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Before I Fall

Pages
544
Published
2010
Language
English

Synopsis

With this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today's foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person's life can affect so many others. For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12-"Cupid Day"-should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is...until she dies in a terrible accident that night. However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam 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 ever imagined. Named to numerous state reading lists, this novel was also recognized as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, The Daily Beast, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. It has been optioned for film by Fox 2000 Pictures. Supports the Common Core State Standards.

About the author

L
Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver (born Laura Suzanne Schechter, November 8, 1982) is an American author of young adult and adult fiction. Raised in Westchester, New York, she studied philosophy and literature at the University of Chicago and earned an MFA from New York University, then worked as an editor at Razorbill before becoming a full-time writer in 2009. She is best known for the New York Times bestseller Before I Fall and the dystopian Delirium trilogy (Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem), as well as Panic, Va...

Characters

Samantha KingstonProtagonist

Popular high school senior who relives the day of her death seven times and comes to understand how her cruelty affected others.

Juliet SykesSupporting

A bullied classmate whose suicide, caused in part by Sam and her friends, is the tragedy Sam comes to try to prevent.

Lindsay EdgecombeSupporting

Sam's best friend and the dominant personality of their popular clique.

ElodySupporting

One of Sam's closest friends, flamboyant and confident.

Ally HarrisSupporting

A member of Sam's friend group, sweet and lovesick.

All characters in Before I Fall

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Before I Fall part of a series?

    No. Before I Fall is a standalone novel — Lauren Oliver's 2010 debut. It was adapted into a 2017 film of the same name, directed by Ry Russo-Young and starring Zoey Deutch.

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