Before I Fall by Lauren OliverMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I just wanted to finish the book before movie comes out. So I did.
Its very good. Ending may turn off for some people for its abruptness. But I saw it coming from far away, and that is not necessarily a bad thing in this case. I predicted because that's how I would end it AND I also watched Donnie Darko million times. Also it doesn't mean the book is predictable.
It is usual YA novel in Groundhog Day setup, which makes it a good character study. Takes time to kick start the story but that time is well spent setting up the characters. Even though the story happens in one day over and over again, the characters do develop. We see them changing, we learn more about them, we grow to care for them. Especially the protagonist, who goes from this half of the spectrum to that half. The 'Mean Girls' characters are made surprisingly humane, even though they doesn't really do humanitarian acts. Story is always in progress mode. Means minimum fillers.
Some nitpicks:- Some character threads are not revisited, just left them hanging like Lauren. Also there should have been some confrontation of Sykes and Lindsay, and thereby resolution. this is the problem:-Lack of some character resolutions. This makes you feel like you want more, once you finish reading the book.
But I recommend it, since it is a debut novel of the author and its very good for that standard.
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