If someone had asked me a few weeks ago whether or not I would ever be reading or writing a review on Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, I probably would have said no. I had tried reading this book multiple times before, switching between the physical book and the audiobook. But still, I could never seem to get through it.

Flash forward to last week when I saw that the movie for Before I Fall had come out on Netflix.

Immediately, I wondered whether I would enjoy the movie better, since I couldn’t get through the book. I decided to give it a try and started watching it.

By the end, I was in near tears and knew that I had to read the book. So I did, that same night.

Characters

I think that the main reason why this book gets a bad wrap and why I couldn’t get into it at first, was because of the characters.

All of the main characters, including Samantha Kingston whose perspective the story is told from, are rude and bratty. It’s a fact. And by watching the movie, I realized that this was something done entirely on purpose.

The story is purely character driven. This means that everything that happens in the story is central around changing the character in some way. Throughout the story, we see Samantha as she learns more about her friends and the others around her, in turn learning more about herself.

Plot

I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline.

The idea of a day repeating itself over and over again is really interesting and I liked the way that Lauren Oliver crafted it.

Seeing the same situations replay themselves and the different ways that Samantha reacts to them helps show her growth as a character, as well as what she learns through repeating the same day over and over again.

It allows her to grow closer to her friends in ways that she would never have imagined. Also, to learn more about people that she otherwise would never have talked to.

Final Thoughts on Before I Fall

I ended up giving Before I Fall the full five stars and I truly think that it deserves it.

It plays with different topics and ideas that are relevant today and that I think will remain relevant for a really long time. This is the kind of book that I believe a lot of people should read should they have the chance.

So, if you haven’t picked it up or you have and like me couldn’t get into it, consider trying it again. If that doesn’t work out, there’s always the movie that you could watch instead. 🙂