Before I Fall

This was a surprisingly good YA Romance of sorts with a Groundhog Day twist. For the first fifty - eighty pages or so I was wondering why I was sticking with the book, but then soon enough I found myself unable to put it down. It's always a surprise when something I'm lukewarm about turns the corner; a happy surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. This is the classic YA book with despicable characters, the Queen Bees and Wannabees that Tina Fey wrote so well. Yet what began at first as standard fare slowly changed into something compassionate, and ultimately moving. The ending, while broadcast from a mile away, still managed to be painful to read. Isn't that the mark of a good book, after all?

This book essentially asks the same question show more Groundhog Day did. What do you do when you find yourself living the same day over and over? The added twist is that the day tends to end with your death, and that the way out of this loop is uncertain. What follows is a deconstruction of an array of characters, and of popularity itself. Can there be compassion for the 'mean girl' most popular girl in school? What makes some people get picked on, and some not? What is love, exactly, and how do you feel it? The book is the slow realization that it isn't all about you and that other people have their own lives and complexities. That that is as it should be and beautiful. It's a surprisingly deep and complex bit of YA beneath the shades of the shallow that used to, and still can, dominate the genre.

This book was a pleasant surprise, and one I'm glad I looked into after seeing Karen's review. So, thank you Karen! I enjoy stalking your GoodReads and following your suggestions, even when they're not [a: Jonathan Carroll|23704|Jonathan Carroll|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1222900262p2/23704.jpg]. show less

Before I Fall is much better than Vanishing Girls. I was so disappointed in Vanishing Girls that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this one, but Lauren Oliver’s stories sound so intriguing that I had to give this one a try. I’m so glad that I did.

Sarah Drew did a fantastic job narrating the novel and bringing the characters to life.

The story has a Groundhog’s Day format with one day repeating, but I thought it was very effective and well executed. Each day brought on something new to the story, something different without feeling like you’re reading the same story over and over. I love YA novels like this one that address real teenage issues like underage drinking, drugs, bullying, cheating, and theft without trying to show more glamorize it.

The writing constantly moved forward at a pace that I found enjoyable. I wish I had a print copy of the book in front of me while I listened to the audiobook, because it had some very cute similes and metaphors.

Samantha and her friends are shallow, popular high school seniors and at times they sounded like they had the same personality, but that’s typical when you’re part of a clique like theirs. You must fit their mold or do not enter. The girls were wild and carefree with a vicious streak, especially towards Anna and Juliet. If these girls were real, they would be the type of girls that their quiet, shy classmates would envy, faults and all. They’d secretly want to be like those girls, going to parties, dating any popular guys they wanted, easily making friends with the other popular kids. As a teen, those things are important, but as an adult, you realize that those things are ridiculous.

I still found the characters interesting even with their shallowness. I had a very clear picture of what they looked like and what kind of people they were; phony, pretentious, entitled – except for Samantha.

Don’t get the wrong impression. This isn’t a superficial, YA novel that has nothing to offer. It actually gives you hope for the Z generation of kids. All it takes is one teen who wants to stand up for another who is bullied. One character learns that his actions have consequences and just because he’s a good-looking, popular boy, he doesn’t get a free pass. Another character has a lisp, but she appears comfortable with it. Samantha has more depth and insight than most teens. She has compassion for others, while her friends are self-absorbed brats. She sees the pretentiousness in her friends. She sees that their act is just a façade to hide their own fears. They’re convincing actors. If more teens realized this, less teens would be bullied because they’d know that their bullies are just as afraid (and maybe even more) than they are.

I was a little disappointed in the ending, not because it was bad, but because I wanted it to end differently. Before I Fall gives me hope for Lauren Oliver and now I actually want to read another one of her novels.

I recommend this book to fans of YA novels, especially novels that deal with real issues. show less

As I've mentioned, a ways back in the postings, I won this fine book from Lenore over at Presenting Lenore back in early May. I had been eyeing it up for sometime and I couldn't have been more excited when it winged itself to me in the mail from Germany, signed by the author even!
Albeit it does read : Dear Lucky Winner- Isn't Lenore the BEST?? Happy reading- I hope you enjoy!! Lauren Oliver. Hahahaha, so Lenore gets a tiny little bit of marketing in my library from here on in!

The first thing I must tell you is: I fell for it, yes, I fell for this book hard. Lauren Oliver has written a truly lovely first novel, which almost waxes lyrical at times about the every day beauties of life. This book starts as a teen story and ends as an ode to show more living life, with a bit of a redemption story mixed in. But like Going Bovine, the story I walked away with was the reminder to love life, every second of it, good or bad, and to make the most of what you have.

So let me back track for a second, before i fall is about Sam, one of the more popular seniors in her high school. She's far from perfect, and in fact has fallen into the stereotypical traps of high school popularity. It's Cupid day, February 12, and a Friday; her plans include: hopefully getting a record number of roses from friends and admirers, going to a party, and ending her virginity with her boyfriend. In that order. Unfortunately a car crash puts an end to her plans, and her life, until she wakes up the next morning to realise it's Friday February 12th again. Sounds like Groundhog day right? Except it isn't, it's actually really enjoyable (I loathed that stupid movie!).

I was pretty sure, during the first run through of the day, I wasn't going to like this book. I didn't like Sam and I really didn't like her nasty, shallow friends. The whole thing was written so similar to things I remember about high school (Lauren, we had a cupid day with roses being delivered every period too!), that in all honestly the ugliness was too real and was putting me off. But as the story progressed I liked that we were shown all the ways these girls were just trying to make up for their own messed up lives, hide in the spotlight as it were. I also really appreciated that although Sam comes to a realisation of the harm they've inflicted and tries to make up for it, she also still loves her friends despite their faults and can see the good side to each of them. In turn making you see the good in them. See? Redemption.

Fair warning, I cried, a significant amount at the end (and a couple of times close to the end).
Now I can't wait for Lauren's next book, Delirium show less

Easily one of the best books I've read so far in 2010, I devoured this in one sitting. The writing was excellent, just the right pace so you can become totally immersed in the story, yet fast enough so that you can't put it down. I've read a few other teen books about "mean girls," but I felt Oliver got the characters right in this one. Everyone had depth. Yes, the mean girls were mean, but you could understand why, and that wasn't their only characteristic. The plot was so intricate; every day Sam lived was connected to the others. The whole thing was very cleverly done. The ending was...well, no spoilers here, but there was no other way it could have ended, imho. It was satisfying, in its own way. This book affected me for about a day show more after I finished reading it.

Sometimes when a book gets glowing reviews from nearly everyone, expectations for it are too high. I'm glad I knew nothing about this before reading it except my coworker telling me it was good (after I finished, she told me it was her favorite book since The Hunger Games). So don't take my word for it - just go pick it up right now! show less

How many times can you die? Apparently several but after the first time, it really doesn’t count. (Or does it?) So Sam (Samantha) Kingston finds out in Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver’s debut novel. Sam and her friends Elody, Ally and Lindsay were driving home from a Friday night, Cupid’s Day (Valentine’s Day) party, admittedly drunk, when they see a flash of white on the dark road ahead. Lindsay swerves, loses control, and drives into a ditch, killing Sam who was riding shotgun.

The next morning Sam wakes up. Remembering the events of the night before, she’s not sure if it was a dream, but as the events of the previous day replay themselves beginning with her younger sister, Izzy, waking her up for school, Lindsay picking up show more having her coffee and bagel ready, the conversation about Sam’s imminent loss of her virginity to Rob after the party, Sam realizes she is reliving Friday. The problem is what does it mean and what should she do?

Sam relives Friday six times, each time realizing something new about herself, her friends, her family. Sam and her friends were in “in” crowd, but it wasn’t always so for Sam. As you know, members of the in-crowd can be bitchy, sarcastic, and downright mean. When she and her friends start singing “Psycho Killer” as Juliet Sykes (obviously not in the in-crowd) walks into the lunchroom or when Rob puts his arms around her and slobbers on her, trying to kiss her, Sam begins to re-evaluate everything around her. Do her feelings change about her friends or about Kent McFuller, who is always unkempt, who always draws a cartoon for a Valentine’s Day card to accompany the roses that are distributed during class, who always had a crush on her?

Admittedly, there are certain flaws in Before I Fall, two of them concerning actions of teachers; actions that, while possible, are improbable. Some other events didn’t ring true, but in general, Oliver has written a book that should make you think about the things around you, friends, family, how your actions impact the actions of others. I enjoyed seeing Sam change her views in many instances, while solidifying her views in others. Before I Fall is worth reading for so many reasons. It’s well written, interesting, and unique. I think you’ll fall for it. show less

Sam Kingston is one of the popular girls, best friends with Lindsay, Ally, and Elody, and girlfriend of Rob, with whom she's planning to lose her virginity - tonight. But after a party, they get in a car accident and Sam is instantly killed... only to go back and re-live her last day. On each repeat, Sam does things slightly differently and eventually learns that there was a lot more to that night than she thought, relationships and causes and effects that she hadn't been aware of.

Hmmm. Sam was so unlikeable for the first half of the book that I considered not finishing, and only persisted because a couple of friends whose reading matches mine rated it highly. Sam does grow over the course of the book, but I had a hard time feeling show more sorry for the mean popular girls who bully others. There's also disordered eating, suicide attempts, the girls use "lesbian" as an insult, and the math teacher is a creep. Normal high school in 2010? Yeah maybe, and only worse now that we have smart phones. This is the high school drama I don't need to relive again. The second half of the book was better for me than the first as Sam starts to see the consequences of her actions and become a better person. Oliver takes what could be a tired trope and manages to do something interesting with it without getting repetitive. show less

It always takes me awhile to digest a book. I have to let it whirl around in my head and my heart for some time before I can come to a conclusion as to what my true thoughts are, but now that I'm blogging in the book world I'm thinking I should speed up the process a bit. Maybe do some thinking out loud per se.

I have to be honest, with Before I Fall, I had to stop crying before I could sit down to write to this. You'll figure out about me soon enough, I'm sure, I feel a great empathy with the characters of the books I read. I jump into the pages with them, walk the high school halls or the Quantico fields....whatever genre I'm reading, I'm fully committed and tonight during those last few chapters I was there with Sam as she relived the show more last day of her life for the 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th time.

What was even more eerie is I was telling my high school daughter the book today, encouraging her to read it once I was finished. I have two daughters, one is a senior, one is a sophomore. OH, if I could just tell you the whole story! but that would take away from your experience in reading the book...and what an experience it is.

We learn about life in the "IT" crowd or the "IN" group, Lindsay, THE IT girl, Sam, her best friend, Elody, and Ally. These 4 girls are the most 4 popular girls in school and are seniors this year. One word from any of these 4 girls and another student would instantly be shunned.

There's one line in the book that just about tears at my soul every time I go back and read it. The four girls have been drinking vodka since the afternoon and throughout the evening at a party. They leave the party with Lindsay driving, Sam shotgun as always with the other two in the back. You know what happens next.

But before you start pointing fingers, let me ask you: is what I did really so bad? So bad I deserved to die? So bad I deserved to die like that?
Is what I did really so much worse than what anybody else does?
Is it really so much worse than what you do?
Think about it.

Whew. That was tough. Because I did, think about it. And I haven't stopped thinking about it. But then the book goes on to where Sam relives the day, 7 times. She gets 7 chances to get it right. How many of us get 7 do-overs? And if we had the chance to do-it-over-again, would we do it right? When someone says to us "It's too late" would we tell them "It's never too late" and care enough to make sure the actions speak louder than the words.

Please, if you don't read another book this year, read this one. It's not the easiest of reads in that Sam has to wake up every day on February 12th for 7 days and some of the high school angst is a little hard to handle if you're a parent of teenagers; however, the message is important and not just for young adults. The last two pages, I think, are my favorites. show less