Yesterday

A refreshing change from most YA and dystopian fiction where the protagonist seemed more grounded in her world, which is an odd thing to say about a book where the characters increasing sense of unreality leads her to discover the truth about who she is, and less angsty about friends, crushes, etc. I think her obsessive pursuit for the truth is what gives me this feeling. ( )

Originally reviewed on A Reader of Fictions.

My second C. K. Kelly Martin book has me convinced that I need to write every single thing she writes. Martin has a very distinct style. Her writing is wonderful and her concepts, at least for the two books I've already read, are entirely original. Yesterday didn't remind me of any other dystopia, a very rare experience.

Yesterday is one of those stories where you'll spend most of the book confused, unsure what the heck is going on. However, rest easy with the knowledge that you WILL be given answers; Martin will explain everything. Her vision of the future is dark and complex, taking into account various ways that humans could destroy the world. Not only that, but, of course, the meddlesome government will take charge in a harsh way to try to control everything.

I really cannot say much of anything else about the world building aspect of Yesterday, because spoilers would be unavoidable. The only other things I need to point out in this regard are the reasons I rated it down a little bit. First, there was the clunky info dump when Freya realized what was going on. I'm not sure if there was a better way to do that, but that chapter read like a history text. I also felt like her memories came back too quickly and easily. Second, the time travel aspects were questionable, but, then again, I almost always have big suspension of disbelief issues with time travel.

Yesterday made a really nice change from most of my other reads, because of the unique setting. For one thing, the book is set in Canada, taking place largely in Toronto. Very few books I've read have had a Canadian setting, though I'm a bit surprised by that. Even more uncommon, Yesterday is set primarily in the 1980s. I loved all the mentions of music, like The Smiths, and other bits of pop culture from that time period. Also, picturing everyone in the horrific clothes greatly amused me.

Freya won my affections early on. She's gorgeous, in a way that could have made her completely obnoxious; literally, everyone stares at her. However, she is completely uncomfortable with that. She doesn't try to be popular; instead she befriends the goths, and even does a makeover on herself so people will pay less attention to her. I loved that, despite her beauty, she doesn't take advantage of it nor does she deny it.

Freya has premonitions, visions of the near future. These really could have felt out of place, and I am curious about them, but Martin made them work. They did not come off as an unnecessary paranormal addition to the plot, thank goodness. I love Freya for her intelligence, her forthrightness, her courage and her anger. She feels so real. It also entertained me that in this case, it wasn't a heroine falling for a vaguely creepy, gorgeous guy who stalked her; she does the stalking, although she does have her reasons.

Garren definitely was less dear to me, but I liked him because Freya did. I still question him a bit, because he had a girlfriend at the beginning. The switch of his feelings from Janette to Freya seemed rushed and unnatural. However, I can accept it, since, though they get close to one another VERY quickly, they don't instalove all over the place. In such a stressful situation, emotions developing is not a surprise, but I would have punched everything if they were declaring eternal love for one another. Thankfully, they did not. As an added bonus, Martin is a genius at writing steamy scenes, as evidenced here and in My Beating Teenage Heart.

Reading Yesterday was a pleasure from beginning to end, a refreshingly original addition to dystopian fiction. Now I need to go add her other books to my wishlist... ( )

3.5
I love dystopian novels and was drawn to the synopsis for Yesterday. The bulk of the tale takes place in 1985. Not to give my age away or anything, but I graduated from high school in 1985. My teen years seriously reflect all that you know about this iconic time in history. Martin creates a suspenseful science-fiction dystopian and wonderfully portrayed the eighties as I remember them.

The tale begins with a prologue. The year is 2065. We meet sixteen year old, Freya Kallas. We learn about the world she lives in and her family. Something horrific happens and Freya and her Mom are whisked away. Freya wakes up in small home in Canada with her mother and sister. She vaguely remembers an explosion that killed her Dad and his secretary. They have moved here to be closer to her grandfather. Things feel foggy, but she and her family have had a flu that made them very ill. The year is 1985 and today she begins her first day at a new high school. Freya doesn’t feel right; she is suffering from headaches and cannot explain holes in her memories. On a class trip, she sees Garren Lowe. She has no memory of meeting him, but knows that she knows him. He claims he has no idea who she is, but Freya is determined to prove they know each other. The tale that unfolds reminded me of the The Matrix and Divergent. Freya and Garren stumble upon a secret and find themselves on the run from powerful forces as they search to discover the truth. This tale while not without flaws, kept me reading until late in the night.

The characters were both cliché and unique. Freya is drop dead gorgeous, all the girls dislike her and the boys ogle her. Why she is perfect was interesting. I struggled with her in the beginning but ultimately liked and connected with Freya. She is complex, and inquisitive. She knows something is wrong and seeks answers. Garren was sweet and of course *swoon-worthy* He trusts Freya, despite not remembering her and manages to keep them safe. The romance that develops between them was sweet and felt genuine. It developed slowly and the absence of insta-love was delightful. The romance takes a backstage to the action, but does contain a steamy scene or two. The men in suits gave me Matrix chills and other characters added to the tale. A woman they met towards the end of the book left me speechless!

The world-building was fascinating, despite some of the rough delivery. The prologue beautifully describes 2065, and I could visualize it and how it came to be. When we are dumped in 1985, we find ourselves as confused as Freya. The author allows us to discover things alongside the character(s). This was fine, and added to the suspense. Freya begins to remember bits and pieces in her dreams. Parts of the tale lagged until suddenly we get this huge information dump. Now, personally I gobbled up all of this lovely information but I have a feeling some of you might find this part tedious. Martin beautifully depicted the 80’s and she did it subtly. She recreated it with songs playing on the radio, clothing, television shows and speech. To those who didn’t grow up in the eighties; these nuances may be lost on you. The lack of cell phones, computers and playstation give clue to the fact that we aren’t in Kansas 2012. The story-line has a few holes but overall felt plausible and original. It is my hope that another book is coming and will fill in the gaps.

Yesterday is well worth the read for dystopian fans. Overall, I enjoyed this tale, and was swept up in the action. I could not find any information on a second book, but the ending allows for one. I would certainly read it. Martin has six distinct works published.

I want to thank Random House for sending this copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ( )

I have to tell you, this was a little hard to follow at times. I am not a huge fan of sci-fi books, so I had to work hard to stay with it in places. Overall though, I enjoyed this book.


I found it ironic that the "then" this book took place in was 1985. Of course, the future was far beyond 2012, so I guess it made sense to think of 1985 as a distant past. But still, it made me chuckle. The author did a great job weaving in the subtle 80s references from the characters' point of view. Reading about the popular jock having "Flock of Seagull hair" was highly entertaining. I think the highlight though, had to be the music references. So yes, all my 80s music lovers out there... Yesterday does have 80s musical references. In fact, when I read the first mentioning of Duran Duran, I had to post it on Facebook for my co-workers (Duran Duran fans). We had a good laugh over it.


Ok, so funny 80s references aside, this book did have a pretty suspenseful plot. The characters are transported back to 1985 with no memory of their former lives. Except one of them does remember--sort of. The whole plot of the book centers on putting the pieces of this great mystery together. Where are they from? Why are they here? Why can't they go "home"?


That final question really grabbed my attention as I read. As I think about the world we live in, I can't help but think how close to the truth the author really was. The bio-terror that erupted in the future world was horrific. Zombies have nothing on what was created in this book!


Sci-fi fans will find plenty to enjoy in this futuristic dystopian. There was one pretty hot and heavy scene that would make this better suited for older YA readers. ( )

I was scouting for a new YA novel when I stumbled on Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin. I had heard good things about her novels and the book cover was amazing. When I read the publisher’s blurb about Yesterday’s concept, it sounded so original that I knew I had to get a copy. If you like sci-fi or dystopian, futuristic novels, check out my review. And for you romance fans, there’s even a romantic thread. As with a lot of this genre, it may be a YA novel but it’s going to appeal to a wide range of ages. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4675. ( )