June is Winning!
All of these books have won various awards. I admit to being an "award junkie." It takes away some of the guess work, because I know lots of people already like it! That doesn't always guarantee that I will enjoy it, but I sure enjoyed these!
Instead of going to 5th hour, she and Lindsay skip out to TCBY. They spot Alex on their way, who is cheating on his girlfriend Bridget with skanky Anna. They can't resist giving them a hard time. Finally school is over, and the four of them get ready for the big party at Kent's. Sure he's a dork, but he's getting two kegs! Lindsay drives, because everyone knows she never gets drunk. Rob is there, already drunk. Juliet "Psycho" Sykes even shows up, and calls them bitches. It doesn't work, they throw drinks at her until she runs off. It's a successful day, even if she ditches Rob at the party. There's always tomorrow right? Until there is the sound of glass breaking and metal squealing, and then nothing. Nothing at all.
Then she wakes up, alarm going off next to her in her bedroom. Everything is fine! It must have been a dream...right? As the minutes pass, things start to feel way too de ja vu. It's not possible, right? She can't be reliving this day over...it's just a mistake. The sinking feeling in her stomach as all the events of yesterday keep cycling through her head gets worse. It's the little things she notices: Sarah gets their parking spot from yesterday and they are the ones who are late. She remembers something Elody said: little changes make big changes somewhere else. The day keeps happening, and there is nothing she can do to stop it. It all ends the same way, with broken glass and twisted metal and nothing.
Then she wakes up. Is this for real? She's reliving the same day over and over like some sick version of Groundhog Day? If that's true, then today she's going to do things differently. She isn't going to let it happen this time. She'll stay home, not go to the party, that will stop things right?
Then she wakes up. There's got to be a reason this is happening, right? There has to be a way to stop it. Maybe if she...
This book deals with a lot of issues: bullying, death, the impact we have on the people around us. It's well written, and hard to put down. Sam's character really shows dynamic change in a way that we all wish for ourselves. It may even inspire you to treat the people around you differently, to take the time to think before you act. Powerful, moving, and inspirational, Oliver delivers a hit. It's nominated for a Missouri Gateway Award, as well as being a YALSA Top Ten (among many others).
"Maybe when you die time folds in on you, and you bounce around inside this little bubble forever. Like the after-death equivalent of the movie Groundhog Day. It's not what I imagined death would be like-not what I imagined would come afterward-but then again it's not like there's anyone around to tell you about it.
Be honest: are you surprised that I didn't realize sooner? Are you surprised that it took me so long to even think the word-death? Dying? Dead?*Library Link*
Do you think I was being stupid? Naive?
Try not to judge. Remember that we're the same, you and me.
I thought I would live forever too," (Oliver pg. 131-132, 2010).
If you liked this, check out:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Oliver, Lauren.(2010). Before I fall. New York: Harper.
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