Review by Nicolesmith327 -- Yesterday by Samyann

[Nicolesmith327]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Yesterday" by Samyann.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation by Samyann is a tale about two people that, when fate puts them together, learn they will always be together. Amanda and Mark meet in an accidental encounter that throws their lives together in a way they didn’t expect. Though they had never met before, they both have this recognition of souls, and like magnets, are drawn to each other. This scares Amanda immensely as she has a deep-seated fear of losing the ones she loves. Mark finds he has a challenge on his hands to not only confront his own attractions to Amanda, but also to help her overcome her fear of being hurt. Throw an antique grandfather clock into the mix and we are on a wild journey back in time escaping from both the Civil War and the Great Chicago Fire.

Overall this novel is a great reflective piece about how we let our instincts and fears govern our lives. The aspect of reliving past lives to tell us more about our futures is a truly interesting concept. Both Amanda and Mark take trips to the past to understand why they are so connected. Samyann did a marvelous job on the story telling here, through both characters and their past selves. This made it easy to become attached to these characters and the tragedies that befall them. Their experiences, both past and present, are interesting from both a character development, as well as a historical, aspect.

One thing about this novel that was a bit less enjoyable was the way in which it ended. It felt as though the story just ended without a real conclusion to the climax. Amanda has such a fear of losing the people she loves, yet this fear doesn’t really feel confronted or resolved at the end of the story. Now this could just be a stylistic choice that I’m personally not a fan of, as the author might be trying to tell us that our fears will always be with us, just like the souls of those we love. The only other point of contention I had with this novel was the jumps in time. The sessions in which Amanda and Mark relive their past lives were well done. However, the time jumps in the current timeline was what unsettled me the most. A month or two would pass, but it was not understood by the reader until after a page or two into the new chapter. This sometimes caused a loss of immersion in the story as I had to re-read to understand where we were.

Overall, I give Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The novel is well written and well edited. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, as well as those that enjoy the concepts surrounding reincarnation. There are a few adult scenes in the story, but they are merely hinted at instead of described in graphic detail. Therefore, both adult and young adult readers would find this book an interesting read.

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Yesterday
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