Before I Fall

By: Lauren Oliver

Narrated by: Sarah Drew

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death - and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Cover Art © 2016 Open Road Films. All Rights Reserved.

©2010 Lauren Oliver (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Oliver, in a pitch-perfect teen voice, explores the power we have to affect the people around us in this intensely believable first novel...This is a compelling book with a powerful message and should not be missed." ( Booklist)

One of my favorite books of all time! ❤❤❤

Absolutely amazing. Beautifully written and an extraordinary narration. I wanted to relive that day a million more times.

Really well written and well read.

Sarah Drew did an excellent job at voicing all of the characters and getting their personalities to fit. I truly and honestly enjoyed listening to before I fall.

Loved it but..

Didn’t want to like it. I really didn’t. But I confess it was a really well-written, fun read.

Ups and downs, bad ending but good overall

I enjoyed the book very much and a big fan of time loop themed books. As the book progress however it starts to fall short and unfortunately the ending does not live up to the rest of the book

Better than I thought it would be

I started this book some time ago and quickly abandoned it. It seemed to be about a bunch of not very savory activities of popular high school senior girls with nothing better to do than drink, have sex, and demean everyone who is not in their click. I don't know why I decided to give it another try, but I vowed to at least listen to half of it before abandoning it again. It was still all about those things, and that part was a little hard to listen to again, until the girls get in an car accident and one of the girls is killed. Oddly, in the morning, the dead girl wakes up in her own bed, and it is the same Friday as the accident, a la the movie "Groundhog Day." And it is like that iconic movie in that the protagonist has lessons to learn and becomes better and better at living that day. But it is also quite different. As Samantha learns more and more about the people around her, she begins to understand them, she sees them in a different light and that changes her. As I think about this story, I think I myself have learned a great lesson. Maybe if we could all do life over, or at least one day, just maybe we would get better at it until this whole world becomes the way it was intended to be.

Bottom line, it is well worth reading. Oliver really catches the mentality of this slice of society, and although not perfect (what book is?) it is very well written.

The narrator, Sarah Drew, is just incredible. Wow, way to go, girl. You have a future in the audio book business! I have to admit, you are probably one of the things that kept me listening.

Amazing Performance

This must've been one of the best audiobook performances I have heard, the narrator did an amazing job. What an addictive, great experience. Wow.

Read the book, skip the audio

What did you like best about Before I Fall? What did you like least?

My favorite part of this book is the timeliness of its issues - bullying, and cliques. My least favorite part about it was that I didn't find the main character's resolution totally satisfying.

What other book might you compare Before I Fall to and why?

It's sort of like a "Gossip Girl" version of 11 Birthdays. Or Groundhog Day.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator was fine when she was reading the main character. However, her performance of the secondary characters was incredibly grating and absolutely no one else in the book came across as likeable. I understand that the people that Sam associates with are not GOOD kids. But it's hard to get through a book when you can't stand 90% of the people in it. This may have been a directorial choice, but it was a bad one.

Could you see Before I Fall being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, this would be a good teen movie starring all the Pretty Little Liars girls.

Loved it!!

I loved the storyline that this book had. 10/10 amazing. The narrator was also amazing

Really Enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this book although it was slightly depressing. It made you think about how clueless you really are when you are in your teenage years (no offense to anyone still that age that is reading this). Found myself laughing at things that I remember quite well from back then, and the narrator did a great job as well. Made most of the characters sounds kind of clueless but it worked since she was trying to emphasize how people were sounding to Sam when she was growing as a person.

before I fall

I really loved the performance and the story of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver narrated by Sarah Drew.