It is hard to believe that "Before I Fall" is Lauren Oliver's first novel -- I hope it is the first of many. I'm not sure where the idea for this story came from but it is certainly intriguing.
This book focuses on the life of Samantha (Sam) Kingston who is part of the "in-crowd" at her high school and, as a senior, she's living the life and dating a very popular boy and tonight she has plans to lose her virginity. Those plans are delayed by a party one of her childhood friends is giving while his parents are out of town and she, her friends, and her boyfriend will all be there. What Sam doesn't expect is that she'll be killed in a car accident leaving the party but even more unexpected will be waking up to her alarm clock going off and reliving that same day over again for seven days -- a version of the movie, "Groundhog Day!"
This time Sam already knows what is going to happen and she has the opportunity to do it all over again or make some changes along the way -- changes that impact other people and other lives. In the beginning Sam is focused on her life and her popularity but she begins to see how Elody, Ally, and she blindly follow their friend Lindsay without question. She learns how even one small action on their part can have a huge reaction in someone else's life and how bullying/tormenting a classmate can have consequences beyond what any of them might have predicted.
Sam also learns how much she loves her parents and her eight-year-old sister, Izzy, and she gets a chance to make a lot of things right in those 7 "re-lived" days. Does she really die or is this all a dream? You'll have to read the book yourself to discover your own answers to those questions. pazt
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