Review: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I really need to lay off the heavy reading for a bit.

Alright…this novel is about a girl named Sam. Sam is difficult if not impossible to love. She’s mean, just like her fellow popular high school friends. The brilliance of the story is how she changes.

The story goes, it’s February 12, a friday and Sam is at a party when upon leaving she and her girlfriends are in a car accident where Sam dies. Sam wakes the next morning and it’s February 12, again. Think Groundhog Day, you know Bill Murray, but in high school, that’s the idea. Sam goes through this day 7 times and we are along for the ride. Where she learns secrets and finds out what kind of a person she was and who she wants to be.

This was a great read I really enjoyed it. Going through the days with Sam really gives you a chance to learn the characters and built a relationship with them. I laughed and cried and wished I could be there to help and maybe find resolutions to the issues Sam faces. I loved Kent and thought he was so sweet. It was interesting with the first person dialogue how Sam was so irritated and disgusted with him and his quirks. As the reader I bought into it and then as Sam changes her opinion and view so did I.

After learning to love Sam, it was difficult to hear of all the terrible things she did. All the terrible things kids do in general. There is a deeper message her which directly connects to Thirteen Reasons Why. It’s amazing how cruel teens can be and how rumors and turning your back on people can devastate others in ways one can not imagine. I liked the comparison to a butterfly flapping it’s wings and causing a huge disaster in the other side of the globe, rumors work the same way. When a small comment is made, and seemingly innocent, can have devastating effects.

I thought the story was beautifully written. I just wish…



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