I've been reading through other blogger's End of the Year Survey's for the last couple of weeks (and if you haven't participated yet, head over to The Perpetual Page-Turner -- it's a great way to reflect on your reading for the past year!) This book seems to have popped up on at least half the surveys that I've read so far ... and the consensus is love, love and more love. So I put the book on hold, with a little trepidation. Although I completely respect and value the recommendations of other bloggers, I haven't exactly had the best experience with David Levithan so far. I was SO excited to read The Lover's Dictionary, and really intrigued by the premise of a story told in dictionary entries, but the story fell flat for me. David is a beautiful writer, but the story just didn't grab hold of me.Every Day was a completely different experience. Anyone with a beating heart would have a hard time not relating to A's struggles in this book. Each morning, he wakes up in a different body and spends the day as that person. He's come to accept his existence of never really being too attached to his surroundings, knowing that he'll be gone the next day, and that person will continue on with his or her existence, without even knowing that A was there. But one day, A enters the body of Justin, and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment on, A isn't able to deal with the day-to-day changing of bodies in the same way, because he finds himself inextricably linked to Rhiannon.It's hard to find the words to describe exactly what it was about Every Day that made it so memorable. The book is more about emotions than about actual events. The struggles that A goes through while trying to understand his existence and the way he comes to terms with his relationship with Rhiannon is both uplifting and heart-wrenching at the same time. I devoured this book in just over a day, which I haven't done in a LONG time, and then found myself thinking about it for a few days afterwards. Every Day deserves its spot atop all of those best of 2012 lists, and has renewed my faith in David Leviathan's ability to tell a really great story.Review also posted at: http://writergrrlreads.blogspot.ca/2012/12/every-day-david-leviathan.html
