Book Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I am so very behind with book reviews... Case in point, I finished reading this book at the beginning of April and have read, like, 17 other books since then... Please forgive me if I don't remember all the details! Also, this review contains "spoilers," so read the third paragraph with caution.

 

 

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

 

 

Source: Borrowed a paperback copy from the library

 

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Contemporary

 

Synopsis:

With this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today's foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person's life can affect so many others.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

Review:

I have always loved stories involving time travel or reincarnation, and I adored If I Stay, so it was a given that I was going to read this book. I haven't seen the movie yet, and I'm really curious to know if I would like it more than the book. It seems like the kind of story that makes a better movie...

 

Sam is not a likeable character, at least not in the beginning. And I believe that's how the author intended her to be. She grows and changes as the story progresses and she lives her last day over and over again, becoming a much more likeable person, endearing herself to the reader.

 

***SPOILER ALERT***   The following paragraph contains spoilers

 

It took me a couple chapters to decide whether or not I liked where the story was going, but I did eventually decide that I liked it. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that she still dies in the end. I just kind of felt like what was the point? What was the point of her living her last day over and over 'til she "got it right," changing into a person you can relate to, and then dies anyway? What was the point of that?!

 

So, aside from the annoying, tragic ending, I liked the book. Would I recommend it? Not really. I liked it, but it really wasn't good enough or emotional enough to make me want to encourage someone else to read it. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads, but I think I would have rated it 3.5 if I could have.

 

My Goodreads rating: