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Summary

We get to know Sam and her friends at the beginning of the story, leading up to a crash that takes Sam's life. You have to be patient as you are introduced to them because they are not likeable at all. Just when you think you've had enough of them, they are in a deadly crash. That's not the end of the story, though, only the beginning. Sam goes into a sort of sleep following the accident and awakens to relive her last day. Will changing something along the way lead to a different result? She tries, and tries again, and again. In fact she gets numerous attempts to "perfect" her last day, hoping she can make the most of her life...and her death if she can't undo the accident. The story line is addicting and suspenseful. and as each "day" passes and Sam begins to get things right, the question that has been looming in the back of your mind since the end of the first chapter--What will happen to Sam?--becomes more and more urgent. My main issue is that the bullying was not... `properly' addressed throughout the book. It's mentioned and there are little things that happen that sort of mock Lindsay and her crew, but there is no overall sense of punishment, and I hate that. Especially for people who are so out and out horrible. I wish that as a final stand Sam had stood up to them a little more strongly and kind of put them in their place other than her random remarks here and there. I also wish there could have been some more time between Sam and Kent, more for him then for her to remember. Oliver is skillful at wielding suspense and heartbreak, making you think hard about the value of your own life and actions. Before I Fall is a haunting and beautiful book. It will float around at the back of your mind long after you've read it.