Novel Review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June by Robin Benway

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher: RazorBill (Penguin)

Release Date: 2010

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn't imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.

Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents' divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood--powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?
April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds--everyone's but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they'll always have each other.
Because there's one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

The Cover:

I rather like this cover, overall. It looks nice, it's eye-catching. It definitely represents the contents of the book in a good way, although the appearance of some of the girls I don't quite think is standing for the correct one. I like how the girls are set up, though, along with the title, and the font of the title.
The paperback's cover is even better, though. I think it's really cute, and it does represent the book and the feel of the book really well.

Quotes:

• "'No, I mean… no, it’s not okay. But it’s okay to not be okay.’” (Hardback, pg. 237)

• "'Some people leave, yea,’ June continued. ‘And it sucks. But some people don’t leave, and they never will. And sometimes people are there, but you just can’t see them. But they’re still there.’” (Pg. 256)

Review:

This was a cute book, pretty easy to read, if a little more immature or exaggerated than I expected.

Mostly, I think this book would have been more suited to me when I was in early high school or middle school. The voices of the characters are just a little more exaggerated than I like now. Also, there was the logistics of how May was able to sneak around, like into cars by hurrying before the door closed or in the window before it drove away, and that just didn’t work for me. Logically, that just doesn’t sound realistic, and I couldn’t distend my belief that far. There was also a very tiny bit of a reason for their powers; I was content with it, because it made sense, but I also think that it could have been expanded on.

Still, I did enjoy it, for the most part. I liked how the sisters grew closer by the end, and how they matured. June grew up past her childish wishes of high school and popularity, at least somewhat. May needed to get out of her funk, her invisibility problem (not power-wise). April needed to relax a little, not be so controlling, but that’s kind of a part of who she is.

I liked April the most, that’s for sure. I particularly liked how she used her visions to not be so afraid of taking a step forward. If she sees something happening, she knows how it’s going to turn out, so she wasn’t afraid anymore, and I really liked that. I related to her a bit. She’s also the one with the most romance, and I definitely liked that; the romance was a little quirky, and adorable.

This was a cute story; I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t particularly amazing. I might pick up Benway’s newer books, though, when I get the chance. Especially since I enjoyed this one, and remember liking her first one.