Jen's Review
by Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Having read this Before I Fall nearly two years ago, I was
curious to see what I was going to think after reading it two years later,
whether Oliver's book would evoke the same emotions it did for me in the past.
While it started out extremely rough, it smoothed out towards the end and
overall left me very satisfied with Before I
Fall. I loved the book now just as much as I loved it two years ago.
The strongest point in
Before I Fall is the character growth.
I'm sure many other readers of this book can agree with me. The characters were
my main problem for me at the same time though, too. Sam and her buddies
started out as cruel, bratty, and just overly conceited girls. The immediate
connection of these group of girls was to the movie Mean Girls. They were pretty much exactly like them. They
started rumors, were slutty, and went to parties and drank their butts off. I
disliked every one of them from the start. I must admit that I was really
worried that the characters had ruined the entire book for me. But thank
goodness, Sam really starts to grow and change as a character once she begins
to learn and relive the same day every day. She becomes insightful and sees the
real things in life that make in enjoyable and worth living for. She even begins
to understand other people who she never noticed before. It was truly
fascinating how Oliver transitioned Sam's character in every "new"
day.
The concept, of
course, was also entertaining, and also a clever way to go about telling the
story. While some areas leave the reader to their own imagination, Oliver still
tells us enough that we are not confused in any way. It's just enough that we
ponder and make conclusions for ourselves.
To conclude, Lauren
Oliver definitely has her own style in telling a unique contemporary story,
with absolutely fantastic character growth. Even though this book started out
really shaky, I eventually learned to love the main protagonist and fell in
love with the story. This thought-provoking story will leave readers pondering
for days after flipping the last page.
4 teacups for Before I Fall!
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