30 Day Book Challenge // Day 7: A Book That Broke Your Heart

Day 7: A Book That Broke Your Heart

This is a really interesting day: a book that broke my heart.

I'm a really sensitive and emotional person, and I have been known to cry at adverts on the television, as well as weep at happy endings in films, TV shows, and even competitions! It probably won't come as much of a surprise, therefore, when I say that there are a lot of books that have turned into an emotional wreck over the years! 

However, I didn't want to just choose a book that had made me cry. I wanted to choose a book that had really touched my heart. I decided to go with Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

For anybody who isn't familiar with the book, here's the blurb: 

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is … until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

When I first bought Before I Fall, I wasn't too sure about whether or not I would enjoy it. I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews, especially about the likeability of the main character, Samantha. However, I read the Delirium series by the same author not long after and loved it, so decided to take the plunge.

I find that young adult fiction is particularly inclined towards breaking my heart, because I resonate so much more easily with the characters. I actually really liked Samantha, and thought she really grew as a person over the course of the story.

The reason it broke my heart is, for anybody who has read the book, very clear. We know from the outset that Samantha is in a very unusual situation, and watching her relive through the same experiences multiple times is tough. When I got to the end, I was very emotional, and the final events left me in pieces. The story really moved me, and every time I think of the book, although I loved it, my heart aches a little.