Before I Fall

Reader reviewed by Lauren G

Before I Fall is one of the best YA books I've ever had the pleasure of reading. With skillful writing, an interesting story, and some very dynamic characters, this book is sure to please all readers. I LOVE when an author can make me hate a character and then grow to love them all in the same novel. That is exactly what Oliver has done. The story is very emotional and extremely satisfying. I've recommended this book to everyone I know and I will keep doing so. Just amazing.

Reader reviewed by Sarah S

Initially I was concerned about how Oliver would make this
plotline interesting and original, and not just a Groundhog Day
retelling. It had to be more than the same basic events over and over again;
there had to be something really good to keep me reading about the same day
seven times.



And there definitely is; I couldn't put it down.



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.
-From the HarperTeen website



Sam isn't a very nice person, actually she's a "mean-girl". But she's a far
cry from many of the one dimensional mean-girl characters that riddle YA at the
moment. In fact none of the characters are flat, not even Sam's younger sister
who only makes minor appearances. You are drawn into her life as she attempts
to figure out why she's reliving her last and discovering what sort of person
she really is. Oliver creates a character whose changes and growth we can
actually believe. We want her to change, to help the outcast, to kiss the boy,
to find herself before it's too late.



Although the entire book is just one day over and over again, Oliver has
repeated just enough to get you into Sam's mindset as she struggles to figure
out what's happening to her and how to stop it. She doesn't repeat the
unnecessary or let the novel get bogged down in the middle around the fourth
time she relives her day. Being able to do this makes Lauren Oliver a brilliant
writer -- at least in my humble opinion.



Before I Fall makes you think about all the things you've said and done
and how they may have affected someone else, without being preachy or
overstated.



Add to the top of you to-read pile

Reader reviewed by Jillian R

Review: It is not often that books take the route of having a 'mean girl' as the protagonist, instead of the typical outsider from the outside looking in. For this YA debut novel from Lauren Oliver, I thought it worked perfectly.
Before I Fall is indeed a story about a girl who dies and gets a second chance. However, it truly is so much more than that.
Yes,
the plot was original and the characters were real. The pace is fast
and the flow of words are effortless, making this 500 page novel seem
like 50 instead. Truth be told though, this book is not just about
those anymore. For me, the main purpose of this book are the messages
that it sends to its readers. They are simple really, but often times,
the simplest things are the ones that are most important -- and ignored.
Before I Fall also proves
that even the smallest of things -- good or bad -- can change
everything and make the most difference. It can either be a small
change in our everyday lifestyle or a simple act of kindness towards
others.

The main character, Samantha Kingston, speaks for
everyone of us, which I think makes her the perfect protagonist. She is
perfectly flawed. After all, she is a mean girl. Snobbish, snotty, "bitchy," selfish,
arrogant. What's there to like? But as we read on and get to know her
more, we realize the harsh truth; sometimes, we act like her too. We can be mean, selfish, and arrogant, sometimes even without knowing it.
The best thing I got from this book though, is realizing that there is still
time to change for the better, unlike Samantha, who simply ran out of
it. What can we do? We can start with the simple things. Do or say
something nice to someone today; a genuine compliment, a real apology
-- anything. We have no idea how this might change someone's way of
thinking, and how these little acts of kindness can truly heal.

This
is why I give this book 5 stars. Like I said, the writing, pace, plot
development, and character development are all perfect. But I think
aside from those, the main reason why this novel is getting so much
praise is because it has done something unique and special -- becomes
more than just pages of writing. Before I Fall teaches
us real life lessons, makes us ponder on what truly matters in life,
and has the ability to possibly change something in us for the better.
How could I not give it 5 stars??
I will not talk about the ending
or anything specific that happens in the book, as I feel as if any
information I say might spoil it, but I will say, this is one of those
books I highly recommend.; original, haunting, inspiring, and
thought-provoking. Hopefully, you'll not only be entertained by reading
it, but find it meaningful long after you finish it -- because that's
exactly what happened to me.

Reader reviewed by Okapi

Reprinted here with permission of reviewer @ thesmartyowl.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by CookieMonster

 I am happy that I got the chance to read this book.

Would I have picked it up on my own were it not a B&N First Look?
Maybe some time, but probably not. But like the book showed so well, a million different little things changed that, and I am genuinely happy that it did come into my hands.

I hated several main characters at first like Lindsay, Ally, Elody, and Sam. I knew and even still know people like them. But the evolution of Sam and her revelations on everythings connectedness let my perceptions evolve along with her.
From the beginning, I was taken with how the author captured things that really happen (to all of us) just perfectly. She get the characters so right, down to the "unofficial" H.S. dress code of New Balance sneakers and Northface jackets.
I know that Sam's (the main character) experience is sorta like the movies Groundhog Day or Sliding Doors, but really thats only a fraction of it. The amazing insight and realistic events/people/conversations in the book are extraordinary, and even eery. Readers will instantly connect with the familiarity of the social hierarchy and mean girls group. I really loved Before I Fall.
Congratulations to Lauren Oliver on writing something so amazing!

Reader reviewed by Reading Angel

Lauren Oliver has taken "Mean Girls" and mixed it in with "Groundhogs Day".  She definitely takes the lives of these shallow and mean-spirited high-school girls and brings them all to life.  I'm sure that everyone of us has either known a girl like that, or maybe some of you were one of those mean girls. But either way, we can all relate to someone in this story.

I started out really hating Sam and all her friends!  I mean I really really hated them...lol.  But, that was the point!  They were horrible to people at school and all around whiny and stuck-up.  They think nothing about the results that their taunting and bullying could have on others.  But as Sam loses her life and has to relive that last day over and over, she will begin to realize that every action really does have a consequence.  And all the threads of life are weaved together.

I eventually came to really like Sam, but I think my favorite character of all was Kent.  He was goofy, yet sweet and fun loving, just my type of male lead :-)  I really experienced a range of emotions with this book, the day she lived with her sister really touched me.  My little brother was my shadow when I was growing up and it really made me think about what he would remember of me if I died. 

All in all, this was a great concept and the writing was fabulous, my only complaint was sometimes I felt that the repeating of the day could have been cut short by a day or two.... I will definitely look forward to the next book from this author.  I would give this a 4 1/2, but since I can't I'll just make it an even 4....

Reader reviewed by Sydney

In this book a girl learns that being nice to people is better then being mean and horrible. If you are looking for a good book pick this up and you won't put it down untill the very end. I loved this book and the way it is written. I learned a lot here and you will to. So read this and see what happens.

Reader reviewed by Jill

I've put off writing this review for awhile just because I didn't know if I could do the book justice.  I've decided to just let the review come from my heart and leave it at that.  This book is amazing and painful, hopeful and sad all rolled into one.  When I started the story I hated Sam and her friends.  And I'm not exaggerating when I say hate.  They are the typical mean girls.  This was hard for me because, being a 7th grade teacher, I see things like this starting.  And being the mother of an 11 year old girl - my heart hurt thinking she might encounter girls like these.  When I got done with chapter one I saw no way that Sam could be anything but what I saw of her in that first chapter.  But then, like the summary said, she gets a second chance.  Throughout this second chance I wanted to shake her.  She just couldn't get it! Everything was so self-centered! But as the story goes on, Sam learns.  Much of what she had going on inside her was able to come out into more of the person she should be. By the end, I didn't hate her anymore - not even a little.

Before I Fall is a difficult book.  As an adult I had a hard time reading it.  I was starting the last chapter at school, and I had to stop because I was crying by the second paragraph into it.  This book hit my at my core.  I'm not a high schooler living in the midst of that like the characters were.  But I see these characters in real life walk the halls of my school.  Lauren Oliver made them extremely real.  Maybe just a little too real at times. I honestly believe that this is a book many girls should read because it might help them take a good hard look at themselves and how they are treating those around them. My fear is - that even after reading it, they wouldn't see themselves in it. I worry the whole point of the story might be lost.  I know it wasn't lost on me, and I walked away from the story changed. 

Final thought: A hard look at how we treat each other and why.
Best stick-with-you image: the whole book
Best for ages: 16+

Word of warning to parents: this is a very mature book in content, language and situations.

Reader reviewed by Nikki aka SpunkiiReader

First off WOW! This book was amazing. Sam Kingston is a character you love to hate, but throughout the book you watch her grow and change to become a character you truely love.

Its Friday Febuary 12, and it's Sam's last day. But then she wakes up in the morning to find out it's Febuary 12 again, and again 6 times. How far would you go to keep youself from dying? What do you do when no matter how the day plays out you still dont see tomorrow? This book really makes you think about they way you live your life and how you treat other people. How do you want to be rememberd if you were to die tonight? This is a really good read and a touching story.