Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Classification: YA Fiction, Contemporary
Source: Borrowed from the library
Overall Grade:
C
I thought...
Boring and overrated.
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Summary (from Goodreads):
What if you only had 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: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times 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.
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My Thoughts:
Going into this book, I knew a few things.
A: A lot of people have read and loved this book.
B: The other book by Lauren Oliver I've read, Delirium, felt stilted and boring to me.
C: This book would have lots of repetition in it.
And still, I managed to be disappointed.
Unfortunately, like Delirium, Before I Fall was slow-paced and mediocre. And I don't mind a slow read, on the contrary. I really appreciate books where authors take their time. I like the marginalia, even crave it when it's done well.
But I could not stand the asides in this book. The never-ending descriptions of weather, the rehashing of dialogue and descriptions that I literally JUST READ FIVE TIMES WHY ARE YOU MENTIONING IT AGAIN?!
However, for readers who don't mind the repetition, who aren't as easily peeved as I am by meaningless description and flat-out poor pacing, Before I Fall does have something to offer. Sam's character transition, the things she learns throughout her various mistakes and attempts, was well done.
The changes Sam went through were messy and for a good part of the novel, she's unlikeable. However, this felt much more authentic to me than anything else in the book.
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