Review of Yesterday
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Sadaf Azhar
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Review of Yesterday
[Following is a volunteer review of "Yesterday" by Samyann.]
Yesterday by Samyann
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Yesterday is a deeply emotional novel that blends romance, historical fiction, and the mystique of reincarnation. It’s a story built on memory—sometimes lived, sometimes inherited —and it moves between the present and richly drawn moments in history, especially around the Great Chicago Fire and the Civil War.
One of the book’s biggest strengths is its historical accuracy. From the layout of Chicago to period-appropriate language and cultural nuances, the setting feels lived-in and authentic. The way the author breathes life into history, without it ever sounding like a lecture, is truly praiseworthy.
There are moments of quiet brilliance scattered throughout. A favourite was the line, “I turned my lemons into lemonade a long time ago,” (p. 42) said by Mark when explaining how he became a police officer instead of a psychiatrist. It's short, witty, and tells you everything you need to know about his resilience. Another deeply touching line occurs in the past timeline: “She wiped a drop of water from the baby’s tiny chin and looked up to see where the wagon was leaking. Her throat tightened; the water was her tear.” The imagery here is heart-wrenching and captures the raw, human ache of grieving while still having to care for a newborn.
The book also surprised me with softer, joyful moments. I loved the natural friendliness between Amanda and her sister-in-law. There’s a moment where they’re playfully teasing in front of Amanda’s brother, and instead of awkwardness, it’s comforting. It speaks volumes about how solid and healthy that marriage is.
Another standout line was the tragic yet elegant introduction: “Rose Bonnie May Starks Koblenz angrily entered the world on the night Chicago burned, on the night that Penelope Starks Koblenz died.” It’s poetic, ominous, and beautifully sets the tone for that chapter.
As for weaknesses, the book’s length and structure work against it. There’s a lot of jumping between timelines, sometimes without smooth transitions. This makes the plot hard to follow, especially during conversations where it's not always clear who's speaking. A few chapters felt overly long or slow without driving the story forward. With tighter editing and better scene transitions, the emotional payoff would’ve hit harder.
That said, the book remains clean and well-composed. There’s romance, even a few sensual moments, but nothing graphic or inappropriate. Just enough to make you smile and root for the characters.
Regarding editing, I found a few objective typos and unclear lines:
Page 26: "Her brothers" — initially confusing until it's later revealed Amanda had two brothers, one deceased.
Page 138: “I guess there’s a mistake between ‘were’ and ‘where’” — the line needs a second look for clarity.
Page 206, line 3: “I want to be left along” — should be “left alone.”
Page 206: “What the f*ck to, do you want?” — possibly a misplaced 'to'.
Page 209: “I need to be leg, left alone” — likely intended to be “I need to be left alone.”
These weren’t frequent enough to ruin the reading experience but were definitely noticeable. A final round of proofreading would elevate the polish.
Final Thoughts:
Yesterday is a book with a big heart and thoughtful ideas. It takes risks in structure and theme, and while the execution wasn’t always smooth, there are moments of emotional clarity and literary beauty that make the read worthwhile. It didn’t fully land for me, but I’m still glad I took the journey.
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Yesterday by Samyann
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Yesterday is a deeply emotional novel that blends romance, historical fiction, and the mystique of reincarnation. It’s a story built on memory—sometimes lived, sometimes inherited —and it moves between the present and richly drawn moments in history, especially around the Great Chicago Fire and the Civil War.
One of the book’s biggest strengths is its historical accuracy. From the layout of Chicago to period-appropriate language and cultural nuances, the setting feels lived-in and authentic. The way the author breathes life into history, without it ever sounding like a lecture, is truly praiseworthy.
There are moments of quiet brilliance scattered throughout. A favourite was the line, “I turned my lemons into lemonade a long time ago,” (p. 42) said by Mark when explaining how he became a police officer instead of a psychiatrist. It's short, witty, and tells you everything you need to know about his resilience. Another deeply touching line occurs in the past timeline: “She wiped a drop of water from the baby’s tiny chin and looked up to see where the wagon was leaking. Her throat tightened; the water was her tear.” The imagery here is heart-wrenching and captures the raw, human ache of grieving while still having to care for a newborn.
The book also surprised me with softer, joyful moments. I loved the natural friendliness between Amanda and her sister-in-law. There’s a moment where they’re playfully teasing in front of Amanda’s brother, and instead of awkwardness, it’s comforting. It speaks volumes about how solid and healthy that marriage is.
Another standout line was the tragic yet elegant introduction: “Rose Bonnie May Starks Koblenz angrily entered the world on the night Chicago burned, on the night that Penelope Starks Koblenz died.” It’s poetic, ominous, and beautifully sets the tone for that chapter.
As for weaknesses, the book’s length and structure work against it. There’s a lot of jumping between timelines, sometimes without smooth transitions. This makes the plot hard to follow, especially during conversations where it's not always clear who's speaking. A few chapters felt overly long or slow without driving the story forward. With tighter editing and better scene transitions, the emotional payoff would’ve hit harder.
That said, the book remains clean and well-composed. There’s romance, even a few sensual moments, but nothing graphic or inappropriate. Just enough to make you smile and root for the characters.
Regarding editing, I found a few objective typos and unclear lines:
Page 26: "Her brothers" — initially confusing until it's later revealed Amanda had two brothers, one deceased.
Page 138: “I guess there’s a mistake between ‘were’ and ‘where’” — the line needs a second look for clarity.
Page 206, line 3: “I want to be left along” — should be “left alone.”
Page 206: “What the f*ck to, do you want?” — possibly a misplaced 'to'.
Page 209: “I need to be leg, left alone” — likely intended to be “I need to be left alone.”
These weren’t frequent enough to ruin the reading experience but were definitely noticeable. A final round of proofreading would elevate the polish.
Final Thoughts:
Yesterday is a book with a big heart and thoughtful ideas. It takes risks in structure and theme, and while the execution wasn’t always smooth, there are moments of emotional clarity and literary beauty that make the read worthwhile. It didn’t fully land for me, but I’m still glad I took the journey.
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
