TITLE: Before I Fall
AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver
PAGES: 282 (ePub format)
PUBLISHED: March 2, 2010 by HarperCollins
READ: February 28 - March 3, 2012
BUY THIS BOOK AT: Amazon /
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Chapters.Indigo
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.
"You know how rumours start? Because someone feels like it."
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is officially #1 on my favourite book list (ya I said it). It is the most relevant book I have ever read. Reading it brought me back to the time in my life that I hated the most, high school. That little blip in your life that, at the time, feels like the final stage of your life. That's it, your an adult, who you are is who you are going to be for the rest of your life, who your with is who you will marry and who your friends are will be your friends till the end. But in the end, that's all it is, a little blip in your life that in the expanse of things doesn't mean much. I hated high school with a passion, and it was all because of girls like Samantha Kingston and Lindsay Edgecomb.
The characters in this book are masterfully crafted. I absolutely loathed the girls in the beginning of the book, they made me so mad that I actually felt angry. But as Before I Fall goes on, the layers of them become exposed through memories Sam has of the past. The transformation our MC goes through is beautiful. We watch her come out of her little bubble and have some shocking realisations about her life and how her actions affect the people around her. My feelings for Lindsay also changed throughout the book, at first I hated her guts, but by the end I just felt bad for her.
The issues presented are faced with an unflinching realism that brings you back to that place and makes you feel exactly how you did at that time in your life. Everything from body image, to bullying and teen suicide is handled so well that I am in awe of Lauren Oliver. This is a beautifully written book that every high school girl should be required to read just for the faint hope that something sticks. I highly recommend Before I Fall to anyone looking for an Alluring Read.
