Samantha Kingston is a bitch. She and her three best friends Lindsay, Elody and Ally rule the school with their better-than-you attitudes and sky-high stilettos. Sometimes Sam feels a twinge in what passes for a conscience at the bottom of her small black heart, but she usually manages to squish it. February 12 is a Friday like any other, except on the way home from a party, Sam and her girls end up rolling their car and Sam’s life as she knows it is over. Until the next morning, when she wakes up in her bed. It’s February 12—again. At first Sam thinks maybe this is a coma dream, but soon she realizes that she’s trapped in a weird limbo—and she’s not sure what she’s supposed to do next. “Maybe when you die time folds in on you, and you bounce around inside this little bubble forever.†She feels anger (“I hate both of my parents right now…for letting the thread between us stretch so far and so thin that the moment it was severed for good they didn’t even feel it.â€) then hopelessness (“I’m dead, but I can’t stop living.â€) and finally resolve, as Sam realizes she can alter events, move people around, and perhaps avoid the inevitable crash that takes her life (“From now on I’m going to do things right. I’m going to be a different person, a good person. I’m going to be the kind of person who would be remembered well, not just remembered.â€) But is Sam meant to save herself? Maybe the point of all this is to save someone else…
If Sarah Dessen and Jenny Downham collaborated, it might look a little like this rad reinvention of the mean-girl novel. Full confession? I dreaded reading this book. C’mon, a teen relives the last day of her life over and over? (Have I ever mentioned that Groundhog Day is one of my most hated movies of all time?) And it’s loooonnngg. Like 450+ pages long. But surprise, surprise, Lauren Oliver had me at hello with this elegantly crafted and completely mesmerizing story about a dead girl who learns what it means to live in just seven short days. Unlike Groundhog Day, each February 12 of Sam’s day is different, a whole life lived in 24 short hours as she tries to accept what she has lost and wishing she appreciated it more. The length ended up being important, as Sam goes over every detail of the careless existence she took for granted, causing YOU to consider all the little things in your life that you never think about but would miss terribly if they all went away. Like sunsets, little sisters and sappy movies, just to name a very few. Despite the length, there was a feeling of constant suspense as I wondered how on earth Oliver was going to solve Sam’s existential conundrum. I ended up loving every bit of it: the premise, the way Sam’s character realistically develops over the course of the story, the bittersweet end and yes, even the voluminous page count. This is a heart book. You will have an illogical urge to hug it when you’re done. I found myself racing through it, and sighing with great satisfaction upon finishing the last page. As you will, when this lovely and amazing tome comes to a library or bookstore near you.
I saw your tweet about SMILE by Raina Telgemeier, came over to say I loved it as well, and discover your most recent review is for the book I finished just today and loved just as much. 🙂
So glad you stopped by! And good to hear you enjoyed both titles as much as I did:)
At first glance this looks like a book I would avoid at ALL cost 😉 but you’ve got me adding it to my to-read list. Great review!
I’ve been hearing such good things about this. Now from you too! I am going to put this book on reserve today. (I’ve been sort of avoiding it too…)
I’ve been teetering on the brink of adding this one to my list–you’ve convinced me to do so!
Great review! I’ve put it off for that same “groundhog day” vibe and I loved that movie! Can’t wait to dive in!
So I just finished this book like five minutes ago, and even though it is very lengthy, I finished it in two days. Yes, it’s that good. At first I thought the characters were generic (and kind of skanky), but later I realized that this book has some of the best character developments I’ve ever read. And it is b e a u t i f u l 🙂 Just putting that out there.
Karah, I couldn’t agree more! Glad you liked it!
THIS BOOK IS SOOOOOOO AWESOME AND I WISH THAT I COULD OWN ONE BUT I JUST READ IN THE LIBRARY LOL
This has got to be one of my all time favorite books i have ever read. The characters are so like todays teens I could relate to them so well. But I just have one question, what happens at the end? Does she die? Does juliet live? its all very confusing at the end
Uh… I hated the end. I was seriously pissed off, even my friends suddenly looked scared of me.
@Autumn: (spoiler: contains the ending if you haven’t finished. skip)
… after all the trouble she went to and when she finally got together with Kent… SHE FREAKING DIES.
I mean, don’t get me wrong – beautiful book, great writing style, awesome characters, interesting story line….
But the ending pissed me off so much =_=
I am a pre-teen and loved this book. I am doing a book report on it for school. All my classmates want to read it when I am done with my project. I got it the day it came out and finished it two days later. Love the book.
Can’t believe it! I just finished the book…. and wow! I mean I loved it don’t get me wrong but…….. I mean you know whats going to happen, and you know you should expected it but throughout the whole thing what really sucks is that I have hope that the ending would be different. I just wish that the ending wasn’t the ending… Fantastic book kept me flipping the pages! wow
Nya,
My response exactly–would have liked the ending to be different, but it was still satisfying. So glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you’ll come back to RR for more good book recommendations!
I’m about 1/2 done with Before I Fall and its absolutely amazing!…its unpredictable which is nice for a change from reading books where you just know whats going to happen next.
At first I totally thought you were going to bash the book. I was like “What?!” and I got all prepared to have my feathers ‘ruffled’ and such, and then I read it and I smiled 🙂 I’ve read Before I Fall a total of three times. Every time I read it, I catch itty bitty remarks and events that I didn’t catch the other times I read through it. Every time it happens, I swear to myself that those new words weren’t there before!
But anyway..
🙂
please help me. i just finished the book but i’m confused if sam died or not
Summer, what do YOU think happened? I think that Lauren left the ending somewhat ambiguous on purpose so readers could decide.
okay so i read this in 1 day(its summer, why not spend all day reading a 400 page book) and yet i still feel that somehow, i am not finished. i keep re-reading the last few lines over and over trying to figure out what the ending really was. i mean i know its sorta like an ‘out there’ ending that the reader is suppose to come up with but i cant help feeling depressed at the end. at first i hated sam and lindsay. and i felt sooooooo sorry for juliet and everything that happened to her but…in the end, i couldnt help yelling at the book saying “would you please stop trying to kill yourself! gosh!” now i feel bad for feeling bad for sam and being angry at juliet while in the beginning, i was completely the opposite! (still like the book somehow though)
I read this book last night, and unlike many, I find it harder for me to read shorter books than longer books. It only took me around four hours to read this, and I loved every minute of it. It made me cry and made me want to punch someone, but overall it was an excellent book. :] Can’t wait for more from Oliver.
Alltime favorite read of the summer, even though I don’t normally reach for this stuff at the library. Highly recommended. But at the end, it left me feeling hopeful, like there was supposed to be more. There was no real finality at the end, and I loved it because it left me to imagine what was next.
Just finished this great book. Like i said it was great. Well written and it kept me on the edge the whole way thru. I was very dissapointed with the ending and i have to say it would have been perfect if sam had woke up the next day and it was feb 13. But then again if that had happened the book wouldnt have the same affect, with this ending it leaves u thinking about ur choices and the way u treat people. So ya the ending sucked, yes it was sad, of course i wish Sam and Kent could be together in the end and even if they couldn’t i wish that Sam didnt die- but in the end now that really think about without Sam’s death this book wouldnt have been the book that it is now. I cannot wait to read more from Lauren Oliver and i cant wait to reread Before I Fall even if Sam ends up falling in the end.
does sam die in the end? or did she just save jewliet??
like jen said, it’s probably to the reader’s interpretation, but i think she died.
“the rest you just have to find out for yourself”
she probably means that you’ll “find out for yourself” what happens after you die.
Umm, they all wore new balances, NOT stilletos. It was in their described outfits.
what do u think the theme of the book is?
Poetic license, Audrey:)
I love this book. The author actually makes the characters talk like my friends and I do, she doesn’t epically fail trying to ‘relate’ to people my age. Sam pissed me off through out the book and I kept wanting to be like “no, stop being a bitch. We get it, you’re dead. Do something nice for a change.”
But by the end I ended up loving the characters- even Lindsay- and I was so pissed off that she didn’t live. I honestly wanted there to he a happily ever after but there wasn’t. Instead it took her years to figure out that Kent was amazing (who I still would have gone out with, popularity be damned, because he sounds awesome) and that her boyfriend was a douche.
I would like to say again, this is really realistic and exactly how life works out or most people. I can’t wait until she publishes delirium even though it does sound kind of strange.
i liked the book and I dont read much.
What does ‘gucci’ mean? I was thinking about that book and can’t figure out what it means….
as far as books go? in my top three!!!!!!!!!!!
When I first started reading this book I couldn’t believe that the main character was so obnoxious! But throughout the book I began to like Sam more. Overall, the book was pretty good except for the ending!!! I wish that she could have realized that she loved Kent sooner because that was wayy to sad for me 🙁 I was hoping that she would still live and go on with her life :/
ahhhh. this book is so good! bittersweet is the only way to describe the ending. I wish Lauren Oliver would’ve mentioned something about how everyone felt at the end.
This book was so much more than I expected. I was a little put off by the idea of her reliving the day she died but I kept forgetting that she was dieing I was so enthralled with all the other details.
I read it because it was suggested by a fella library gal pal. LOVED IT!!! Lauren Oliver is actually coming to our school in December and I CAN’T WAIT!!! I have passed a copy to all my gal pals who have teens – especially girlies. I can’t say enough about the book except that it was amazing AND helped me re-realize what a crazy high school life we all had and how did we ever survive?
OMG. I LOVED this book! I suggest that you read this one. It may seem stupid and boring. But its not even close. It really proves that under all of that, theres sense and niceness in everyone 🙂
i read the book and have to do a book report on it im trying to figure out the ending but its so confusing. the book itself was great but part are killing me because i cant figure out what it means.
for those of you that dont understand the ending, i know how you feel. i read it and didn’t get it. i had to re read it twice to completely get it. i cried.
I loved this book! So amazing.Ialready gaveit to two other friends! Read this book~
Love this book! A must read! And these words come from a guy 😀
I LOVED this book. At the beginning I thought all the girls were sluts. The author did a good job of showing that underneath they really weren’t though. I just finished this book about an hour ago and I am very mad. I couldn’t believe that after all that she just died ! After she admitted her feelings to Kent & everything was in place she died. & it was also very confusing , I had to re-read the last page a few times , I didn’t understand whether she was in heaven or alive or dead or what? Other than the ending it was a good book. Haha
Love,
Alli (:
wow this looks like a goooooodddd!!!book like for real like omg ima look this book up so i can see all of it=] i LOVE this BOOK!!!!!!ohhh mm geeeEe i love it its really my tep=]=]=]=]=]=]=]=]=]=]
Wow I just finished this book and loved it! It kept me turning page the whole time and I never knew what would happen next!!! The only thing I didn’t like was the ending. Also, I read this book on my Nook and it said it was only 282 pages… I finished it in 2 days…. Idk…. But this book was amazing and now I love Lauren Oliver!!!!
I agree, the book goes by too fast-I wanted to spend more time in Lauren Oliver’s world. So good!
im wanting to read this book but i need some more info on it can anybody else tell me more about the book.
I finished this book in one day and loved it, but I really am confused about the ending. Is there somewhere to read about it without “spoiling” it for others?
THIS BOOK IS FREAKING AMAZING!!! I read it in total of 4 hours right after I bought it. Then I re-read it. It’s THAT good(:
READ IT! It’s beautiful
I agree with everyone else though…the ending was very sad, but it’s very realistic. Life isn’t about happy endings
This book was actually a lot better than I expected and really beautiful. Of course, I thought the ending sucked and and I was totally infatuated with Kent by the end and I felt bad for Sam. But it was also the best ending because it shows what a good person Sam became. It was a very thought-provoking book above all and I think it’ll be in my head for the next few days.
Read it…thought it was okay. I was frustrated with it because I really hated Sam, and reading through her was like reading through the eyes of a girl I went to HS with, and it’s just not a perspective I like. Now, 12 Reasons Why, that was a great book.
BECKY!!!!!! I love you…. but the book is 13 Reasons Why, not 12. And that is one of the best book’s I’ve ever read!
This book made me cry hysterically at the end. I guess it hit home because Sam’s death was such a waste to me. Whenever I read a book I think about a character’s potential in the world and what they can do and her dying, especially after realizing how important life is, just broke my heart. It also hit home with my own personal fear of dying before I achieve something worthwhile. This is the reason why although the book was amazing and well written I had to give it away and i probably will never read it again.