RT 2012 book 10: before i fall

Here's another thing to remember. Hope keeps you alive.

Even when you're dead, it's the only thing  that

keeps you alive.

Before I Fall

Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls (but way meaner). Samantha 'Sam' Kingston and her friends Lindsay, Ally and Elody are the queen bees in school.

It was February 12, the morn of Cupid Day, one of Sam's most awaited events in school. Cupid Day confirms who are the school's most popular and "loved" by the number of roses one gets. The entire day she only worries about how many roses she'll get and losing her v-card to Rob later that night at Kent's party, fully unaware what awaits her come night's end.

That same night, Sam died in a car crash.

She wakes up the next morning thinking it was all a bad dream. She looked at her clock, it was February 12 again, Cupid's Day.

Sam relives her last day on earth for seven days, trying to make things right and maybe to change her fate. During those seven days, she somehow sees her life from different perspectives. She learns to appreciate her life and the people around her even more. It is only heartbreaking because it still is her last day. Even if she was able to make things right, in a way, her fate still remains.

It was an interesting read although there were some dragging parts. The first few chapters bored me because they were mainly about how cool their group is, how pretty, popular or promiscuous they are. And it gets doubly painful when you're reading it on your 4" wide phone. Thankfully, things started to pick up in the middle of the book when Sam starts reliving her last day over and over.

My Thoughts on Before I Fall:

1.  I cringe every time Sam would refer, or at least think, that she and her friends were above everyone else in school. Being pretty or popular does not make you better off than the next girl, it only means you're prettier. Not better. 
2. It is scary what the youths these days are up to. Sex, drugs and alcohol- a recurring theme in most YA books I've read. Makes you think what your kids are up to, no? Really, I don't know why kids are such in a hurry to grow up. Once you're already grown up, believe me, you have 50 more years of your life as a n adult. Be a kid when you're still one. Enjoy it because it will not last.
3. Sam losing her virginity just to get it over and done with- WTF? I know there's not much regard for one's virginity now as before, but doing it just to say you've done it? Girls, have respect for yourselves. 
4. Sam tried to spend time with her family, her loved ones. One can't help but think about them when Sam dies. Most especially, Izzy. Her little sister, Izzy, who will forever be traumatized by her big sister's untimely and tragic death. It was also heartbreaking that she and Kent only had one day to share.

Shouldas, wouldas and couldas. In the book, just doing one thing differently changes the entire course of the day. Makes you wonder if the same goes in reality. Hmm.. makes me want to go see Sliding Doors :) So anyway, again this book was an interesting read and makes you ponder about life and try to live life to the fullest because we really don't know when it'll be our last. Tragic, yes, but also true.

So to my fellow procrastinators, let's start living TODAY. Kimmy Dora na 'to. Toodles xoxo