Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is the story of Samantha Kingston, the picture of popularity. Sam has everything, until February 12, the day she dies. After a party, Lindsey, Sam’s best friend, runs the car off the road after something jumps in front of it. The next day, after Sam wakes up, it’s February 12 again. At first she thinks that her death was just a dream, then she realizes it isn’t. The first day, she lives the day almost the same way. She dies again. The next day, February 12, she tries to avoid death, avoid the party, but instead of dying, Juliet Sykes, the freak of the school, shoots herself. When she falls asleep, she wakes again on February 12. On the fourth February 12, she decides she doesn’t care. She dresses like a prostitute, fights with Lindsey, makes out with her math teacher, smokes pot in the bathroom with the school’s resident slut, steals her parents credit card, spends a thousand or so dollars on a dress for the party, goes to the party, avoids death. At the party, she almost sleeps with her boyfriend, but instead ends up crying in a room. The boy throwing the party, Kent, finds her, and they talk, not very much, but he gives her a guest bedroom to sleep in, kisses her on the cheek, and that’s the day that things start to change a little bit. On the fourth day, Sam stays home and does some things with her little sister, Izzy, and hangs out with her family. Sam knows that if she doesn’t die, that Juliet will commit suicide, so she goes over to her house and tries to stop her. When Juliet isn’t there, Sam goes to the Kent’s party, decked out in sweats. Someone tells her that Juliet locked herself in the bathroom, when she gets there the door is locked and she starts getting crazy ideas about razors, and pills, and cutting, and blood, and death, so she barks at one of the people in the line to use the bathroom and tells them to get Kent. He comes and opens the door, Juliet isn’t there, but they find the window open. Sam follows her footprints into the woods and finds her curled up on the ground next to the road. When Sam finds her she gets up, Sam tries to convince her not to jump, but she jumps in from of Lindsey’s car, and this time, Elody, Sam’s other friend, dies. Kent takes her back to his house and she freaks out from the combined shock and grief. Kent gives her some clothes and lets her sleep on his bed. Before she falls asleep, however, Kent shares a story she almost forgot, about how when his grandfather died, he started crying in the cafeteria and Phil Howell called him a faggot and threw his food tray on the ground. Sam picked up the mashed potatoes, shoved them in Phil’s face, stuffed the turkey burger down his shirt and threw a nice insult at him. Kent said to Sam, “You’re my hero,” and swore to himself that he would be her hero too, no matter how long it took. Kent gives her a fleeting kiss. Sam wakes up in a great mood the sixth February, 12. That day she really starts to see the beauty in her life (and is a little head-over-heels smitten with Kent). She does some weird-in-a-good-way things that day. She breaks up with her boyfriend, tries to find Kent to tell him how she feels, but she has to stop Juliet from killing herself again. Juliet reveals some interesting things about Lindsey. She steals Lindsey’s keys thinking that Juliet wanted to jump in front of her car, specifically, although it was just coincidence that it happened to be Lindsey’s car that killed Juliet. Juliet kills herself again. When Sam drops Lindsey of at her house, Kent drives her back. And then, when they reach Sam’s house, kissing, and love, and I’ve never been much of a romantic, but right then and there I’m smiling, and giggling and awing, happiness. The last day, the seventh day, February, 12 to the seventh power, Sam says goodbye. She gives her sister her necklace. She tells her math teacher off for hitting on high school girls. She breaks up with her boyfriend. She’s nice to people. Kent picks her up and they kiss yet again in the driveway, and although Kent thinks it’s the first time, it’s really the fifth time they’ve kissed (I know the math seems wrong, but some of the info that I’ve left out contains an additional two kisses). She saves Juliet, and dies in the attempt.
Now I know I left out a bunch of info, but the necessary stuff is long, so the not-so-necessary stuff would make things even longer. Now the review.
Oliver’s writing is pretty good, and I’m sure it will get better with time. The conversations seem natural, yet cheesy at the same time. The characters are well developed and as likable as they can be. I found when reading it however, that I wasn’t rooting for Sam, I was rooting for the Sam-Kent relationship. And I thought when I figured this out, well, that’s not supposed to happen. At least, I should be rooting for Sam too, but I wasn’t. However, it seems like I should say that I rooted for that relationship more than anything else I have ever rooted for. I really wanted that relationship to happen. I would also like to point out that on Sam’s last day, everything is so quick. I mean, I know that she’s done these things multiple times, but to other peoples knowledge, this is the first, so, isn’t kind of cruel that she just goes, “Hi, I love you, goodbye, I’m going to die now.” Other than that, I was really satisfied with the ending for once. The books pretty great and I definitely recommend.
Taryn.
P.S. I will be review “I Am Not a Serial Killer” by Dan Wells next. I can’t wait for a break from gushy YA novels and get to some blood and guts, horror movie in written form. At least, I hope so.
