Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I was able to meet Lauren Oliver when she was on tour and I'm very, very glad I did (not only because Borders served awesome free orange coffee when I desparetely needed caffeine, but because Before I Fall was easily one of my favorite books of the past couple years.) It's easily one of my favorite books ever, actually. It mixes contemporary with a slightly paranormal twist and consequently makes itself an entirely unique genre. I don't think anyone can even begin to put a label on this one.

The main character, Samantha Kingston, is forced to relive the day of her death seven times. There are seven sections of the book (one for each day) and they get progressively better and better. I was worried it would be slightly repetitive, based on the synopsis, but every day was engrossingly different. Within those seven days, Samantha develops more character growth than I've ever witnessed in a book. She seemed unlikable on Day One, but by Day Seven you witness an entirely different character.

This book raises more questions than I can even begin to type out. It makes you think, wonder, ponder, consider, and rethink. It's written beautifully and has characters that I absolutely grew to love. If I had to spend 7 days considering my life and death, I'd spend at least one of them reading this book. It's one of those novels I wish I could bookpush on every single person out there because I feel like it could change lives. It's not just a book full of meaning, it's a book that's actually enjoyable to read. There are several books that manage both feats, but Before I Fall takes it to a completely different extent. Every single page was worth reading, which is really rare to find. I don't think even one word of this book can be considered filler. It was like a piece of well-orchestrated art, every word adjusted to create a piece of mastery.

Obviously, I absolutely loved this book. If you haven't already, please please please read it. I gave it to my stepmom, who rarely reads YA, because I had such faith in it. "Stick with it," I told her, because the first few pages don't show you how much depth it actually has. She did and she (obviously) loved it. So I'll give the same advice to you. Read this book. Stick with it. You'll fall just like Samantha does, but in love instead of in death.

And I can't wait for Oliver's next book, Delirium, which I'd probably kill small animals for. (This might be an exaggeration, because I'm a vegetarian and all yayanimals and stuff, but I seriously want this book. Watch out, squirrels.)