Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I had no concept of what to expect with Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver.  I bought it for my Kindle and by the time I read it, I had completely forgotten the summary and didn't bother to look it up online again!  All that to say that I was surprised by what I was reading.  The basic concept -and I don't think I'm giving anything away here - is that a teenager, Sam,  must re-live one day of her life, over and over and over again until she figures things out. 

I don't want to re-cap the story but I do want to hit some key points.  Sam is popular at school and can be a bit of a mean girl.  That struck me a bit because I can't relate.   Fortunately, Sam is a good person at heart and gets better as the story progresses.  The novel deals with drunk driving, bullying, and many other real teen issues.  I loved that it was real in that sense.  Sam had plans to lose her virginity to her boyfriend and as she relives that day over and over again, she realizes that he's probably not the one for her. She also tries to help the girl who is constantly picked on and finds that while her parents might not be cool, they are still fun to be with.

I really loved the story and the concept.  It was gripping and while it could have been boring to relive a day with the main character so many times, there were enough differences that I wanted to see what would happen next.  While I didn't love the ending - I was hoping for something different - I see where it was supposed to go and it all fits.  This book is appropriate for older teens because of the subject matter - and of course all you adults who love young adult books.  Enjoy!