Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:


Samantha Kingston has it all, popularity, the hottest boyfriend, freedom to do as she pleases, and most importantly, three of the very best friends/partners in crime anyone could ask for...or so she thinks. Sam, Lindsey, Ally and Elody are peas in a pod, attached at the hip, finish each others sentences, etc. If they start a rumor, it becomes truth almost instantly. The power of their popularity is scary, no one dares cross them for fear they may become the next target. One night after partying, drinking and bullying, Lindsey is driving them all home when all of a sudden they swerve and hit something. Sam is sure she is dead until she wakes up and the day starts over. Sam starts to think maybe it's her job to fix what happened, fix her life, or just fix something so she can stop waking up on February 12th for days in a row. Sam's journey goes from self preservation to self realization as she finds out what she needs to do to make things right.

I love to read books on my lunch break at work, it's just what I do. I was finishing this book up last week and you just shouldn't read this book at work unless you want to explain to people why you are crying. Lauren Oliver is a genius. I finished Before I Fall (and how awesome is that title?) and Delirium (review to come) in the same week. Her writing is so powerful.


When I first started Before I Fall, I felt like I was watching Mean Girls or some other high school drama bullying going on. You can't help but hate Sam and her gang at first because of all the awful stuff they say about/do to people. They are master bully's; if you aren't in their circle, you are very much out of it. On February 12th, the day starts off like usual; Lindsey picks Sam up for school, they get coffee, go through their day, and end it with a party. Only on this day, something terrible happens. When they are on their way home from drinking at a party, Lindsey is going a little too fast. They get into a terrible wreck and Sam thinks her life is over. Or is it? When Sam wakes up it's February 12th....again. Sam has to figure out what went wrong in her life in order to move on.

The relationship between Sam and Lindsey is an interesting one, especially since Lindsey is the one who started a rumor about Sam when they were in grade school. But one day at a pool party, Lindsey enlists Sam's help in humiliating another girl; Sam jumps at the opportunity and a friendship blooms. Not to mention in sixth grade, her boyfriend, Rob, said he was too cool for her. How easy Sam forgets she used to be one of "them."

Lauren Oliver touches on a subject that is dear to my heart, high school bullying. She shows how cruel high school can be, and the consequences that cruelty can have. This book is an emotional roller coaster that will take you high and then drop you. I love Before I Fall.

Five out of Five stars!