Before I Fall discussion

Hi,

Earlier I read the first 30 pages of this book, and was very turned off. I was irked with the sophomoric drivel about popularity, cliques, etc. I was expecting this book to be deeper and less trite.

I know that the book is generally well-liked (so many would probably recommend I keep reading), but does the book change? Does it get better/more mature? Do you think I should read on?

Thanks :)

In my opinion, it doesn't get any better, I had to stop half way through because it was just a waste of time.

I found it very repetitive and frustrating, however the main character did mature as the book went on I thought. I liked it, I read the whole book and afterwards I read some of her other books. I liked the author's other books better, probably mostly because this one was so repetitive with the main character living the same day over and over again. I don't regret finishing "Before I fall" though.

I totally agree with Nicola in every way.

yea i got it cause it looked really cool but when i got past the first 3 days i got really pissed cause like it doesn't even change and like after you finish you don't even know what happened to her if she stayed or went in to reality

No, its not worth it

It gets a bit better, but not until the very end. I'm glad I finished it, but totally understand your frustration

It actually gets better in the end(really heartwarming:).. I don't know why you guys weren't enthusiastic about reading it further, I liked it. Just try finishing it, and afterward let me know how you feel about the book? :)

I really enjoyed what the author did with this. You have to remember you're in the mind of a fickle teenager. She grows up but she is still young... If you can hang with her, I think you'll appreciate the ending. It hit home with me because I work with teens.

Okay so I read it, but did I like it........no......my sister however loved it.......go figure:)

I was annoyed by the main character in the beginning of the book, but I believe the author intentionally created this scenario. As the book continues, the reader can sees would the characters react and change. By the end, you are cheering for her.

I personally enjoyed the book. I would give the book a chance, but I always finish a book once I've started it.

I absolutely hated it because her repetitive dreams became my worst nightmares ---- lol

It was annoying that it kept repeating, but as she changed the way she handled certain situations, and changed her views of the other characters, I was drawn back in. It is meant for young adults and teenagers, so I think the message is good. And I like the fact that it shows what bullying can do to people. I loved the book by the time I finished it, and recommended it to many friends. I could see why some don't like it, though. It seems to be one of those that you either love or hate.

Yes, Yes, Yes! I promise its gets better your just have to pull through! I was a little weary but then it got so much better!

Is it appropriate? My friend wants to read it and I'm not really interested in reading it so I need somebody else's opinion. Her Mom asked me and I had to ask one of my other friends and they weren't sure because her mom is SUPER over protective.

Catherine wrote: "Is it appropriate? My friend wants to read it and I'm not really interested in reading it so I need somebody else's opinion. Her Mom asked me and I had to ask one of my other friends and they weren..."

Not exactly.... there aren't many actual graphic scenes, but there are a lot of inappropriate references.

I finished it and liked the ending. I think the way the author wrote it, she wants you to hate the main character at the beginning. It is repetitive, but has a good message for teens.

I felt the same. I put it down so many times because I hated all the high school pity drama, however when it got to about like 200 it changed a little and got semi better. The main character did change and mature but everyone else around her did not so you still have to deal with them.

Jessica wrote: "I finished it and liked the ending. I think the way the author wrote it, she wants you to hate the main character at the beginning. It is repetitive, but has a good message for teens."

I agree, but somehow I felt bad for Sam and Kent(especially him) in the end :(

Sharmaine wrote: "Jessica wrote: "I finished it and liked the ending. I think the way the author wrote it, she wants you to hate the main character at the beginning. It is repetitive, but has a good message for tee..."

It was sad, but I don't think it was meant to be a happy ending book.

I agree with you I was turned off with this book. I thought that I will never finish this book. I mean 7 times of reliving your life before you die. but I recommend that maybe you should give it a try, that's what I did and yeah I got disappointed but I think that I got the message of the story. good luck ;)

Stephanie wrote: "Hi,

Earlier I read the first 30 pages of this book, and was very turned off. I was irked with the sophomoric drivel about popularity, cliques, etc. I was expecting this book to be deeper and less ..."

I think it's not unlike Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars." He starts off in the first film as a whiny kid, but how else could he start? He wouldn't have any room to grow if he'd started out mature. I'm a dad, so the main character annoyed the bejeezus out of me at the start of the novel, but I very much like where the story ends and how the character grows. The book wouldn't work if she'd started it differently.

What started as a book I was unsure about ended up being one I very much enjoyed. I also think there are very many positive messages one can take away from the story.

You should continue! I adored this book and as it goes on there are some scenes that are quite shocking and heart-wrenching. I have to agree that the beginning is pretty slow, but on her third or fourth day the ways her character starts to change is really interesting!

I didnt like this book but I just read it to see what happens. Just read on.

I totally understand why you would want to give up on this book - so did I - but I was persuaded to continue and in the end was so glad I did...it's the author's intention that you should dislike the main character at the beginning, so that you appreciate the way things turn out. You have to stick with it, and finish it!

I think that is how Oliver writes. At the beginning, it is somehow boring but gets better every page. It's sad to read a book and not finish it so I think you should. Besides, you wouldn't know how good it is if you don't finish the whole thing :)

I didn't like this book. I couldn't stand the main character and her friends. I continued to read hoping it would get better but for me it never did. You never know though, you might end up liking it.

i felt the same, gave up for a bit then carried on, it does get on and i really did enjoy it by the end xx

Hope you didn't give up. I felt just the same and frequently choose not to finish a book but I persevered with this one. It was not the greatest read of my life but am glad I finished it.

I gave up on page 20...

I read the whole book, but that was a fault. Never understood the hype about this novel. Just boring!!

It was difficult for me to get started, for the same reasons you listed, but once I kept going, I thought it got much better. Samantha begins to slow down and take a look at things, and it certainly made me think about life too.
This is a wonderful book. I encourage you to finish it, and I think you will love it.

I felt the same way as you, Stephanie, and it didn't get any better at all.
It's not that I disliked the characters, it's just that I had absolutely no interest in any of them. They had the most banal and uninteresting interactions imaginable. It's entirely possible to have unlikeable characters that are still worth reading about.

The second half is much better. I read it when it first first came out so I do not remember it too clearly, but I know I really liked it.

Hmmm...I did give it 3 stars.... and I am VERY liberal with stars. Maybe I didn't like that much. I told my mom she'd really like it, though.

I loved this book, I thought at first it would get boring as it is repeating the same day over and over, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and the ending was worth the wait.

I thought I was going to really dislike this book to begin with and, yes, it is repetitive, but it's also clever and in the end I really enjoyed it.

I rated the book 3 stars. The repetition frustrated me and I thought the ending could have been better. However, I'm glad that I read it. It was well written and considerably enjoyable. Stephanie wrote: "Hi,

Earlier I read the first 30 pages of this book, and was very turned off. I was irked with the sophomoric drivel about popularity, cliques, etc. I was expecting this book to be deeper and less ..."

I really like this book because it really is a story that has many twists and turns and the ending is epic

I NEVER give up on books, but after 5 chapters, I couldn't continue any more. It's that bad!

yeahh, i quit reading within just a few chapters. im sure that if i gave it time and what not it wouldnt be so bad. but i read for my own enjoyment and to escape. not to get mad and have to make myself keep reading. for a while i thought about picking it up again..but no. im not going to. so no, dont keep reading it if you dont like it by now!

seriously guys? how come? yeah, it was freaky in the first chapters like.. okay, what is happening? but when you pick the author's brain and get through what's really happening to Sam.. it's cool. really:D

Arvie wrote: "seriously guys? how come? yeah, it was freaky in the first chapters like.. okay, what is happening? but when you pick the author's brain and get through what's really happening to Sam.. it's cool. ..."

so i should start over and read it forrel?

I actually had the same feeling when I was just starting to read it. I had the urge to stop but then I thought there could be something valuable that made this story loved by many. And so I finished it but.... well it got better though as the main character matured but I didn't find it amazing still.. :)

I found it one of those books which was annoyingly compelling. I didn't like the girl and didn't want to go on, but am glad I did,as months later I am still wondering about the book and wishing I was imaginative to have written it.