Before I Fall

Within the first chapter of this book I was ready to put it down; I had no desire to enter yet again into high school mean girl angst. Oh, poor me, I am so popular and you are a nothing, but feel sorry for me because I had to earn my way to the top. Yada, yada, yada.

BUT I AM GLAD I READ ON.

On a day that seems like all others Samantha Kingston, a high school senior, will die. She had always believed that when you die your life will flash before you, but that is not what happens. After the car accident she wakes up in her bed, only to live the same day over. From her sister waking her up to her roses on Cupid Day, everything is the same. By living the same day over and over she gradually realizes that she has the power to change things. To re-become the person she used to be, the kind and caring Sam she had been before she had to live up to the expectations of others; even if that meant getting past the current boyfriend to see her childhood friend Kent as her hero.

This is definitely a young adult book, the storyline is simple and yet you find yourself cheering on Sam and by the end you want her to have one more day. The day she could come completely back to her family.

The one part of this book that resonates with me is Lauren Oliver’s interpretations of comas. What if they really are the two parts of our brain fighting each other over what is real and what isn’t. That is a fascinating idea. Probably a little more in depth than what is usually handled in young adult, but still an interesting point.