Wednesday, February 15, 2012

BEFORE I FALL

Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: YA Fiction, Standalone
Published: 2010
Personal Rating: 2/5 (not enjoyable)
Format: Audiobook
Yearly Count: 13


A popular high school senior and her friends are mean girls. After an evening of partying, the girls end up in a deadly car crash. Confusingly, Samantha wakes up the next morning in her bed and able to relive the day again. And again. And again. And again. Etc.

I wonder why I think (yes, I'm even baffling to myself) I like YA novels and continue to read/listen to them. It is becoming very apparent to me that I just might not. The ones I truly enjoy seem to be far and few between. Maybe it's the case of too many in a row or poor choices on my part, but I really need to give this genre a rest.

Had I known the storyline would repeat 7 times, I would not have read it. I don't even like to reread books once!  I can understand others enjoying the unique approach, but it was not for me. I really didn't like anything about this book; however, I did want to know the ending even after on occasion only listening with one ear. Oh, and that ending . . . terrible.  :(

7 comments:

  1. I felt the same way... here's my review: http://mentalfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-review-before-i-fall-by-lauren.html

    I think when a YA done well, it can be very intriguing. But I have to be very selective about it. Have you read Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys? It's a historical YA (not usually my genre) but it was my favorite YA last year. (haven't reviewed yet...)

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    1. Christa ~ Your comment makes me feel a little better. I knew I couldn't be the only one!

      I LOVED Between Shades of Gray (5/5!). Interestingly enough, I recommended it to my mother-in-law and a friend, and neither of them thought it was as good as I did. So, it happens the other way around too. No book is read the same rings true.

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  2. I'm not a big fan of teen fiction either. I loved The Book Thief, but I can't really think of any others I would rate as high as I did that one. I liked The Hunger Games a lot, but didn't care for the sequels. I liked Twilight a lot, but didn't care for the sequels. Notice a pattern?

    I have a couple of ARCS (books that are already published now) that I may read, but I have a feeling they won't be as good as The Book Thief. I keep trying, though. Sorry this one didn't pan out. I'm definitely going to pass on it.

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    1. Les ~ I felt the same way about the books you mentioned.

      I have oodles and oodles of YA titles in iTunes waiting to be transferred to my iPhone or iPod. I know I will venture that way again, but I'm going to wait a bit before trying another.

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  3. Bermudaonion ~ It's disappointing to say the least.

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  4. A lot of fellow readers really enjoyed this one, so much so that I felt like I was missing out on something special by not reading it!!!

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    1. Staci ~ Yep, I felt the same way - until I read it! This one rubs me the wrong way just thinking about it. I am BIG on no repeats or rereads, etc. This violated my beliefs. HaHa. I'm only half kidding. It's a huge pet peeve of mine and I had to listen to the same thing 7 times. UGH!!'

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