There is no way of knowing; no feeling in the pit of your stomach when you wake up in the morning, that indicates that the last day you’ll ever see your friends and family, your house and your school and the earth in general is about to begin. When you’re a teenager, you think you’re untouchable, and can do the impossible and live forever. But the truth is, you just don’t know. Today might very well be your last.

In the novel, Before I Fall, the debut novel by Lauren Oliver, Samantha Kingston, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High school lives a perfect life, sitting comfortably on top of the social hierarchy with her three wild best friends and her jock boyfriend. Friday February 12th , also known as Cupid Day, she should be worrying about how many roses she will get during the day, the indication of how popular you are, and looking forward to the party begin held later that night. But what starts as a normal day for Sam ends with a fatal car crash and her perfect world fades into eternal darkness…or so it should. Instead, Sam is granted seven additional days of life, second chances if you will, except that all seven are February 12th. Now, Sam embarks on a mission to save her own life, to end the cycle of repeated days so that she can move on by fixing the mistakes that have unconsciously been growing larger and less stable throughout the years and the pain she has caused along the way.

Although it might seem a bit redundant at the beginning as the story line for the seven days is seemingly the same, Sam herself is quickly changing and therefore changes up how she spends the exact same twenty-four hours so that by the time you reach the final day, you’ll be dying (no pun intended) to know how the story ends. As you travel with Sam on an emotional rollercoaster filled with regrets and what-ifs, you’ll realize that life’s too short and precious to not appreciate your blessings and that one action, no matter how small it may be, can alter the entire course of a person’s life.