Title: Yesterday
Author: C.K. Kelly Martin
Release Date: September 25, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 368
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Overall: 4 Stars

Summary: 

THEN: The formation of the UNA, the high threat of eco-terrorism, the mammoth rates of unemployment and subsequent escape into a world of virtual reality are things any student can read about in their twenty-first century textbooks and part of the normal, background noise to Freya Kallas' life. Until that world starts to crumble.

NOW: It's 1985. Freya Kallas has just moved across the world and into a new life. On the outside, she fits in at her new high school, but Freya feels nothing but removed. Her mother blames it on the grief of her father's death, but how does that explain the headaches and why do her memories feel so foggy? When Freya lays eyes on Garren Lowe, she can't get him out of her head. She's sure that she knows him, despite his insistence that they've never met. As Freya follows her instincts and pushes towards hidden truths, the two of them unveil a strange and dangerous world where their days may be numbered. Unsure who to trust, Freya and Garren go on the run from powerful forces determined to tear them apart and keep them from discovering the truth about their shared pasts (and futures), her visions, and the time and place they really came from. Yesterday will appeal to fans of James Dashner's The Maze Runner, Veronica Roth's Divergent, Amy Ryan's Glow, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and Ally Condie's Matched. 

My Thoughts:
I don't think I've ever read a novel quite like Yesterday before! The plot unravels slowly like a psychological thriller before picking up its pace to add in dystopian and science fiction elements. With a combination of suspense, romance and mystery, Yesterday is definitely my new favourite novel written by C.K. Kelly Martin!   

Freya doesn't understand why her vivid dreams of a futuristic world feel so real, nor the hazy memories of her past before she came to live in Canada after the recent death of her father. At her new school, she can pretend that everything is alright, but alone with her thoughts at home, she can't shake the feeling that something feels wrong.

When Freya visits a museum for a school trip, she is startled by the familiarity she feels towards a handsome young man she spots on the streets and can't get him out of her mind. His name is Garren Lowe, but even though he claims they've never met before, Freya is positive she remembers him from somewhere. Determined to learn the truth, Freya and Garren begin to ask questions that catch the wrong kind of attention... and only makes them strive harder to learn how their pasts are connected.  

I really admired Freya in the novel! She steadfastly holds onto her convictions and refuses to give into the shadow of doubt cast by others, trusting her intuition to tell her she's right. Even though everyone tries to pass off her feelings as grief for losing her father, Freya does what she can to uncover the truth, even when it would probably be easier to shrug it all off. Garren's wariness to believe Freya at first was completely natural. She may have made some convincing arguments, but if I was in his shoes, I'd be rather skeptical too. 

Yesterday is very different from the contemporary style which fans of C.K. Kelly Martin have expected in her previous books, but I just loved the originality of this one. I also thought it was awesome how the book was set in and around Toronto! Since I could recognize several of the landmarks and street names mentioned, it helped to visually bring the events to life before my very eyes. The ending of Yesterday is left rather open-ended, so I'm definitely hoping there will be a sequel! I don't think I'm quite ready to say goodbye to Freya and Garren just yet!   

Thanks so much to Random House Canada for providing this review copy! If you missed it before, you can check out my author interview with C.K. Kelly Martin on the Canadian blog tour for Yesterday.