Every Day

Every Day, A wakes up in a different body, one that corresponds to whatever age he/she happens to be at that time. He's able to access the mind/memories of the person he occupies, but must live that person's life for the entire day, regardless of sex, race, handicap, circumstances. It's always been that way, and will be that way forever, and A has accepted it. Until he finds himself inside Justin, and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that time on, A uses the bodies he occupies to be near Rhiannon, wondering what will happen when she learns the truth.

Every Day has such an interesting concept, and A is such an engaging narrator, that I inhaled this book. It was refreshing to find a couple who does not instantly fall in love; over the course of the month the book takes place, there is a slow building of emotion (even if A does seem a bit like a stalker at times; he's simply never had anyone in his existence before for whom he cares). The relationship between he and Rhiannon is overwhelming for lots of reasons, but it's real. Mr. Levithan knows how teens think and how they feel, and he nails both.

What is probably the best, most thought-provoking part of the book, however, are the glimpses into the every day lives of the people whose bodies A occupies. All are aged sixteen; some are popular, some are mean, some are beautiful, some are ugly, and a few are desperate. A struggles with what he wants to do as opposed to what he should do while he's inside a body. And this struggle leads to trouble in the form of Nathan, a boy he occupies who somehow knows things are different and is determined to find out the truth.

In the paranormal genre, there's only so many tales to be told, so many monsters to embody. While occupying someone is not a new idea, it takes on a whole new meaning in the hands of Mr. Levithan. I couldn't stop reading; I had to know how it would end. Even when I thought I knew what would happen, I didn't, and that's the beauty of the story. I have a feeling I'm going to be thinking about this one for a very long time, and wishing I had the thrill of reading it again for the first time. Highly recommended.

~taminator40