Thursday, September 22, 2011

REVIEW: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway

I've been looking forward to reading The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway for a seriously long time. Awhile back I read and absolutely LOVED Audrey, Wait - it was fun and funny and it immediately made me excited to read any future books by Robin Benway. Luckily I had some leftover birthday money to spend and this is the first book I knew I had to buy.

And just with Audrey, Wait! The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June is very fun and funny. But more than that, aside from the love interests and the fun special powers the girls attain which really makes this book one that makes me happy, the aspect of the novel that I loved the most and really put a big smile on my face is the banter and the great relationships that these three sisters have with each other. I've never had a sister, but reading about April, May and June? Really makes me want one. In fact, I'd like to be an honourary sister - I was born in July, I could totally rock being the fourth sister in this story.

April, May and June are three ordinary teenage girls growing through a difficult transition. Their parents have divorced just a few short months ago and after one of the sisters goes off on a bender and gets in a bit of trouble, the girls' mother decides to move the family to another city and make a fresh start. So not only do the girls have a different family dynamic, they also have a new house and school and they have to make new friends and adjust in this new environment. That can be really hard, but what makes things even more challenging is that a drive to school one day reveals that these girls each have their own superpowers! (How awesome is that?!)

April, as the oldest, is really responsible and conscientious of rules and school and being healthy and making sure her two little sisters behave and are responsible as well. She learns that she can see glimpses of the future.

May is the rebellious middle sister. She has a bit of an attitude and a huge sarcastic streak. She has no friends and she seems to be the sister that has found her parent's divorce the hardest to deal with. She has the ability to disappear.

June, the youngest, is by far the most social of the three sisters. She wants to be noticed and to be liked by others but finds that her sisters ignore her for the most part. She is able to read minds.

I really love these three girls, they each have their own fun personalities and little quirks that made it easy to recognise their voices as this book is told in alternating chapters from each of the three girls' perspectives. And as I said, the part I loved the most is how April, May and June interact with each other. I read this book and I swear I giggled at every single page because these three have just the best conversations and arguments ever. I love the idea of families like these where everyone knows each other really well and can bring up embarassing and funny things at the perfect opportunities for humiliation and point-proving and the like.

It was hilarious to witness both this crazy family and also the way in which this crazy family handles their extraordinary secrets, how they manage to fit in at school, deal with the aftermath of a divorce and realise just how fantastic these three sisters are. This one really put the smile on my face and I can highly recommend it.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, this sounds wonderful! Thanks a lot for the review. Eek, I told myself I wouldn't buy any more books this month but I'm not sure I can resist after reading this...

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  2. I agree with Luisa, this sounds wonderful. I liked the sound of it from the start but then I got to the bit about the girls having superpowers and I liked it even more! Will be adding to my list, thank you!

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  3. Luisa - Sorry for the temptation.. but I really, really loved this one. I think it's worth it! (go on then.)

    Jenni - I know, right?! Superpowers makes everything better.

    Laura - Oh, DO! :)

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  4. Ooh, this sounds wonderful. I'll definitely look for a copy!

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  5. I need to read this book! it sounds brilliant!! awesome review, I reckon we could both be honorary sisters, you can be July and I'll be August! ;)

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  6. This book looks like it would be a lot of fun. Great review!

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  7. Stephanie - It IS wonderful, especially if you love reading about wonderful sister relationships!

    Raimy - That sounds FANTASTIC! I would so love that :)

    Kailana - It is a lot of fun! :)

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