Every Day is the story of “A” a teen who wakes up every day in the body of a different teenager. Male, female, gay, straight, rich, poor… anyone is fair game to be possessed for 24 hours. David Levithan is male, the love interest is female and for the sake of pronouns I will refer to “A” as a “he” although it is made clear that “A” is genderless.
At the opening of the book “A” awakens in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin’s girlfriend Rhiannon. For the last sixteen years “A” has made rules to avoid doing any damage on the lives he comes into but that all changes when he meets Rhiannon. He begins to take his host bodies out to meet Rhiannon whenever he is close enough to her, at first keeping the secret to himself and then finally trusting her with the truth.
Like Cinderella “A” turns into a pumpkin at midnight, though for him a “pumpkin” is being catapulted into another teenager’s body. “A” risks getting exposed when midnight strikes while “A” is coming home from a party that Rhiannon was at, as straight-laced Nathan, leaving him on the side of the road. Nathan’s story of being possessed by the devil for a day gets traction and “A’s” secret becomes that much harder to keep hidden.
It’s an unusual love story and its unusual premise gives a fun twist on your typical YA romance; and there is a significant need to suspend your disbelief to make it all work. My biggest problem is I didn’t see Rhiannon as the girl I would tear my whole life up for, risk exposure for and chase around the state to be with.