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Mayday
Why’d I do it? I suppose it’s the only question that really matters.
Seventeen-year-old Crow will stop at nothing to protect her younger sister—even if it costs her her own life. But then she’s given a chance to come back and make things right. There are a few catches, though. First, she won’t come back as herself. And before she can set things straight, she’ll have to figure out what’s what—and things aren’t exactly as clear-cut as she remembered.
Powerful and hard-hitting, this is a compelling story about what it means to live your life—for your own sake—from an award-winning author.
Seventeen-year-old Crow will stop at nothing to protect her younger sister—even if it costs her her own life. But then she’s given a chance to come back and make things right. There are a few catches, though. First, she won’t come back as herself. And before she can set things straight, she’ll have to figure out what’s what—and things aren’t exactly as clear-cut as she remembered.
Powerful and hard-hitting, this is a compelling story about what it means to live your life—for your own sake—from an award-winning author.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2014
7 people are currently reading
1036 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Friesen
10 books174 followersI had the perfect life.
I was the grade-school star and the teacher’s pet. The world revolved around me and I suspected it always would. If you ask most people about their life, they don’t begin with fifth grade. But that was a good year.
Illness changed that. I retreated into a shell and escaped into words. Writing a story sucked the pain out of me, at least for a while. That’s when I learned to “feel” on paper. I didn’t think I’d be an author, I didn’t think I’d be much of anything, I was simply writing to survive.
Life changed in college. Health returned, the cloud lifted, and I got my teaching license.
Being a teacher, and being with those kids healed me. Surrounded by them, I relived periods of time stolen by childhood sickness. I was in my glory. But I couldn’t escape storytelling. All those years expressing myself on paper left their mark.
While my students worked, I wrote at my desk. Jerk California, my first book, flowed out of my own “lost years,” but hope fills the pages. Writing it was a beautiful thing to experience.
I now live on a horse farm with my wife, three children, and a growing number of animals.
Our home is on a hill that overlooks a river that snakes through a beautiful valley. We tear along the stream on the 4-wheeler. My three kids race through the pasture and scale the sides of the sand pit; they search for agates and chase wild turkeys that trespass on the gravel road that connects our hill to the rest of the world. I have promised them chickens and horses, but for now they settle for bald eagle and bear. It’s a good place to play and write.
At night, I walk out and listen to the wind rattle paper-thin bark on our birch trees. I stare at stars nobody else has seen and start a bonfire so bright it chases all the stars away. Then, my clothes full of smoke and my mind filled with ideas, I come inside and write until my fingers get heavy on the keyboard.
I love it here.
I was the grade-school star and the teacher’s pet. The world revolved around me and I suspected it always would. If you ask most people about their life, they don’t begin with fifth grade. But that was a good year.
Illness changed that. I retreated into a shell and escaped into words. Writing a story sucked the pain out of me, at least for a while. That’s when I learned to “feel” on paper. I didn’t think I’d be an author, I didn’t think I’d be much of anything, I was simply writing to survive.
Life changed in college. Health returned, the cloud lifted, and I got my teaching license.
Being a teacher, and being with those kids healed me. Surrounded by them, I relived periods of time stolen by childhood sickness. I was in my glory. But I couldn’t escape storytelling. All those years expressing myself on paper left their mark.
While my students worked, I wrote at my desk. Jerk California, my first book, flowed out of my own “lost years,” but hope fills the pages. Writing it was a beautiful thing to experience.
I now live on a horse farm with my wife, three children, and a growing number of animals.
Our home is on a hill that overlooks a river that snakes through a beautiful valley. We tear along the stream on the 4-wheeler. My three kids race through the pasture and scale the sides of the sand pit; they search for agates and chase wild turkeys that trespass on the gravel road that connects our hill to the rest of the world. I have promised them chickens and horses, but for now they settle for bald eagle and bear. It’s a good place to play and write.
At night, I walk out and listen to the wind rattle paper-thin bark on our birch trees. I stare at stars nobody else has seen and start a bonfire so bright it chases all the stars away. Then, my clothes full of smoke and my mind filled with ideas, I come inside and write until my fingers get heavy on the keyboard.
I love it here.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 15, 2021
Mini blurb: An 18 y.o. girl, in a coma after trying to save her sister from abuse, is given the chance to go back and make her own life right (and to change her sister's past, rules be damned)...only not as herself.
***
An interesting twist on the time-travelling ghost (or in this case, soul-mind) trope and a tale of fierce sisterly love with some issues. First off, I couldn't buy that a mother would be so ill-equipped to protect one of her daughters and so hell-bent of making the other feel guilty for something she didn't even do. Secondly, I found it too convenient that an allegedly complete stranger (that is, the lead in a different body/gender) would fit so effortlessly into her/his past - and I don't agree with the author's stance about the gender you're in dictating your vision of the world and your, uh, interaction with its female specimens, your old self included. Finally, I thought that comparing the "guiding angel" character to "the woman who formed the Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle" was in poor taste (then again, this book came out before awareness of such bottle being potentially racist was even raised). The ending was well-handled, though.
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).
***
An interesting twist on the time-travelling ghost (or in this case, soul-mind) trope and a tale of fierce sisterly love with some issues. First off, I couldn't buy that a mother would be so ill-equipped to protect one of her daughters and so hell-bent of making the other feel guilty for something she didn't even do. Secondly, I found it too convenient that an allegedly complete stranger (that is, the lead in a different body/gender) would fit so effortlessly into her/his past - and I don't agree with the author's stance about the gender you're in dictating your vision of the world and your, uh, interaction with its female specimens, your old self included. Finally, I thought that comparing the "guiding angel" character to "the woman who formed the Mrs. Butterworth syrup bottle" was in poor taste (then again, this book came out before awareness of such bottle being potentially racist was even raised). The ending was well-handled, though.
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later).
April 11, 2014
3.5*
This was a pretty decent story but it got kind of weird by the end.
So Crow dies while doing something to save her sister. She then gets a second chance to make things right in a third person sort of way. This is kind of cool how it happens and is a unique way to look at a sort of afterlife. But when it is first presented it's not immediately clear.
Crow is a good MC with a good heart. However, since she goes back to moments from her past as a completely different person you sort of get multiple Crow's in a way. Obviously, this is confusing and it is pretty complicated but after a while you get the hang of things. It was annoying though having to wait so that was a negative in my mind.
Also, I never figured out the age difference between Crow and Addy. It was somewhere between 2 or 3 years but it's never specified. I wish I was outright told because it would help with the content.
We never get a good look at what happened for the accident to occur which I really wish we would have seen rather than just the aftermath.
Finally, there is some weird juju going on with a romantic tone between Crow and...Crow. That's all I can say on that because I don't want to spoil anything. But it really made me dislike part of the book.
Overall, the story is interesting but takes a while to understand and is kind of eh in the end.
This was a pretty decent story but it got kind of weird by the end.
So Crow dies while doing something to save her sister. She then gets a second chance to make things right in a third person sort of way. This is kind of cool how it happens and is a unique way to look at a sort of afterlife. But when it is first presented it's not immediately clear.
Crow is a good MC with a good heart. However, since she goes back to moments from her past as a completely different person you sort of get multiple Crow's in a way. Obviously, this is confusing and it is pretty complicated but after a while you get the hang of things. It was annoying though having to wait so that was a negative in my mind.
Also, I never figured out the age difference between Crow and Addy. It was somewhere between 2 or 3 years but it's never specified. I wish I was outright told because it would help with the content.
We never get a good look at what happened for the accident to occur which I really wish we would have seen rather than just the aftermath.
Finally, there is some weird juju going on with a romantic tone between Crow and...Crow. That's all I can say on that because I don't want to spoil anything. But it really made me dislike part of the book.
Overall, the story is interesting but takes a while to understand and is kind of eh in the end.
November 17, 2014
I'm still deciding if I liked or loved this one. It was a story unlike any I've read and I liked the originality of a life-after-death (or life while in the process of death?) scenario, though this wasn't one I could just pick up and start without REALLY jumping back in and re-familiarizing myself with the characters. Crow and Shane and Shane often confused me and I reread parts quite a bit. The ending was sad, but satisfying.
February 26, 2015
I was so close on not finishing this book. The first couple of chapters are kinda boring for me. But as the story progress I started to appreciate the whole thing.
I think, I love the fact that Crow is strong and vulnerable at the same time. I admire that she has so much love and so much hate inside of her. The fact that she doesn't have any hopes for herself but she never thought of giving up for her sister. I also love the fact that she knows that the world she lives in is full of monsters lurking in the dark and walking on a broad daylight but there are still times that she chose to believe in the goodness of people (to Basil, to Mel, her mother and father). As sad as it is that she died, I personally think that it's the best thing that ever happened to her.
I love the hope this novel gave me. I mean I don't believe in second life. I don't believe that there can be a possibility that you will be given a chance to fix something in your life. But it is the fact that there are so many possibilities in our lives. There's always the bad but there will always be a good too. It also showed how this world is in dire need of good people.
If you like If I Stay, I think you'll probably like this one too. In my opinion, it's way better. :)
I think, I love the fact that Crow is strong and vulnerable at the same time. I admire that she has so much love and so much hate inside of her. The fact that she doesn't have any hopes for herself but she never thought of giving up for her sister. I also love the fact that she knows that the world she lives in is full of monsters lurking in the dark and walking on a broad daylight but there are still times that she chose to believe in the goodness of people (to Basil, to Mel, her mother and father). As sad as it is that she died, I personally think that it's the best thing that ever happened to her.
I love the hope this novel gave me. I mean I don't believe in second life. I don't believe that there can be a possibility that you will be given a chance to fix something in your life. But it is the fact that there are so many possibilities in our lives. There's always the bad but there will always be a good too. It also showed how this world is in dire need of good people.
If you like If I Stay, I think you'll probably like this one too. In my opinion, it's way better. :)
November 11, 2024
Όχι ιδιαίτερα πρωτότυπο ως προς την σύλληψη της κεντρικής ιδέας, αλλά ενδιαφέρον ως προς την προσέγγισή του. Βέβαια, σε ορισμένα σημεία, χάνεται η ισορροπία και στο τέλος, δεν είναι ξεκάθαρο το point που ο συγγραφέας θέλει να περάσει, σαν να μην υπάρχει ηθικό δίδαγμα, ενώ έχουμε μια γενική ιδέα για το τι θέλει να πει. Στα θετικά είναι το γεγονός πως αν και πραγματεύεται ένα ιδιαίτερα λεπτό θέμα, το κάνει με τρόπο κομψό και όχι άγριο ή προκλητικό, καθώς θέλει να πει κάτι ουσιώδες κι όχι απλά να δημιουργήσει εντυπώσεις.
did-not-finish
April 15, 2015DNF @ 14%.
July 14, 2020
3.8 Stars...
The only reason I did not give this book a higher rating is because the writing was confusing at times, making it hard to follow. Other than that, I thought the story was unique and original. At least I don't remember reading a story like this before and that is always refreshing. There were parts that I really did enjoy and honestly took me by surprise. I loved the growth that took place in Crow by the end of the book. The ending itself was really beautiful and that's why I bumped it from a 3 to a 3.8 (I just couldn't get past the writing style to give it a full 4). I liked the way the author tied up the loose ends because every time I thought he wouldn't, he did.
Maybe it wasn't the book, maybe it was me. I don't know, but regardless I would definitely recommend this one.
Content: Issue of sexual abuse, but nothing too graphic
Language: Very mild
The only reason I did not give this book a higher rating is because the writing was confusing at times, making it hard to follow. Other than that, I thought the story was unique and original. At least I don't remember reading a story like this before and that is always refreshing. There were parts that I really did enjoy and honestly took me by surprise. I loved the growth that took place in Crow by the end of the book. The ending itself was really beautiful and that's why I bumped it from a 3 to a 3.8 (I just couldn't get past the writing style to give it a full 4). I liked the way the author tied up the loose ends because every time I thought he wouldn't, he did.
Maybe it wasn't the book, maybe it was me. I don't know, but regardless I would definitely recommend this one.
Content: Issue of sexual abuse, but nothing too graphic
Language: Very mild
September 30, 2019
I personally loved this book. I'll be completely honest, the first chapter of the book confused me. For those who have this on their to-read list, the beginning is a bit rocky. Crow is the one narrating but she's narrating from outside of her comatosed body, like a ghost. Anywho, I finally pick up on what's going on and I was sucked into the pages. I finished the book in one night because I couldn't put the book down. I related personally to Crow and understood the emotions behind her actions. It did get weird after her second reincarnation due to her inhabiting the body of a male, I could understand the awkward feelings she developed. To wrap up this review, I highly recommend this book to people who want something to read that is full of actions and consequences, as well as Fate and Destiny.
April 15, 2020
3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
March 9, 2022
Interesting concept, I just wasn’t too much a fan of the writing and somehow found it difficult to immerse myself
November 23, 2023
Odd but still a good story all said and done
September 17, 2014
Crow has been protecting her younger sister Addy from any harm, ever since she can remember. It started when their father left, and the girls' mother got involved with a seemingly nice Doctor. Crow doesn't trust him, and it turns out to be for a good reason. Now as teenagers, Crow is still trying to protect Addy, this time from a boy she thinks just wants to use her good-hearted sister. This time Crow winds up in a coma, between the paths of life and death. She's granted a walkabout, a chance to make things right in her own life. Crow uses it as another chance to go back as someone else and protect Addy. But can she actually change anything that's happened in the past? And how can she stop her own bitterness and pain from devouring what's left of her soul whole?
I liked the characters in this one. In a way, Crow reminded me of myself. Always trying to fix things for other people and never having a life for herself. But during the walkabout, Crow is given a chance to look back at her life through new eyes and realize that nothing is quite as black and white as she had originally thought. I liked that Crow got to go back and interact with her younger self. First as a middle-school-aged girl named Shane, and then as a teenaged boy named Shane. She's there on the pretext of protecting Addy. But then she really starts to get a look at herself and the things that she's done, how she has nothing other than her sister. She starts to care about younger Crow and finds herself trying to save, well, herself right along with Addy. I liked the ending and while the idea that she couldn't stop some of the bad things from happening might piss off some people, I like that she realized that maybe Addy didn't need as much saving as her own soul did. Kind of a beautiful concept and I liked the realizations. The only thing that weirded me out a little was the slight Shane/Crow romance.
VERDICT: 3.5/5 Stars
*I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published April 10th, 2014.*
I liked the characters in this one. In a way, Crow reminded me of myself. Always trying to fix things for other people and never having a life for herself. But during the walkabout, Crow is given a chance to look back at her life through new eyes and realize that nothing is quite as black and white as she had originally thought. I liked that Crow got to go back and interact with her younger self. First as a middle-school-aged girl named Shane, and then as a teenaged boy named Shane. She's there on the pretext of protecting Addy. But then she really starts to get a look at herself and the things that she's done, how she has nothing other than her sister. She starts to care about younger Crow and finds herself trying to save, well, herself right along with Addy. I liked the ending and while the idea that she couldn't stop some of the bad things from happening might piss off some people, I like that she realized that maybe Addy didn't need as much saving as her own soul did. Kind of a beautiful concept and I liked the realizations. The only thing that weirded me out a little was the slight Shane/Crow romance.
VERDICT: 3.5/5 Stars
*I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published April 10th, 2014.*
September 7, 2014
When I first got this book, I would not let it out of my sight, I kept telling myself that I would read it next. As time passed it slipped down my pile of what to read next until I finally just read it. I was very excited about what I thought it was going to be about, but as I continued reading, it became strange. This book is about Crow, her body is in a coma, but her mind is not asleep. While her body is asleep, her soul gets a chance to wake up. She is given a second to chance to make things right, by going on a walkabout. The only problem is that she will not be herself, she will go in another person's body. As Crow tries to fix things, she learns new things about herself. At first this book is really strange because it is all about Crow trying to protect her little sister, from her stepdad, who is trying to sexually harass her. Everything that Crow does is all about protecting her sister, even during the walkabout which is about fixing herself, she is trying to protect her sister. The writing for the book is good, but I did at times find myself confused, because I did not feel like the author was giving the reader enough information. Towards the end of the book, I could not put it down and everything came together so nicely. The ending was a little bit of a surprise, but I liked it. This book is similar to If I Stay by Gayle Foreman in the way that everything is happening while the person's body is in a coma.
July 29, 2014
I've been putting off writing this review because I just can't seem to figure out what I want to say. I liked this book enough, but something about it left me feeling like there was something missing. That being said, I would still give this 3 of 5 stars because there IS something compelling about this book... I just wish the ending had me feeling more.
Mayday introduces us to Crow, a teenage girl who finds herself living an out-of-body experience as her body decays in a coma that doctors say she will never wake from. Crow is given the chance to go back in time, to relieve important moments, to get things right. Crow believes that she's been given this opportunity to go back in time to save her sister, but soon learns her sister may not be the one who needs saving after all. Unfortunately for Crow, she may figure things out much too late.
This book was very engaging for much of the story but as I said above, at the end I just felt sort of let down. Truthfully, that may be because even though the ending is told to us very early on, I suppose I just did not want to believe it. I was hoping there would be some catch or something that changed the outcome. That being said, watching Crow go back in time and learn things not only about herself but about her loved ones was very entertaining and moving. Mayday is definitely worth a read, but you may not end up elated at the end. That's my two cents! Enjoy!
Mayday introduces us to Crow, a teenage girl who finds herself living an out-of-body experience as her body decays in a coma that doctors say she will never wake from. Crow is given the chance to go back in time, to relieve important moments, to get things right. Crow believes that she's been given this opportunity to go back in time to save her sister, but soon learns her sister may not be the one who needs saving after all. Unfortunately for Crow, she may figure things out much too late.
This book was very engaging for much of the story but as I said above, at the end I just felt sort of let down. Truthfully, that may be because even though the ending is told to us very early on, I suppose I just did not want to believe it. I was hoping there would be some catch or something that changed the outcome. That being said, watching Crow go back in time and learn things not only about herself but about her loved ones was very entertaining and moving. Mayday is definitely worth a read, but you may not end up elated at the end. That's my two cents! Enjoy!
February 28, 2019
Language - PG (18 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content - PG-13; Violence - PG
Crow promised to protect her little sister, Addy, when their dad left, but she failed to do so and is now dying. In her comatose state, Crow enters limbo and gets a chance to right things in the past. However, the problems she goes to fix might not be the ones that need fixing.
This was not the story I was expecting and it wasn't as good as the one I wanted to read. I did like that Crow's story wasn't a typical travel-back-in-time story where changing anything ends up being dramatic. Yes, changing the past has consequences, but I like that the changes didn't cause extremes later because they often don't. That felt more real to me as I read. However, Crow's purpose and self-assigned mission just wasn't very exciting for me as a reader. The story was missing intrigue and failed to keep me engaged.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Crow promised to protect her little sister, Addy, when their dad left, but she failed to do so and is now dying. In her comatose state, Crow enters limbo and gets a chance to right things in the past. However, the problems she goes to fix might not be the ones that need fixing.
This was not the story I was expecting and it wasn't as good as the one I wanted to read. I did like that Crow's story wasn't a typical travel-back-in-time story where changing anything ends up being dramatic. Yes, changing the past has consequences, but I like that the changes didn't cause extremes later because they often don't. That felt more real to me as I read. However, Crow's purpose and self-assigned mission just wasn't very exciting for me as a reader. The story was missing intrigue and failed to keep me engaged.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
February 8, 2017
Very strange and very good. :P
February 7, 2015
this is my all-time favorite book! the events of this story are so strange and the philosophical thoughts made me spend nights thinking about life and afterlife and even what's between these two! it totally swallowed me up i just love it! and the most thing i loved about it is that you can fall in love with yourself when you are not you. i guess this is the best part of it
June 5, 2014
I thought it was pretty good, I loved how it was set in Minnesota and the settings. Of course the case with Jude took me by surprise and yeah but there was great character development throughout the book and I enjoyed the ending
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2017
I was a little worried this book would get boring fast with all the repetitiveness of it but that wasn't a problem at all. It was such a good book, if not a little sad. Even though the end result was the same, small choices make all the difference.
February 2, 2015
Decidedly odd. Not bad, but very strange.
September 29, 2014
Very strange book, but i really enjoyed it. The ending was unexpected but good. There we're parts that could've been developed better, but it was interesting and different enough to suck me in. Some profanity
August 7, 2015
MAYDAY was a little bit confusing to digest and felt very vague. The concept was cool, but I feel like the idea of second chances and living your life for you only explored the tip of the iceberg.
August 28, 2015
If it ended happier then I would have been happier.
December 22, 2023
Touched on important topics like sexual abuse and how that impacts trust. Sometimes the dream parts were confusing to me. I did appreciate that it was a very unpredictable book
July 28, 2014
Very strange, but I liked it! Review to come soon on my blog.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews