by Elizabeth Reed, online and photography editor

Starting on my summer goal of steady leisure reading before it’s time to crack down on  summer assignments, I picked up a copy of “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver (who’s also known for the “Delirium” series.) The book’s back cover caught my attention, along with the positive reviews covering it. “Before I Fall” was also on the New York Times bestseller list, and with good reason.

The novel takes place over the course of seven days and focuses on a stereotypically shallow it-girl, Samantha Kingston. Samantha thinks of February 12 as another day of school, another Friday and another party…that is, until she dies in a car crash that night, only to wake up and relive the day she died.

Though “Before I Fall” starts out as a typical teen drama, it becomes much more meaningful as its main character realizes the importance of everyday life. Readers get to see Samantha–nowhere near perfect or in any way similar to the heroines of the today’s numerous popular post-apocalyptic series–pitfall into mistake after mistake, each mistake making the character more relatable and realistic.  Samantha’s development from superficial to wise is moving and eye-opening.

The story carries the audience with it, word after word, and the powerful ending leaves the readers with knowledge that feels like they’ve learned it firsthand. Even though “Before I Fall” is geared more towards teenage girls, any fan of John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” will enjoy this book. It has the same raw yet cheeky character that makes the story feel like a memory in your mind instead of words on a page.