Thursday, September 13, 2012

Review: The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Title: The Day Before
Author: Lisa Schroeder
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release date: June 28th 2011
Pages: 336
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Bought
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Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of her family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself. Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell that he's also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets. The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she's drawn to him. And the more she's troubled by his darkness. Because Cade's not just living in the now--he's living each moment like it's his last.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I always have a hard time reviewing verse books because, to be honest, I don't understand them. I have no idea why I sometimes love and sometimes hate them. I just know that, for whatever reason, they either work or they don't - there's no in-between, for me. And The Day Before falls into the 'love' category.

I love when books are set over a very short period of time, one day or night. It must be so hard to get your readers to feel like they know your characters if you have just one day to set their story on, and it always amazes me when an author manages to do just that. I just love the intensity of it all. The Day Before doesn't explain a whole story, it's just a snapshot of two people's lives. It doesn't offer solutions or have big plot twists, but that's fine - I loved going along with Amber and Cade on their short journey.

The Day Before has made me fall in love with Lisa Schroeder's writing. This is my first of her books, but I know it won't be my last. Seriously, her writing is gorgeous! It's sparse, of course, since it's verse, but it carries so much honest emotion. Many passages had me marveling at the beauty of it all - the writing made me want to savor each word, even though it's such a quick read.

Amber's story is fascinating to read about. In the beginning, I had no idea what was going on with her, and I really enjoyed putting together the pieces and gradually finding out. If it's not too late, I'd recommend not reading many reviews before starting The Day Before because a lot of them would probably tell you what's going on with Amber. The reading experience is much better going in without knowing too much, in my opinion.

I loved Cade's story, too. At first, I was worried about how the author would handle Cade's and Amber's relationship - it'd be very easy to have a romance taking place over such a short time period turn into insta-love. But luckily, that is not the case here. Cade's and Amber's relationship develops fast, but in a very honest and relatable way. These two develop feelings for one another quickly, yes, but it never turns into melodramatic, head-over-heels love; they just meet and get to know each other. Cade's story is great, and it adds a lot to the novel - I love the whole idea of them spending their "day before" with each other. Cade and Amber are adorable together, and definitely put a smile on my face.

Also, I love how The Day Before refers to another YA book. I've complained before about how characters in YA books only ever read classics, or adult romances, never YA. It made me super-happy when Amber compared what was happening to another YA book!

The Day Before is a poignant, bittersweet snapshot portrayal of two teens' lives, and I loved every minute of it. I'm a new Lisa Schroeder fan, that's for sure!

9 comments:

  1. Lisa Schroeder is my favorite verse author and an all time favorite author, period. This is my favorite book by her (and I'm in the acknowledgements!) but I Heart You, You Haunt Me is my next favorite. I hope you read it next. :)
    So happy that you've found a verse author that works for you!

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  2. I love Lisa Schroeder! She's amazing and I've read all her books, including "The Day Before". Her new book "Falling For You" is going to be the first time she doesn't write in verse. Hope you'll read it. In the mean time, love your review!

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  3. I usually love or hate verse books too, so it's so great to hear this one falls into the 'love' category! I'm still not too sure what this is about, but I love being surprised. :) Definitely adding to my TBR list! x]

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  4. Have never tried reading verse book before. But I've seen a lot of good reviews on Lisa Schroeder's I Heart You, You Haunt Me. I'm considering to read her book now.

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  5. I've never heard of a verse book before. Not sure it's my thing.

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  6. I had never read a book by Lisa Schroeder before this one either but like you, just completely fell in love after this book. It's a beautifully written book and I'm so glad to see yet another person fall in love with it.

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  7. I've never read a verse book before nor a book set in such a short period of time but your review convinced me that I should read this book. It sounds beautifully written and I love books that provide snapshots of people's lives without it being too over the top.

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  8. I am firmly in the I love verse novels camp, BUT not all verse novels are the same... It takes a truly talented writer to really master the verse novel. In verse, you have to be very careful with the words you chose, because you don't get as many, which means that every word counts, and you can't rely so much on description, and you just have to FEEL it. Lisa Schroeder is one of my very favorites, and this is my absolute favorite of hers (and the first that I read :) ).

    Ellen Hopkins is another that you should try. Her writing is incredible.

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    Replies
    1. Totally agree - that's what makes verse novels so great! It can also make them really bad, though, when they're not done properly...

      And yes, I love Ellen Hopkins - she's the author that first got me into verse!

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