Before I Fall
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 1, 2010
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 978-0061726804
470 pages
I received this book from Around the World Book Tours.
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.
Yep, I’m jumping on the Lauren Oliver train! This book was amazing and insightful and dramatic and heartfelt and….well, I could go on and on!
The premise of this book is what drew me in. What if you got to relive the last day of your life? Would you do anything different? This book is a strong reminder to all of us that you never know when your last day will be your last day, so live life to its fullest and never have any regrets!
Sixteen year old Samantha Kingston wakes up on the morning of February 12 and goes about her day as always – she’s the popular girl, the girl who looks down on everyone, who gets all the flowers from her admirers, who goes to a party at a boy’s house who has a crush on her, but she won’t give him the time of day, who is about to have sex for the first time with her boyfriend. But, by the end of the day, Samantha is dead. What went wrong? Samantha gets the chance to find out – seven times over.
When Samantha wakes up the next morning, of what would be February 13, she soon discovers that she is reliving the day of her death – February 12. This happens every day for seven days. What I found fascinating about this book is that every small change in her day had drastic consequences to those around her. What Samantha discovers in these seven days, about herself and her friends, is enlightening and refreshing. Yes, Samantha starts out as a mean character. I didn’t like her. But, by the end of the book, I really felt like I was seeing the “real” Samantha, the girl she is outside of her circle of popular friends. The fact that she is vulnerable, that she does want to be a better person, is the crux of the novel. The character development of Samantha is very well-done and I commend the author for creating an unlikeable character and somehow making her likeable at the end. That is quite a feat!
The end of the book is not quite what I expected. I was actually pretty shocked that it ended the way it did. But, I have to say that I did like it! This is a wonderful story at a hefty 470 pages. Don’t let that daunt you, though. It actually moves very quickly and never gets boring. I would definitely recommend it to other readers!
I have read so many good things about this book – I am going to have to go buy it. Thank you for writing a very nice review.
I've been wavering over whether I want to read this one, thanks for reminding me about it! Great review!
Thanks, Donna! I've been seeing reviews all over the place, too! It's definitely worth a read, especially if you like YA fiction!
Thanks Dana! It's definitely worth a read! I really enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!
I've been thinking about reading this one for a while now, but I haven't read much to get me really into it.You helped sway my decision. I need a copy of this now!
Very happy to see you liked as you are one of my trusted bloggers.
So excited to see your button, yaaaaaaay, I have your blog hop as your button right now, lol, I will update it.
sounds good, thanks for the review
Sounds like a lovely read. I would ask you more about the ending haha but guess i will read the book!
I've been wanting to read this SO bad! It's been on my list and I've entered every giveaway I've found. Haven't won yet, but I hope it won't be too long until I can get my hands on it!
I've seen this book reviewed before, but not quite this thoroughly. I wishlisted it so that I can get it later on, since I have such a HUGE TBR shelf right now (very sad!). Thanks for the review!
I will have to make sure our library gets this one. It sounds like an excellent book to make you look at yourself and reflect on who you are and why.I look forward to reading it.