Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall is Lauren Oliver's debut novel where she addresses the question: "What would it take to change a Mean Girl for the better?"  Well, death might be a life changing experience.  In Before I Fall, we watch Samantha Kingston learn what is really important and how her choices affect those around her.  What happens to cause the change in Sam?  She dies.  Then she wakes up and lives her last day over.  And over.  Until she gets it right. 

Sam is one of the popular seniors with the cool boyfriend and she gets at least a dozen roses on Cupid Day.  What could be wrong with her life as it was?  Every time Sam relives February 12th, she learns something new.  What did she cause to happen by doing this or saying that?  By day seven, she has a plan for how to end the repetition and to help as many other people as she can before the end of the day.  Throughout the week, she also learns more about Kent, the boy who sees her for who she really is and not the popular persona that she portrays.  By the seventh day, she is in love with Kent (and I was too!) but does loving Kent play into her elaborate timeline for the best February 12th yet? 

I liked this book.  Really.  At the beginning though, I hated Sam and her little pack of Mean Girls.  I thought her boyfriend was stupid and that she had it coming.  But over the course of the book, you really get to know Sam and all these other characters on a deeper level.  You get to see why they are the way that they are.  What makes each of the tick and how they react to the things that happen to them.  It's an amazing social commentary, really.  This book will give you a lot to think about and you may even learn something about yourself.  I would highly recommend this book for readers over 13 due to some teen drinking, language and general teenage shenanigans.  In short, a wonderful book by an amazing author.

Before I Fall earns 4 Fairies for a wonderful read that makes you think.