Review by keerthana01 -- Yesterday by Samyann

[keerthana01]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The novel Yesterday by Samyann is a historical fiction romance, written in the third person omniscient perspective, that covers the story of a young woman who falls in love with a man she feels she has a deep, historic connection to, and the journey they undergo in figuring out that connection and discovering how deeply their love runs. This novel explores themes and topics such as reincarnation, enduring and unconditional love, loss and grief, and trust.

The story opens in the setting of Chicago, with the character of Amanda Parker, a young woman who has clearly gone through many hardships in her life, including the loss of many family members and loved ones. She is beginning to bring herself out of a dark phase of her life when she finds herself in the middle of a sudden catastrophe which leads her to saving the life of a police officer named Mark Callahan. The two immediately have a mutual adoration for one another and even have the strong sense that they have met before, even though they had never seen each other previous to the accident. They embark on a journey to discover the mysteries of their past lives, which takes them to the post-Civil War era in Chicago, in order to uncover how they are linked. Throughout the journey, Amanda exhibits a reluctancy to allow herself to fall for Mark due to her marked past consisting of losing the ones she loved the most. As they come to conclusions of their historically rooted connections, the love between them grows stronger and they realize they have always been destined for each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. The concept of reincarnation and the past connections between people is intriguing to me, and this novel explored it in a way I had never experienced before. Overall, the story was well-developed and the switching between the present and the past "flashbacks" was placed intentionally–I never had a jarring feeling when the transitions occurred between time frames. I also was interested by the past scenes and learning of the various historical references, such as life during the Civil War in the South, the difficult journey to the North, and the Great Chicago Fire. These events enhanced the reincarnation plot further as it was interesting to see how they connected to the characters in the present. All the characters were unique and well-developed. The romance was also uplifting but true to the reality of the quandaries the characters were facing. There was also a good amount of humor sprinkled throughout the story. I also really appreciated the author's dedication to the research of historical details, keeping characters and events true to themselves and not 'sugar-coating' them for the readers.

I don't have many negative opinions about this story. The only thing that slightly irked me was the character of Mark Callahan. I simply thought he was too forward and a slightly arrogant. However, this is just a personal opinion of mine about the character himself and I know that this character was intended to have that personality.

This book was well-written and the editing was thorough, which is why I give it a rating of 4 out of 4. I enjoyed the story and the characters and plot were well developed. The ending was happy and fulfilling as well. I strongly recommend this novel to any young adult who loves romance or anyone who enjoys a historical fiction narrative. This story provides a lot of insight on trusting the love you have for the people close to you and enjoying a full life with them.

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Yesterday
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