Every Day by David Levithan

Each morning when A wakes up, it is a new experience because (s)he is always in a different body.

A is not a boy or a girl, but rather a person in a guy or a girl's body for the day. A doesn't like strictly boys or girls, but rather who the body (s)he's residing for the day. A does not know the person (s)he's living for the day personally, but can find facts in the person's brain when (s)he needs to go to school, what sport they play, etc.

This is normal for A. A goes through the motions that are right for each day, act like the person for that day, and wait to see who (s)he will be the next morning.

A has never been the same person twice. The only consistent thing is that A wakes up in Massachusetts.

Living like this didn't bother A. But one day, A was Justin. And Justin had a girlfriend named Rhiannon.

Somehow, A could not forget Rhiannon. She was unlike any girl A had ever met before. Usually A forgets about the previous day to concentrate on the new day and new person, but Rhiannon stuck in A's mind.

Then A did the unthinkable; he told Rhiannon the truth. Everything, exactly what happens to A every day. At first Rhiannon didn't believe him, but day after day A would try to meet up with Rhiannon to prove that everything A said was the truth.

And A started to fall in love with Rhiannon.

However, there were things that kept them apart, physically and mentally. Some days, when A was a female and saw Rhiannon, there was tension between them. When A was overweight, Rhiannon was distant. Other days, there was a spark between them.

It was a complicated relationship. Not to mention that Rhiannon was still with Justin.

So A tried really hard to figure out how to fix this problem. And A was also living a different life a day, trying to make sure he didn't get anyone in major trouble for something that A did while living their life for that day.

Will A and Rhiannon be able to find a way to be together, when A changes bodies every day? Read Every Day by David Levithan to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
Wow. There was so much that I loved about this novel. I have a few friends who love David Levithan but this is the first book of his that I've read. I will be fixing that shortly.

So, A. I kept imagining A to be a guy, even when (s)he was in a girl's body. I bet that other readers read A differently, but that's how I kept imagining A to be.

I also loved the fact that there was every single type of person in here. Straight, gay, transgender, overweight, depressed, suicidal, you name it. Levithan added it. And A was able to be that person for one day. Some days were better than others, but A knew without a doubt that (s)he will be leaving that body after waking up the next morning.

I think that's why I love this book so much. I think any and every reader will find something to relate to with this novel. This isn't a "oh, you might like it because the character likes to read" sort of recommendation. This is just full of amazingness.

It's also realistic when it comes to Rhiannon and A's "relationship". You can imagine that trying to be together with someone who has no idea where (s)he will wake up the next morning is a little difficult. And Levithan shows that. It's not a normal relationship and it is extremely hard for them not to get mad at the other for certain things.

I am extremely glad this is located at my library where I work, because if it wasn't, I would buy it to put it in there. I hope other teens will check it out and find something that they will love about this novel, because I would find it hard not to myself (obviously, haha).

Now, I need to go and get more of Levithan's novels to see if they par up to this amazing book!

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Astrid moved from New York to a small-country town, which is a big adjustment. She still thinks of herself as a city New Yorker, but to her dismay her parents have not yet moved back there, making Astrid an outsider in their small town.

Astrid also has a secret that no one besides Dee knows - she is secretly dating a girl. Astrid doesn't see anything wrong with that, but she knows that there is a "right" and a "wrong" in her small town and if anyone knew about her secret they would shun her even more than they already do.

Things at home are hard. Her mom pretends that she is still in New York by dressing up as if she is going to work, when she actually works at home. Her dad has started to smoke weed, so now he is high all of the time and can't keep a job for very long. And her younger sister, Ellis, wants to be popular and her mom's "mini-me", so that means liking Astrid is out of the question.

Because Astrid has no one to love and no one loves her, she sends her love to the sky. Specifically, to the planes that fly over her back yard. Every time one flies over, she sends all of her love to somone who needs it.

And it actually works. Someone who is lost or feels unloved on that plane will get a burst of love or understanding when Astrid sends all of this love their way.

With Astrid's "girlfriend" Dee pressuring her to come out of the closet so they can start dating for real, Astrid is unsure if she is gay or just bi-curious. And with the looming knowledge that her parents and the residents of the small town will treat her differently, Astrid is not sure if she wants to do that.

But not being herself and hiding her true passions is not a good thing either. Will Astrid finally let her friends and family know? Or will she stayed locked away in a place where she has to give her love away to complete strangers because her closest friends are too small minded? Read Ask the Passengers by A.S. King to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
When I first started reading this, I didn't realize it was about LGBTQ. Goes to show how much I read the description, eh?

And at first I wasn't able to connect with the novel. Astrid is a bit weird, but she is also very lost, not knowing what to do with the person she is and the people she knows.

As I got more into the novel I found myself really wanting to know what happens, so I think this was a very good novel.

I liked the way that A.S. King portrayed Astrid. I also like how she created Dee as well, because Dee was already out and was pressuring Astrid to do the same. I think that is very realistic when a person is trying to find out if they are lesbian/gay or not.

While I have not read many LGBTQ novels, I am really glad that I picked this one up at my library to read.

I think that any girl would like this novel, even if they don't like girls. It tells about high school bullies, rumors, confusion, and loneliness, which every girl goes through at one stage or another.

Also, I've never read any of King's novels, even though she has a few out. I may have to pick another one of them up to see what else she has written about.