Lauren Oliver

There are many perks of working in a bookstore, most of which are pretty obvious. One of these perks is that I'm frequently asked to read books outside of my "box," so to speak: books from genres or subject matters that I would probably not pick up on my own. One such genre, which I enjoy immensely but don't read often, is YA (or Young Adult). The problem for me is, one of the biggest current trends in YA is fantasy (vampires, fairies, werewolves, wizards, etc). I have read some YA fantasy that I have loved (like the Harry Potter series and The Kindling of Greenfyr) and some that I read just to see what the hype was about and ended up quite disappointed (like Twilight... I only read the first, though). The books I loved as a young adult myself were more along the lines of Forever and The Outsiders; the options were certainly limited to a few well known titles. But today, there is a host of amazing YA literature out there, just waiting to be discovered!

I was lucky enough to discover one such gem in Before I Fall. It's the story of Samantha Kingston, one of the "it" girls in her Connecticut high school. Cold, mean, and completely self-absorbed, Sam and her three BFFs go through their days with little regard for anyone or anything that does not fit within their definition of cool. On February 12th, leaving a party late at night, heavy rain and drunk driving are a deadly combination for Sam, who dies in a car accident. But when she wakes up the next morning and it is again February 12th, Sam begins to reconsider life as she knows it. Throughout the course of the book, Sam wakes up on February 12th a total of seven times. By the end of the book, Sam eventually discovers how to make her last day more meaningful, and to change the course of what fate has in store.

Oliver's writing is terrific, her characters real and fully imagined. I would definitely call it a page-turner, for you will be drawn into Sam's story and want to know whether she is able to change her destiny in the end. I think this novel transcends age and will appeal to a wide audience. Despite the fact that I am not a young adult, I thoroughly enjoyed Before I Fall, and I'm really glad I read it! It's the kind of book that reminds you to savor every moment, to be a better and kinder person, and to appreciate the fact that everything you do has some consequence, no matter how small. Great read!… (more)

3.5 stars

This is book 3 of (I believe) a trilogy. The gist of this dytopian trilogy is that people are “cured” of a disease with a surgery when they come of age. That disease is love. They will no longer feel love. They are then paired with someone to marry. But there is a group of people who don’t want this to happen, at least to them. This book follows Lena and Hana, once best friends. Their points of view alternate.

Possible spoilers for previous books: Lena is living with a group of people in the “wilds”; she has not had the surgery nor does she want to. Hana has had the surgery and is slated to marry Fred. Fred’s father was the mayor, but he died in an uprising and Fred is now mayor. He emphasizes how much he despises the uncured. He was married previously to Cassie, but Cassie seems to have disappeared.

I listened to the audio and this was good. Once again, it took a bit for me to figure out who many of the characters were (though I knew the main characters). It was interesting to see Hana’s and Lena’s different viewpoints, given where they each were at this point in their lives. I found Hana’s POV a bit more interesting than Lena’s. I did like how it ended.… (more)

In Lena's world, love is considered a disease - deliria. Her mother was afflicted with it and she killed herself - her last words to Lena were "I love you" - which, of course, are forbidden words. There is a cure for the deliria, though - and Lena is only months away from finally getting it. For some reason, you have to be 18 to get the cure. Anyway, she seems a little sad that she and her best friend won't have the same relationship anymore after they have been cured (because all their feelings will be deadened), but she is still looking forward to being safe from the deliria. After all, the cure makes the world a better place - peaceful...orderly...everyone is content. In this society, once you are tested/interviewed (pre-cure), you are given a future profession and a list of potential spouses - choose one, get cured, get married, have children, do your job, and live contentedly ever after. Of course, if this story really went down like that, it would have been awfully boring. And it isn't. And it doesn't happen like that at all. First of all, Lena meets a boy. Alex. Sparks fly. Could she be stricken with the dreaded deliria? Whatever will she choose to do? I could tell you...but I'm not going to. (insert evil/cheesy grin here)

Alex is a little too perfect, which was a little annoying. The potential spouse on Lena's list is a little too much the opposite of Alex, which doesn't make for any tension at all. Lena's friend is an interesting character - their friendship is written well. The aunt Lena lives with, Lena's sister, and the little girl who lives with Lena and her aunt and uncle are also good secondary characters. Lena waxes very, very, very poetic about her feelings sometimes - and since this is written in first person, I found myself thinking, "Really? Who talks like that?" But then again, this is a character who has never really been cared for or loved (well, since her mother's suicide when she was much younger), so all these new feelings would probably seem huge...overwhelming even...so, in retrospect, I guess her reactions to her feelings were probably pretty spot-on.

And then...there's the plot twist near the ending and the ending itself... Well, I can't give that away either, but I'll be purchasing the sequel. No doubt.… (more)