Review: "Before I Fall," by Lauren Oliver
Before I fall
This was a story I thought I would have to put down because the main character annoyed me so much. Because this was another book I had to read for book club, I decided to stick with it and I’m so glad I did. The book didn’t seem so impressive at the start, the main character is a high school girl who hangs out with a bunch of mean girls and none of them takes into account the affect they have on others. When Sam ends up in a car accident and wakes up having to relive the same day, the book starts to pick up a bit but not to a point where it completely grabbed my interest. It isn’t until the fourth day or so that I start to care about Sam, and despite the fact she took a while to grow on me, her situation was very intriguing. We see that her choices and actions change with each time she has to relive the day and as she tries to make sense of all this, she learns more about herself and the people around her. Her actions become more reckless, her anger flares at times and she makes decisions she would not normally do, thinking that if she is stuck in this time loop, she has nothing to lose. As she spirals to rock bottom, she also gets closer to those she had normally not given her time to. Although the pacing was slow for me at times, I found the development of Sam’s character extremely realistic. She became a character I hated to a character I cared for and even cried over by the end of the book. This book overall was powerful and emotional; I’d recommend this book to those ready for an emotional rollercoaster.
