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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Not really sure how I feel about this book. It was alright, but I feel like the repeating days dragged on too long without resolving anything. At the same time, I sad about the way it ended.
I didn't love this like so many others have.
I got really bored with the repetitiveness etc, when it did have something new to say it caught my interest again but then I'd find myself skimming again which is never a good thing.
I didn't like Sam, even at the end I just never really warmed to her and didn't really feel she redeemed herself so much as justified the wrongs she and her friends did.
I did love Kent though. He gets a star all to himself and could be my hero any day ;)
I just couldn't help comparing it to [b:Thirteen Reasons Why|1217100|Thirteen Reasons Why|Jay Asher|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333822506s/1217100.jpg|2588213] which in my humble opinion is a superior book.
I can see why others rave about it but it just wasn't my cup of tea :)
I got really bored with the repetitiveness etc, when it did have something new to say it caught my interest again but then I'd find myself skimming again which is never a good thing.
I didn't like Sam, even at the end I just never really warmed to her and didn't really feel she redeemed herself so much as justified the wrongs she and her friends did.
I did love Kent though. He gets a star all to himself and could be my hero any day ;)
I just couldn't help comparing it to [b:Thirteen Reasons Why|1217100|Thirteen Reasons Why|Jay Asher|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333822506s/1217100.jpg|2588213] which in my humble opinion is a superior book.
I can see why others rave about it but it just wasn't my cup of tea :)
My rating for this book is 3.5/5 stars. For this book I read parts and listened to other parts as I've been really busy.
There are themes in this book which I really enjoyed but there were as aspects which I personally struggled with.
I feel that the books greatest strength is the Character growth. Reading about Sams somewhat slow journey did make me look at my own life and question how i can improve myself as a person. At points it did get a bit tedious reading about the same day again and again but I feel that this could have been deliberately done by Lauren Oliver. Personal growth is a slow process and Sam does not understand what is happening to her so it would take her time to adjust.
Another aspect I really enjoyed (which links with character growth) was watching Sam build a relationship with her little sister. This chapter did hit me hard as I myself have a younger sister who I am missing a ton right now.
I find it very difficult to read about suicide and as this is a major theme in the book at times it was hard for me. So if you do struggle with suicide i would not recommend this book. Although I must applaud Lauren Oliver on her depiction of the suicide in the sense that Juliet is not 'fixed' just by talking to people. Suicide is a complicated issue which can not be fixed at the drop of a hat.
My biggest issue with this book was not with the physical copy but the audio. I COULD NOT STAND THE CHARACTER VOICES! Especially those of the teachers and Sam's main friend group. Another issue I had with audible was the chapters in the book did not match the audio so it was difficult to get to where i left off.
Overall, although I enjoyed this book it would not push me to read another Lauren Oliver book but I will give another book a shot :)
There are themes in this book which I really enjoyed but there were as aspects which I personally struggled with.
I feel that the books greatest strength is the Character growth. Reading about Sams somewhat slow journey did make me look at my own life and question how i can improve myself as a person. At points it did get a bit tedious reading about the same day again and again but I feel that this could have been deliberately done by Lauren Oliver. Personal growth is a slow process and Sam does not understand what is happening to her so it would take her time to adjust.
Another aspect I really enjoyed (which links with character growth) was watching Sam build a relationship with her little sister. This chapter did hit me hard as I myself have a younger sister who I am missing a ton right now.
I find it very difficult to read about suicide and as this is a major theme in the book at times it was hard for me. So if you do struggle with suicide i would not recommend this book. Although I must applaud Lauren Oliver on her depiction of the suicide in the sense that Juliet is not 'fixed' just by talking to people. Suicide is a complicated issue which can not be fixed at the drop of a hat.
My biggest issue with this book was not with the physical copy but the audio. I COULD NOT STAND THE CHARACTER VOICES! Especially those of the teachers and Sam's main friend group. Another issue I had with audible was the chapters in the book did not match the audio so it was difficult to get to where i left off.
Overall, although I enjoyed this book it would not push me to read another Lauren Oliver book but I will give another book a shot :)
I'd say it's like a 3.5. I just felt like certain things were so flat. It was a nice passing time story but it really doesn't hit you very hard like other books in its vain.
The groundhog day template was initially annoying, but actually worked out better than expected.
I had heard a lot of good things about this book, however I felt let down by it and was disappointed at the end.
Sam Kingston is the main character here and who she is at the start of the book made me really dislike her, as she is the typical mean girl who is selfish and looks down on others. The good thing about her, is that through the novel she changes and matures into a selfless character who tries to right her wrongs, which I did really like. This book is based on Sam reliving one day over and over again (yep, like groundhog day), after a car crash (which she actually did die in). This kind of paranormal-ish thing was what made me intrigued to read this book in the first place (as well as all the other reviews). On the contrary, this continuous cycle of days became rather tedious and boring for me, especially when some of the days were similar.
Also, I greatly disliked the boy who liked Sam, as I thought 'How were you able to see the good in her before and like her for that?!' and I didn't really know why he liked her in the first place. He is also, in my opinion, a bit creepy. Sam had ignored him for a long time and I just felt it wasn't very plausible that she finally started noticing and liking him. Overall, I just didn't like any of the interactions between Sam and Kent.
Now, the worse (not that bad, but still) thing by far in this book, was the ending. I was like, "Finally, the climax and then let's see what happens. I hope she lives."
Overall, this book has some good themes and a character who changes for the better. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this style/genre of writing, doesn't get emotionally invested in the main character and who is there for the ride and not the ending.
Sam Kingston is the main character here and who she is at the start of the book made me really dislike her, as she is the typical mean girl who is selfish and looks down on others. The good thing about her, is that through the novel she changes and matures into a selfless character who tries to right her wrongs, which I did really like. This book is based on Sam reliving one day over and over again (yep, like groundhog day), after a car crash (which she actually did die in). This kind of paranormal-ish thing was what made me intrigued to read this book in the first place (as well as all the other reviews). On the contrary, this continuous cycle of days became rather tedious and boring for me, especially when some of the days were similar.
Also, I greatly disliked the boy who liked Sam, as I thought 'How were you able to see the good in her before and like her for that?!' and I didn't really know why he liked her in the first place. He is also, in my opinion, a bit creepy. Sam had ignored him for a long time and I just felt it wasn't very plausible that she finally started noticing and liking him. Overall, I just didn't like any of the interactions between Sam and Kent.
Now, the worse (not that bad, but still) thing by far in this book, was the ending. I was like, "Finally, the climax and then let's see what happens. I hope she lives."
Spoiler
And then the inevitable happens and my hopes are dashed. She dies. :( What a sad ending. No, really. This book is less about the ending and more about Sam throughout the novel, I know, but I find the endings really important in books; it stays with me the most, most of the time. And I thought, anyway, a good ending might make this book more enjoyable. But it was not to be. I have to confess I like for the characters that I read to have happy endings. When Sam died, I was really sad for her. I wanted a different ending. However, I know that if the author had had her live, it may have been too cliche/predictable. I suppose that Sam got to die and stop reliving the same day by saving the girl she had helped torment.Overall, this book has some good themes and a character who changes for the better. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this style/genre of writing, doesn't get emotionally invested in the main character and who is there for the ride and not the ending.
So this was a maddening book. Part Heathers, part Groundhog Day, all frightening. Sam is a popular, mean girl at school who has to relive the worst day of her life in an effort to move on. Spoiler alert. there are 7 chapters and it takes her 7 tries. This book completely scared me off from ever having children bc teenagers are the scariest things on this earth. Drugs, sex, drunk driving, pervy teachers, lack of self esteem, bullying, torment, the list goes on and on. I wouldn't have survived this long if my high school experience had even a fraction of the drama in this book. Still, I have to admit, the story was engaging and had an interesting premise.
Before I Fall was an interesting book. It was the same story basically, just told about 7 times. Each time Samantha realizes something about herself and her friends and the way she lived her life. You can't help but feel a bit sorry for Samantha. I'm sure it would be hard enough to relive her death once, but to have to do it over and over? That would be awful and at certain points of the book I could really see the effect it had on Samantha. But once she understood what was happening, it was a bit easier for her and she was expecting it.
I couldn't relate to this book at all. Through high-school I wasn't popular, I didn't drink, go to parties etc so I didn't relate to Samantha or the story and I think that made it a little harder for me to enjoy the story. When I finished Before I Fall, I realized that I didn't mind the book. The end of the book was so much better than the first 3/4 of the book. None of the characters spoke to me, though Kent was a character that I liked. Honestly, Before I Fall isn't a book that I would remember for years to come. There wasn't that one special thing that stood out to me, but I did enjoy Oliver's writing and because of that I added Delirium to my shelf.
I've heard some mixed reviews of Before I Fall, but I know that there are a lot of Lauren Oliver fans out there so sure, read this book, you may enjoy it more than I did!
I couldn't relate to this book at all. Through high-school I wasn't popular, I didn't drink, go to parties etc so I didn't relate to Samantha or the story and I think that made it a little harder for me to enjoy the story. When I finished Before I Fall, I realized that I didn't mind the book. The end of the book was so much better than the first 3/4 of the book. None of the characters spoke to me, though Kent was a character that I liked. Honestly, Before I Fall isn't a book that I would remember for years to come. There wasn't that one special thing that stood out to me, but I did enjoy Oliver's writing and because of that I added Delirium to my shelf.
I've heard some mixed reviews of Before I Fall, but I know that there are a lot of Lauren Oliver fans out there so sure, read this book, you may enjoy it more than I did!
He querido buscar un libro sencillo para evadirme de mis trabajos de la universidad y he caído en uno que más que sencillo es simple, más simple que el mecanismo de un botijo. No aprovecha en absoluto la premisa de la que parte, la autora se limita a contar la historia más convencional del mundo sin molestarse en idear una justificación del limbo en el que está atrapada Sam. (Me niego a creer que la justificación sea que Sam no pueda ir al "cielo" hasta que no resuelva un par de crueldades de las que ni siquiera ha sido autora, sino cómplice). Si Oliver no hubiera tenido tanto miedo a echar la mierda sobre su protagonista, todo sería más sencillo de entender. El problema es que aunque obviemos eso, al libro le falta ironía;(lo peor de todo es que Oliver ha sabido ser sarcástica un par de veces, ¿por qué no ha seguido por ese camino?) y le sobra moralina. Los estados de ánimo de Sam son arbitrarios, y no actúa con la lógica que emplearía cualquier persona. El final (y los sucesos que conducen a él) desafían toda lógica, no tiene sentido. Y hasta aquí puedo escribir sin spoilers. Eso sí, la portada, preciosa.