472 pages
Published March 2nd 2010 by HarperCollins
Genre: YA Fiction
"What if you had only 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: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day 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."
It has been over two months since the site's last review! Gasp! We're awfully sorry, but school has been nipping at our heels. Here's a book I just finished reading a few days ago, and hopefully this review can make up for the lack of any recent ones... and the sparse that are to come until the end of the school year.
Before I Fall! A not so bad read. Telling the story of how a girl lives the same day through an entire week and how she comes to change herself and the people around her, it is an interesting book that is both realistic and relatable to. Samantha Kingston, your vain, simple-minded and bitchy teenage girl who sees the amount of roses you get on Valentine's day as important, suddenly dies on said Valentine day, in a car accident after your generic teen party. The next morning, she wakes up in her bed, on the same exact day. Fun stuff!
In Before I Fall, Oliver makes her protagonist go through the same day seven times, causing her to evolve into a better, nicer person as she realizes that popularity, sex and social power aren't the only things that matter, and that there are better things to concentrate upon. For a novel of 472 pages, there's enough space to clearly witness Samantha's evolution and for the reader to end up liking her. The story itself is gripping and holds some jolting twists at the end. It was my personal pleasure to see the story and mystery behind Sam's death and quest unfold so well.
The same day, seven times? Might be a bit repetitive. It was, on day 3 or 4, but the events vary. Even if I did approach the ending of the book with certain relief and impatience, Before I Fall offers many versions of the same day, and doesn't drag on the details that were already presented earlier. Character-wise, I think the cast is very realistic. All of Samantha's friends are the type of girls that one can classify as 'classical school bitch', and are presented such as that; bitching, being mean and vile, horny and self-centered. Lauren Oliver does, though, show their better side, a deepness to them that the reader doesn't realize at first. The character development is drastic and entirely believable.
Before I Fall captures the narcissistic emotions and feelings of high school very well. I think a lot of people can relate to the book and it's characters, and even if sometimes the repetition threatened to be overwhelming, the book satisfied me. The writing is engaging and flowing. A book I recommend.
Before I Fall! A not so bad read. Telling the story of how a girl lives the same day through an entire week and how she comes to change herself and the people around her, it is an interesting book that is both realistic and relatable to. Samantha Kingston, your vain, simple-minded and bitchy teenage girl who sees the amount of roses you get on Valentine's day as important, suddenly dies on said Valentine day, in a car accident after your generic teen party. The next morning, she wakes up in her bed, on the same exact day. Fun stuff!
In Before I Fall, Oliver makes her protagonist go through the same day seven times, causing her to evolve into a better, nicer person as she realizes that popularity, sex and social power aren't the only things that matter, and that there are better things to concentrate upon. For a novel of 472 pages, there's enough space to clearly witness Samantha's evolution and for the reader to end up liking her. The story itself is gripping and holds some jolting twists at the end. It was my personal pleasure to see the story and mystery behind Sam's death and quest unfold so well.
The same day, seven times? Might be a bit repetitive. It was, on day 3 or 4, but the events vary. Even if I did approach the ending of the book with certain relief and impatience, Before I Fall offers many versions of the same day, and doesn't drag on the details that were already presented earlier. Character-wise, I think the cast is very realistic. All of Samantha's friends are the type of girls that one can classify as 'classical school bitch', and are presented such as that; bitching, being mean and vile, horny and self-centered. Lauren Oliver does, though, show their better side, a deepness to them that the reader doesn't realize at first. The character development is drastic and entirely believable.
Before I Fall captures the narcissistic emotions and feelings of high school very well. I think a lot of people can relate to the book and it's characters, and even if sometimes the repetition threatened to be overwhelming, the book satisfied me. The writing is engaging and flowing. A book I recommend.
-Beryl
Originality: 9
Plot: 8,5
Characters: 9
Writing: 8
Cliffhangers: 7,5
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Rating: 8,4/10
