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)

Disappointing Narrator

Would you try another book from Lauren Oliver and/or Sarah Drew?

From Lauren Oliver yes but I will seriously need to think twice about anything narrated by Sarah Drew.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character Sam just because she was the only character the narrator did well. The portrayal of the main character wasn't great but compared to what she did with the other characters it was.

How could the performance have been better?

A different narrator would have made a huge difference. I did think she did a good job with the main character but the rest were disappointing to horrible.

Was Before I Fall worth the listening time?

I liked the story but it was really hard to listen to. I'm sure it would have been better to read.

Any additional comments?

I was really surprised how well the performance was rated in the reviews and am wondering if people were just being generous because they liked the story. I know I rated the story lower because it was so difficult to get passed the narrators performance.

Good but lacking

Finished this is two days story line was great but ending was missing something. Not horrible but wish it would have ended better

Loved the book, almost hated the ending!

Wish she ended it by learning her lesson and living to continue the new her! And marrying Kent too.
The book was great and the narrator was awesome. The right person for the age of the characters in the book! Great job to you all!

Touching and inspiring!

Most definitely one of my new favorites. Makes you appreciate each day a little more.

Definitely more teen angst than some YA books

This is the story of a girl who is part of the popular crowd who learns the lessons of that status by reliving her final day over and over. There is a lot of talk about high school cliques and relationships - most of the book takes place in a high school or at a high school party. This is more of a YA books like the Hunger Games. It was just ok - I did finish it, but I thought about giving up a few times.

Loved it.

I have yet to watch the movie, nor had I wanted to based on previews. now, I can't wait to watch the movie and put faces to all my favorite characters. I absolutely loved this book and everything about it.

love it!

Sarah Drew was amazing! She was totally Sam in my head and felt the emotions like it was soo real!. I felt the pain and frustations and falling in love. Very good book from Lauren Oliver. Totally recommended.

Amazing

Great story, but amazing character development. If you want to ugly cry then this is the book for you.

Great story... but not for kids!

I originally purchased this story for my twelve year-old daughter and I to listen to together. We didn't even make it through ten minutes before I realized that this was not going to be an appropriate choice for her. There are far too many references regarding drugs/drinking and sex (and not in a don't do them sort of way). Nevertheless, I decided to give this book a chance on my own, mainly because I didn't want to waste a credit, and was very happy that I did.

Despite the "older audience" themes, this story did offer some great life lessons. The main character is forced to re-live the same day over again, and in this process, discovers some great insights into how her and her friends actions impact those around them. It is also a story of self discovery. Lauren Oliver writes this in a way that is very human and believable and it feels like she may be drawing from some of her own past experiences. Not only does this story offer some great messages, it is also very entertaining. The narrator sounds very young and fits this role perfectly. She is also very expressive and a joy to listen to. I would recommend this story, but only for a 15+ audience!

Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls; suprisingly good!

I'm not the first reviewer to draw parallels between Groundhog Day, Mean Girls, and Before I Fall, but it's just so incredibly fitting that it's difficult to find any other way to describe the book.

All I can say is that I found myself laughing out loud and (shamefully) crying in my car throughout the book. This is YA, but is so well done that older readers will have very little problem getting into it.