My dentist claims that Groundhog Day is one of his favorite holidays. Of course he also told me that getting my cavities filled would be, "great fun," so his judgment is clearly questionable. I certainly don't have much of an attachment to the day but perhaps I will now at least view it with more interest after the book I finished, appropriately enough, on Groundhog Day. The book is called Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. It is about a 17-year old girl on the day she died (you learn this in the first chapter so I'm not spoiling anything). The thing about it is that in the next chapter, she wakes up in her bed the same day as before and she continues to relive this same day for a week. You can see why I think this would be a perfect book for Groundhog Day!
I found the book very hard to put down! I was intrigued by the variety of plot twists and different outcomes that occurred as a result of this girl reliving her one day over and over again. In the beginning of the book, Samantha is a self-centered popular girl who's major aim in life seems to be to stay popular. I really didn't like her and I didn't particularly want to keep reading after the first chapter. It wasn't that I looked down on her so much as I just didn't feel that I cared what happened to her. However, all this changed as I continued to read. Once she realizes that she is reliving her last day over and over again, she begins to see herself, her friends, and life in a whole new way. I even found myself thinking about what things (people, circumstances, situations) I take for granted!
I would love to know what other people think of this book--particularly the ending!
