What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.
The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.
This is book three of ten on the Virginia Reader's Choice list that I will be reading and reviewing. Though I was a bit disappointed by Oliver's Delirium, I went into this book excited to read. I've heard nothing but positive reviews of it, much like Delirium, so I was willing to see whether it was worth the hype or not. In this case, it absolutely was.
Samantha (or Sam) was a well-written main character. Oliver managed to breathe life into a stereotype - in this case, the "mean girl" from high school - and made her into something much more than her label implies. While Sam doesn't start out this way, by the end of the book I was cheering for her. Her inner voice as she slowly unravels the web surrounding her death seemed believable; though she is in an unrealistic situation, her thoughts and feelings seemed very real. Similarly, Oliver added interest to Sam's friends, by making each of them more than just the "mean girl" as well. My only complaint with characters would be the love interest in the story, Kent. There is a bit of a case of "insta-love" at play, which detracted from the novel.
I absolutely tore through this book, largely due to the exciting storyline. While reliving the same day over and over might not seem thrilling, Oliver adds enough mystery and suspense to the story to keep the reader engaged. Watching Sam make the smallest changes in each day, and how big the impact of those changes could be, made each "repeat" day almost an entirely new experience. With each failed attempt to rectify her mistakes, Sam draws the reader in more deeply. By the end of the book, I kept wanting to will myself to read faster, in hopes that somehow Sam would be able to fix her mistakes more quickly too! At the risk of revealing too much, I will stop there - it really is a plot you have to discover on your own.
Admittedly, there are some content concerns in this novel. Sam debates at length the merits of losing her virginity, drinks (a lot!), drives after drinking, and even kisses a teacher. There is some strong language at points in the novel as well. Overall, though, this book doesn't glorify the negative choices Sam makes; rather, she learns from them and later eschews repeating them. For students who are not easily offended or put off, I believe the positive messages of the novel far outweigh its less than ideal points.
Admittedly, there are some content concerns in this novel. Sam debates at length the merits of losing her virginity, drinks (a lot!), drives after drinking, and even kisses a teacher. There is some strong language at points in the novel as well. Overall, though, this book doesn't glorify the negative choices Sam makes; rather, she learns from them and later eschews repeating them. For students who are not easily offended or put off, I believe the positive messages of the novel far outweigh its less than ideal points.
Despite my reservations about the author, I am extremely glad I read this book. It was engrossing - so much so I read it in an entire day! For a more mature audience, it is a solid pick for a contemporary take on themes that are ages old.
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