Willa's Ramblings: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June: Book Review

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

Release Date: August 3rd, 2010

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 282

Format: Paperback Novel

Source: Purchased at Barnes and Noble

April, the oldest, can see the future. May, the middle sister, can disappear. And June, the youngest, can read minds. At the time of their parents' divorce, the three sisters recover these strange and magical powers from their childhood, powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls must come together to save the day-and their family. But in the process they learn that there's one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

(Synopsis from Goodreads)

Willa's Rambles:

April is the responsible older sister, May is the not-so studious and sarcastic middle sister, and June is the excitable little sister, but they all have one thing in common: their powers. April can see the future, May can disappear, and June can read minds (which probably isn't the best given her character).

This book is hilarious. Like I'm-laughing-so-hard-people-are-staring-at-me kind of funny, but this one quote really made me laugh.

"You going somewhere?" Henry asks, looking at the duffel bag on the floor.

"Lacrosse field trip," I said. "I enjoy whacking the hell out of people with mallets."

Admit it. You're laughing your head off and now you are on your way to the library/bookstore/friend's house who owns the book- where you will find the book and read it! And if you aren't... Well, you need to locate your sense of humor. Because Twitter and my Mom loved it.

Things that I absolutely adored about this book: Benway's sense of humor is always quite prevalent in her novels, which makes them so much more enjoyable. If May hadn't been nearly so much fun to read about, I don't know if the book would have been nearly as good. Also, her characters are so well rounded that you know what makes each one of them click and what makes them want to punch something. It makes the experience so much more enjoyable to discover that your intuitions are correct.

The last thing I loved about the book is... Oh wait. There are two more! So, second to last thing I love about this book is the reactions that April, May & June had to discovering their powers. They all freaked out (except for June, but you will figure out why) and then used their powers for their own uses - some good, some bad, and some darn well hilarious. (You'll figure that out too.) Lastly, I loved the relationship that the sisters had. It was so real and true that you knew exactly how each of them would react to the other's actions. It was a love/hate relationship, just as any sibling relationship is. You love them to death, but you also want to pull their hair out at times.

Robin Benway's books are amazing, but The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June definitely out shines Audrey, Wait! by a landslide.