"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver

Wow.  I feel like it has been a very long time like I have been so engaged and absorbed in a book.  Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall is very unique (quite a plus!).  Samantha wakes up and has a fairly normal day: she rushes to school with her friends (and Dunkin' Donuts coffee), receives roses from friends and admires as part of the school's Cupid Day, and attends classmate's party (no parents, alcohol, you get the picture).  After the party, Samantha and her friends begin to drive home and thanks to the alcohol and distractions, the girls are involved in a accident.  Samantha is killed.

The next chapter begins with Samantha waking up again, in her own bed.  It is once again Cupid Day, the day of the accident.  Samantha has been given the chance to relive this day over and over again, seeing how her actions affect her life and the lives of her classmates.  Yes, it's a concept that has been told many times, but I enjoyed how Oliver told it.

The book is broken up into seven chapters, one for each day that Samantha goes through.  This was a bit of a challenge for me since I often tell myself that I will read to the end of the chapter and then go do whatever chore I'm putting off, or go to sleep, etc.  This is a little difficult when a 470 page book is divided up into 7 chapters, but I thought that it was an extremely effective way to tell the story.

I am now reading Oliver's Delirium and though I haven't finished it yet, based on what I've read it I highly recommend it!  I have a feeling that I will be reading any book Oliver writes!

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Happy Reading!
-Melly