3.24.2014

Recent Reads, 7/40: Before I Fall

31114(1)

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is the story of Samantha Kingston’s last day, February 12th. After attending a party with her friends, they get into a car accident and Sam is killed instantly. However, she wakes up the following day only to find out that it is once again February 12 and only she has the knowledge of the “previous” night. She is then unsure of whether or not she truly is dead or why she is reliving the day repeatedly, and she tries to learn how to make it stop.

At first, I was annoyed with Sam. She and her friends are the popular bitches of her high school. They relentlessly tease people they think are below them and, especially in Sam’s case, date people for the social leverage. I felt so frustrated with the characters, so shallow and cruel….and then I remembered that high school (and most of your life, if you let it be that way) is like that. Everything seems like the end of the world. You can’t have a crush on the nerdy guy because that will make you look bad. You can’t be into certain activities or you will get pegged with a stereotype.
Being yourself is one of the hardest things in life, let alone in high school, where you have no idea what you’re doing and everything is changing at such a rapid pace.

By the end of the book, I was a sobbing mess. I thought it was a great story, so beautiful. Some can say it’s predictable, but I still was left wondering what would happen, what could happen, trying to stretch out that hope.

Without a doubt, this is the best book I’ve read as a part of my 2014 challenge so far.

No comments:

Post a Comment