Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Have you ever had to retake a test until you ace it? Well, imagine you had to repeat a whole day, over and over again for six days until you can finally escape the repeating pattern by doing the right thing and ending it all. In the book Before I Fall, you’ll be taken on a twirling journey through the twisted day(s) of Sam Kingston. The author Lauren Oliver combines the ignorance of characters with a brilliant plot and very interesting setting to make a journey suitable for anyone from Indiana Jones all the way to you!
The main character in this book is Sam Kingston, who begins the book as shy and mean, all because she was popular, but by the end of this novel she is really brave and equally as nice. For example, and not to give any of the book away, she’s willing to risk her life for someone she barely even knows by jumping in front of an on coming 18 wheeler on a busy highway. That’s some amazing bravery! At the beginning of the book, Sam would have never ever done that! Also she’s aware of the kind of friends she has. She tells her friend Lindsay, who’s loud and obnoxious, her odd week of repeating days. Lindsay freaks out a little, but she acts understanding since she is Sam’s best friend. Really, the whole cast of characters help Sam become less ignorant of others and more aware of what kind of life she’s chosen for herself.
The characters help build the most amazing, twisted plot. The book is long, but with twists in every page, will make it seem so short and just leave the reader wanting more and more. For instance, this one time at the party, she got cornered by this freak that people called “Psycho” even though her name was really Juliet. Sam ended up pouring her drink over Juliet’s head. The by standers all cheered and laughed in excitement, but Juliet ran away in humiliation. The book is full of fearless action and endless dramatics that keep you reading out of pure curiosity and suspense. It’s like a modern-teenage Groundhog Day because Sam runs into everyday teenage problems like trusting friends and significant others, only she faces the same ones every time she repeats that day.
The setting is the most important thing in this book. In this modern urban-ish setting, the same events unravel with only little place-switching. For example, Sam usually goes to school and a party afterwards, but one day she skips school with her little sister to go to this one rock outside of town that she used to love when she was little. The day she keeps repeating is Valentine’s Day, so she encounters love problems with her boyfriend at the party and school.
All things considered Before I Fall is superior! With an amazing cast of characters, a twisted plot, and interesting setting, the reader won’t be able to put this book down! I dare you to read it cover to cover and not love it.