Review of “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver
Monday, April 5, 2010 | 2:16 pm
Think of it as “Groundhog Day” meets “Mean Girls.”
Samantha “Sam” Kingston has all a teenager could want out of life. Her friends are cool, slim, and popular. Her boyfriend is the hottest guy in school, and as a senior, she’ll soon fly the coop and attend BU (fingers crossed).
The book opens on Friday, Febuary 12th, aka, Cupid Day, at Thomas Jefferson High. Sam and her three best friends dress in matching mini-skirt and maribu-trim tank outfits and speculate on how many roses each will get from the rest of the student body. Sam hopes to get at least nine, but is shooting for the ultimate sign of popularity: fifteen.
What she gets is a screech of brakes and a blinding white flash.
The next morning Samantha wakes and looks at the date: Friday, February 12th.
What Samantha gets is a second chance. And then a third. And then a fourth. Over and over again, the day repeats, and Sam is forced to examine her life and her actions, and the consequences of what it means to have it all, and still not have what you need.
This is Lauren Oliver’s debut novel, and it does not disappoint. Samantha’s voice is raw and authentic, and the writing, fast spaced and gripping, makes this a real page-turner. If you are looking for a break from vampires and fallen angels, give this a try. You’ll find yourself rooting for Sam, hoping that she’ll be able to make it through this exhilarating, journey of bittersweet revelations about herself, and her life.
Available at Amazon and your local library.
—HeadCardigan
(posted in Book Reviews | tagged Before I Fall, Book Reviews)
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