Christina Reviews *Before I Fall* by Lauren Oliver

           "Maybe you can afford to wait.  Maybe for you there's a tomorrow.  Maybe for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around in it, let it slide like coins through your fingers.  So much time you can waste it.
           But for some of us there's only today.  And the truth is, you never really know."


           Before I Fall has an interesting premise.  The 17 year old protagonist, Samantha Kingston, dies in a fatal car accident, but instead of moving on to the other side, she finds herself walking up in her bedroom and reliving her last day all over again, a la Groundhog Day.  For one whole week, she lives this last day over and over, and each time, she makes changes to the routine, hoping that those changes will be enough to safe her life.  It's a story of life and death and love and redemption, but it's told in a way that is fairly unique.

         I am 28 years old, and yet I will read young adult fiction from time to time, especially if the plot grabs my attention, and this plotline definitely did.  And for the most part, I wasn't disappointed.  The only thing is that the storyline of a girl who dumps her good-looking boyfriend for the dorky, loner guy is not at all unique, even if the girl accomplishes this master feat of human compassion and non-superficiality while caught in a post-death mind loop.  I suppose it's true that there are only 7 plots in the world, and usually the difference between each of those 7 plots is what kind of guy/girl the protagonist ends up with.

         Overall, though, this was a very compelling novel, and I would recommend it.  It does include mature language and mature themes, so it seems more geared for older teens who are the same age as the characters.

         I would give this book three and a half out of five stars.  This was an impressive debut novel and I think that all fans of the book should be keeping an eye out for Lauren Oliver's future work.