Another Day (Every Day #2) by David Levithan

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Reviewed by Bel

The eagerly anticipated companion to David Levithan’s New York Times bestseller Every Day.

In this enthralling companion to his New York Times bestseller Every Day, David Levithan (co-author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson with John Green) tells Rhiannon’s side of the story as she seeks to discover the truth about love and how it can change you.

Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has accepted her life, convinced herself that she deserves her distant, temperamental boyfriend, Justin, even established guidelines by which to live: Don’t be too needy. Avoid upsetting him. Never get your hopes up.

Until the morning everything changes. Justin seems to see her, to want to be with her for the first time, and they share a perfect day—a perfect day Justin doesn’t remember the next morning. Confused, depressed, and desperate for another day as great as that one, Rhiannon starts questioning everything. Then, one day, a stranger tells her that the Justin she spent that day with, the one who made her feel like a real person . . . wasn’t Justin at all.

How do you follow up the ingenious and mind-bending, Every Day? That’s what went through my mind when we received the arc for Another Day. I was so happy to have it and return to A’s story, this time through the eyes of A’s unexpected love interest, Rhiannon.

The first thing I noticed is Rhiannon’s loneliness which sets the tone for the book. She’s in a relationship with Justin, a moody, insular guy who is nowhere close to boyfriend-of-the-year material. His hot-and-cold attitude causes her to walk on eggshells around him, always concerned about any triggers that may set him off. Rhiannon seems to always be sad and even more so around him, it downright pissed me off. Her bit of sunshine that lifted her out of the doldrums was when A visited Justin’s body for the day. They played hooky, went to the beach and Rhiannon experienced the most relaxing, peaceful day in years. She was happy, well and truly content. Unfortunately, it was short-lived when A disappeared to a different body and Justin came back to himself.

The story focuses on Rhiannon’s relationship with A once she learns of A’s existence. She has no idea what to think or what to do but for the first time in years, she feels a connection to someone and more importantly, she feels like someone. Suddenly there’s light after so long feeling hollow on the inside because someone else actually sees her. A makes her question her decisions and the quality of her relationships. Rhiannon learns to comes to terms with A’s changing appearances, in so doing growing into a different, more confident person. For the first time, she knows what it means to be loved and be in love. 

You’ll be familiar with many of the events that are repeated from Every Day but with Rhiannon’s perspective comes the added appreciation for the impact A has on her life. By the ending of Another Day, I felt a sense of resolve and urgency coming from Rhiannon that felt different from the ending to the previous book. It makes me wonder if there’ll be more to tell of Rhiannon and A. I hope so because both these books have had such an influence on me, and I’d love to see a happy conclusion if that’s in the cards for them. If you haven't read Every Day yet, I urge you to do so and fall in love with Levithan's writing. And for those who want more, Another Day is just as unique, complex and beautiful as its predecessor! 

~ Bel