Review by Gabi_boldt -- Yesterday by Samyann

[Gabi_boldt]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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The status quo of books in recent years has been centered around either a young adult “finding” themselves, or an average, younger individual attaining a new level of maturity or experience through some means or another. It has been shown time and time again that by writing books with these types of characters is almost a sure-fire way to gather a fan base beneath you and actually sell your story. That being said, with the outpouring of “Young adult” or “Coming of Age” novels, we see very little else in the realm of literature which eventually creates a very stagnant air around the whole genre. In Samyann’s book “Yesterday”, we are presented with a familiar story, simply being presented in a new way. The main character is a meek, average young woman who finds that love is how she will discover who she is, yet again.

In all, this book begins and ends rather interestingly and draws a reader in. We are presented with Amanda, the main character who despite her seemingly very two-dimensional personality, is ultimately a much different person inside. The story follows Amanda as she faces the benefits and repercussions of her actions, as well as a little bit of inner turmoil as well to add to the plot. The authors aim isn’t to give subliminal messages or convince the reader of any particular stance, it is a narrative written to enjoy, to be devoured by its audience. The very beginning is extremely good at achieving that goal, though as the story continues it follows the same trend that is seen time and time again in modern literature.

The most successful aspect of this book was the development and truth to the characters presented. None of the authors' characters were flat, boring, or “dead” in a sense. They all had a very distinct dialogue with each other and an interesting inner dialogue as well that set them apart and gave the characters personality. That personality, in turn, made this successful because the characters were relatable, even if you have nothing in common with them at all. These felt like people, men, and women that you may know or see on the street, and that is a crucial aspect of keeping a reader's attention and creating an interesting story.

Unfortunately, the reasoning behind my not so stellar review is the monotony of the plot and ultimately the somewhat cliche writing style that is shown throughout the book. It was less that the author was a bad writer and more of that he/she was too deep into the details of their narrative. It drew away from the story and bogged down the flow of the book as a whole. With extraneous detail comes extraneous effort, to be more concise is to be a blessing to both your editor and your readers. With that being said, I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. With more and more books being written about an un-amazing woman who falls in love with someone she would never have gone for, and she finds herself along the way, it simply gets very old. I felt as if, so much more could have been done with this book or steer away from the norm many young adult authors are following.

With that, I also found the romance to be forced and almost too pushy on both the main character and the readers. It was obvious from the start that Amanda and the police officer would be together, but for it to be shoved at the reader in every page seemed like way too much.

All in all, I found this to be an interesting story despite its faults and I think the author has a wonderful idea. If young adult fiction is your preferred genre, this might be worth your while.

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Yesterday
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