Before I Fall

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Year Published: 2010
Pages:344
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Price: Rp. 89.000 (Times Bookstore)

Haha.. This photo was taken on the day i bought the book

"What if, like me, you could live your last day over again?

Could you make it perfect? If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have any regrets? Are there things you'd want to change?"

The last thing Samantha Kingston remembered was that she had a car crash on the way home from Kent McFuller's party along with her besties, Lindsay, Elody, and Ally. But when she woke up the next morning everything was fine. It felt like nothing had happened the day before. That was because Sam woke up on the same day as yesterday, the day she had the accident: February 12. At first she thought she was having deja vu as everything kept repeating just like the day before. She just decided to enjoy her day until she realized that it wasn't deja vu at all and she had the accident for the second time and woke up again on February 12 for the third time.

Sam had February 12 again and again. Every day started with the same thing but ended differently, depended on Sam's choices that day. As the day went by, Sam learned so many things about her life and also many other people's lives that were connected to her, that she wasn't able to see before.

What happened to Sam's life? What mission Sam had to accomplish actually? Would Sam succeed?


This is a great novel. Big applause to Lauren Oliver for making this deep and thoughtful novel. This novel really speaks from teenager's point of view about teenage issues: friendship, popularity, sex, bullying, etc. This novel teaches its reader how to appreciate every little thing that happens to our lives and how our lives connect with others.

About the main character, Sam, I have to say that I really hate her at the beginning of this book. That's why it took so long for me to finish this book. She was a coward at first. Although she was popular, actually all she did was only maintaining her good relationship with Lindsay, the alpha in the clique. Lindsay was the one who made Sam popular. She never asked the reason why Lindsay hates some people at school. She never really talked heart to heart with Lindsay or Elody or Ally because it's easier for her just to share the happy moments together with her friends, but not each others' deepest secrets. Sam didn't care that she actually doesn't love Rob, her boyfriend whom she planned to give her virginity to, at all. Sam also never bothered to care about any other people, especially the ones who were related to her past. But then, after the accident, slowly Sam learned and saw many things that she didn't pay attention to before, including the one who actually had been in love with her for so long. At this point, the novel started to become more interesting and then I couldn't stop reading it. I slowly love Sam's character. I love her effort and braveness to fix things up. I love how she finally could stand for herself. I totally adore Sam.

About the twist, honestly I didn't expect the story would be like that. It was great to find that slowly every secret is revealed so that I could know not only Sam's past but also many other character's past. It makes the characters real. I can understand what had made one character became like who he/she was in the present.

One thing that reduces my satisfaction toward this novel maybe just the ending. I hate the ending. It just feels unfair for Sam. But what can I say? It's been written since 2010 anyway. Haha.


Well, last sentence from me. This book is Very Recommended to be read by everyone because this book makes you appreciate your life and people around you more than before.