Review Detail

Before I Fall was both everything and nothing I expected. I imagined that Sam would end up going through the emotions and the types of days she did, but I still never could have imagined all the secrets contained in one small day and how the actions of one person could change and reveal things.

You know the author’s done something fantastic when she can make me go from completely despising a character to loving her. And I’m not talking I-really-hated-her-but-she-grew-and-was-tolerable-by-the-end; I mean I wanted to punch Sam in the face for the first part of the book and by the end I had the serious warm-fuzzies for. I was slightly disappointed in the fact that she could just look past all the terrible things Lindsey had done, but maybe that just means a she’s more mature than I :P

I liked the fact that it took Sam quite a while to start changing. I mean, she spent one entire day doing everything she could possibly do that wasn’t like her usual self from kissing her teacher to stealing her mom’s credit card. I have to say, if I was stuck in the same day and nothing I ever did made a difference then I’d probably have a similar day. I’d be pissed at the world too if I knew I was dead and kept reliving the same day. But, the fact is she does change. Sometimes it was hard to read and ended up making me cringe away from the page, but in the end Oliver had created a beautiful character.

The Nutshell: Before I Fall is a beautiful story about hurt and loss and shows us that everything we do matters and has consequence. If you’re looking for a good story with complex characters and a plot that unfolds better than origami then this is the book for you.

Hit