devil possession and starts emailing A, demanding answers.

I really enjoyed both of these plot lines. With the romance, the falling in love part did happen suddenly for A, but I thought the way the relationship developed between them felt realistic. A was in love with Rhiannon right away, but it took Rhiannon more time to get there, which makes sense considering she first had to adjust to the body-swapping issue. But despite that, she still loved A and she still felt the connection between them, even in different bodies. The plot line with Nathan was also very interesting, because Nathan truly believed he had been possessed by something evil. He was scared, he wanted answers. And it was good conflict, because he deserved answers. Nathan was just a confused teenager, worried that whatever possessed him would return. But telling Nathan the truth would jeopardize everything A's trying to have with Rhiannon.

One really cool aspect of this book was the format, which kind of forces the reader to live the drifter life right there with A. It starts on day 5994, and for 40 days we go along from body to body, living just one day, and then leaving and never coming back. Never learning what happened to those people after. Whatever problems they were dealing with, whatever conflicts they had, are they resolved now? We never know, because A never knows. A can't follow up with every single body. He can't make sure they were able to finish that book report, or check in to see if their brother ever cleared his name. We drift though these bodies with A, living their life for just one day, and no more.

Finally, the ending. I must admit I was sad when it ended because I just wanted to keep going. There must be more! What about tomorrow? Where does A go from here? What happens next?

But really it was the perfect ending. I don't think there is a sequel planned (I know there's a short prequel titled Six Earlier Days, which I plan to read) but all the sequel potential is there. However, I suspect it'll turn out much like it does with the bodies A possesses—I spent 336 pages with A, but after he's gone, he's gone. There probably will not be a sequel, and even though I'd love to read one, I do think it is fitting that A's story is just this one book.

Overall it was a very enjoyable and entertaining book. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting book with a uniquely complicated romance.(less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Crystal rated it 2 of 5 stars

I began reading this book thinking that the premise of the story was interesting. Before reading it, I imagined where the story might go, what it may deal with and what it may have been about. Unfortunately this meant that the book didn’t take me by surprise. It’s not a bad story and it’s not predictable but it sort of just transpired the way I had expected.

The bodies that A inhabits were the exact types of people I expected: the jock, the emo, the mean girl, the suicidal kid, the geek, the gay...more I began reading this book thinking that the premise of the story was interesting. Before reading it, I imagined where the story might go, what it may deal with and what it may have been about. Unfortunately this meant that the book didn’t take me by surprise. It’s not a bad story and it’s not predictable but it sort of just transpired the way I had expected.

The bodies that A inhabits were the exact types of people I expected: the jock, the emo, the mean girl, the suicidal kid, the geek, the gay kid etc. We only get a snapshot of these kids as A only inhabits their bodies for a day, therefore what we do get of them came across as a bit cliché, like we only ever scratched the surface. We don’t get to know their personalities, we don’t get their perspective at all so they weren’t really characters in the story, just bodies. And whilst I get that that was sort of one of the messages of the story (that what we look like on the outside doesn’t necessarily say much about what’s on the inside), I kind of got that early on and then it just became repetitive.

I found A’s personality (and Rhiannon’s too) quite bland and boring. I never connected with them or their relationship. The writing is somewhat philosophical but became monotonous. It was an easy book to read but didn’t have me riveted to the pages. And at times, despite the weird life A has lived, I found his ramblings and internal thoughts to be a bit preachy and too insightful for a supposed 16 year old. His voice didn’t seem authentic for his age and experiences.

A falls for Rhiannon during the day in which he inhabits her boyfriend, Justin’s, body. His love for her then becomes his focus in his existence. Reconnecting with her and remaining in her life, however he could, becomes his sole purpose. I suppose I had a slight problem with this insta-love attraction. It felt a bit contrived and remained one sided for a long time. I didn’t feel their attraction for each other and didn’t feel they shared many great getting to know you moments or conversations until quite late in the book. And his very early declarations of love towards Rhiannon were cheesy in my opinion.

I wasn’t constantly engaged while reading this book, and did skim read towards the end. I had a bit of difficulty believing in the rushed, all or nothing type of love it presented. The book had a lot of potential to explore some interesting themes but seemed to take the easy route and just go for romance and cliche. Can you really fall in love in a day? Hmm, I wasn’t convinced.(less)

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Aug 04, 2012 Emily Crowe rated it 3 of 5 stars

So far I'm not at all convinced of the author's premise (I want to know the why and how of the narrator's situation), but I'm willing to give him some more time to win me over. I'm a little less than halfway through and I think it's a pretty quick read.

...So, I finished it this morning. The book went along at a pretty good 3-star clip all until I got to page 290 or so. Something happened then that made things more interesting for me and eventually bumped this up to a 4-star rating. I think the p...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What did you think?	34	229	May 22, 2013 06:18pm
Forever Young Adu...: June Meeting Date	7	13	May 15, 2013 08:50am
OST ideas?	1	13	May 15, 2013 12:22am
Any Sequel Possibilities	22	379	May 13, 2013 10:37pm
BookClubFiction: Every Day - Full Discussion	1	10	Apr 29, 2013 03:01pm

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