Apr 7, 2010

Review: Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver

Summary (from Amazon):

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day 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.

My Opinion:

What a wonderful debut from Miss Lauren Oliver! Completely powerful and exciting, hard to believe this is her first book.

For those of you who don't know, this is a long book, comprised by seven long chapters. But their inner division was very clever, actually.

It took me a while to get into it, but after the third chapter, maybe the fourth, I couldn't stop.

Sam begins as a shallow character, always thinking about what others think of her. As the book progresses, we begin to find little changes in her, that'll later become more obvious.

Her friends Lindsay, Ally and Elody are just like her: typical popular girls. But then we begin to discover that not all is what it seems, that everyone has their flaws.

Sam's boyfriend, Rob, was a pain in the butt. I disliked him from the beginning, and I think he got what he deserved in the end.

And then there's lovable Kent. The invisible boy who becomes a major part in Sam's life, and in her choices. I couldn't help but swoon along with Sam every time he appeared.

This book is all about choices, and their consecuences. Sam has to relive her last day seven times, each time learning a little bit more about herself and those around her. She grows enormously and becomes a very deep character.

Oliver does a great job twisting and turning Sam's path, so we're always left wondering what'll happen next.

I really liked this book, and if you still haven't read it, I totally recommend it. Try to read at least until chapter three, it gets a bit long at first, but you won't regret having stuck out until the end.

That ending is to die for.

Monkey Rating: 4 Monkeys

Cover: 4 Monkeys
Characters: 5 Monkeys
Plot: 4 Monkeys
Writing: 5 Monkeys

Visit Lauren Oliver on her:

2 monkey thought (s):

Nina said...

Great review, you really got me excited to read this one. I can't wait to get this and read it. Thanks for telling us that after chapter 3 it gets much and much better!

Tales of Whimsy said...

I keep hearing the best things about this one :D

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