Before I Fall What if you only had one day to live . . . .. Nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2011, category Preis der Jugendlichen

"Before I Fall" is the first book Lauren Oliver ever published. She is also well-known for her dystopian "Delirium" trilogy. Sam is what you'd call a Mean Girl. Part of the most popular group of girls at her High School she can pretty much do whatever she wants without having to fear any consequences. But one day she's in a terrible accident which she does not survive. Forced to relive her last living day over and over again Sam realizes that every action can influence others for better or for worse and tries to righten some of the wrong she's done... At first I wasn't sure whether I would be able to finish this novel or not. Sam, to me, was a bitch - excuse my French - and I couldn't really warm up to her. But as the story progresses you witness a lot of character development and realize that Sam isn't that bad a person after all. I am glad I finished this book since not only did I get to love the story and the characters, it also made me think about how my actions can cause reactions, may they be good or bad. I recommend this book to teenagers aged 14 and up.