Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

As many bloggers before me have pointed out, this book is Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day.  Samantha Kingston happens to be a girl that dies in the first chapter and is the main character of the book.  She lives February 12 over and over again over the course of 7 days, but she is the only one that knows that she’s reliving the same day.  The first 300 pages of this book she is so unlikable that I wanted to slap her and all of her friends across the face repeatedly.  There were no redeeming characteristics for these mean girls and that’s saying something, usually in a book you can find something in every character, not these girl.  They were the devil.  Samantha was so unlikeable that I wanted to throw the book across the room several times throughout my reading journey, but overall, I liked the book and thought it had a good message behind the words.

I loved Kent McFuller.  What a great character!  He was funny, sweet, and a quirky.  He gave Sam some things to think about with his little one liners like “I see right through you,” or “I would be your hero too, no matter how long it took.”  Kent actually made the book for me.  Without him I would have given this book only 1 star, but he makes me want to give a 5.  He was a well thought out character that had amazing lines and the way Sam’s affection grew for him throughout her journey made me smile. 

I liked Sam’s 7^th day.  (SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH) The last day is when she finally figured out what would end her cycle and who she could help and who she couldn’t.  After I finished this book, I had to fear the disaster Samantha left behind.  Her parents are probably at a loss at what to think, she was a horrible teenager, but the last day she was on earth she hugged them and said she loved them.  She was a terrible big sister that didn’t pay attention to her sister, but on her last day gave her a necklace.  She ignored Kent and dated a pod of a guy who only wanted one thing from her, but on that last day she gave him a sweet note and noticed him for the first time in years.  I can only imagine the confusion that everyone around her felt, even Juliet Sykes, why would her tormentor save her life and then she has to live with her savior being a horrible person, except in her final moments. 

I did not like the best friend’s interactions.  They were unrealistic and felt too staged.  If someone is going to write for teenagers, it needs to sound like what teenagers would say.  Every time the girls would lose control in laughter I rolled my eyes because I couldn’t imagine that in real life.    

Overall it was a pretty good book.  I was glad I read it and I may pass it along to one of my middle school girls in my church small group.  I wouldn’t highly recommend this book to my adult friends that like YA, but for a younger audience it may be a good read.  Either way, Keep Reading my Friends!