Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

My Review:

Before I Fall is a great read.  Aside from the fact that Sam keeps reliving the same day, this is a contemporary novel (my favorite genre).  I've read this book twice now, and I loved it both times.  I found the story and the characters to be completely engaging, and the emotional aspects were well done.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Sam is a great main character, though she certainly is not a nice person at the beginning.  Both she and her friends are not people that I would really like in real life, but I actually liked them as book characters.  Sam changed much over the course of the book.  Each time she relived the same day, she made different choices to change some things about her life.  She begins to realize that her boyfriend Rob may not really be the right guy for her.  She also realizes that she and her friends don't treat some people very well, and they should change that.  An example is Juliet Sykes, a girl who Sam and her friends call "psycho."  Sam wants to stop being so mean to Juliet, and she wants her friends to do the same.

The friendships in this book are very well written.  Lindsay, Elody, and Ally are friends with Sam.  Of these three girls, Lindsay seems to have the most important in the story, but they all have parts to play in it.  I find it interesting that Lindsay used to be mean to Sam when they were in elementary school, but they became friends in middle school.  Lindsay puts up a front much of the time to hide some of her secrets.  One of her secrets involves Juliet Sykes.  

The romance in this book is well done.  It is clear from the start that Sam and Rob don't really have a strong relationship.  There is a boy in Sam's math class, Kent, who sends her a Valogram.  It is clear from the first day of February 12th that he likes her.  He is also the host of a party that happens every time the day repeats.  Sam goes to the party a few times.  During a few of the repeats, Sam and Kent have some good moments together.  It is clear that she returns his feelings.  But then, "the next day," when Sam wakes up, she is back with Rob again, and Kent doesn't know Sam likes him back.  

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie