Review: Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

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.

Before I start this review I want to point out one thing. This is one book that everybody needs to read... this should be required reading for every human, it is that great.

I probably don't have to point out once again that I hate books that make me cry, well not exactly hate, I love them but I don't like the feeling of becoming so emotional, I hate not being able to forget something that I have read, despite putting it at the back of my bookshelf to be forgotten about. this book left me with such a raw, emotional feeling that even though I loved it, I know I can never read it again but I also kn ow it will ever leave me. 

I received it in the post today and I knew that if I didn't read it tonight I never would get around to it, because I would keep putting it to the bottom of the TBR list, mainly because it has been compared to Before I Die and The Lovely Bones. Both books that made me absolutely roar with tears, so I read it today and I am so glad that I did.

Really, reading this book was hard. So many times I wanted to put it down or skip to the last page and every time I had to say "No Jade, you are going to read this book page by page, from start to end" and I did so in four hours.

So I'm going on about the fact that this book evoked such emotion from me and not telling you how. One of the main reasons, I think, is the way that we see Sam change so much over the course of seven days. We see her start out as a mean girl, popular and shallow, following her best friend Lyndsay, who is the world biggest *enter mean insult here*, to this sweet loving person and it's fantastic really to see how her perspective changes over time.

As well as this, the characters built are so deep and believable, from Sam's best friends who each suffer from their own shortcomings and insecurities, to Kent, Sam's ex-best friend and one of the sweetest guys in book history. What I find amazing is how even though some characters have very little speech, or a lot of it is observations, Lauren Oliver still gives them an extreme amount of depth. Even unlikeable characters like Lyndsay are given depth that makes youy forgive them for their actions.

You might think that a book telling the same day over and over again could get boring and I will admit, at some points it gets a little slow, but never to an un-enjoyable point, most of the time the subtle or large differences stand out and you realise that the smallest changes can lead to a change in events. This book is a book that really makes you think and will lead you to try to live a much better life.

If I died tonight and had to live today over and over again, this book has made me realise the things that I would want to change, and I think this is really what Lauren oliver wanted to do to the reader. Make us want to be a better person, and live life to the full.

The book ends with a blow, but also with a hint of hope, contentment and happiness, this is not a depressing book but it's definitely one that I advise you to get your box of tissues out for. I feel like this book has made me a better person.

This was one of the most heartbreaking, thought-evoking and emotional books that I have read in a long time and I really can't word my feelings for it.

Overall rating: A+

Stand alone/series: Stand alone

Released: March 2nd 2010 (Paperback)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 470

Book obtained via: Swap