Last week I mentioned on Twitter that I had just finished what might be my favorite YA book of all time, and possibly my favorite book of 2013 so far. And what is this mysterious book called? Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Last week I finished up the Delirium trilogy (also by the same author), and because I loved those books so much I thought I would try out her debut novel and see if I liked it too.
Here's the little blurb from Amazon:
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.
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.
After I read this I was a little hesitant, thinking it would be an overly-repetitive Groundhog Day type of teen novel; I mean reliving the same day SEVEN times in one book? More than anything I was curious how the author could possibly make that interesting. So I ordered the sample for my Kindle, and got to reading.
The story is told in the voice of Samantha, who is a popular teenager at her high school. The author gets her "teenage voice" spot on, and when I first started reading the sample I wasn't sure if it would get annoying. But it didn't. And as the sample went on, I got hooked, and I had to know what happened next.
That was kind of the theme of the novel for me- I couldn't put it down, and had to see what would happen with every turn of the page (the electronic page?). I finished it in two days. I'm not sure if this book is for everyone- I could see some people thinking it was a bit juvenile, but I LOVED it. I thought that the book was incredibly well-paced, and I found myself getting super invested in the characters because you got just enough of them, at just the right time. It was weird to feel like I evolved right along with Sam- at first I didn't really like her, but by the end I was holding my breath that everything would be okay.
There are all sorts of things going on in the story: suspense, romance, lots of teenage drama. And I'm not sure if this book is for everyone, but it's for me. I related to many parts of it, and oddly enough it had me crying, which is not how I would have pictured my reaction back when reading the sample. But I found SO much inspiration within these pages. It reminded me that life is short, that (most of us) only get one go-round at life, and surprisingly, made me feel incredibly appreciative of my own little world.
I highly, highly recommend this book to you if you are a fan of YA literature, and don't mind the point of a view of a teenage girl who still hasn't quite found her place. Two thumbs up, for sure.
Let me know if you decide to read Before I Fall, and be sure to keep me updated on what you think once you finish it. Enjoy!
If you'd prefer to view the book without my affiliate link, feel free to click here instead! :)
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