Before I Fall in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Feb 07, 2011 Leslie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, audio-books

I loved this. The plot was kind of Groundhog's Day meets Mean Girls (though not a comedy), so pretty much right up my alley. A heartbreaking and beautifully written view into the inner life (and death) of one of the most popular girls at her school. The author was very compassionate towards her characters without letting them off the hook for their sometimes horrible actions. I listened to the audio version, which was narrated by a TV actress I enjoy (Sarah Drew). I loved her as the narrator, ev ...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Brandi rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen, random-reads-column, favorites, audiobooks, librandian-blog, 2012

Before I Fall

By Lauren Oliver

Samantha Kingston is one of those girls. Her boyfriend ranks up with the hottest, dreamiest guys at school. Her clique is admired and envied by a majority of the school population. They go to the best parties, wear the trendiest clothes and sit at the coveted table in the lunchroom. It never crossed Sam’s mind just how quickly and how drastically things could change.

Every day played out in the same way. Sam would ride to school with her friends, latte waiting for her Before I Fall

By Lauren Oliver

Samantha Kingston is one of those girls. Her boyfriend ranks up with the hottest, dreamiest guys at school. Her clique is admired and envied by a majority of the school population. They go to the best parties, wear the trendiest clothes and sit at the coveted table in the lunchroom. It never crossed Sam’s mind just how quickly and how drastically things could change.

Every day played out in the same way. Sam would ride to school with her friends, latte waiting for her when she climbed in the car. Classes passed by without incident. After school, Sam and her girls would head off to whatever party piqued their interest. Friday, February 12th proved to be a special day. It was Cupid’s Day, the day when classmates send each other flowers to showcase the most-loved. What Sam didn’t expect was that this Cupid’s Day would be her last. When leaving a party that night, she would die in a car accident.

Usually when someone dies, you don’t think of them waking up in the morning, which is exactly what Sam did. In fact, Sam woke up seven times. Every morning began the same way, forcing Sam to live her last day again. At first, Sam carried out the same actions as she did on the original day. Eventually Sam realized that every action resulted in a distinct reaction in someone else’s life. Everything affected others. As her recurring days continued, Sam began to change things to benefit others. She also began to realize that her attitude towards others was unwarranted and needed changing. As a result, Sam helped a girl win a championship, realized the truth behind a harmless teacher crush, spent the day with her little sister, stopped a girl from hurting herself, and realized that there may be someone out there for her other than her boyfriend.

Before I Fall is a difficult book to review because of the large quantity of spoilers I could leak to you. Being as Sam lives the same day repeatedly, it’s the details and Sam’s realizations that make the story impossible to put down. Before I Fall can best be described as a combination of two movies, Groundhog Day and Mean Girls. Sam and her friends are carbon copies of The Plastics from the hilarious movie, Mean Girls. Although, Oliver counts on the reader developing a kind of remorse for Sam. After all she has experienced, her new wisdom about her behavior forces readers to view the character as redeemed. Usually, I have a very difficult time believing that a character can successfully complete a 180 degree switch in personality. Oliver makes me believe that the variety of things Sam experiences has changed her as a person. I don't want to give away too much, but, as the book continues, we see Sam stray away from her natural order to help others, rather than just herself. Honestly, this may be the best example of character redemption I have ever read.

Before I Fall is comprised of a full spectrum of emotions, seen through the eyes of a girl who has nothing but time to experience every single one of them. It's impossible to truly understand what someone in Sam's position would experience, but Oliver's interpretation is unmatched. ...more

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Mar 20, 2017 Larissa rated it liked it

Definitely a PAGE TURNER! I had to see what was going to happen even though the plot you know from reading any description of the book - a popular and catty high school girl named Sam, dies and is forced to relive that day several times. Anyway at first it was really hard to read because of the demeaning tone of the teenage girl telling the story and her annoying friends. I get that the goal of the author was to have the reader see them as pretentious, spoiled teenagers, but it was very annoying ...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Beth Given marked it as shelved · review of another edition

The plot was good, but it's just too, too raw for me to keep reading. Plenty of swear words, bad role models, and perverted sexual innuendo. Do high schoolers really live like this?? Makes me worried for my daughter when she gets older ... my sons, too. Makes me realize how I have to be screening things my kids are reading. I don't want to censor them, but I want to protect them, too. Even if this might be "reality," it doesn't have to be reality for them.

This book did make me think about how lu ...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Linda rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 22, 2011 Debbie rated it really liked it

I listened to this on audiobook.

Absolutely awesome! I know people compare this to Groundhog Day, but I sort of like this better. I really like the way the cause and effect of random things coming out each successive day. I was able to trace each level of morality from day to day, which would be an excellent way to teach it in a classroom.

Finally, Kent may be my new favorite literary boyfriend. Sigh!

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Sep 25, 2010 Crystal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: personal-favorites

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Oct 02, 2010 Laura marked it as to-read

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Oct 05, 2010 Gwen rated it liked it

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Dec 14, 2010 Sara added it

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Dec 29, 2010 Kate marked it as to-read

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Jan 17, 2011 Jennifer Reierson marked it as to-read

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Dec 07, 2016 ★ K ★ [In a slump but still here!] rated it really liked it

Shelves: format-ebook, romance, young-adult, friendship, science-fiction, death, fiction, realistic-fiction, adapted-for-film-or-tv, mental-health-suicide

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