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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Listened to the audio book of this. The reader was good, but the story line was your typical "Ground Hogs Day," but not as good or funny.
4 1/2 stars. Gorgeous story! Touching and fun and an emotional journey all in one :]
Teenagers of over-privileged white America, let this book be a lesson to you to not drink and drive and no bullying!
3.5 stars-
I enjoyed this book- kind of a "Groundhog Day" story. Sam, a senior in high school is forced to relive the day she dies, Feb.12 over and over again. She cannot figure out why this is happening- at first, she tries to relive the day exactly the same way as she had done it the first time. Then she relives the day several times over doing wild and crazy things she wants to do. Eventually, she figures out that she is being forced to relive this day for some purpose, and until she gets it right, its never going to end. While reliving this day, she learns a lot of things about her family, herself and her "popular" group of friends.
I enjoyed this book- kind of a "Groundhog Day" story. Sam, a senior in high school is forced to relive the day she dies, Feb.12 over and over again. She cannot figure out why this is happening- at first, she tries to relive the day exactly the same way as she had done it the first time. Then she relives the day several times over doing wild and crazy things she wants to do. Eventually, she figures out that she is being forced to relive this day for some purpose, and until she gets it right, its never going to end. While reliving this day, she learns a lot of things about her family, herself and her "popular" group of friends.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought it was very fine.
However I really don’t enjoy books where the protagonist is unlikable and I found Sam to be extremely annoying.
In the end when she “sacrificed” herself it was still very selfish. She dragged Kent back into her life and even kissed him when she knew she was already dead and they’d never have a future. It’s also strange because she essentially just changed the way she died and save Juliet. She didn’t really change anything about the future or her own actions or her friends.
It’s a weird book and it doesn’t really make any sense by the end why it was so important to save Juliet and why Sam had to go through this process to find peace.
Juliet doesn’t thank her in the end she asks her why. This sis such a strange book I think because it’s giving off this perception that you can “save” someone from suicide. Yo I am prevent it in a moment but the problems are so much deeper. Are we really going to believe Juliet just goes on to live. A normal happy life when some girl who bullied her all through high school essentially died for her? It just didn’t make any sense.
Also how Sam came to the conclusion she needed to save Juliet is a mystery.
However I really don’t enjoy books where the protagonist is unlikable and I found Sam to be extremely annoying.
In the end when she “sacrificed” herself it was still very selfish. She dragged Kent back into her life and even kissed him when she knew she was already dead and they’d never have a future. It’s also strange because she essentially just changed the way she died and save Juliet. She didn’t really change anything about the future or her own actions or her friends.
It’s a weird book and it doesn’t really make any sense by the end why it was so important to save Juliet and why Sam had to go through this process to find peace.
Juliet doesn’t thank her in the end she asks her why. This sis such a strange book I think because it’s giving off this perception that you can “save” someone from suicide. Yo I am prevent it in a moment but the problems are so much deeper. Are we really going to believe Juliet just goes on to live. A normal happy life when some girl who bullied her all through high school essentially died for her? It just didn’t make any sense.
Also how Sam came to the conclusion she needed to save Juliet is a mystery.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a book that'll make you think - I tend to like that quality in a book. As we put down a book after reading it, if it has the capability to make us give it a second thought, the author has succeeded to some extent. If it makes us evaluate ourselves, that's quite an accomplishment for the author. Lauren Oliver has definitely done as much with her debut novel for me.
The fact that the protagonist of the book, Samantha Kingston, is a high school girl doesn't make it difficult for the reader to relate to her. Because we have all gone through high school and even for those of us who have forgotten what it was like, to belong to that neither-adult-nor-kid category, this book will bring back your memories from that period. It doesn't matter whether you were popular or nerdy or the wall flower, you will see yourselves in her shoes. Because none of us were perfect, nor is Samantha.
If you are a fan of the butterfly effect, you'll enjoy this book. For those of you who are not familiar with the term - Imagine a smile saving a life or a smirk costing one. Sometimes we forget our actions, even the most minute ones, have consequences. Sometimes those consequences tend to be much bigger than we ever imagined them to be. The power to act is great; it's also a big responsibility; at the end of this book, we also learn that having such power does not mean we can play God and sometimes, as powerful as we feel, we might be just as helpless. And to save ourselves, we must save those around us. Or die trying, several times as Samantha Kingston does...
The fact that the protagonist of the book, Samantha Kingston, is a high school girl doesn't make it difficult for the reader to relate to her. Because we have all gone through high school and even for those of us who have forgotten what it was like, to belong to that neither-adult-nor-kid category, this book will bring back your memories from that period. It doesn't matter whether you were popular or nerdy or the wall flower, you will see yourselves in her shoes. Because none of us were perfect, nor is Samantha.
If you are a fan of the butterfly effect, you'll enjoy this book. For those of you who are not familiar with the term - Imagine a smile saving a life or a smirk costing one. Sometimes we forget our actions, even the most minute ones, have consequences. Sometimes those consequences tend to be much bigger than we ever imagined them to be. The power to act is great; it's also a big responsibility; at the end of this book, we also learn that having such power does not mean we can play God and sometimes, as powerful as we feel, we might be just as helpless. And to save ourselves, we must save those around us. Or die trying, several times as Samantha Kingston does...
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book a few years ago and enjoyed it. Then she became one of my favorite authors. It's like Groundhog Day. That's how I would describe it, but obviously with the other characters.
This was the second book I'd read by this author and I really enjoyed it. The premise was intriguing, if a bit predictable, but the story and the characers were still interesting. It was a bit like the movie Groundhog Day (and the main character Sam even makes a pun that effect), but it was told in a way that there was more uncertainy than predictability in what would happen next. The predictable piece was that somehow Sam would have to learn lessons from her (and her friends') deplorable behavior and try to set things right somehow, morally, before she could leave her Purgatory-like state. The cruelty and immaturity of the characters made me sad, but mostly because it's truly how high-schoolers act and treat one another in today's world. Kudos to the author for painting a life-like picture of what these kids are like these days. I'm certainly no saint, but it's truly sad how much their lives seem to revolve around sex, drugs, & booze, and it's heartbreaking the extent to which these kids will go to ostracize and make fun of other kids for the most menial things. High school can be such a cruel world. All this was described perfectly in this story, and really added to the overall message. I admit that I hoped the book would end differently than it did, but I suppose it would have been a totally different story if it had ended otherwise. Overall, a great story -- I'll be recommending this to others.
Bylo to o moc lepší, než jsem čekala. Tahle knížka mi sedla víc než Jestli zůstanu, i když podle průměrného hodnocení zde to vypadá přesně opačně :)