Great Read for Character Development - by Donna

The first week of each month is a time for us to share some of our favorite books and recent best reads. If you would like to send an ARC of a book for us to review, please contact us. We're always on the lookout for new authors and great new books.

This month I'm featuring Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Here's a short summary of the plot borrowed from Amazon:

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

I've heard the expression before "change the character, change the story." In this case, that is certainly true. Described as Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day, this book is a wonderful study in character development. The reader actually experiences the main character's growth in a totally unique way--by re-living the day of her death multiple times and having the opportunity each time to make changes. Wrapped around the plot design of a major "do-over" are some insights into the high school popular crowd, some heartbreakingly beautiful language, and some realistic, snappy dialogue.

Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver's first novel, is already a bestseller. Fox 2000 has optioned the rights and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out on the big screen.