Review: THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY & JUNE by Robin Benway ****

Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait!

Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?

April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.

Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

I absolutely adored Robin Benway's debut AUDREY, WAIT! (my review here) and I was beyond excited when I heard about her next novel about these three sisters with extraordinary (and hella fun) powers. I received an ARC a while ago, but I was saving it and so I finally started reading it on my birthday - yeah, party time. ;)

This book is quite different from the author's debut (especially in terms of plot), but what they have in common is that they're both easy and hilarious reads. Benway's spunky and sassy characters read make the books and they're just so much fun to read about. I loved the Stephenson girls just as much as I loved the kickass Audrey, they have this amazing sister dynamics and I loved being involved in their world and 'eavesdropping' to their banter. Each chapater is narrated by one of them and I could easily tell them apart - they were all hilarious, but their personal characteristic made them different from each other. I couldn't possibly pick a favourite, but I suppose I related to April the most.
Oh and good news: the wonderful Stephenson sisters are also on Twitter so be sure to follow them: April, May & June (aged 16, 15 and 14 respectively).

While I loved the idea of their superpowers (seeing the future, disappearing, mind reading), I perhaps felt they weren't explored enough - I felt there was so much more that could be done with them and thus I wished the book was longer. Yes, there was a tragedy that they prevented with their superpowers, but based on April's visions, I was expecting something far more dramatic so that was a bit of a letdown. I also hoped that their superpowers would be explained, but I don't recall that happening and all I wanted was some answers - fingers crossed things will be revealled in the next book if there is one (yes, please)!

Overall, this was an immensly enjoyable read with an original premise, but I was somehow expecting more plot and depth ... No, not something out of an upper tier online school course as the writing was great and doesn't really need improvement, but maybe just a more developed story ... I can hardly complain though - with a cover like *that* (isn't it AMAZING?) and such fabulous and hilarious characters! Definitely recommended if you're looking for a super fun read and I sure hope Ms Benway is already working on her third book!

overall rating:
plot: 4/5 | writing: 4/5 | characters: 5/5 | cover: 5/5