Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Pages: 470
Intended Audience: Mature teens
Genre: True life (Conduct of life) / Death
Notes for Parents: Lots of bad behavior – drinking, smoking, sex, drugs, drinking & driving, bullying, inappropriate behavior by an adult, many mature scenes

The Back Cover

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12^th, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times 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.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Despite what the back cover says, the mystery is not in how or why she died, but in what she has to do to move on.

What’s good?

It’s Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day in this compelling story that forces a self-centered teen to relive the same day over and over. Sam Kingston makes the painstaking realization that popularity has a price and that the small acts of cruelty that she and her friends find amusing can have far reaching effects. The story is emotional and the characters, though difficult to like, are very realistic. Sam learns there is no quick fix as she grasps at her chance for redemption.
Best Part: The suspense. I had a hard time putting the book down for want of knowing how she was going to change things.

What isn’t good?

I found it very difficult to care about any of the main characters, especially Sam. They were shallow, petty, cruel, and indecently self-centered. It was supporting characters like Kent, Juliet, Anna, and Izzy that kept me invested in the outcome.
Worst part: Mr. Daimler

Recommendation þþþþo

This book is definitely for mature readers only. While I detested Sam and her friends (they brought back some nasty high school memories), I respect the raw emotional realism of the social environment portrayed in this very thought-provoking story. Definitely recommended.

Oliver, Lauren. Before I Fall. New York: Harper, 2010.