Before I Fall

Before I Fall
By: Lauren Oliver
Review by: Juli Helms

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.

-Summary from Goodreads

I'm a big fan of Lauren Oliver, and it's about time I do a review on Before I Fall!

Before I Fall is heartbreakingly beautiful. It's a story of transformation,  a story of choices, but most of all, it's a story of hope. The characters held me in their grasps and I couldn't escape, and afterwards I would cry just thinking about the story, what befalls Kent and the others, when Sam decides to do what she does. This book was emotionally drenching, and I felt an immediate connection to Sam, even though I despised her personality in the beginning.

The characters of Before I Fall were all multi-dimensional, from Sam herself to the angel who gave her Kent's rose. The voices of the characters were captured realistically, so much so that this book had me engrossed in its story. I have a short attention span. Parallel episodes almost never work for me. But it did, this time.

This book had me trapped in its whirlwind passages, a mixture of doubt and certainty, opposites that blended together to form a fantastic combination that had me up and down and I just couldn't decide on anything except to turn the page, turn the page.

Lauren has a beautiful prose. There's a sense of immediacy in her words, and the use of descriptions add only spice, not distraction.

I have been a fan of Lauren Oliver from the beginning, and I have a feeling I'll be for a very long time.