3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Yesterday by Samyann Curtis is a reincarnation historical fiction novel that tells of the never-ending love between two souls that meet again, defying the laws of time. Amanda, a writer for Plethora Magazine, has been through more heartbreaks than one can count by hand. Hence, she forms the idea that anyone she feels deeply for will vanish and she pushes away those who try to get too close. However, it all changes when she saves Mark Callahan's life. With a Chicago cop fighting for a chance to love her, and their mutual conviction that they must have loved one another in a different life, how will Amanda handle the truth about life?
When I began reading Yesterday, I was not prepared for the idea of reincarnation. Shame on me for skimming over the title. I was taken aback by the unique theme that the novel was based on, yet thrilled for the love story that was promised to unfold before me. The characters blew me away. The depth that Samyann Curtis gave each character made the novel very enjoyable to read. In my opinion, Amanda was justified in feeling the way she felt. She'd been grieving the loss of people close to her, from childhood to her adult years. I was surprised at the sympathetic connection I was able to form with her as I was carried through her thought process. I wasn't left screaming at her, "You're not supposed to give up!" or spewing another frustrated insult her way - I find that I can be a bit harsh on naive female leads, but Amanda was different. She was mature, logical, reasonable, REAL! That was a great refresher.
In addition, I felt drawn emotionally to the other characters woven throughout the story, whether they had great roles or somewhat minor roles. Mark was a pretty cool guy. His faithfulness giddied my heart, and his casual demeanor made the story seem more realistic. Despite how level-headed he seemed, I felt that there were times when he rushed into his feelings a bit. Then there were Bonnie, Jack, Daniel, Papa, Magdalene, and Ben...So many characters and personalities yet they were apart of the same story. The diversity and in-depth overview of each character made for a rich plot that drew me in.
The writing was also fantastic! I commend Curtis - I had no problem reading the novel, as it flowed very smoothly. The editing involved played a great role in allowing me as a reader to get lost in the story, and not in a pool of grammatical errors! The informative descriptions and precise details weren't overdone. They balanced nicely to paint pictures in my head as I imagined the scenario, the characters, the turmoil, the happiness, the scenery, etc. The writing was great, however, I'm not a fan of sexual content in novels. That was the biggest drawback for me. I had to skim through parts to avoid reading scenes I was uncomfortable with. However, that's just MY preference. Lastly, I felt that some romantical connections were formed unrealistically in the context of time but that could easily be argued against by another reader.
Overall, I was surprised at the emotional connections I formed with the characters! I screamed out at times and caught my sister giving me some looks. I don't blame her. I teared up a little at certain scenes. I gasped, I tapped my foot anxiously as I read through, I smiled, I groaned, I pleaded with the author for mercy, I cried some more, then I screamed for joy! There were so many moments that I was actively involved and that surprised me though it wasn't hard to live between the lines of this story! Great job, Curtis! Yesterday was quite an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to those who love well-written stories that keep them on their toes and don't mind sexual content and profanity. If you prefer a cleaner historical fiction read, this book probably isn't for you. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I didn't rate it a four because of the sexual nature of some parts of the novel and the profanity involved. That just isn't my thing and takes away from my experiences with any novel. Other than that, it was a great read, and I'll have to say, a story about a powerful love that could possibly last forever.
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like ladycraic's review? Post a comment saying so!
