Another Day | David Levithan | Every Day #2 | Pub Date: August 25, 2015
When David Levithan announced that he was writing a companion to his novel, Every Day, I was a bit skeptical. Levithan is one of my favorite authors and has yet to write a book that I didn’t love, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from reading Rhiannon’s side of Every Day’s story. From A’s perspective, Every Day’s concept is unique—a person who wakes up in a different body every day, regardless of race or gender. Therefore, I was curious to see how different Rhiannon’s perspective would be in Another Day.
Another Day is very different, but also very good. I enjoyed Another Day in a way I didn’t expect. This novel gives a surprising and valuable perspective on love, relationships, and most of all: respect.
Rhiannon is in a bad relationship. She loves her boyfriend, Justin, but things have been rocky between them for a long while. His moodiness and selfish behavior makes Rhiannon unhappy, but her feelings for him are so strong that she lets it slide. But one day, he’s different. He’s kind, open, and happy, and they ditch school and go on a mini-adventure together. It’s a day like this one that makes Rhiannon believe its worth dealing with all of Justin’s bad parts. But the next day, Justin acts like their perfect day never happened, and eventually Rhiannon learns that it wasn’t really Justin she shared that day with, but A—an unimaginable being who only exists by taking over a new body each day. That day, A also fell in love with Rhiannon. If that doesn’t leave a girl in a doozy, I don’t know what does.
Rhiannon’s toxic relationship with Justin does take up a main focus in the novel, and it’s important that it does. Justin may be suffering with some deep issues, but his disregard for her feelings is practically abusive. In many ways, he takes advantage of Rhiannon’s feelings for him, and the interactions between these two made me feel so bad for Rhiannon, who deserves much better than this guy. It then alternates to her growing relationship with A as she initially tries to understand who A is and if she could really love someone like A. I was a bit surprised by this new perception of A, who is a little pushier than I remember. A is assertive, but honest with Rhiannon regarding A’s feelings. A is right that Rhiannon shouldn’t be with someone like Justin, but she should also be given some more time to think before jumping into another relationship that is sure to be way more complicated—even if in an entirely different way.
Rhiannon is imperfect: she doesn’t always make the right decisions and she can be hurtful and insecure, but all of that makes her feel so real. She’s one of the best-written female protagonists I’ve read in a while, and the way this book ends is perfect. You guys, I thought I was missing the last few pages, but when it dawned on me that this is how the book really ends, I threw my Kindle in the air in victory. Not only does the ending give a new, eye-opening perspective on one of the last scenes in Every Day, but what Rhiannon decides to do next is so ridiculously empowering. I loved that it opens doors to a possible sequel, because now that I’ve gotten to know both characters so well, I would love to see what happens next. At the same rate, I also feel satisfied with this being a definitive ending for the story, because it can be argued that the characters have reached an end point on their emotional growth and are ready to move on to something bigger, scarier, and unknown.
Rating: 10/10
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Another Day by David Levithan is now available wherever books are sold. Read our review for Every Day here.
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