Before I Fall

Have you ever been somewhere and you follow the crowd? Or get sucked in by peer pressure?  When that happens, usually dumb decisions are made and you definitely regret them.  Not only will you have to face consequences from the dumb decisions, but the decisions could affect who you are.  It could change your personality, who your friends are, and what you do from that point on.  Hopefully the dumb decisions that are made will help you change friends and change what you do, but in a lot of cases one will get stuck in a hole and keep making dumb decisions. 

In Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Sam gets caught up in popularity.  She is at the top of Jefferson High, has the boyfriend everyone wants, and gets many roses on Cupid's Day.  However, while you read the book, you understand that Sam regrets many of the things she does.  One day she spends it by cutting classes, smoking, being arrogant, and going to a naughty party.  She makes so many mistakes and hurts so many feelings that she starts to realize she's not the nicest person; yet, she doesn't care because she is Ms. Popular.  At the end of the night, on the way home from the party, the car crashes and she dies.  Was she so mean that she deserved to die?

Strangely enough, Sam wakes up "the next day".  However, she really is just reliving her Friday.  The same exact things happen--Will she change her attitude toward things and fix her issues?

Luckily for Sam, she is getting a second chance.  In life, many people can suddenly die and won't get to say their last wish, last piece of advice, or fix many of their weaknesses.  Sam gets too, and hopefully she can redeem herself and find her true identity.