Before I Fall

Spoiler Alert: Make today count -- tomorrow is never promised.

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A poignant and insightful look at the values we hold and our fragile concept of time, Before I Fall, was incredibly meaningful and educational. Teaching readers to appreciate what they have while they have it, and to always practice kindness, this story was incredibly heart-wrenching and in my opinion criminally underrated. (Granted, it is a New York Times bestseller, and now a movie, but I digress.) The story follows the 17 year-old Samantha Kingston, who comfortable in her popularity and her domestic life, has grown complacent. Although good at heart, Samantha follows her friends and does not object to bullying. She snaps at her parents and refuses to give her little sister the time of day. She dates a popular boy despite the fact that he doesn't truly care about her feelings. She gets bad grades although she is smart. After doing so much out of expectation and obligation, Sam seems to have lost all sense of who she is. On the night of February 12th however, everything comes crashing down. After an accident that should've been fatal, Sam wakes up perplexed the next morning in her own bed. But there's a catch -- she wakes up the next day to find it's still February 12th -- the day she should've died. Desperate to make this day count, Sam must face the her endless Friday again and again, eventually coming to terms with what she must do. As heartbreaking as it is compelling, this story is likely to remind readers to reach out to family and friends and let them know they are loved. The concept of an ever-repeating day was also quite interesting because I enjoy books that challenge pre-conceived notions such as time and chronology. In Sam's ultimate realization, it is evident that the moments that mean something to us go on forever -- out-living us even. Ultimately this is a striking and beautiful message from a young adult novel -- or any novel for that matter. For it is important to remember that although life is fleeting, love is not.

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Favorite Quotes: “So many things become beautiful when you really look.” ~~ “I guess that's what saying good-bye is always like--like jumping off an edge. The worst part is making the choice to do it. Once you're in the air, there's nothing you can do but let go.” ~~ “Maybe for you there's a tomorrow...But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know.” ~~ “It amazes me how easy it is for things to change... And it makes me feel, weirdly, like maybe all of these different possibilities exist at the same time, like each moment we live has a thousand other moments layered underneath it that look different.” ~~ “Here's another thing to remember: hope keeps you alive. Even when you're dead, it's the only thing that keeps you alive.”